Piano and Music Videos

This is a great question but it does not have a simple answer. If you play guitar you know that the oils in your skin can degrade the strings quickly and you will need to replace them often to get a lively tone. The piano is certainly not this extreme but the strings are susceptible to the elements as well. However, there is no definitive answer when it comes to this question.

Right now we have two Steinway pianos in our inventory from the 1930s. Both of these pianos actually have the original strings and they sound incredible. The bass sounds robust and the tone is vibrant; there is simply no reason to change the strings. On the other hand, we have a Steinway piano from the 1980s that we actually replaced the strings. How can this be? How can a piano that is fifty years older than others not need to be restrung? It has everything to do with the environment the piano is in.

The strings of a piano don’t actually age on their own; they age through outside forces and elements of their surroundings. A piano that is in a very humid environment – like near the beach – is highly susceptible to the elements. I have seen pianos in homes near the beach where the lid of the piano is left open with windows left open and the strings are rusting, breaking and just completely degraded within a decade.

However, here in Southern California if you go only ten miles from the beach and not too close to the desert you have an incredibly ideal environment for your piano. Just ten miles from the humidity of the beach there is an area where you can have a piano even left open in your home and not experience rust or serious problems with your strings possibly for decades. This is where I have seen 80 year old pianos still with the original strings; and they sound great!

There is a limit however to how long strings can last. I have seen pianos 50 to 100 years old lose some of the tone in the copper wound strings – which is where you will first see string problems. There is a simple way to check for this. Play a descending chromatic scale on the piano and notice where you transition from the steel strings to the copper wound strings. If you hear an abrupt change in tone in this transition to the copper wound strings, you know that it’s time to replace at least those strings. Sometimes you can twist the bass strings and get them back to life and sometimes you can simply replace the bass strings and be just fine.

The big red flag when it comes to strings is seeing rusty and broken strings – and this can be both the copper wound and steel strings. This is a sign that more strings are bound to break and it’s a good idea to restring the whole piano.

When you see professionals moving a piano, it can almost look easy. However, it’s not a simple task. If you want to ensure that your piano leaves and arrives in great condition you should take extra special care when moving it. It will always be best to hire a professional for any piano move but if you are forced to do so yourself, here are some tips:

All parts of the piano should be padded. This is to ensure that there are no parts of the piano (wood or metal) that will be hitting in the truck in case of movement.

Wrap the piano in shrink wrap. This is not necessary but it can help to ensure that the finish will not be damaged in any way. This is important with satin finish pianos because the finish is porous – meaning sweat from hands can actually damage the finish.

Use Leverage to Your Advantage. By placing pads beneath certain parts of the piano you can avoid having to constantly lift parts of the piano in order to remove the legs. The video provides a great example of this.

Use a Dolly and a Grand Board. Using a four wheel flat dolly can ensure that you won’t have to do any unnecessary lifting. Using a grand board – shown in the video – will help to cover the entire side of the piano and make sure it is securely resting on the dolly.

Remove the Legs and All Loose Parts. This will ensure that no parts of the piano are damaged by movement or other objects being transported in the truck.

Wrap the Piano in Blankets. Make sure that every part of the piano is wrapped and there are no parts that are exposed.

Secure the Piano to the Side of the Truck. Don’t let the piano slide around the truck. Secure it to the side of the truck using straps or another method that will ensure it doesn’t move.

If you want to undertake moving a piano it will definitely be a challenge. I would recommend having a good back, the proper equipment, a couple friends, and probably some pizza and beer. Better yet, hire professionals if you possibly can!

I know this sounds like a very basic topic (and it is) but there are some things that every musician should remind themselves of every now and then. In the hectic pace of many of our lives we tend to lose track of the things that are important to us. This article features some things all musicians should remind themselves throughout their lives.

Be True to Yourself

This is a very important topic no matter what field you’re in but especially when it comes to music. Many times you will be tempted to play a certain way that you think people might like. As a composer you might be tempted to write music that may be popular with a large audience. The truth is, no artist can really be creating anything of value if they are just imitating instead of creating.

It’s important to be honest in your expression and show people what you have burning inside you. Anything that’s less than sincere is very noticeable to an audience – even if they don’t know you. As tempting as it might be to impress people it’s not the sign of a true artist if you are compromising who you are and what you believe in.

Versatility

When it comes to being a musician there is nothing more marketable than having a wide range of capabilities and specialties. In school it’s incredibly difficult to double major in instruments and study two different styles of music – for example, studying both classical and jazz. While you shouldn’t stretch yourself too thin, it’s not a bad thing to experiment and play in different styles and periods of music that are outside your field of study. You might be a classical violinist but you might be able to find some work playing bluegrass! It’s OK to try something new and out of your comfort zone – you might be surprised.

This skill can extend far beyond actually performing music. For example, maybe you are talented and knowledgeable about recording technology and mixing. When it comes to this world, the more things you can do, the more opportunities there are. Having extra skillsets can really help foster a career and help you achieve your goals.

It’s Just Music… Nobody Gets Hurt

This is something that all performers have to deal with. While getting up in front of an audience – no matter what size – can feel scary and intimidating; nobody is going to die! You are not a brain surgeon or a pilot, you are there to bring enjoyment to people; it’s a harmless endeavor.

Things that might seem important to you might not even be noticed by the audience. In fact, most of the time your audience wouldn’t know the difference between a good performance and a bad one; they are there with the expectation of being entertained. If you ruin the entertainment factor by visibly displaying your displeasure, you are ruining the performance for everyone watching and listening. There is nothing worse than acting disappointed after a performance when you are greeted by someone from the audience. If they enjoyed it, let them!

It’s OK to give yourself a break. Not every performance will be perfect – we are only human. Sometimes a mistake can lead you into unchartered territory and you might learn something new.

If you’ve played music for a while you’ve probably run across this term before and you might wonder what it means. Some people might dismiss it as being a term only applying to music which actually utilizes your breath but that is not the case.

The voice is the first musical instrument and to some extent all music derives from singing. Naturally with wind instruments this directly relates to using your breath but all instruments mimic the same concept. String instruments like violinists, cellists, and others utilize a technique that simulates the up and down of breathing with the bow. This technique should also apply to the piano – where phrases should rise and fall just like a breath does. When starting a new phrase it’s like starting a new breath.

Everything in life revolves around cycles and breathing is one of them. Unless you’re consciously aware of it you’d never notice your breaths but this same type of structure seeps into all aspects of our lives. Every day the sun rises and sets, ever since we were born we’ve been used to the simple nature of breathing in and out, and things like sitting at the beach and listening to the waves crash in and out are soothing things that remind of the cyclical nature of our existence. Music is no different.

But how does this translate to an instrument like the piano? You should really play every line you have like you are singing it. I encourage you to try this, you might be surprised at how much inherent expression it brings out in your music; it will give it character and life.

This is a very common question and it has less to do with the player than the style of music being played. Classical music is distinctively different from jazz or other styles of music where you are playing more by ear.

When it comes to jazz specifically you should always listen to a piece before you play it (if you have the chance) because it’s a great way to get the general melody and rhythm in your head before you start playing. Jazz can be very improvisational so it’s always best to know the structure of the song you will be performing. When it comes to jazz and rock, sometimes listening to a piece is really the only guide you have to actually playing it since it isn’t written music.

When it comes to classical music things are much different. In classical, every note is written down and intended to be played as written. As you progress as a classical musician it’s very important that you learn to play a piece without listening to it. You should ideally be able to look at notes on a page and understand what type of sound and melody they should produce.

If you listen to a piece of classical music before you learn it you will find yourself being very influenced by the performance and not so much what’s written on the page. As a kid I used to listen to my older sister Coren (who’s also a pianist and piano teacher in Ohio) playing the pieces I was going to learn later on. I definitely found it helpful to listen to and know the pieces I was going to learn – it did affect my way of learning new music.

You really are better off learning a piece of classical music on your own and figuring it out for yourself. You will be able to learn your own modes of expression and put a unique stamp on the music. After you’ve learned a piece give yourself a treat and listen to not only one but a number of different recordings of the piece you just learned.

Remember, when it comes to jazz and rock, listen as much as you can because the sound and the recordings are your guide to the music. When it comes to Classical music, learn first and listen later.