No Piano is Above the Law!

Welcome to LivingPianos.com. Today we’re going to talk about how no piano is above the law. I’m going to give you the Ten Commitments of Living Pianos. This is important information for anyone thinking about getting a piano or already owns one. Let’s start with the fact that some pianos, of course, need new parts. Some of our pianos are completely rebuilt and it takes a year or more to rebuild everything. However, no matter the piano, there are ten things that absolutely must be checked:

Tuning

Number one, we have tuning. This is much more involved than you might think. A brand new or newly rebuilt piano requires many tunings to become stable. All of our pianos here at Living Pianos are tuned multiple times to get them stable. Additionally, after the piano acclimates to your home, we send a high-level piano technician to do another fine tuning to ensure everything plays beautifully for you.

Regulation

Action regulation is even more involved. When you push down a key, dozens of parts must work in perfect harmony and synchronicity. Each key has several adjustments that must be meticulously calibrated for optimal performance and evenness throughout the entire piano. This is an arduous task that combines both art and science.

Voicing

Voicing refers to the sound of each note, not the mechanics. Every hammer must be precisely shaped, and its contact with the strings must be exact. The hardness of each hammer also affects the tone, ensuring a beautiful, rich sound that is not too bright or too mellow. Evenness from note to note is crucial, and we spend a considerable amount of time achieving this.

Damper Regulation

You want to get a clean release of chords where all notes end simultaneously without buzzing or noise. This requires damper regulation. Dampers on most keys of the piano need meticulous adjustment to function correctly.

Sustain PedalMiddle Pedal

The middle pedal, or sostenuto pedal, although rarely used, must be functional. It’s crucial for some 20th-century music, and we ensure it works as well as the other pedals.

Soft Pedal Voicing

The soft pedal, or una corda pedal, changes the color of the sound. It must be adjusted to shift the action the right amount. When you push the pedal, the keys move to the right and left, so the hammers strike the strings from a different part. This part of the hammer must be voiced differently to achieve the desired tonal shift.

Inside Cleaning

Pianos collect dirt and dust, especially if not completely rebuilt. Professional cleaning is necessary, including underneath the strings and soundboard. Light corrosion on strings must be cleaned, as any gunk inhibits free vibration of the sound.

Furniture Touch-Up

The piano’s finish needs to look beautiful. Many of our pianos are refinished to look new. Often, a finish just needs refreshing, or minor blemishes need touch-up to maintain the piano’s aesthetic appeal.

Brass Polishing

The brass needs to be polished, and in the case of silver pianos, sometimes re-plated. This ensures that the piano looks as beautiful as it sounds and plays.

These are the Ten Commitments you get from Living Pianos with all our pianos. Use this checklist for any piano you’re considering. These are vital parts of your piano, and at Living Pianos, we rebuild and replace any parts to a high standard to ensure beautiful performance.

I am Robert Estrin here at LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Store. Thanks for joining me! For premium videos and exclusive content, you can join my Living Pianos Patreon channel! www.Patreon.com/RobertEstrin

Contact me if you are interested in private lessons. I have many resources for you! Robert@LivingPianos.com