A Lifesaver For Your Piano

In the last few months I have been having a piano problem common to many of you in more humid regions, but somewhat rare here in South Texas, especially with the record drought of the last few years.  It has been raining.  Not the light drizzles that we would have relished for so much of this time, as much for the cooling effect as for the actual water, but the gully-filling downpours that, in this area at least, usually end up with major flooding.  Fortunately that has not been the case this time (so far) but, just as an example, we did gain over 10 inches of rain in one two-day period recently, and everything is sufficiently soaked that another rain of that magnitude would probably send some of the small communities in this area floating down the river.

So what, you ask, does this have to do with pianos? The piano I play at church is a medium-grade Asian-built baby grand (nice, but something less than a Baldwin) from the late ’80s or early ’90s.  Our cooling system has been working overtime for the last few months as the average temperature most days has been in excess of 100 degrees.  Then, when the rains started, the temperatures dropped, so the cooling has been running much less, allowing the humidity to build up in the sanctuary, leading to sticking keys.  Fortunately, since our piano technician came out once, only one key still sticks.  Unfortunately, that one key is used in over half of the hymns I play and our tech is currently booked solid and unable to make a return visit.

Two previous posts, Why Does My Piano Go Out of Tune? , and Care of Your Piano talk in more detail about piano humidity problems.  Here I want to tell you about one way to help combat these problems, called the Piano Life Saver, a piano humidity control system made by Dampp-Chaser Corporation of Hendersonville, North Carolina.  The system consists of three primary components, a humidifier, a dehumidifier, and a humidistat that work together to create a micro-environment around the piano.  The humidistat is the control unit that senses the humidity and turns the humidifier and dehumidifier on or off as needed to maintain an ideal level of humidity in the piano.

These systems are not cheap ($500-800) and the company does require that they be installed by a professional for warranty purposes, but if you have more than $3000 invested in a piano, it would be worth the cost to protect your investment.  Will they prevent all piano humidity problems? I don’t think so.  I was called out once to look at a piano that “needed a few strings replaced”.  When I got there, I found a baby grand, less than 10 years old, with over half of the strings rusted through and the other half looking like they would pop the next time someone tried to tune them.  Seems the client had bought the piano new and moved it to a beach house (in Hawaii, if I remember correctly).  Would this product have saved him the cost of a restringing job?  I doubt it.  However, for those of you with more conventional problems, like summer drought followed by rainy autumn, this system is the way to go.

(NOTE:  If you have any personal experience with Dampp-Chaser products, good or bad, please leave a comment and share with the rest of us.  )

Photo Credit:

You Might Also Want to Read:

• Care of Your Piano
• Quick Reference Guide for Piano Owners and Prospects
• Review-The Piano Shop On The Left Bank
• How Your Grand Piano Works- Part 3
• How Your Grand Piano Works- Part 2

to read and write.  We are all affected by music

even if we don’t perform for a living.  Encouraging

a child to listen to music, or to learn how to play

an instrument, and teaching them about the lives

and experiences of artists inspires some to go on

to be singers, writers and performers, and for

others, it simply becomes a tool to express

themselves in their daily lives.”

-Trisha Yearwood, 3-time Grammny winner

In my last post I talked about the need to support and promote music education across the United States.  In the time since then, I have compiled a small listing of sites that could be useful and have posted what I have on the page, “Music Resource Page“.  Admittedly not comprehensive, I hope to make it much more so – with your help..  If you come across a site or a program that advocates for music education, please share it with us.  If you have a site from outside the U.S.  I will gladly include it in the list as long as I can personally verify what it says, and unfortunately I only read English fluently.  Help me make this page into a valued asset in the music education community.

Two quick examples-

• Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation – This foundation was started in 1996 by the late Michael Kamen, composer for the film of the same name that told the story of a struggling composer who went to work as a high school music teacher and the impact he had on generations of students. The foundation provides instruments to schools and after-school programs that need help to continue providing music education to students who might not otherwise be able to afford it. It is my understanding that this group was a major player in getting school music programs in New Orleans back in operation post-Katrina.
• Discovery Through Music – The Grammy Foundation and Campbell Soup Company’s “Labels for Education” have partnered to make this 6-week K-6 curriculum available free to schools participating in the “Labels for Education” program. This curriculum will “provide sequential, creative and fun opportunities to understand and apply the basic elements of music (beat, tempo, rhythm, pitch, melody, harmony, dynamics, timbre, and texture) while integrating language arts, math, science, and technology into the curriculum.”  This is a means for a school; to have a basic music education even if they can’t afford anything more.

I’m not able to donate money to these groups.  Living on disability I do good to get my bills paid each month and keep food on the table.  But I know how important music has been in my life and if I can help one other person know that joy and richness then I am more than happy to use this blog to spread the word.

Music even helped me find my wife.  I was staff pianist in a small  Southern Baptist church in the Texas Hill Country.  As my wife tells the story, she and her little girl started attending this church and she fell in love with my playing before she actually met me – definitely before her daughter asked me to be her Daddy! As of this past June we have been “happily ever after” for 23 years.

Spread the word.  If you know of a music program in jeopardy (from what I hear there are more each year) maybe something from one of these sites will help keep them going.  If that happens I’d love to hear about it and I imagine your fellow readers would too, so please leave a comment.  If you know of another site or program that I didn’t mention, please share.  Leave a comment or send a message.  Let’s work together to keep the music playing!!

You Might Also Want to Read:

• Celebrate Music – Celebrate Life
• KUIW Fundraiser
• The Pianist and the Muse
• Piano Lessons For Both Parents And Kids Made Easy
• Beginner Piano Lessons – Hearing the Music

It is obvious that this group has learned to sing.  It is obvious to me, as it should be to anybody who has done any performing that they have learned how to put on a good show.  They have also gained in ways that aren’t as immediately obvious and have potential benefits that reach far beyond 5th grade chorus.  They have developed the discipline necessary to reach for a common goal and the teamwork skills needed to reach said goal together.  They have also, at least in some cases, overcome some serious personal inhibitions.  Jared, the soloist in this next piece, is the boy mentioned in the Nightline piece who was afraid to even speak in class just a few months before recording this video.  (I have heard of many corporations spending hundreds of thousands of dollars each year on personal development programs for their workers.)  How many of them can report such success?  Listen -

Sure, I realize that much of this program’s unusual success has to lay at the feet of Mr. B, I cannot believe that there are NO other teachers out there capable of accomplishing something like this. Could it be that the teachers are spending so much time and energy defending the very existence of their programs in this age of budget slashing that they have nothing left for what matters – the kids and the music? It was stated in the ABC piece that most of these 5th graders would be going on to schools with no music program.  If you are a parent or community leader facing this possibility, please check out supportmusic.com.  This is an excellent advocacy resource site.

Teachers- Keep teaching music as long as the opportunity exists.  But don’t just teach the time signatures and note values and “Every Good Boy Does Fine”.  Teach them to love the music and to love making music.  Teach them the discipline and teamwork needed but make sure that they also get to know the thrill of putting on a good performance and having the audience in the “palms of their hands”.  (It doesn’t get much better than that!)  Then you will have equipped them with something that can stay with them for the rest of their lives – and won’t hurt nearly as much as the sports injuries sustained by so many children these days.  Also, promote your program as it gets going.  Think what a kick it would be for one of your kids to write Grandma across the country or Dad in Afghanistan and tell them that they are on YouTube.  What a morale booster!

Parents and administrators- Support your music teachers.  That’s not just a financial commitment, although if the teacher is not getting paid it makes it harder for them to work with the children.  Let them know they are appreciated.  Make sure they have the resources necessary to get their job done.  Keep their piano tuned without them having to beg for it.  Make sure an administrator is present everytime the kids perform.

Final comments- If any of you know of good resource links for supporting school music please send me a link.  If I get any, I will put up a resources page.  Also, if you have a school music program that you are proud of, please write and tell me about it.  I would love the opportunity  to help tell the Internet world about you.  Now, in “tribute” to the 100-degree weather we are having here in South Texas, here is one more number from Mr. B and the PS22 chorus.  Stay cool-

You Might Also Want to Read:

• Music Resource Page Now Online
• KUIW Fundraiser
• The Pianist and the Muse
• Piano Lessons For Both Parents And Kids Made Easy
• Beginner Piano Lessons – Hearing the Music

Care of Your New Piano – First Part

The first 2 minutes of this video combine a very brief history of the Petrof company with some footage of piano assembly, showing how Petrof successfully combines cutting-edge manufacturing technology with old-school craftsmanship to build a fine piano. (Disclaimer: In my nearly half-century of playing piano I have not, to the best of my memory, ever played a Petrof, however, if the music on these videos is any indicator, I would love to. Anyone with personal experience with Petrof is welcome to leave a comment substantiating or debunking my opinion.) The remainder of this segment is a good PowerPoint- type presentation on climate and its effect on pianos, suitable placement of the piano, and influence of surroundings on the sound color or tone quality. For further reading see Why Does My Piano Go Out of Tune? and I Play One Note And Hear Three!.

Care of Your New Piano – Second Part

This second video is good proof that “one picture is worth a thousand words”. (I counted at least 25 images in just the first 4 minutes, so you do the math!) Many of the piano maintenance problems shown here have been mentioned in previous posts. (See Quick Check List for Piano Shopping, I Play One Note And Hear Three!, and My Piano Keys Make Noise-But My Tuner Can’t Find It! for extra reading.)

You Might Also Want to Read:

• Lifesaver for your Piano
• Quick Reference Guide for Piano Owners and Prospects
• Review-The Piano Shop On The Left Bank
• How Your Grand Piano Works- Part 3
• How Your Grand Piano Works- Part 2

I Want to Buy A Piano - A look at several things to consider before buying a piano.

• Should You Only Buy From A Dealer - the pros and cons of buying a used piano from a dealer as opposed to a private seller.
• “Run Away Now!” Pianos - Beginning a series on specific types of used pianos to avoid.  This article covers pneumatic players.
• “Run Away Now!” Pianos  (Pt 2) - Continuing a series on specific types of used pianos to avoid.  This article covers Lester spinets from the 1940s-1950s with plastic parts.
• “Run Away Now!” Pianos  (Pt 3) - Continuing a series on specific types of used pianos to avoid.  This article covers a type of antique upright commonly referred to as “English” uprights.
• “Run Away Now!” Pianos  (Pt 4) - Continuing a series on specific types of used pianos to avoid. This article covers a type of antique upright commonly referred to as “squirrel-cage” uprights.  (Update) Since writing these articles I have learned that the Germans made pianos similar to both the “English” and “squirrel-cage” types into at least the 1880s.  Avoid them too.
• The Night The Pianos Burned -  Tells the story of the “Great Piano Fire” of 1904, when a large group of piano dealers gathered and burned a large supply of square grand pianos to (1) emphasize their obsolescence and (2) get them out of inventory.
• How Good A Deal Is A Used Piano From A School? - Addresses the hazards of buying a piano that has been used by a school.
• Quick Check List For Piano Shopping -  A step-by-step list for you to follow when evaluating a piano (new or used) with an eye toward buying it.
• Buying A Piano – Digital vs Acoustic - A pros & cons evaluation of the digital/acoustic buying decision.  A few points that might seem surprising coming from an old piano tuner.

OK I Bought the Piano – Now What?

• Why Does My Piano Go Out Of Tune? - One of the most common questions asked by new piano owners. No, it is not necessarily that there is a problem with the piano or that your tuner is a drunkard.
• My Piano Keys Make Noise But My Tuner Can’t Find It
• I Play One Note And Hear Three!
• Why Are My Piano’s Pedals Loose?
• How To Make Life Simpler For Your Piano Tuner

I Want An Easy Hymnal For My Child

• EZ-Play Hymnal For Young Players

Just For Fun

• History Of The Piano -Victor Borge

You Might Also Want to Read:

• Review-The Piano Shop On The Left Bank
• Lifesaver for your Piano
• Care of Your Piano
• Memories of an Old Friend
• Buying A Piano – Digital vs Acoustic

Making Of A Kawai Grand Piano Pt.1

Koichi Kawai founded a company in 1927 that has, for 3 generations, sought to combine traditional craftstmanship with the efficiencies of computer-aided manufacturing in building an excellent piano.

Making Of A Kawai Grand Piano Pt.2

A few good examples of Kawai’s quest for excellence:

• In 1997, Kawai became the first company in the piano industry to receive the ISO 14001 certification for excellence in environmental management.
• Kawai uses ABS Styran instead of wood for several action parts that are most susceptible to breakage or swelling due to humidity.  While I have historically opposed the use of plastics in piano actions, this one (actually a polymer composite) has several decades of evidence to support that it does work.
• “Circle of Refinement”- This is what sets Kawai apart for me.  One of the first times I saw a Kawai was around 1980.  The Baldwin dealer I was working with had just started carrying Kawai also.  I was used to a Baldwin coming from the factory needing five or six tunings and a small amount of regulation to be ready for the sales floor.  This first Kawai was shipped from Japan to Houston, Texas, then trucked to San Antonio before being uncrated.  It was then shipped about another 100 miles to a store in Kerrville, Texas, where it only required touch-up of a few unisons to be ready for the sales floor.  I have seen this a few more times, and heard of it many more times since then.  The Kawai craftsmen invest the extra time and effort needed to make sure that one of their instruments is ready when it leaves the factory.

The Kawai Legacy. http://www.kawaius.com/main_links/legacy_home.html

You Might Also Want to Read:

• Mason & Hamlin – A History
• Highlights in Piano History – November 25,2008
• Piano Bibliography Just Posted
• Quick Reference Guide for Piano Owners and Prospects
• Memories of an Old Friend