Where Should I Locate My Piano?
Topic Series Notes: Piano Environment
A good understanding of how humidity relates to the health of your piano has the potential of adding years of life to your piano. I believe every piano owner would benefit from reading these short articles.
Best place to locate your piano
Bay windows, while attractive, are usually one of the worse places to locate your piano
The general rule is to avoid outside walls, fireplaces, doors, windows, direct sunlight or any area where the humidity is unstable.
There are three enemies of pianos:
- Unstable environment
- Lack of service
- Defective or low quality parts
While low humidity badly affects a piano, and high humidity badly affects a piano, even worse is swinging back and forth, which is what we have in Kansas City ( KC MO & KC KS ) – hot humid summers and cold dry winters. This swinging back and forth is a serious problem which makes placing your piano in the most stable environment very important.
Piano placement according to Steinway
As we have said, common sense is an excellent guide in the care of your Steinway piano. This is especially true when you are choosing the proper site for the piano in your home.
About 70% of your piano is wood, which even though it has been carefully selected and dried, is still “alive,” so to speak… Constant fluctuation in… [humidity] …is definitely bad for your piano’s health. And may lead to more frequent servicing. The action regulation, tuning, and voicing will become unstable.
We urge you to adhere to the following recommendations which will help you minimize wear and tear and help you keep your piano in optimum condition.
- Don’t position it in the path of an air conditioning outlet or a heating outlet.
- Don’t put it near an evaporator cooler or a room humidifier.
- Don’t put it close to an uninsulated outside wall.
If you think of yourself rooted to any of these spots and subjected to the changes of temperature and humidity thereabouts, you will be able to imagine what a piano in the same location would have to endure. Pianos placed in such locations cannot be expected to stay in tune and keep their adjustment. More important, the instrument subjected to such environmental insult may be permanently damaged.
When placing your piano within a room it is important to pick a spot where it will not be hit by direct sunlight. The exterior of your piano is made of wood from the same tree, carefully stained and color-matched at the Steinway & Sons factory. Exposure to direct sunlight will bleach the wood and ruin the piano’s carefully prepared finish.
It is a good idea to place a fairly accurate hygrometer near the piano so you can monitor humidity swings. Room dehumidification, humidification or air-conditioning may be needed to maintain a stable environment. The consideration of these items if necessary far outweigh the increased servicing, which may become necessary if these guidelines are not followed.
Deciding on the best piano location
Walk around your home and pick out every area you could possibly tolerate your piano. Then buy an equal number of digital hygrometers (humidity gauge) and place one hygrometer in each area for six months. (Be sure to buy hygrometers that will record the minimum and maximum humidity swings) The best place to locate your piano is where you have the least humidity swings.
Greater Kansas City Service Area
Servicing in Kansas City, MO ( KC MO ), in Kansas City, KS ( KC KS ) and surrounding areas including:
| Belton,MO | Kansas City,MO | Lone Jack,MO | Prairie Village,KS |
| Blue Springs,MO | Kearney,MO | Macon,MO | Raymore,MO |
| Bonner Springs,KS | Lake Lotawana,MO | Merriam,KS | Raytown,MO |
| Fairway,KS | Lansing,MO | Mission Hills,KS | Shawnee,KS |
| Gardner,KS | Lawrence,KS | Mission,KS | Smithville,MO |
| Gladstone,MO | Leavenworth,KS | Olathe,KS | Spring Hill,KS |
| Grandview,MO | Leawood,KS | Overland Park,KS | Stilwell,KS |
| Greenwood,MO | Lee’s Summit,MO | Parkville,MO | Westwood,KS |
| Independence,MO | Lenexa,KS | Platte City,MO | |
| Kansas City,KS | Liberty,MO | Pleasant Hill,MO |
If your area is not listed above, it is possible I still might be able to schedule a piano tuning appointment in your area. Give me a call so we can make arrangements.
What Customers Have Said
Special thanks to everyone for such kind words of recommendation. Each and every comment is important to my piano tuning business.
Thank You!
Below in comments
How Do I Care For My Piano Finish?
The following is from the Piano Technicians Guild
Caring for your piano finish
Beautiful Steinway finish
The piano is unique among musical instruments because it also serves as fine furniture for the home. In fact, the term “piano finish” has traditionally been used to describe the highest standards in wood finishing. Properly maintaining that fine finish will enhance your home’s decor and preserve the value of your piano.
Basic finish care
Modern Pianos are finished with a variety of materials, from traditional lacquer to modern polyurethanes and polyester resins. Whatever the material, a piano finish is designed to protect the wood from dirt and liquid spills, reduce the damaging effects of humidity changes, and — in the case of clear finishes — enhance the beauty of the wood.
Modern finishes are designed to do their job without the additional aid of polishes or waxes. In most cases, a piano finish is best maintained by simply keeping it clean and avoiding exposure to direct sunlight, extremes of temperature and humidity, and abrasion.
Avoiding finish damage.
Your piano’s cabinet, like all woodwork, is subject to expansion and contraction with humidity changes. Excessive wood movement can eventually cause the finish to develop tiny cracks and even separate from the wood. Moderating the temperature and humidity swings around the piano will help to preserve its finish as well as its overall structure and tuning stability.
Locate the piano in a room with a fairly even temperature, away from drafts, dampness, and heat sources. ALWAYS AVOID DIRECT SUNLIGHT — it will age the finish prematurely and cause color fading.
To prevent scratches, never set objects on your piano without a soft cloth or felt pad. Never place plants or drinks on a piano, because spillage and condensation can cause major damage.
Dusting your piano
Dust is very abrasive, and can scratch the finish if wiped off with a dry cloth. To avoid scratching, dust the piano lightly with a feather duster. Alternatively, wipe lightly with a soft damp cloth to pick up the dust, followed immediately with a dry cloth. The cloths should be soft cotton such as flannel, because coarse or synthetic fabrics can scratch some finishes. Wring out the damp cloth thoroughly so it leaves no visible moisture on the surface.
To avoid creating swirl marks, always wipe with long straight strokes rather than circular motions. Wipe with the grain for natural wood finishes, or in the direction of the existing sheen pattern for solid-color satin finishes.
Because some exposed parts inside your piano are fragile, it’s best to let your technician clean these areas.
Avoid furniture polish
Avoid furniture polish on your piano
Before using polish on your piano, be sure it is actually necessary and beneficial. In general, most manufacturers recommend against using polishes because of the potential for damage to the finish and contamination of other parts of the instrument.
Common household products such as “lemon oil” or inexpensive “furniture polish” should be avoided. Despite the labels’ claims that they “protect” the finish or “feed” the wood, they offer no protection from scratching and can actually soften the finish if over-used. Worse, they often contain silicones and oils that contaminate the wood, complicating future refinishing or repairs. Silicone is especially dangerous because of its tendency to spread within the piano, sometimes causing extensive internal damage. Avoid aerosol products altogether since the over-spray can contaminate piano strings, tuning pins and action parts.
Steinway piano polish
An appropriate polish can help to restore luster to a dulled finish or reduce the tendency of some finishes to show fingerprints. However, it should be applied sparingly and infrequently, and all excess should be wiped clean with a soft dry cloth so no visible film remains. To prevent scratching, always dust before polishing. Specific recommendations follow.
Cleaning Your Keys
Piano keys eventually become soiled with accumulated oil and dirt from fingers. To clean your white keys, use a soft cloth dampened with water and a small amount of mild soap. Avoid solvents. Make sure the cloth is thoroughly wrung out, and wipe the keys back-to-front rather than side-to-side, so excess moisture and dirt will not seep down the sides of the keys. Clean only a few keys at a time drying immediately with a clean cloth.
Ivory keys are porous, and excessive moisture can penetrate and loosen their glue joints. Also, a dirty or brightly colored cleaning cloth can transfer stains into the ivory.
Clean sharps in the same manner, but use a separate cloth for painted wooden sharps to avoid black stains on the white keys.
Finish Care Steps
- Locate your piano to avoid direct sunlight as well as excessive temperature and humidity changes.
- To avoid scratching, always remove dust first with a damp cloth or feather duster before wiping with a dry cloth.
- Never place drinks, plants, etc. on the finish.
- Avoid placing vinyl or rubber in contact with the piano.
- Make sure that piano lamps, etc. have a felt-padded base.
- Avoid touching piano strings with fingers or damp cloths.
- Delicate parts inside your piano should be cleaned only by your technician.
- Use polish sparingly, if at all.
- Avoid aerosol products.
- Read labels carefully, and avoid any product containing silicone.
- Before playing, always wash your hands to prevent staining the sides and tops of the keys.
Piano Action Regulation
Piano action regulation is an often overlooked piano maintenance.
From the Piano Technicians Guild:
… It’s important to note that tuning is only the adjustment of the system of strings and pins that determines the pitch of each string. Your piano also requires a periodic servicing called regulation…
What is piano regulation and how does it affect my piano’s performance?
Regulation is the adjustment of the mechanical aspects of the pianos to compensate for the effects of wear, the compacting and settling of cloth, felt, and buckskin, as well as dimensional changes in wood and wool parts due to changes in humidity…
… The action is the mechanical part of the piano that transfers the motion of the fingers on the keys to the hammers that strike the strings. It is comprised of over 9,000 parts which require adjustment to critical tolerances to be able to respond to a pianist’s every command…
Regulating a Grand Piano
Every note in a grand piano has more than 35 points of adjustment.
Regulating a Vertical Piano
Every note in a vertical piano has over 25 points of adjustment.
Have your piano tuner regulate your piano every two to five years. You will be surprised at how your piano should have responded all these years.
Videos
Piano Animation
Six Year Old Piano Prodigy
How it’s made-Mason & Hamlin pianos
Steinway & Sons
A Salute to Henry Z Steinway
The Making Of A Baldwin Piano
History of the Piano
Very funny video: The Piano Lesson
Mickey Mouse Piano Solo -- The Opry House (1929)
Piano In The Forest (Instrumental Music)
Piano Repair
Skillful Repair Creates Happy Customers
One advantage of this business is being able to pick between in-home piano services / maintenance and or shop rebuilding. Since being shut away in a piano repair shop all day is not my desire, I have focused on creating happy customers in their homes.
Whatever in-home service or repair your piano requires, I will direct my many years of experience towards creating the most pleasing musical experience possible.
Sticking Keys
If you are having a problem with sticking keys it is a good idea to write down exactly which key is problematic.
The simplest way to record which key is sticking is to start numbering the “C’s” starting from the lowest: C1, C2, C3… etc…
The highlighted keys above would be recorded as D#1, G2, A#3, B5, and F#7
Avoiding Piano Repair Pitfalls
I hope, your piano does not require extensive rebuilding repair. However, if you do need such repair services, I can consult with you about the best approach and help avoid pitfalls.
Piano Voicing
Piano Voice ~ Adjusting Piano Tone
Voicing is the process of regulating and improving piano tone. As pianos age the hammer felt becomes harder and worn, and the strings stretch and ride up on the bridge pins. The strings become wavy, distorted and produce less resonance and the hammers produce brassy overly bright sound.
When a piano is in tune, if you play a mellow soft note with a bright brassy loud note it sounds inharmonic. Many times I have followed piano tuners who have done a decent job tuning the customers piano, however the customer was complaining. After examining the piano, it became apparent the problem was poor voicing and not poor tuning. A piano that is in poor voice will sound oddly inharmonic even with good tuning.
Technically, any adjustment that alters piano tone is voicing, such as brushing the hammers, stretching, straightening and seating the strings or needling the hammers. When the topic of piano voicing is discussed, usually the conversation is about adjusting the hammers. If you Google “Piano Voicing” you will find many results and tuners offering hammer needling as voicing. However if you Google “Piano String Voicing” the only page you will probably find is the one you’re currently reading. I am aware of only a handful of piano technicians ~ the best in the United States ~ who incorporate string voicing into their service.
I have known of customers who have purchased new pianos or purchase expensive modifications to their pianos when a good string voicing along with hammer voicing would have accomplished the same result and they could have saved thousands of dollars. I include string adjustment in my piano voicing routine because it has a wonderful affect on the resonance and clarity of piano tone.
String voicing restores the resonance and removes most of the waviness and distortion, and hammer voicing evens out the tone. It is truly amazing how much better a piano sounds after it has been voiced.
Piano voicing involves:
Restoring the resonance and clean tone to piano strings
( Can be preformed on vertical pianos but usually on grands )
( Must be preformed before tuning )
- Stretching, straightening and seating the strings on the bridges
- Leveling the strings around the agraffes and capo
Restoring the evenness of piano tone by adjusting the hammers
( Preformed on either grands or verticals )
( Must be preformed after tuning )
- Softening overly hard hammers
- Brushing hammers
- Needling to remove inconsistent and uneven tones
Questions and Answers
Please feel free to ask whatever you like below. For private questions use the “Contact” form on the top navigation bar, otherwise use the comment area below to enter your piano question.
Thank You!
(Please note, this is not for piano technicians or people wanting to learn the piano tuning business but rather a place for customers and / or potential customers to ask questions about piano care or service related issues.)
What is my piano worth?
Topic Series Notes: Piano Value
The most popular article in this series is “Which Piano Brand is Best?” ~ the most well written and best thought out article “What is my piano worth?”, used by permission, was written by Bob Conrad of Conrad Piano Services ~ a piano owners guide to determine the value of your piano.
The following is used by permission from Conrad Piano Services
What is my piano worth?
Two pianos of the same make and model, made the same day at the same factory, can have very different values in a relatively short time resulting from a number of factors.
I do not buy and sell pianos. I have always thought buying and selling pianos, while at the same time selling piano services, would constitute a conflict of interests. My goal as a piano service professional is to be as honest, forthright, and objective as possible with the piano owner regarding the condition of their piano.
There are basically 3 levels of pricing for a specific piano at any particular time.
- Retail value: a piano dealer’s price if the piano was in their store.
- Wholesale value: the price a piano dealer would pay for the piano if the dealer were going to buy it.
- Individual seller’s value: the price you or I may be able to obtain by advertising a piano in the paper, listing it on line, or leaving ‘For Sale’ signs on bulletin boards at churches, offices, etc.
The first step is to call your piano tuner / technician.
The piano owner should have been having the piano serviced regularly or at least had it tuned sometime in the past. The piano tuner who has serviced it may know the piano and should be your first call. Your regular piano tuner could have some helpful/useful information about your piano.
Ask the piano tuner if they know of any significant problems (delaminations, cracks, loose pins, design, etc) that would take your piano out of the mainstream of similar pianos or if it has any special features (an upgraded or special cabinet, finish, autograph, some other feature, or ‘story’) that puts it above the mainstream of other similar pianos.
Ask your tuner the brand and model (spinet, console, consolette, studio, upright, grand, etc.) of your piano. Your tuner may not have the serial number in his records, but may be able to help you locate it on your piano. The age of the piano can be determined by the serial number.
( Online piano age request form can be found here )
You will want to know the size of your grand piano in feet and inches rather than ‘baby’ or ‘large’ or ‘living room” size. (Grand piano size is measured from the very ‘front’ of the piano – the piece of wood just below the keys – to the farthest point on the ‘tail’ end of the lid).
Your tuner should be able to tell you how your piano compares to others regarding the overall condition of the case, wear and tear on parts, etc. and give you an idea as to selling price. But try to remember what you paid for it. What you paid for it can often be a good starting point. Remember when you purchased it? The salesman had to convince you to pay what you paid for it. If you can get close to what you paid for it now you are doing well. (Try getting your purchase price back by selling your refrigerator, or your sofa, the golf clubs, the boat, or the Mercedes.)
If you have a piano model that is still in production, and the price of the new ones have gone up, this does not mean your piano has necessarily appreciated in value. The fact that pianos like yours are still in production is worth more than the increase in price. Age does not make a piano more valuable.
If you don’t have a tuner (or can’t remember who tuned it last, lost his number, etc.) maybe you have a friend or relative who has worked with a tuner they know and trust. Call them. Or, you can call me. I would be happy to talk with you. However, the only way an experienced piano tuner / technician can really give you an accurate appraisal is to take a look at the piano inside and out, and perhaps tune it.
Just make sure the piano technicians you talk to – or listen to – have sufficient piano service experience and piano judgment that you will be able to respect. Music teachers, piano teachers and piano salesmen, though knowledgeable, are generally not skilled in the technical aspects of piano service and maintenance. So even though they are professionals at what they do and will be someone to talk to, make certain you talk to an experienced piano service professional as well.
The 2nd step is to visit your local piano dealers.
The next step in determining the value of your piano is to visit your local piano store and look at used pianos about the same size, age, brand, model, cabinet style and finish as yours. You really don’t want to omit this step. Even though you will not find an exact match to your piano, if you look at enough used pianos, you should get a general idea as to what dealers are asking for a good used piano similar to yours.
Keep in mind dealers will be able to get considerably more for a good used piano than you or I ever could selling them out of our home. But they should get more. Before selling the piano, the dealer will have already moved the piano to their store, and likely done any necessary cleaning, fixing, repairing, tuning and service. More often than not a store warranty is included with the piano – which has value and can be an appealing safety net for used piano buyers. The dealer can also deliver the piano, take a trade-in and even help buyers with financing. They also advertise on a regular basis, and have knowledgeable piano sales professionals to assist buyers in their purchase before, during, and after the sale. Dealers generally provide an in-home tuning after the piano has been delivered to the new owner.
The dealer may even have a consignment plan you might want to investigate- they may be able to sell your piano for you. They may be able to sell it more quickly and with less aggravation than doing it on your own. They have walk-in traffic – people go there looking for pianos. You may even end up with a higher price too. Maybe you will see another piano or an electric keyboard you might want to own. Maybe they would take your piano on trade for it.
You might also want to ask the dealer what he thinks your piano is worth, but there is where he becomes conflicted. If you want to know for insurance purposes, he may be able to talk replacement costs with you. But once you ask them about selling your piano, you become competition. After all, they are in the business of selling pianos too, and they are the professionals. (The better question would be to ask him how much he would give you for your piano.) Because they are professional, they should be helpful and courteous
Another thing to do while visiting the dealer is to see what he has for sale in the same price range you are thinking your piano is worth. Remember, the dealer has all sorts of added values (described above) which are included in the price of his pianos. A visit to your local dealers will be a very informative experience when it comes to determining the value of your piano.
The wholesale ‘value’ is the value the piano store pays for their pianos.
Generally, you and I cannot buy pianos at the wholesale level, even though we sometimes think we can. More often than not, there are good reasons why pianos are sometimes given away. “Nothing” is generally what they are worth – if not less.
You really should call an experienced piano tuner BEFORE accepting or picking up a ‘freebie’ piano. I can’t tell you how many people have called me after they have spent money and time (and friends who will no longer speak to them) because they lugged a freebie piano home from a friend’s, relative’s, friend of a relative’s, relative of a friend’s, off the street, or out of the basement of a building or church, etc.
You may think you are getting the deal of the century, and maybe you are, but the odds are probably millions-to-one against. Before doing this, call me or call someone else who may be able to talk sense to you. The phone call could save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
The best economy is quality, not junk. The last thing you want to do is end up with a piano that will be a constant service headache, will never sound right, will be an eyesore in your home, and not really worth fixing even if it could be fixed.
Even if the exterior case is something you think is special, if the inside is full of broken rusted strings, cracked bridges, loose tuning pins, failing glue joints, brass flanges, etc., let it go. More often than not, before the piano gets put out on the street or is given away, all the other avenues of getting rid of it have been tried. No one likes having to pay to get an old worthless piano hauled off. If the dealers don’t think the piano has value, you shouldn’t either.
The value of your piano will be somewhere between the wholesale price and the retail price.
Another consideration in determining the value of your piano is your local piano ‘market’. Different parts of the country will have different figures. Remember, I am NOT a piano dealer. Only the dealers know what their costs are, and with prices changing all the time, only they know what their retail prices of new and used pianos are at any given time.
After you have talked to your tuner, gone to some local dealers and review ‘pianos for sale’ in the classified section of the newspaper and maybe even gone to see a few, you will have a fairly good idea as to what your piano may be worth in your area.
I hope you have found this read helpful. Once you start the process you may find many varied opinions. But if you keep at it, do your homework and try to find knowledgeable professionals in the piano business who will talk with you, the smoke will eventually clear and you will end up with a reasonably good idea as to what your piano is worth.
After you have done your homework you will still be subject to whatever the demand or market is at the time you try to sell it. In the end, your piano is worth what someone else will pay for it.
I want to thank Bob Conrad for his fine article ( What’s my piano worth? ) used by permission above.