What to buy, a brand new piano or a second hand piano? This is the question so many people ask themselves once they have decided to buy a piano. What are the advantages and disadvantages, what is best? This article will try to dispel your doubts and help you to buy successfully.

Value for money
For those of you who the matter “value for money” is important, a good option to consider is to buy second hand. The piano pre-owned market is full of bargains but also is full of pitfalls “monkey business” (as a friend of mine always says), so is advisable to approach the buying of a used piano with extreme caution and to have at least some elemental knowledge

Where to buy
Look at the local papers on the “Musical instrument” sections, also at the online second-hand items sites like eBay, and of course at piano retailers and music stores. These stores usually have an array of used pianos which of course they are eager to sell. Some of these pianos can be in excellent condition and could represent an excelent buy.

Buying from a retailer
An important bonus to buy from a dealer is that they normally will offer you a guarantee, so in case there is something wrong with the piano, you know where to call. Other advantage is that they will transport the piano to your house for free, and will also offer you a free piano tuning (If they don’t offer a free tuning, don’t be shy ask for it, sure they will agree). All important things to have into consideration.

The appraisal of a piano
When evaluating a piano one of the most important things is to know how old is the piano. Whoever reads this blog regularly will know that the one who subscribes dislikes the very old pianos. Pianos over one hundred years have in general so many problems and are so expensive to restore that unless you are an antique lover or a do-it-yourself enthusiast, they should better be discarded. Strictly personal opinion, of course.

How old should be the piano
Preferably not too old. If you decide to buy second hand, the age limit should be no more than 30 or 40 years. A piano made in the 70’s or 80’s, if it has a careful owner and was regularly maintained, can be a good investment and still give you many years of trouble free enjoyment. Obviously it is better if the piano is only 10 or 20 years old, but the price undoubtedly would also be higher.

What is the best piano to buy? Well, that depends on each one.For general home use and an intermediate level of playing, I would go for one of the midrange well known makers with proven good value for money, something like a Yamaha or Kaway with no more than 20 or 30 years. Very good opportunities can be found in that bracket.

How to determine the exact age of a piano
How to know the exact age of a piano? All pianos have a serial number. If you know the piano brand name and the serial number, then is easy to know the age of the piano. Click here to know how old is your piano, or any other piano you might be interested. I will transmit you the information I have, for free. Take advantage of this offer while it lasts, probably not for long!! 

Where to find the serial number?
Where can I find the serial number? At the uprights, the serial number is located generally at the plate, up on the right (sometimes on the left or even at the center), you can see it easily by opening the front or upper lid. Serial numbers can also be located at the back of the piano, or somewhere at the action, sometimes at the soundboard.In grands, serial numbers are generally located also somewhere at the plate, but can also be stamped either at the soundboard or at the key frame.  Look for a number around five to eight digits, sometimes accompanied by one or two words.

                                            “PRACTICAL GUIDE TO BUY A  USED PIANO”

Step one
Take a good overview, what it looks like? The general appearance of the piano says much about the condition of the insides. A piano that has been neglected, with scratches, bumps and so on, probably has the action also in the same state. On the contrary, a perfectly lacquered piano, free of bumps and scratches, clean and bright, denotes a careful owner, that in the same way has been careful (not always) to tune and service the piano regularly.

If it is an upright that you are looking at, move the piano a bit from the wall and examine carefully the soundboard. Make sure there are not cracks and the ribs are solidly glued in place. The soundboard should be perfect, if that is not the case, bad news. This is an indication that other things could also be  in poorly condition, so be careful with that piano. In grands, you will have to stoop to look under. The same that has been said for uprights is applicable to grands.

Step two
The keyboard, examine it carefully. A perfect keyboard with all the keys well balance at the same height and with no irregular gaps between them is a very good sign. Sometimes keys (specially at the extremes of the keyboard) are burnt, as some piano players have the wicked habit of placing their cigarette butts right on top of those keys. Ohh!!

Now play every key up and down the keyboard, looking for sluggish action problems, broken keys and general action faults, like double striking or hammer blocking. If you don’t detect any of those things, then the piano action is in  good condition. If on the contrary, you noticed one or more of the faults mentioned before, then you can assume that the piano has have a good deal of wear and tear, and most likely needs regulation and replacement parts.

Step three
In this third step, you will use your nose, or better said, your sense of smell. Remove the front panel and open the top lid (we are talking uprights), lets “take a smell inside”. If it smells musty, bad news again. I personally wouldn’t go any further and leave the piano right there. Why?

Because is most likely that the dampness has affected the action parts, like hammers, felts, wood, and so on. Dampness, in case you don’t know, is the  piano’s number one public enemy (second one is excessive dryness), it’s effect on the piano is highly damaging and very difficult to mend once the damage has already been done.

Step four
Remove the front panel and take a good look at the action (if it is a grand, you will have to remove the action from the piano) The overall look of the action parts like backchecks, hammers, dampers etcetera, should be tidy and even. Take a good look at the backchecks and see if they are all level and more or less at the same distance. If that is the case, good, very good sign, as that give us an indication that the piano is in good shape.

On the contrary, if the backchecks are uneven and some hammers and dampers are crooked and/or wobbly, then beware of that piano, is evident it has have a lot of wear. And of course also out of regulation. Bringing that piano to good working order will most certainly be costly and time consuming. A piano in that condition also shows that the owner hasn’t been exactly careful and loving with his/her piano

Step five
Now we will look at the hammers. The hammers, as the tires in the cars can reveal much about the piano. Are they worn out? In that case you can estimate that the piano has had a long run, again bad news, as that is telling you that other elements of the action must be equally worn. Once here, also take a look at the dampers.

However, if the hammers are still round at the striking point (the part of the hammer head that strikes the string) without deep grooves, and still retain its original shape, then good news. If in contrast with the rest of the piano parts, the hammers look too new, then it could well be that the piano has had a new hammer set recently installed!

Take an overall look at the hammers with their shanks. Same thing as we said for the keyboard applies here. A piano in good condition should have the whole hammer section properly aligned with all the hammers at the same height and at the same distance from each other. Now, play the piano at the middle and middle upper part (which is usually the most worn) and see the hammer travel, making sure that every hammer strikes neatly its set of strings.

Double striking, wobbling and/or sluggish key action, hammer blocking (when a hammer doesn’t bounce back and gets block against the string), crooked and/or misplaced hammers, warped hammer shanks……etcetera, are simply not welcome!

Step six
In this sixth step we will be looking at the pins and strings. Same as the hammers, the state of strings and pins can tell you much about the condition of the piano. The strings and pins should be clean and bright without any sign of rust. Make sure there are not missing strings, specially the bass ones (quite difficult to obtain in case they are not there) A good second hand piano should always have its set of strings and pins well polish and in excellent condition.

Step seven
Finally, play the piano. Is on pitch and reasonably in tuned? How does it feel? This is a personal and quite subjective matter that varies from one person to another, but  the important thing is to feel comfortable with the instrument that you are playing. Ideally, the touch of the piano should be not too soft, not too hard, with a pleasant feel and a proper dynamic response.

If the piano is badly out of tune, it doesn’t say much about its proprietor and how he/she care about the piano. I would recommend before buying, to have a professional tuner to look at the piano (specially if it is an old piano) this is to ensure that the piano is tuneable and to discard any major fault like a broken pinblock or iron cast plate, a crack soundboard and so (things that are not easy to see at first glance)

If the piano bears any of those major faults mentioned before, unless the piano is one of the major brands, like C. Bechstein, Bösendorfer, Steinway, Blüthner, Mason & Hamlin and the likes, then the best thing to do is to refrain from buying and look elsewhere. Why is that? Because nowadays, the cost of piano restoration is so high that in general is not worth it.

Summarizing
these seven steps guide will give you a good idea of what you are buying and will let you evaluate the condition of any piano. At least it will prevent you from getting it miserably wrong and making a serious mistake. Don’t be taken for a ride and buy the right piano at the right price and in the best possible condition, that’s the goal.

If not too sure about a piano and a fair amount of money is involve, I highly recommend you to use the services of a pro technician who examine the piano in depth and advise you. By the way, if you do so, and decide to buy the piano from a retailer, make sure the piano tuner (that supposedly will advise you) doesn’t work also for that same dealer. Just in case….!!  

© Copyright Juan Olalla 2010.  All rights reserved   www.howtotuneapiano.com

Important notice:  Reproduction of this article (or any other article contained in this site) in part or in whole is strictly prohibited, unless permission is given directly by the copyright owner. Contact Juan Olalla at: [email protected]

Has this article been helpful to you? You are welcome to leave a reply. Your opinion and/or suggestions are highly appreciated. Thanks

Learn to tune a piano aurally, what follows is the standard protocole. First of all, you will need some basic tools, these you can buy at any online tool suppliers on the internet. You could buy everything as a piano tuning kit or you can buy them individually.

What ever way you choose, make sure you buy the right tools. If possible try to buy good quality piano tuning equipment, that way you will have better overage results and your tuning will be easier and more accurate.

Piano tuning tools 
A set of basic piano tools is not too expensive, certainly no more than a standard professional tuning.The first thing you obviously need to learn to tune pianos,  is a piano in a reasonable good state. Bear in mind that some very old ones specially if they still have wooden frames are simply not tunable, so better disregard those ones as they will make the tuning very difficult or practically impossible. The piano can be old but must hold the tune, that means it must be in a good enough condition to stand a standard A-440 tune and hold it for some time. Also better to choose a good size one. Big uprights and grands are easier to tune than spinets and small uprights.

• The tuning lever or hammer
  A whole chapter could be writing about the tuning hammer, this is the most important piano tuning tool. I think you could consider to buy a good one, no doubt it’s a good investment. The extended ones with changeable heads and tips are the best ones. A good tuning lever is far better than an ordinary one, makes the job easier, more precise and professional.

• The tuning fork and two rubber mutes
  An ordinary tuning fork A-440. You can buy them at any musical instrument shop. The tuning fork produce an exact pitch that you will use as a basic reference. The rubber wedges you can buy or make then yourself. The utility of these simple rubber wedges is to mute the strings we don’t want to hear.

• Felt temperament strip
  Better to have a couple of these. They are strips of felt about two or three millimetres thick by two or three cm (one inch) wide and about a meter long. We will need then to set the temperament which is the first thing we do when tuning a piano.

• A  metronome
  Any metronome will do, but one of those small digital ones would be perfect. A metronome will be very handy in early learning so that we can practice and check the accuracy of the beat rates we use when tuning a piano. When we are accustomed to hearing and recognizing the beat rates, then will not need the metronome anymore. 

Disclaimer: What follows is a basic and general information procedure for tuning a piano. To view the full protocol and specific piano tuning instructions, please refer to eBook “How to tune a piano”

The temperament, setting the temperament
The temperament could be defined as a group of notes in the center of the keyboard, stretching approximately one octave (normally from F33 to F45 or from F33 to A49) that are tuned in a certain way. Once the temperament is set we will use it as a reference to tune the rest of the keyboard.

• First step
  Mute the unisons Mute with a felt strip the side strings of every unison from F33 to F45 (see the picture above). Leave unmuted the center strings as this will be for now the only string of every unison in the temperament that we will tune.

• Second step
   Using the tuning fork Tune A4 to its theoretical standard pitch 440 htz. You will need a chromatic tuner with speakers that can generate that frequency or an A-440 tuning fork.

• Third step
   Tuning the temperament.  Now tune the temperament. The standard way to tune the temperament is using third, sixth and fifth intervals and tuning them to specific beat rates, save fifth and fourth interval for testing. If you prefer or feel more confortable, you can do the other way around as there is not rule of thumb in this matter. At this stage, the center string is the only string at every unisons in the temperament that you will tune.

• Forth step
  Tuning octaves. Tuning octaves is fairly simple. Tuning hammer on F#46 (mute the side strings with a couple of rubber wedges). Strike at the same time F#34 (already tune) and F#46. Tune till you eliminate all audible beats and the two notes sound as a single one. Then tune G47 in the same way and carry on tuning every note towards the upper end of the keyboard. When tuning the bass section apply the same procedure.

• Fifth step
  General review Review and test what you have just done so far. Take special attention to the unisons as they are the ones that first go “out of tune”. Try to eliminate all the audible beats or at least get them as beatless as possible. A good hammer skill would be handy at doing so.

Doing the stretch
It’s a matter of fact that a piano sounds better when its upper section and low section are stretch. That means that the high notes (more or less the last two octaves) are tuned sharper than theoretically they should, and the very low notes tuned lower than they also should be. You could ask, why is that? The reason is that a piano tuned in that way simply sounds better. That is commonly accepted, so an experience technician should do what is called “the stretch”.

The “stretch” is tuned exponentially, that means that the stretching becomes more and more pronounced as you advance up the keyboard There are theoretical tables that allegedly determined the amount of “stretch” for every key, but that’s all. In this matter like in many others involving piano tuning there is not rule of thumb, and in reality every tuner do the “stretch” at his/her discretion. I think, to be precise, when in the lower notes the stretch shouldn’t be call that way, but the “shrink”, as that’s what really happens. 

To do the “stretch” you will need some practice and experience. If you are newbie to piano tuning I don’t recommend you try doing the stretch, at least not for now. Just wait some time till you are reasonably proficient.

Important notice:  Reproduction of this article (or any other article contained in this site) in part or in whole is strictly prohibited, unless permission is given directly by the copyright owner. Contact Juan Olalla at: [email protected]

Has this tutorial been helpful to you? Do you have any questions? You are welcome to leave a reply. Your opinion and/or suggestions are highly appreciated. Thanks

© Copyright Juan Olalla 2011  All rights reserved   www.howtotuneapiano.com

One of the things that I am frequently asked is how to change or alter the sound of a piano, specifically how to correct the sound of a too harsh and metallic piano to make it sound smooth and mellow “European style” kind of sound. Is this possible, how do you do it?

Well, the answer is yes but you must take into account some considerations. First thing first, why do so many people are interested in changing the tonal quality (sound) of their pianos? In my view, because most pianos low to medium quality nowadays are manufacture in Asia (mainly in China) and one of the characteristics of such pianos is their particular sharp and loud sound, maybe suited to the tastes in that part of the world, but not so much for European and American ears.

The sound of a piano is determined by its construction and the materials it is made, specifically, the quality and type of the soundboard, the scale design, the type and quality of the strings, and the iron frame. But mainly, what sets the “color” of sound (say up to 50%) are the hammers, and is precisely the correct handling of the them that allows us in a certain degree to alter the sound of the piano.

The manipulation of hammers to change the sound of a piano is called “Voicing”, also commonly known as “needling the hammers”. Voicing is undoubtedly the most delicate and subtle aspect of piano regulation, and requires fine ear and a good dose of patience. Normally this is a job for the competent technician, but I think that crafty and motivated amateurs can also try the technique, providing (of course) they proceed with caution.

In short I will explain what is all about. The basic principle is to alter the fiber density of the hammers (a hammer with less fiber density sounds mellower) and the way to proceed is basically by shallow puncturing (no more than 1.5 mm. deep) with a needle, the area of the hammers that hits the strings (about 1 cm. wide). Puncture the hammer just a little (6 or 7 times), test the sound, and puncture again till you are satisfied with the sound, repeat if need it be and then move to next hammer. It doesn’t sound too difficult, does it?

The brave and bold of this world who wish to try this technique, please follow these recommendations:

• Before you begin, apply a light sanding on the hammers tips. Do no more than 6 or 7 punctures at a time, then test the sound.
  
• If after 3 or 4 sessions of 6/7 punctures you don’t hear any difference in the sound of that note, stop and leave it there. If you carry on needling, you risk damaging the hammer!
  
• Grab the hammer solidly but gently, you don’t want to damage or break the hammer shank or the flange.
  
• Before applying this voicing technique, as far as possible is advisable to gain some experience by practicing in a low cost old piano.

To those of you truly interested in this topic, I would recommend reading in depth Chapter VII of my book “How to repair a piano” where is explained in detail the voicing technique and its specific step by step procedure.

© Copyright Juan Olalla 2011.  All rights reserved   www.howtotuneapiano.com

Important notice:  Reproduction of this article (or any other articles contained in this site) in part or in whole is strictly prohibited, unless permission is given directly by the copyright owner. Contact Juan Olalla at: [email protected]

Has this article been helpful to you, do you have any question? You are welcome to leave a reply. Your opinion, comments and/or suggestions are highly appreciated. Thanks

Can you study piano in a digital piano keyboard? Digital versus Acoustic.
Time ago, while examining an old piano owned by a lady who wanted an estimate to decide if it was worth it to repair, she came out with this question: Is it possible to use an electric piano for a child who is going to take piano lessons for the first time? Can you study piano in an electric digital piano?

What a question for a piano tuner! Clearly the lady was pondering the possibility of buying a cheap digital thing in case the estimate for repairing and tuning the old piano was too high. I don’t have the habit of cheating my customers, but neither I am fond of throwing stones over my own roof. Sometimes truth match our own interest, and this was one of those rare occasions. So, sure not to be bias and well in peace with my concious, the answer to the odd question was obviously: (yes, you guessed it), No!

 Undoubtedly digital pianos have qualities that make them attractive to many people. For example, its lighter weight and smaller size makes them easier to handle and place them anywhere in the house. They never get out of tune and don’t need servicing. Can easily change pitch, so you don’t need to transpose. Can play orchestral sounds, make rhythms and even record and reproduce what you play. Anybody can become an accomplish pianist just by pressing a key….! Or at least that’s what it appears.

Comparing the impressive array of features that digital piano has with that of the acoustic one, becomes clear that the digital piano wins by a landslide. So, what strange reason could motivate somebody to buy a traditional piano instead of a digital one? What disadvantage has the digital piano, if any?. Well, actually just one, and that is that the “digital piano” is not really a piano.

 In my humble opinion, the term “digital piano” is inherently wrong and leads to confusion. Perhaps traditional piano makers shouldn’t allow “digital piano” makers to use the name “piano” to market their products. Same as they do with wines and cheeses producers, to ensure the authenticity of their products and guarantee its proper designation. No kidding, I’m serious. From here I propose the idea.

A real piano is made by craftsmen. Noble materials are used in its construction, different types of wood like mahogany, walnut, ebony, spruce etc. Also, steel, brass, leather, felt, ivory for the keys (no longer used) and so on. Its operation is completely mechanical or “analog” as they say now. The experience of playing a real piano has nothing to do with that of playing a digital instrument. The gentle subtle touch of the keys, the full rich authentic sound (even with its imperfections), the warmth and the feeling that conveys, the looks, the smell of wood, and so on. No, it is not comparable at all. Maybe I am a romantic, but I prefer the touch of wood rather than plastic.

In contrast, a digital piano is really a computer with added keys, cold and with no soul. It’s sound, although it can be nice, does not have the wrapping richness and tonal quality of the real thing. For the piano player, a major drawback of digital pianos is it’s poor key touch. Although some digitals try really hard to replicate the keyboard dynamics of acoustic pianos, never comes near as good as the authentic thing. In brief, from a serious musician point of view, a digital piano is a poor alternative to a real piano

Another very important point to take into consideration is the durability and life span of the instrument. An acoustic piano is very strong and good quality ones are made to last a long long time. Providing you take a minimum care (just tuning once a year), your piano will last a life time. The piano  becomes a member of the family and can easily be passed to the next generation. I have known pianos dating from the 20’s (last century) in pristine condition.

On the other hand,  an electric piano that is played reasonably often, will only last a few years. As it happens nowadays with any electric appliances, digital pianos are made so that they will be broken soon. Guess way? so that you buy again, naturally. The fact is, a digital piano can not take the heavy pounding of an acoustic piano. In the life span of a decent acoustic you could end buying a good number of electric ones. So, where is the saving?

So, going back to the original question, can you use an electric instrument to study piano? I sincerely believe than using an electronic keyboard to study piano is not advisable. I think it is important for the student to get accustomed from the beginning to play and appreciate the subtleties of a real piano. Also, it is a fact that a good instruments motivates the piano student and improves the rate of success in piano studies.

Probably you have guessed by now that am not precisely a digital piano lover… Then, is this a hatchet to digital electronic keyboards motivated by the obvious corporate interest? Not really, the idea is to objectively clarify the points. Neither digital pianos can be compare with real acoustic pianos nor real pianos can be compare with the digitals. This is so simply because they are different things for different purposes. Long life the piano!

Copyright © Juan Olalla 2011

Has this post been helpful to you? Do you have any question? You are welcome to leave a reply, your opinion and/or suggestions are highly appreciated. Thanks

Due to proven easy and fast piano tuning methods like “How to tune a piano” nowadays increasingly more people tune their own piano. The benefits for doing so are well clear. Read the following 5 powerful reasons.

1  Money!
Just imagine the amount of money that you will save over the years if you tune and service your own piano. For the price of a single piano tuning, you can buy a piano tuning method like “How to tune a piano” and also a reasonably good quality tuning lever with mutes, that’s all you need to start tuning your own piano, and will probably be the last money you spend in piano tunings.

2  Have your piano always in tune
Although the first reason for tuning your own piano, Money! seems pretty convincing, the number one benefit that you will get from learning to tune your own piano is having the piano always perfectly tuned. Have your tuning lever at hand and keep your piano always in shape by touching up the tuning between professional visits, or if so you wish, tune the entire keyboard right from scratch.

3  Understand and appreciate your instrument
For most people, the way a piano works is a total mystery,  even professional players or teachers don’t have a clear idea of how the piano works. Knowing and understanding the mechanical aspects of your instrument and been able to tune it and service it, will greatly increase your understanding and appreciation of the instrument and will enhance your skills as a piano player.

4  Get respect and admiration by friends and other fellow musicians
People in general regard piano tuning as a very rare ability only within the capabilities of a gifted few. The reality is well different, piano tuning is not even a music skill, but a mechanical one within the reach of most people. If you can tune your piano you will be no doubt admired by friends and other fellow musicians who will certainly regard you as “smart”.  

5  Tune not only your piano but also other people pianos.
I can assure you, as soon as people (friends, neighbours, etc.) know that you can tune pianos, in no time they will start calling you (that is the way I started my business many years ago). Of course, you can and should charge for your work, so you could convert your hobby in a part time profitable activity that you could combine with your job or studies.

Copyright © Juan Olalla 2011

Has this post been helpful to you? Do you have any question? You are welcome to leave a reply, your opinion and/or suggestions are highly appreciated. Thanks