A Kiwi in Shanghai - Part 3

Day three with another small anecdote. Something I noticed looking out the window on the plane on the way in. In NZ we have sub-divisions like Stonefields where you have ‘cookie cutter’ houses. In Shanghai they have a similar thing, except the houses are huge apartment blocks. I guess if you have the design for one and you have a population of 1 billion you might as well build 20 or 50.

Today was less about meetings and more about looking around, seeing what manufacturers were doing that was new or interesting. A few observations this time rather than highlights.

• I had a good talk to BAM cases. They’re a European company who make enviable Violin, Cello, Guitar etc. cases. So enviable that you can find a dozen companies making copies of them now. This is such a concern for BAM that they’ve put off displaying a new product this year to give them a years head start. Still, even the best copies didn’t come close to the quality and elegance of the originals.
• The piano hall just blew me away. It was amazing being able to play Steinway, along side every other brand, Grotrian, Fazioli, Bluthner, Seiler, Shigeru Kawai, Kawai, Yamaha. I can safely say Steinway was my favourite, but that goes without saying.
• There were a number of incredibly interesting piano case designs, although generally the odder the design, the worse they sold. Safe to say you won’t be seeing a space ship grand piano at Lewis Eady anytime soon.
• This year they had a large contingent of Chinese Folk Instruments there. I had a good wander through the stands. Tried a couple of things. Very keen to get something for myself, but I’m pretty sure snake skin won’t clear MAF control!

This may be the last blog this side of NZ, but subscribe to our Youtube channel to see some of the performances from the show.

 Post by David Love