Your New Piano

So you have bitten the bullet and invested in a new piano… now what?

In the next few blogs I will cover some of the do’s and don’ts of maintaining your piano correctly.  This will ensure that your piano performs to its optimum for the longest time and maintains its value.

Where should I place the piano in my room?

To some extent this is a personal and aesthetic matter, however we can look at the serious 'do not' cases. 

Good light on the keyboard is desirable, but possibly not if this is north facing and will attract the sun at its hottest.  At all costs you must avoid any part of the casework heating up due to exposure from the sun.  In time this will destroy your tuning stability, possibly cause damage to the timbers and almost certainly cause bleaching of the veneers if your piano is a wood finish.

Try to reach a balance of light, position and appeal.  Having a grand positioned so that the lid opens directly into a wall is not ideal, if nothing else you will find it difficult to lift the lid. If there is no option but to have it in a window where the sun will fall on it at certain times of the day, it is clear that you must be prepared to pull the curtains or blinds over when this happens.  Fine if you remember, but disaster if you don't and then go away for a week in the summer! 

Pianos should be positioned away from external walls if they are un insulated and as far away from the kitchen as possible in order to avoid greasy fat deposits on the surface.

Heat sources are a problem. As a general rule keep the piano as far away from any heat source as possible.

Non flued gas fires pump moisture into the environment which will cause humidity related problems to the piano such as compression of the soundboard. Wood fires on the other hand will dry out the piano quicker than you can say – OMG my sound board has cracked.

Many modern homes also incorporate under floor heating which will not only destabilize the tuning but dry out the soundboard.

Many of these issues can be mitigated by the installation of controlled damp-chasers and heat mats however it is imperative that each piano environment is assessed individually. If in doubt, ASK!

Finally invest in a $70. Dick Smith Hygrometer which will track the relative humidity and temperature  of your room and will let you know if you have a problem.

Thanks to Jeff Shackell of Shackell Pianos UK for his info.

Next week we will look at tuning, regulation and voicing.

Post by John Eady

Lewis Eady blogs about pianos in general and in particular Steinway pianos are our passion.  New Zealand Pianos specialist Lewis Eady have been passionate about pianos since 1884.