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genaa

I have played a Zimmerman Z1 and found it to be a lovely piano. I have not played a Seiler or a Sauter, though I am strongly considering a Sauter M-Line 130 on my list of 'pianos to try before I buy' as I very much like the recordings I have heard of Sauter instruments. Sauter, although less well kn...

genaa

no did not see it - can you scan a copy or is it available online?

genaa

Grand Obsession by Perri Knize is a lovely read on the quest to restore that perfect piano sound she fell in love with... bit flowery in places but a wonderful tour around the piano, the manufacturers and the whole tuning, voicing, regulating field. Only annoying thing is it now leaves me wanting to...

genaa

Hi Barrie, Thanks for posting the director's details - I feel a letter writing effort coming on! Can you post or pm me the relevant background details so I don't fire off something incorrect - I am then more than happy to commence writing :) Can we lobby any institutions to aid in putting pressure o...

genaa

the problem is that you have a constant source of heat coming from directly under the piano, rather than say from a radiant heat source elsewhere in the room. That direct heating to the underside of the piano can lead to warping and such like I imagine. The advantages for humans of underfloor heatin...

genaa

Hi Skittles, Don't worry if you don't already have a friend who knows about pianos to check one for you - you have a new friend in waiting that you have yet to meet - your piano tuner! Look at the tuner listings here, in yellow pages etc, and find your local piano tuner. Contact them and tell them t...

genaa

More power to UCU's elbow and I hope that staff will speak out against what is clearly an injustice on many levels. The college must not be allowed to side-line genuine concerns of staff, pupils and union, nor reduce the quantity and quality of curriculum choices, all the whilst seeking to celebrate...

genaa

my advice would be to have any piano you are considering purchasing checked out by a technician and, if possible, have someone who already plays at the level you are aspiring to, play the instrument to determine whether it will be fine for the planned repertoire etc. Ultimately buy the best piano yo...

genaa

hehe i feel some book hunting coming on as well

love learning about just what makes a piano 'tick'

genaa

Best answer is to check with other technicians - I am not a tuner or technician but I ended up doing masses of reading when trying to gain insight into the problems I was experiencing with my piano.

Happy hunting!

genaa

ineffective damper perhaps?

a very obscure article I read somewhere on the Piano-World forums also talked about longitudinal pulses causing inharmonicity as a consequence of incorrectly aligned agraffes.

Dunno if that helps any?

genaa

Have you tried either the Larry Fine "The Piano Book' or A Reblitz "Piano rebuilding"

Might start you off and you may be able to order a copy through your local library.

Have fun

genaa

it helps to allow a piano to 'settle' into its new environment before tuning it. This is because the relative humidity and temperature of the room it is in will almost certainly be different to the factory / dealership / shop it was previously in. Alllowing it to settle means that when it is tuned, ...

genaa

have a tuner / technician check either piano before purchase - if the Kemble is in good condition as far as the tech can see then it is probably a good bargain. At that price it seems a steal.

genaa

Don't Jaques Samuels act as a Fazioli dealer? Not that it means they would necessarily have any instruments on their shop floor however!

genaa

depends a lot on the weather to be honest grenache - mine soars quite a bit when the weather turns really stormy but as long as it is only moving gradually rather than in big sudden swings you should be fine. A 5% deviation is not going to cause any problems I wouldn't have thought.

genaa

this is very sad news indeed. Skilled tuners and technicians are worth their weight in gold and more and yet this is surely a nail in the coffin of a valued craft. Let us know if a campaign is being mounted that us, the great unwashed, can clamour to join in..... happy to write 'disgusted of winches...

genaa

given it is relatively easy to calibrate a hygrometer (see my posts elsewhere about salt test or google 'salt-testing of hygrometer', try and obtain a hygrometer that can be adjusted.

genaa

failing that you can always use larger tiles of hardwood laminate type material, or combination with some carpet tile etc. cut to whatever size you feel appropriate.

genaa

just don't put it next to any radiators or in full sunlight as that will play havoc with the tuning stability and could cause more serious damage in the long term.

Enjoy your new piano

genaa

Spruce.

Yes high quality spruce is available in Asia though quite a few of the Asian piano manufacturers also use German spruce in their pianos.

genaa

hopefully the dealer where you purchased the piano should have included a first tuning and any further regulation/voicing work required.... if you are already down the line from that then make a note of the particular keys which are sticking, or which notes are sluggish, and ask your tuner to look a...

genaa

Hiya, easiest way to test the accuracy of your hygrometer is the 'salt test' as used by a lot of cigar smokers to test their humidors etc. Extract on how to do it here: Hygrometers, whether mechanical or electronic, can be grossly imprecise and may require adjustment or replacement. The simplest way...

genaa

Hiya,

Just a quick question but has your hygrometer been calibrated recently to ensure it is reading accurately?

Is the piano in need of any regulation work to address specific notes sticking or not playing as they should? Is it always the same notes or does it vary?

Cheers,

genaa

For those with some experience of temperaments such as EBVT, what would you describe as being the differences when listening compared to say a more standard ET?

Is it noticeably different in peoples' experience?

genaa

I have heard good things about EBVT - again mainly from the pianoworld american forums and am certainly curious to see what, if any, difference it imparts.

Electronic tuning devices do seem to be far more common in the US don't they.

genaa

Following on from a question I raised in the 'professional forum' thread, I thought it might be worth asking people what temperaments they have their instruments tuned to, and if different from 'Equal Temperament', which and why? What do people who experiment with different tunings like about each a...

genaa

Depends a lot on the age and condition of the U1 really. I think most folks here recommened getting something upwards of the 5 million serial number mark. If the U1 is young enough and in good condition, and the price favourable, it is certainly a better quality instrument than the B1 and the K3 as ...

genaa

Cheers Barrie, Will see what I can do regarding third opinion sources and will certainly look up Cheltenham pianos. My tech is an accredited member of I.M.I.T. so if they want someone 'higher' in that organisation then that leaves about 2 people at Fellow status anywhere near me, one of which is the...

genaa

Hey guys, thanks for the affirmation. I am so concerned about being 'done over' here!! The piano itself did not stand in water at all but rather was subjected to massive humidity swing before the movers could come and collect it. I raised concerns with the people placing the dehumidifiers at the tim...

genaa

Hi Folks, As you may be aware from an earlier post, my piano was damaged in a plumbing-related flood. We have now had a second assessment undertaken by a restoration firm based in Reading. They have suggested that they piano could be repaired by restringing, damper felt replacement and hammer re-fac...

genaa

Hello Gooday, I have found the two Eric Taylor books on music theory to be very good. Things are broken down into nice sized chunks so you can work on a piece at a time. If you want to be able to test how your understanding is coming along I would suggest getting the relevant grade by grade ABRSM bo...

genaa

hi folks, thanks for the replies and advice. If I opt for another K6 then yes I would certainly go to Claire in Faringdon again. I don't really get enthused about the sound of the Yamaha uprights they all sound very bright to my mind - the Kawai sounded more mellow, darker perhaps in the tenor and b...

genaa

well my technician came back today and as glumly expected pronounced a virtual death sentence on the piano. Not so much dying as already dead :( I was not altogether surprised as the wowy sustain in the bass/tenor area even with dampers on strings was becoming ever more pronounced and it was all but...

genaa

Hi Major Corbin, I have a Kawai K6 (with sostenuto and lever operated practice rail fitted), purchased from Pianoforte in Faringdon in Dec 06 for just under 6k all told. If you have not already tried there I would thoroughly recommend them - they were very helpful whilst unobtrusive and had a good r...

genaa

thanks Dave - will look them up this evening

genaa

Hi Folks, As well as contacting the teachers listed under the teachers tab I would be interested to know of anyone in the Winchester area giving lessons. I am a returning learner, after some 15+ yrs absence and previously achieved grade 6 (can't remember which exam board sorry!). I am interested in ...

genaa

being a returning learner I am always having to chastise myself for pedalling where I shouldn't be!

genaa

tuner I use in Hampshire charges £45 to come to me as I am on the extreme limit of his range - normally he charges £40 I believe. as for drinks I always feel bad as we only drink Earl Grey tea and filter coffee at home so unless they like either of those it's either a "wierd tasting cuppa"...

genaa

can anyone list any memorable pieces which rely upon use of sostenuto pedalling? I am sure they exist but I am not aware of them but have a sostenuto on my upright and perhaps I should at least either learn or learn about some 'tunes' to help explain to people who ask when they come over hehe?

genaa

fingers crossed I have a similarly understanding insurance company!

genaa

Hi Grenache, The tuner has told me he does not consider the fault economically viable to repair as it would basically require shipping the piano back to the factory (Japan) and having it taken apart and the soundboard repositioned. He is going to send me a report stating that and that he will revisi...

genaa

reminds me of that wonderful Victor Borge joke about the middle pedal being there to separate the other two...

genaa

Having begun settling into the new piano we had the misfortune of a minor flood caused by a faulty plumbing installation. The piano itself did not get wet and within the space of about a week was removed and taken to storage with a reputable firm recommended by our insurer. The piano was absent for ...

genaa

thanks for all your input folks - i am now the proud new owner of a beautiful sounding Kawai K6 with sostenuto pedal. I am in love and already starting to feel sorry for my neighbours hehe! my 15 year wait to own a piano again is over and now the hard work starts now where did i leave that old copy ...

genaa

hehe cheers for putting my mind at rest pg. i am so close to getting a yus5 or u5 but on hearing them played better than i currently can play at the weekend i feel they are probably just too big a voice for the size of room i have available and I don't want to completely alienate the neighbours or k...

genaa

mmmm i think i have found the piano i am after! Kawai K6 with sostenuto and lever operated celeste. just a few more yamaha to try next week then hopefully a nice new shiny black xmas pressie! (and the start of being the adult learner surrounded by genius 8 year olds after a 15 years plus playing abs...

genaa

A lever-operated celeste would likely cost about 200 to 250 quid to retrofit.

Would that be labour and materials or labour only do you suppose?

Cheers,

Genaa

genaa

hehe no children or iranian biscuits present here, at least none that I am either aware of or claiming any responsibility for!!

A labrador not eat something? ye gods!

genaa

cheers Gill, will certainly give them a look in as I am often travelling up that way. Not sure I can stretch to the Zimmerman Z1 which is the one i would like but depends - have been quoted list price of about 8000 by Foulds and one for about 6500 in Countrywide. Definitely sounds nice though. Only ...

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What temperament do you tune your piano to and why?....

warranty quandary

any other teachers around the Winchester area

has a disaster struck?