Buying a piano

Always try to buy the best piano you can afford, that best suits your musical and lifestyle needs.

But it is not always that simple. A learner, who is just starting, does not need a top quality piano, but will need a reasonable one. It is always better not buying the first “old cheap piano” that you find.

It is difficult to learn to play a musical instrument having to deal with squeaks, keys that stick or do not work properly, rattles etc.

Children especially get discouraged easily by such problems. Your child’s musical success depends in large part on the performance of the piano during this very critical beginning period. A piano that works correctly and has a good sound will encourage beginners to spend more time to play.

A low quality new piano is not recommended because they are generally made in places of the world where the labour force is usually uneducated and not experienced. The skill of the manufacturer is usually questionable, and the quality of the materials used for the construction is low. Their reputation is for making instruments that have few merits beyond low price. Pianos such as this have little value and in terms of investment, they will lose their value much more rapidity than any good piano make.

A carefully reconditioned piano, bought from a reputable piano dealer, is always a better choice than a poorly made new one.
The manufacturer is a very important factor when buying a piano. A good quality piano is always a good investment. These are manufactured by companies with good reputation for building instruments, whose musical performance and durability are well respected in the musical community.

It will always be a good investment to purchase makes such as: Steinway, Bluthner, Bechstein, Richard Lipp, Ernest Kaps, Schimell, Yamaha, Chappell, Welmar.

Moving a piano

A Piano is a very valuable good and it should be protected as an investment by having professional piano movers. Moving furniture and moving pianos are two very different areas.
Once the instrument has been moved, it needs to settle to the new environment at least for two months. This applies for both grands or uprights.
It is recommended to avoid purchasing a piano that has been originally manufactured for a humid destination if placed in a low humidity environment.

If this is done, there are many possible technical problems that can be encountered such as loosening of the tuning pins, pin block cracks, cracks in the soundboard, cracks in wooden parts, separation in glue joints, damaged felts.

I have been working with pianos in the South East Welsh Colonies of Argentina “Patagonia” where the climate is very dry during the summer, reaching extremes of 13% humidity in some cases. Many of the pianos of this area were brought from humid places in England, Germany, USA and others. It is surprising to see how the instrument can be damaged by this factor. I remember seeing extremely wide soundboard cracks and pianos that sounded like guitars.