Category: piano repair

Classical music blog, piano blog, piano maintenance, piano repair, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten

Piano Maintenance: 48 hours of pain and anguish!

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

What was seemingly a straightforward search and destroy mission surrounding a clicking note, mushroomed suddenly into a PSTD level catastrophe. Pianists, so viscerally tied to their beloved musical partners, can be catapulted over the edge when something unexpected occurs. In fact two post-clicking note repair events had transpired that threatened my mental health. 1) After… Continue reading Piano Maintenance: 48 hours of pain and anguish!

piano maintenance, piano repair, piano tuning, Registered piano technician

The mystery of NOTE CLICKING B is solved!

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Here's a snatch of the bug that invaded Steinway M (1917) as long desired, drought-relieving rains encapsulated the piano for days. (Were weather changes the cause of an uninvited guest seeking sanctuary between hammers, in finite action spaces?) http://youtu.be/CbJkWOrgO5s Israel Stein, RPT/EMT, in "high tech" detective mode, responded pronto, and tenaciously scoped out the uninvited… Continue reading The mystery of NOTE CLICKING B is solved!

Keith Aikens Registered piano technician, Mark Schecter, Mark Schecter Registered Piano Technician, piano maintenance, piano repair, piano technician, piano technician's guild, PTG, Uncategorized, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

Piano Maintenance– About hammers: all or partial replacement? (Video)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

When my Baldwin Hamilton 1929 grand underwent exploratory surgery in the capable hands of Mark Schecter, RPT, I had some pointed questions. Given that the piano had a glassy-sounding upper treble due to worn down hammers, would installing a partial set of new ones be a reasonable route to take? Mark didn't think so, and… Continue reading Piano Maintenance– About hammers: all or partial replacement? (Video)

Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, Mark Schecter, piano maintenance, piano regulation, piano repair, piano technician, piano technician's guild, rebuilding pianos, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, word press, you tube

Piano Maintenance: The elements of Regulation (Videos)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Mark Schecter, RPT, demonstrated a phase of the Regulation process as it pertained to smoothing out the note-to-note feel of my Baldwin Hamilton 1929 grand. In the course of a thorough assessment, the instrument was found to have worn out hammers, (though refiled) and problems related to their balance and alignment (as revealed in prior… Continue reading Piano Maintenance: The elements of Regulation (Videos)

Fresno, Fresno California, piano maintenance, piano maintenance in small communities, piano repair, piano technician, piano technician's guild, piano tuner, piano tuners, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, word press, wordpress.com

The original article in the Piano Quarterly that inspired an examination of the piano tuner/technician landscape

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

RELATED: https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/treading-on-hallowed-ground-the-challenge-of-maintaining-fine-pianos-after-a-personal-tragedy/ https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2011/11/06/the-voices-of-piano-technicians-around-the-country/

antique pianos, appraisal piano, blog, blogger, blogging, California, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, Fresno California, humor, piano, piano finding, piano finding adventure, piano maintenance, piano repair, private party marketplace of pianos, used piano, used pianos

The double standard as applied to used pianos and their sale

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

I'm always surprised by the condition of many private party market used pianos, as if a double standard is operating when comparing a house sale to a piano sale. I will sometimes walk into a home that is on the market that is clean and sparkling while the offered musical instrument is dusty, out of… Continue reading The double standard as applied to used pianos and their sale

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A Day with Two Piano Finalists

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

A Kawai and Chickering were in a tight race, until one took off and surpassed the other. My whole Saturday was consumed with evaluating two pianos: a practically brand new "Kawai" 5'1" grand and a larger, nearly 5'8" size "Chickering," 1980. The Kawai captured my interest because a smaller studio upright of the same brand… Continue reading A Day with Two Piano Finalists

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Do’s and Don’ts for Piano Buyers and Sellers (Dream Piano’s last Chapter)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

DO’s for Buyers If possible take along a Registered Piano Technician and performing pianist with a good pair of ears to evaluate a used or new piano on the market. You can find a list of RPT members at your Piano Technicians’ Guild online site, or look in the business or Yellow Pages for the… Continue reading Do’s and Don’ts for Piano Buyers and Sellers (Dream Piano’s last Chapter)

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DREAM PIANO: Overview and Acknowledgments

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

My two-year long romp on the piano finding trail with York as my professional companion and consultant had been worth all the time spent in, around and under pianos. How else would I have acquired knowledge about the piano’s harp, or cast iron plate were it not for his having the bravado to dismantle it… Continue reading DREAM PIANO: Overview and Acknowledgments

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On the Meat Rack of used pianos: One that Never Left Its Home

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

I received a phone call on a June morning from a man who inquired about my piano-finding services. He sounded like he might be from India, but I wasn’t sure. “Do you help with selling a piano?” he inquired. "On occasion, I do," I replied. "It depends on the quality of the instrument." I could… Continue reading On the Meat Rack of used pianos: One that Never Left Its Home