The mystery of NOTE CLICKING B is solved!

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…

The second studio grand gets a tune-up

With dizzying cable wires swimming in all directions, connected to a horizontal mounted overhead web cam, partnered with a side-mounted one, the spotlight is on my vintage Steinway grand. A second piano to its right goes unnoticed. But once a LIVE lesson begins, the Baldwin Hamilton 1929 takes center stage, requiring at least a pitch…

A Conversation about machine and ear tuning (and more) with Israel Stein, Registered Piano Technician

I couldn't resist an opportunity to immerse myself in an engaging dialog with Israel Stein, RPT, as he was tuning my piano. Regaled far and wide by a community of pianists and teachers as he amasses awards bestowed by his peers at the National Piano Technician's Guild, Stein remains thoroughly dedicated to what seems like…

Piano Repair: Taking the noise out of my pedal!

Israel Stein, Registered Piano Technician, whose feats of repair have earned him national recognition, descended upon my humble abode like the fix-it fairy, and banished my sustain pedal noise forever! (Count on it for the years remaining in my playing lifetime) Trouble-shooting as he went along, Stein diagnosed the problem and followed through in graduated…

An informative chat with a whimsical piano technician (REGISTERED, of course)

I had a delightful exchange with John Peters, RPT, about pianos, restorations, repairs, machine vs. aural tunings, and all that sprung from his wild imagination. For instance, John communicates an intense passion for tuning.. "I get paid to "meditate," he insists. Then he quickly veers off with a one-liner about fixing squeaky pedals. "I pour…

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

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…

Assessing a piano prior to purchase

This can be an iffy universe, depending on whom is hired to do the new or used piano evaluation. I had one negative experience, paying a tech who basically had a commercial tie to the seller, who was himself a technician buying and selling pianos. Nevertheless, I still embraced my "new" Baldwin Hamilton's character and…

Windex on ivory keys: Did it remove the gray spots?

There was definitely an improvement after Mark scrubbed the whites and even the black key OFFENDERS with Windex. I don't believe, however, that the gray will ever be totally removed because it had become ingrained into the keys by its introduction through supposedly "shoe-dyed" ebonies. (See https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/piano-maintenance-teaser-graying-ivories-and-a-squeaky-note/) Here are photos that I took 24-hours post…

Piano Maintenance: The elements of Regulation (Videos)

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…

My Baldwin grand piano gets its first diagnostic, tune-up, and regulation

It sounds like I'm talking about a used car. For Mark Schecter, Registered piano technician it might as well be. He emphasizes that the piano has thousands of parts that must work harmoniously to make playing a smooth and pleasurable journey over the 88s. In the case of my blind date Baldwin, "the old car…