mardi 15 octobre 2013

How To Care For Grand Pianos

By Ernest Duke


Just like any other instruments, grand pianos need to be taken care of for them to give their owners the desired results. These are huge investments and require periodic maintenance. A well taken care of piano becomes more valuable as it ages and the more care it gets, the more the owner develops some sentimental value in it. The construction of these systems takes in to consideration their durability. The most important thing to note is that the atmosphere where grand pianos are kept should be controlled. These instruments are constructed using wood and some parts are metallic and with changes in temperature makes them contract or expand hence distorting the required tuning, strings and the soundboard.

On the other hand, the humidity of the room where you place your grand pianos is also critical and needs to be kept constant at 50%. This ensures that the instruments' soundboards as well as the strings are not affected and maintains the recommended tuning of A-440; this is the internationally recommended tuning level for the best sound. Grand pianos, including the baby piano are vey delicate and fragile and they should be treated with outmost care and do not allow excess dust to settle on them. Regular dusting is recommended due to the fact that the surface is very delicate. When wiping a piano, the wiping strokes should run with the wood grains in straight lines. This helps in keeping the original grain finish intact.

Additionally, the humidity of the area where you place your grand pianos can also be critical and must be kept constant at 50% humidity level. This ensures that the instruments soundboards and strings are not impacted and maintains the recommended tuning of A-440 which is the internationally recommended tuning level for best sound quality. Grand pianos, including the baby pianos are vey delicate and fragile and they must be treated with outmost care by keeping them away from excess dust. Regular dusting is recommended because of the fact that the surface is extremely delicate. When wiping the piano, the wiping strokes should run along the wood grains in straight lines because this helps to keep the original grain intact and luxurious. When cleaning the grand piano, you should avoid wiping it in circular movements as this causes scratches over the wood finishing making the finish appear dull. On another hand, do not apply any wax to clean or shine the surface. Wax attracts lots of dust and with constant use; the surfaces becomes distorted and lose the initial glamour and authenticity. Anything beyond wiping the exterior should be left to the specialists to handle.

You need to steer clear of wiping the grand pianos in circular movements as this leads to scuff marks throughout the wooden finish making the top appear dreary. Alternatively, do not apply any kind of polish to clean or shine the piano exterior. Polish lures in a great deal of airborne debris and with constant application, the surfaces turn out to be distorted and shed the initial glamour and authenticity. Anything over and above wiping the outer lining needs to be left to the experts to work on. Tuning grand pianos ought to be carried out by specialists once or twice annually based on whether you are able to pay for it whenever needed. During these tuning periods the specialist does all the clean-up and maintenance of all interior components. Most of these cleaning and maintenance professionals ought to know the best detergents and pieces of fabric to work with for specific pianos.

With constant use, most of the accessories and wooden components tear and wear. This is also made worse by the changes in temperatures as well as humidity. These screws and wooden parts also need to be attended to by a professional to ensure the instrument continues to operate optimally. These specialists are in a position to replace all the necessary spare parts using their grand pianos original and after market accessories.

Regulating the grand pianos fully can be very expensive and most specialists' recommend that this be done every seven years depending on hoe well you maintain it. On the other hand, voicing of the piano is also necessary; this helps in conditioning how the hammer falls when hit for the best performance. Whether yours is a baby or grand piano, these tips should be able to work for you and help you enjoy your music for many decades.




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