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Hello all, If you had to take a guess, how often do you think well known concert pianists of today, and even the past, get their home pianos 1.tuned and voiced 2. Fully regulated .
I know this is a verry broad question going from Lang Lang to Horowitz and hundreds in between. Just curious your thoughts .. Thx
Almost all of them. "Fully regulated" or even "voiced" is quite vague however as these are not black and white procedures. It's more likely the techs these pianists use do some voicing and regulation at each tuning and may only rarely do a very complete voicing and regulation.
For amateurs I'd guess the percent that have a very complete voicing and regulations is less than 1%. Most/many amateurs have probably not even heard of these concepts.
Thx pianioloverus. I guess I was just kind of referring to frequency. Meaning.., tuning and voicing touch up..twice a year?. 4 times a year? Once a month?
A full regulation..every 5 years? Once a year? (my point being.. why not if money is not an issue). Never? ( if the piano is being tuned and voiced, well maintained and touched up regularly on those appts)
Almost all of them. "Fully regulated" or even "voiced" is quite vague however as these are not black and white procedures. It's more likely the techs these pianists use do some voicing and regulation at each tuning and may only rarely do a very complete voicing and regulation.
For amateurs I'd guess the percent that have a very complete voicing and regulations is less than 1%. Most/many amateurs have probably not even heard of these concepts.
Too true for amateurs. For professionals there would be a big range. I’ve heard Vladimir Horowitz was extremely demanding for his performance pianos. I have little doubt his practice pianos were required to meet the same high standards. I know some performing professionals tour with their favorite piano tech accompanying them on tour. Just a swag here but I’d guess 85% of professionals and 5% of amateurs. And 98% of those amateurs read Piano World ðŸ˜. I celebrate when my piano tech comes. Best use of disposable cash I can think of. Or maybe the only better use is a new or new to me piano ðŸ˜.
J & J Estonia L190 Hidden Beauty Casio Privia P230 At least half the waiters in Nashville play better than I
I once asked a well-known concert artist who his tuner was and/or whom he might recommend; his answer surprised me. He said that he had not had the piano serviced since he bought it as he was too busy on the concert tour to do anything more than practice when he was at home.
Steven Osborn has a Kawai baby grand in his house, I think it's actually an old KG-1, and he has it tuned once every few months. He hasn't had the action regulated and his tuner in Edinburgh is always going nuts about it asking him if it doesn't bother him that it's so uneven and heavy. Steven always says "nah, not really".
Paul Lewis has at least one Steinway B in his house that he's quite obsessive about. I think he has at least one other Steinway. When he wanted a lesser-quality/cheaper piano for doing his donkey work (as he put it to the Steinway tech in Scotland), he bought a Yamaha S6. It was funny to me that he saw the Yamaha S6 as that kind of piano!
Fou T'song and Patsy T'oh (his wife) have enough pianos to open a store. They've a Steinway D in their front room, and next to that is a Gors and Kallman. I think the Steinway might have been a retired C and A piano, it's about 1970 and not in great condition. Patsy's piano is a Steinway B that she bought when she was a student. The piano dates from 1936 and it had a new action and keyboard fitted in the 90s. It's really not a good piano at all, but she won't part with it. Fou's personal piano is a Bechstein B that he bought decades ago. When Sviatoslav Richter used to visit him when he was playing in London, Richter thought it was one of the finest pianos he'd ever played. Whether or not Richter actually thought that, was just being nice, or Fou T'song is misremembering something, I have no idea. The piano was rebuilt in 2000 by Piano Restorations Ltd, but at that time they didn't replace the old tied action. The tied action was upgraded to a modern action last year. I know that Fou and Patsy don't have their pianos tuned often enough because they always sound like the music box on an Ice-Cream Van.
I think there may be a general misunderstanding of how some artists maintain their pianos - and even what piano the artist owns.
For instance, one well known artist who lives in NYC, but has always wanted to purchase a beautifully rebuilt grand from Cunningham (she appreciates our work) instead bought a Clavinova. This is what she plays in her Manhattan apartment when she is home. Another Philadelphia based musician who travels around the United States and Asia owns an N1 as her practice instrument (names withheld intentionally).
I also know of a California based pianist who owns an old famous named upright, simply because in order to be an artist for that company he needed to own one of their pianos. He practices on another brand day to day (again, name withheld intentionally).
Then, his wife at the time, had me over to see another one of their grand pianos, a Chickering she taught on. While I was there I ran my fingers across the Estonia, and to my surprise, it was awful. It was out of tune, out of regulation, and not in very good playing condition.
I later asked Marc about it and his response was that he already knew what the music should sound like. It didn't matter what shape the piano was in. He only played on it for a span of days between concerts and it just didn't matter to him all that much. It was a great practice instrument and that is what he needed.
It's true that many artists don't bother all that much on their home pianos. Many artists who are also teachers in the conservatoires don't bother as much on their own home pianos because they have a good piano at work, maintained by someone else. Many full-time artists are on tour too much to bother. Martha Argerich practises on a Clavinova a lot apparently, and why not? Nelly Akopian has a beautiful Steinway B in her house, and she told me that once she was stuck without a piano because she was having work done on her house and her piano had to go into storage. She did all her practise on a Clavinova. I asked her if it affected her playing and she said it made no difference because she knew what she was aiming for. I was curious to know when this happened and she said "about 1990" .
IF a professional pianist can afford an excellent piano and does not have the problem of annoying neighbors or someone who lives with them, then I don't understand why they wouldn't have an excellent piano. Isn't it much more pleasurable playing or practicing on a terrific piano vs. a lesser one?
Apparently. Shura Cherkassky practiced on an older upright when he was home. This makes little sense to me. Same with the story about Hamelin. Maybe these two pianists have/had such busy schedules that they spend very little time at home.
Yes. Exactly. I’m hysterical. Martha Argerich on clavinova. And yes,I have heard that about Cherkassky. I think it was a Schimmel upright in his apartment, and some interviewer that went there said it was so out of tune. You kind of think to yourself. What the heck?? 😳 I guess it’s just different strokes for different folks. Hard to imagine Horowitz( with Franz Mohr, constantly tweaking that piano, or Michelangeli( With his unbelievable fanaticism with instruments , ever practicing on a Clavinova or their home out of tune upright
Originally Posted by pianoloverus
IF a professional pianist can afford an excellent piano and does not have the problem of annoying neighbors or someone who lives with them, then I don't understand why they wouldn't have an excellent piano. Isn't it much more pleasurable playing or practicing on a terrific piano vs. a lesser piano?
Apparently. Shura Cherkassky practiced on an older upright when he was home. This makes little sense to me. Same with the story about Hamelin. Maybe these two pianists have/had such busy schedules that they spend very little time at home.
Originally Posted by pianoloverus
IF a professional pianist can afford an excellent piano and does not have the problem of annoying neighbors or someone who lives with them, then I don't understand why they wouldn't have an excellent piano. Isn't it much more pleasurable playing or practicing on a terrific piano vs. a lesser one?
Apparently. Shura Cherkassky practiced on an older upright when he was home. This makes little sense to me. Same with the story about Hamelin. Maybe these two pianists have/had such busy schedules that they spend very little time at home.
Interesting post. I guess a busy touring artist has access to big fabulous concert grands at work, who cares if they occasionally practice on a Clavinola at home.
J & J Estonia L190 Hidden Beauty Casio Privia P230 At least half the waiters in Nashville play better than I
I think there may be a general misunderstanding of how some artists maintain their pianos - and even what piano the artist owns.
For instance, one well known artist who lives in NYC, but has always wanted to purchase a beautifully rebuilt grand from Cunningham (she appreciates our work) instead bought a Clavinova. This is what she plays in her Manhattan apartment when she is home. Another Philadelphia based musician who travels around the United States and Asia owns an N1 as her practice instrument (names withheld intentionally).
I also know of a California based pianist who owns an old famous named upright, simply because in order to be an artist for that company he needed to own one of their pianos. He practices on another brand day to day (again, name withheld intentionally).
Then, his wife at the time, had me over to see another one of their grand pianos, a Chickering she taught on. While I was there I ran my fingers across the Estonia, and to my surprise, it was awful. It was out of tune, out of regulation, and not in very good playing condition.
I later asked Marc about it and his response was that he already knew what the music should sound like. It didn't matter what shape the piano was in. He only played on it for a span of days between concerts and it just didn't matter to him all that much. It was a great practice instrument and that is what he needed.
David Wilde has a Hamburg Steinway model V in his home. Philip Fowke (who recorded the Grieg concerto with Ashkenazy conducting) has a large Kawai upright - he used to have two Steinway Ds but wanted to downsize his home. He said that when he switched over to the Kawai at first it was a bit of a let down but within a few weeks he'd wished he'd done it years before.
I think the thing is that pianists are also humans, and having a piano can sometimes be a burden in the living arrangements. They are large and cumbersome, and that's possibly why not all pianists want to have a concert grand in their house.
Horowitz was paid enough to afford that large townhouse in New York, and yes I know that the relative price of property there was much cheaper than it is today, but it was still an exclusive address even then. I'm not sure how many pianists are paid enough to have that kind of lifestyle - I suspect a handful or two in the whole world.
Horowitz was paid enough to afford that large townhouse in New York, and yes I know that the relative price of property there was much cheaper than it is today, but it was still an exclusive address even then. I'm not sure how many pianists are paid enough to have that kind of lifestyle - I suspect a handful or two in the whole world.
Horowitz sold a collection of musical snuff boxes to buy that townhouse (I don't know how he came about them). His wife, Wanda, had to sell a painting Toscanini had given them to ease the way financially during her husband's long retirement in the 50s and 60s.
Van Cliburn played on a famously out-of-tune Steinway D at home.
John Browning seems to have maintained a fine piano at home (he performs Chopin at the end of the vid):
It's quality has faded quite a bit in this James Pavall Shawcross vid:
I remember Martha Argerich saying she can go for months without even thinking about the piano, and that she didn't bother to buy one for her Paris apartment.
Glenn Gould's Steinway Model B (in his apartment, I think) was woefully out of tune.
I know one concert pianist who doesn't even own a piano. He can get access to one if he needs to though.
People can become very accustomed anyway to the quirks of individual instruments. I doubt any good pianist would be pleased to be given a piano for a performance that was out of tune of poorly regulated, even if they weren't bothered by the state of their practise piano.
I know one concert pianist who doesn't even own a piano. He can get access to one if he needs to though.
Not a piano story, forgive me, but along those lines, my classical guitar teacher saw Roland Dyens traveling without a guitar and asked him about it. Roland replied that he could always find a guitar where he was going. Sadly, Roland died so he no longer has to worry about finding a guitar to play. He was a genius composer and player of the instrument.
Glenn Gould's Steinway Model B (in his apartment, I think) was woefully out of tune.
Gould also did most of his "wood shedding" at his second home on an early 20th C. Chickering, which he is recirded as commenting that he loved that piano and it was perfect to work out a piece on. Here is an excerpt of Gould playing on that piano:
Glenn Gould's Steinway Model B (in his apartment, I think) was woefully out of tune.
Gould also did most of his "wood shedding" at his second home on an early 20th C. Chickering, which he is recirded as commenting that he loved that piano and it was perfect to work out a piece on. Here is an excerpt of Gould playing on that piano:
Here is a wonderful radio segment on Gould’s practice piano, a Model D, which resided in Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s music library in Toronto and in which Gould basically took up residence:
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