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 Need advice on the maintenance of my brand new grand piano
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Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 15
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Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 15 |
Dear all, I finally got a new grand piano for my kids. I don’t play piano and totally new with having a grand piano in my home. Do I keep the lid up (open) or close when it’s not being used? My kids only practice one hour a day each and not necessarily back to back. How to maintain the instrument so it will sound and look great forever? Is there things that’s a no-no when it comes to grand piano. Pls advise. Thank you
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 Re: Need advice on the maintenance of my brand new grand piano
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,755
3000 Post Club Member
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3000 Post Club Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,755 |
Avoid humidity swings, proximity to heat sources, sunlight, think about what pets might do, keep drinks away. Get a tuner, tune it as often as advised.
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 Re: Need advice on the maintenance of my brand new grand piano
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,715
1000 Post Club Member
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1000 Post Club Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,715 |
If you leave the lid open it will get dusty inside and it's pretty hard to clean because of all the hardware. Also kids and pets seem to get into trouble with open lids. You could let them practice with the lid down. Also keep the fallboard down, if anything gets in the keys it can be tough to get clean. That area is really dry, you'll need a humidifier either for the room the piano is in or the whole house. Keeping the humidity constant is probably the single most important thing to do.
Yamaha P90, Kawai GL-10
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 Re: Need advice on the maintenance of my brand new grand piano
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 2,115
2000 Post Club Member
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2000 Post Club Member
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 2,115 |
Dear all, I finally got a new grand piano for my kids. Do I keep the lid up (open) or close when it’s not being used? My kids only practice one hour a day each and not necessarily back to back. How to maintain the instrument so it will sound and look great forever? Is there things that’s a no-no when it comes to grand piano. Pls advise. Thank you Yes, yes, there are no-no's for pianos. 1. never put any liquid or food on the piano 2. have a tech see it at LEAST yearly 3. keep it out of direct sunlight or heater draft 4. Never touch the strings with your hands 5. Don't trust a tech that touches the strings with their hands 6. don 't expect it to look and sound great, forever. They collect history on their cases, and the sound will always be changing. 7. Be aware of the return on investment; it isn't the monetary value of the piano, it is the access to a good one in a critical, and un-recoverable, period of your children's musical development. This yields returns for a lifetime, and that is the value of the instrument. Regards,
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 Re: Need advice on the maintenance of my brand new grand piano
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Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 6,217
6000 Post Club Member
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6000 Post Club Member
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 6,217 |
If I kept the lid closed always after use on my old Kawai grand I could have slowed down the effects of rust on the piano strings. Another thing wrong was keeping the piano near an open window where the breeze from the bay would drift through the window. Be careful of accidentally dropping things in the open piano. I once dropped a pencil in and had to call a technician. Look out for moths and silverfish as well. I still occasionally use mothballs.They are not good for ones health though,so not sure of recommending those.
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 Re: Need advice on the maintenance of my brand new grand piano
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Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 6,217
6000 Post Club Member
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6000 Post Club Member
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 6,217 |
Happy in Walnut I much prefer your new name.I am happy that your piano is such a success !
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 Re: Need advice on the maintenance of my brand new grand piano
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Joined: May 2001
Posts: 1,511
1000 Post Club Member
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1000 Post Club Member
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 1,511 |
Don't EVER use furniture polish on the case.
Eric Gloo Piano Technician Certified Dampp-Chaser Installer Richfield Springs, New York
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 Re: Need advice on the maintenance of my brand new grand piano
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Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 1,086
1000 Post Club Member
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1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 1,086 |
I disagree with the furniture polish suggestion. It seems to be geared (by the trade) towards using a fear tactic designed to make you buy an expensive piano related product. I have tried every product known on the market, and I prefer Orange Pledge on both Lacquer and Polyester finishes. Another great one that is quite inexpensive in using a very diltuted in water, Murphys Oil Soap. Use a micro fiber cloth. Enjoy your piano.
Chernobieff Piano Restorations "Where Tone is Key" Lenoir City, Tennessee U.S.A www.chernobieffpiano.comgrandpianoman@protonmail.com
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 Re: Need advice on the maintenance of my brand new grand piano
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 723
500 Post Club Member
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500 Post Club Member
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I think a good suggestion would be never spray anything around the piano: air freshener, bug sprays, furniture polish or what have you.
Also, I have seen some used pianos in stores with warped lids after being left open for a long period of time; for how long or what other environmental factors played into that I don't know.
David
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 Re: Need advice on the maintenance of my brand new grand piano
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Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 175
Full Member
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Full Member
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 175 |
If you plan on keeping the lid open a lot, you might think about a felt cloth to cover the strings with. They are acoustically transparent and will keep the dust off your strings. etc.
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 Re: Need advice on the maintenance of my brand new grand piano
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,375
1000 Post Club Member
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1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,375 |
YAMAHA would have given you a booklet on how to care for it - if not, here it is (at least what they supply for Australia): https://au.yamaha.com/files/download/other_assets/5/322685/PS11_OM_e_YC717B0.pdfJust for interest - this is what Schimmel advises: https://www.schimmelpianos.com.au/owners-lounge/piano-care-tips/My experience is that it is good to have it serviced after it's settled to your environment - about 6-8 weeks - sometimes this will be included with the piano price. Grotrian suggest another service after 6 months, then every 6 months. But, sometimes it's good to have it serviced a little more often for the first couple of years till it stabilises. I had mine serviced 3 times a year for the first few years. As far as the lid is concerned, I rarely put my lid up, and have a cloth cover over that end of it almost all the time. I also close it up overnight. A lot of other good advice by others above.
Alan from Queensland, Australia (and Clara - my Grotrian Concert & Allen Organ (CF-17a)).
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 Re: Need advice on the maintenance of my brand new grand piano
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 29,112
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
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Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 29,112 |
I recommend having the regulation of the action touched up after about a year of playing, and then a couple of years thereafter. More often if it is played a lot.
Semipro Tech
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 Re: Need advice on the maintenance of my brand new grand piano
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Joined: May 2001
Posts: 12,338
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
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Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 12,338 |
Dear Happy in Walnut, All good suggestions so far. I think they can all be encapsulated in one recommendation - choose a professional piano technician and follow their advice. The easiest way to find a tech. is to use this website - PTG.ORG - click on the box that says "find a technician" and follow the prompts. A well chosen piano technician will help you keep your piano in the best shape it can be in. Not all great technicians are RPTs (Registered Piano Technician) and not all RPTs are great technicians, but it is an easy way to find someone who has a professional foundation and has put time into achieving a professional certification. I hope that is helpful,
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 Re: Need advice on the maintenance of my brand new grand piano
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Joined: May 2001
Posts: 1,511
1000 Post Club Member
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1000 Post Club Member
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 1,511 |
I disagree with the furniture polish suggestion. It seems to be geared (by the trade) towards using a fear tactic designed to make you buy an expensive piano related product. I have tried every product known on the market, and I prefer Orange Pledge on both Lacquer and Polyester finishes. Another great one that is quite inexpensive in using a very diltuted in water, Murphys Oil Soap. Use a micro fiber cloth. Enjoy your piano. My comment was not meant as a fear tactic, but based on years of seeing many piano finsihes with cloudy, furniture polish buildup.
Eric Gloo Piano Technician Certified Dampp-Chaser Installer Richfield Springs, New York
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 Re: Need advice on the maintenance of my brand new grand piano
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 4,065
4000 Post Club Member
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4000 Post Club Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 4,065 |
First congratulations on your new piano. Post some pics! I have a Yamaha with polished ebony finish. I was told to use ammonia free glass cleaner sprayed on a microfiber cloth to clean the shiny ebony finish and the ivorite keys. All the other advice should be applied. I would keep the lid down nearly all the time to prevent dirt and dust. I don’t know the age of your grandchildren but here’s some things to think about. 1) No running or jumping or wrestling in the piano room. 2) No toys anywhere near the piano, especially cars or trucks running across the keyboard. 3) No drinks or food near the piano 4) close the fallboard after each practice session 5) keep pets off the piano (cats walking on piano keys make adorable videos but cat hair and dander can wreak havoc in the keyboard.
My mother was super strict about her piano but our next door neighbor was not. As her kids were playing around they knocked the piano bench over into the piano where it left a huge dent in the wood underneath the keyboard. And there were wet drink stains near the music rack. 😱
J & J Estonia L190 Hidden Beauty Casio Privia PX-330 My piano’s voice is beautiful!
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