Practicing on a bad piano

[Elian Degen]

Hi list

Some years ago I did conduct a research on the matter, helped by a piano
teacher friend of mine, and I can cover up some of your missing points.

First, if you talk to your customers you will find out that a big percentage
of them specialy the ones that are starting will say something like this
after a good tuning.

Quote: "Did you do anything to the action ? it feels tighter."

I found out that wobley sound produces an effect in piano students, that
they feel as if the action is loose.

I have a certain amount of customers which I convinced to service the piano
regularly even after their children left the instrument. Some of these
customers asked me if there was any way to get the children interested in
playing again. I took the time to talk to some of those children, some of
them were not interested in playing, but I found a percentage of children,
which showed up a lot of interest from very young, and which told me they
did not know why, but they felt unconfortable playing. Most of them had
pianos that did not respond well, they were old, unadjusted, the kind of
instrument that the parent tells you he bought it to see if the child wanted
to play.
I was able to convince several of them that a not only well tuned, but also
well adjusted piano would make their children to follow piano lessons. The
ones who took the advice and fixed or changed the instrument have had
success in keeping the children studing. And the same children when I ask
them, their answer is still that they do not know what it is, but they enjoy
playing the instrument.
Several month ago I mentioned it in one of my e-mails, and now I am always
careful to correct the people who says that they bought a piece of junk
because they first want to see if the child is interested.

It is the same feeling as if someone gives you a car that is completely
unadjusted ( loose steering wheel, long brake pedal run, misfireing, no
shock absorbers ) and expect you to enjoy driving it.

Elian


-----Mensaje original-----
De: Jeff Tanner <jtanner@mozart.music.sc.edu>
Para: pianotech@ptg.org <pianotech@ptg.org>
Fecha: Viernes, 18 de Diciembre de 1998 06:01 p.m.
Asunto: Re: Practicing on a bad piano


>While Mr. Scherer's research may not be well controlled, I believe it has
>produced results which are very accurate.  I present the following:
>
>1.  My mother is a piano teacher, and has been for 30+ years.  She can
>easily tell you which students have good or bad instruments in the home by
>the progress of the student.  Exceptions are rare.  I can't tell you how
>many examples she has given of students who play the right notes and then
>say "that's not right" or "my piano doesn't sound like yours".  But do you
>think the parent will even spring to have the piano tuned (much less
>purchase a better one) unless the child shows any progress?  (They've never
>called me, at least)
>
>2.  A very close friend of mine who is one of the most magnificent
>musicians I have ever heard perform, hated piano when he was young.  He
>didn't like the sound of them.  At the age of 12 he turned to the organ and
>is now a concert/church organist who is in much demand.  The pianos he was
>exposed to when young were PSO spinets and an occasional old worn out
>grand.  When he got to college he was then exposed to better concert
>quality instruments and has since made the statement that had he known that
>this was what a piano was supposed to sound like, he may never have made
>the switch.  He and I both have the same belief:  Those parents who buy
>their children junk to see how they progress before they will invest in a
>good piano are programming their children to fail before they begin.  They
>are at least telling their child that they aren't going to invest any more
>in the lessons than they have to...why should the child?  We also both
>believe that children have better musical ears than we do.  That child
>isn't going to want to practice on an "instrument" he/she doesn't like the
>sound of, or the feel of for that matter.
>
>Neither of us has controlled research to prove this.  But having been
>exposed to listening to thousands of piano lessons in my 32 years through
>the walls of my home, as well as taking part in music programs of almost
>every nature alongside hundreds of different people from all walks of life
>from childhood through college and beyond, it doesn't take controlled
>research (you don't have to be a rocket scientist) to come to this
>conclusion.
>
>Have a great weekend.
>jt
>
>Jeff Tanner, Piano Technician
>School of Music
>University of South Carolina
>Columbia, SC 29208
>(803)-777-4392 (phone)
>(803)-777-6508 (fax)
>
>
>