[pianotech] What constitutes a good "student piano"

[Rex Roseman]

Floyd

 

My understanding from band director days was that certain instruments,
specifically wind instruments, were designed to be easier to play so that
beginning students would be able to succeed sooner. The more professional
instruments were designed to sound and respond better, but the player had to
have a certain level of breath and muscle control to succeed. I am not sure
that this has a direct relation to pianos. Some pianos have more or less
resistance in the action and have differing tonal qualities, but I have
never met a piano that is a true "student" piano in that it is designed to
help a student succeed so that they can move on to a "professional"
instrument.

 

My experience, (and it sounds like maybe yours also) is not one of ease of
playing of even of basic tonal preference, but of basic playability of the
instrument and the existence of a musical tonal output. Student pianos are
usually (subconsciously possibly) thought of as those instruments that are
too trashed to be used by a "real" pianist and have not yet found a home as
a donation in a church or retirement community. In the band field, student
instruments are repaired and prepare to the highest playing quality for that
level of instrument. No band director would put up with a student clarinet,
for example, that has leaky pads and will not produce all the notes, but
piano teachers will allow piano students to practice on instruments which
are barely playable.

 

I think that the biggest problem is that of cost. It is relatively
inexpensive to have a clarinet overhauled compared to a piano.

 

This takes me back to what has been said before. A student piano needs to
work properly and give the student a true musical experience. A student
piano is not a certain brand or level of piano (a Steinway D could make a
wonderful beginning piano).

 

My opinion FWIW.

 

Rex Roseman

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Floyd Gadd [mailto:fg at floydgadd.com] 
Sent: Monday, March 29, 2010 1:24 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] What constitutes a good "student piano"

 

Hi Don,

 

The whole point here is to try to gain some traction in the minds of
teachers and parents. helping them to think some fresh thoughts about the
instruments their students and children are trying to learn on.  The concept
of a "student" instrument has been used as a marketing angle by makers of
band instruments.  Maybe I can get some mileage out of it.  I am trying to
use the term in such a way as to communicate the idea that measuring an
instrument against some kind of standard does not only have significance for
advanced players.  How often do you run into the idea that the child doesn't
know the difference, so pretty much anything goes, in term of the choice of
instrument.  I expect most of us have been horrified at some of the
"teaching" instruments we have run across.  Sure, it's fine to talk about a
good piano, but I'm trying to wake up parents of 7 year old students who say
they'll buy a good piano if the kid is still interested when he's 11 . . . .

 

Floyd

 

 

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