the Piano Guy

·       Keep plants, vases, drinks, or anything to do with liquid off the piano. Condensation can ruin the finish, and spillage of liquids into the inner mechanism can result in irreversible damage.

 

·       To prevent scratches on the finish, never place objects on your piano without a soft cloth or felt.

 

·       Don't use furniture polish to clean your piano. It can soften the finish if overused, and the silicone & oils present in many household brands can even contaminate the wood, despite what the labels may say.

 

·       Just feather-dust the piano first (dust is abrasive, so wiping it first can cause scratches), then wipe with a soft, damp cotton cloth, wiping in the direction of the grain. Then, wipe up any excess moisture with a similar dry cloth.

 

·       Do the same thing as above to clean your keys, but use separate cloths for the blacks and If more thorough cleaning and polishing is desired, special polishing products are available.

·       Keep your piano away from heating registers, radiators, fireplaces and air conditioning vents. Subjecting it to extreme fluctuations of temperature and humidity levels can do major damage.

·       Keeping a piano away from an outside wall was probably necessary in poorly insulated older Victorian homes, but should not be a problem these days. Avoid direct sunlight on your piano as it can damage and fade the finish, or even create horrible tuning problems. Use curtains or blinds.

 

·         Independent studies show that children who learn piano tend to do better in school. This is attributed to the discipline, eye-hand coordination, social skills building, learning a new language (music) and the pleasure derived from making your own music.

·         The Piano was invented in 1698 by an Italian, Bartolomeo Cristofori.

·         The name piano is an abbreviation of the original name for the instrument: piano et forte or

·         soft and loud.

·         The exact middle of the keyboard is not middle C, it is actually the space between E and F above "middle" C. 

·         There are over 12,000 parts in a piano, 10,000 which are moving.

·         The working section of the piano is called the action. There are about 7500 parts here, all playing a role in sending the hammers against the strings when keys are struck.

·         A new piano should be tuned four times the first year, with the change of seasons, and at least twice a year after that.

·         The term "Tickle the Ivorys" refers to playing the ivory keys of the piano, however, ivory has not been used to make piano keys since about the 1950's (they are plastic, sometimes referred to as "Ivorine").

·         The piano is totally complete and needs no assistance from any other instruments, but almost all other instruments need the piano for accompaniment, including singers.

·         During the past 100 years there have been approximately 5000 Brands of pianos placed on the market. Most are still on display in homes or elsewhere.