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Greene Music News Issue #8
August, 2010 |
Greetings!
Our friends and customers are all asking us, "How is your piano business doing with this recession? Are you OK?". Well, the short answer is that it pays to have deep roots in the community and a 36-year track record of great pianos and great service! Our company is healthy and will be providing Steinway and Yamaha pianos, rentals, tuning, lessons, and concerts for many years to come. We couldn't do it without your support - a sincere THANK YOU from all of us!
Do
you have any questions or comments? Click here and send us a note!
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Adrienne
Nims and
Spirit Wind
Music that moves you - body and soul!
Adrienne Nim's passionate energy and dazzling musicianship as a solo artist and her band, Spirit Wind, create inspiring
and unforgettable entertainment!
These talented musicians have performed at the Getty Museum, the California Center for the Arts, the San Diego Zoo, Quail Botanical Gardens, and major jazz festivals. Adrienne has performed openings with such greats as Spyro Gyra, Kirk Whalum, Joe Cocker,
Al DiMeola, Fourplay, Steppenwolf, Jajee, Boney James,
and Boz Scaggs to name a few.
http://www.adriennenims.com
Sunday, August 8th 4:00pm
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Bring your whole family and enjoy America's favorite music!
with amazing pianist
Jacqueline Silver
Sunday, August 29 at 3:00pm
Celebrate American History with Jacquelyne Silver, pianist and dynamic stage personality, as she takes you through a journey of the grand music of the U.S.A., from its beginnings until today.
Enjoy selections from
Scott Joplin, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, and
Richard Rodgers - the stunning music that is America's treasure!
Reserve your complimentary seats early! (858) 586-7000
or send us your RSVP: http://greenemusic.com/contact.html |
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Caring for your piano
Cory Cleaning Supplies  |
How should I care for my piano's wood finish?
As with any piece of fine furniture,
keeping drinks off finished wood surfaces is a simple rule always to
follow. New piano finishes generally require only occasional cleaning
with either a dry or damp cotton cloth. Make sure to polish along the grain of the wood. Older piano finishes may benefit
from an occasional polishing with a good quality polish, but frequent
polishing is not recommended.
How should I care for my piano's polished black finish?
Cory Care Products makes a Super High Gloss polish that works well. Use a very clean, very soft cloth (microfiber or a Cory Cleaning Cloth), spray a small area, and polish in a circle.
What is the piano's action and why does it need maintenance?
When you look inside your piano, you'll
find a cast iron plate or "harp" strung with steel and copper-wound
strings over a large expanse of wood which is the soundboard. If you
look closer, you'll discover an intricate system of levers, springs, and
hammers connected to the keyboard.
The complex system which causes a hammer to strike a string when you press a key is called the piano's action.
It is a marvel of engineering composed largely of wood and wool felt.
This mechanism needs to be responsive to every nuance of the pianist's
touch -- from loud, thunderous chords to soft, delicate passages. We
have technical drawings available for both vertical and grand piano actions.
When a piano leaves the factory, each of its parts is adjusted to a
tolerance of a few thousandths of an inch. This process is called action regulation.
Because the wood and felt parts of the action may change dimension due
to humidity and wear, the action must be serviced occasionally to
maintain its responsive qualities.
How does humidity affect my piano?
Extreme swings from hot to cold or dry
to wet are harmful to your piano. Dryness causes the piano's pitch to go
flat; moisture makes it go sharp. Repeated swings in relative humidity
can cause soundboards to crack or distort. Extreme dryness also can
weaken the glue joints that hold the soundboard and other wood portions
of the piano together. Moisture may lead to string rust. A piano
functions best under fairly consistent conditions which are neither too
wet or dry, optimally at a temperature of 68 degrees F and 42 percent
relative humidity.
Using an air conditioner in humid summer months and adding a humidifier
to your central heating system will reduce the extremes of high and low
humidity. Room humidifiers and dehumidifiers, as well as systems
designed to be installed inside of pianos will control humidity-related
disorders still further.
What is voicing?
Did you know that you can change how brilliant or mellow your piano sounds?
Because the tone changes as the felt hammers wear, periodic adjustment of the texture of
the hammers is necessary so that your piano will have an even, full tone
throughout the entire scale, and produce the widest possible dynamic
range.
How often should I have
my piano fully serviced?
An out-of-tune piano or an unresponsive touch can discourage even beginners! Regular maintenance also can prevent expensive repair
in the future.
Most manufacturers recommend
servicing at least two to four times a year to keep the piano sounding
good and working properly each time you sit down to play. This is
especially important the first year of your piano's life. A piano which has gone a
long time without tuning may require extra work called pitch raising (This can be expensive - you'll save money by just doing regular tunings) . But most importantly, be sure the regular servicing of your piano is performed by a qualified piano technician.
Basic Rules of Piano Care
1. Keep your piano in tune. It was
specifically designed to be tuned to the international pitch standard of
A-440 cycles per second. Your piano will sound its best and give you
and your family the most pleasure when it is tuned regularly and kept in
proper playing condition.
2. Keep your piano clean. Keep the
keyboard covered when not in use to prevent dust from accumulating
(although ivory keys need some exposure to light to prevent yellowing).
Clean keys by occasionally wiping them with a damp cloth and drying them
immediately. If accumulated debris can't be removed with a damp cloth,
try wiping the cloth on a bar of mild soap or moisten with dishwashing
detergent before wiping. Do not use chemicals or solvents to clean piano
keys. Call a qualified piano technician to remove anything from the
keys you can't wipe away.
3. Try to maintain a fairly consistent temperature and humidity control
in the room where your piano is placed. It's important to keep your
piano away from a heating register in winter, an air conditioning vent
in the summer, a fireplace, a frequently opened window or outside door,
and direct sunlight.
4. Play your piano regularly. You'll get
the most enjoyment from it and also reach your potential much faster. A
disadvantage to idle pianos, assuming they also suffer a service lapse,
is that a detrimental condition or environment can't be identified, and
an escalating problem can result in damage that might not have occurred
with regular service. Tuning a piano after years of not having been
tuned often requires an expensive pitch raise. As a piano ages, it may begin to develop more major problems which your technician can help you assess. You may look into rebuilding or reconditioning the piano.
5. Keep all drinks and standing liquid
containers off the piano. Should spilled water reach the action, notify
you piano technician immediately. In many case, once liquids are
spilled, the damage is irreversible which is why prevention is the
safest rule to follow.
Would you like a referral for a qualified piano tuner/technician?
Call Judy (858)586-7000 ext. 111 Mon-Fri
or send her a note: http://www.greenemusic.com/contact.html
Thanks to the Piano Technician's Guild, a terrific source for good information about pianos and piano care: http://www.ptg.org
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IN CONCERT
David Batt  |
Composer and Performer
David Batt
Plays three Romantics:
a classical afternoon of
Liszt, Gottschalk, & Albeniz
Sunday, September 26, at 4:00pm
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We would love to hear your ideas for this newsletter. What would you like to know about pianos, lessons, new technology, or just how to get started? Just click and send a note to ask@greenemusic.com or call (858)586-7000 seven days a week.
Sincerely,
Michael Greene, Owner
Greene Music
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