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Pianos
No piece of furniture is more indicative
of taste and refinement than a piano, with
the grand piano making the boldest statement.
Some piano manufacturers are
legendary: Steinway,
Yamaha, and Baldwin. But choosing
the right
piano for you may not mean buying
the best
concert piano made. With top
of the line
grand pianos costing $50,000
to $100,000
and stretching up to nine feet
in length,
they are usually reserved for
concert halls
and the spacious homes of the
true pianists.
Upright pianos, the much more
affordable
and space conscious choice can
be excellent
music instruments, but they do
lack the image
of the grands. For those just
seeking the
keyboard experience and not a
showpiece,
there are electronic keyboards
which have
overtaken much of the traditional
piano sales
because keyboards are considerably
less expensive,
a lot more portable, and offer
more choice
of sounds than a traditional
piano. Keyboards
make an excellent investment
for a family
with a student learning to play.
Shopping for a piano is like
shopping for
a painting or a used car -- even
when the
piano is new. Each piano has
individual characteristics
that affect its sound quality,
with some
models of pianos better suited
for different
types of music. That is, pop,
rock, and modern
jazz music tend toward a piano
with a crisp
action and bright timbre whereas
orchestral
music tends toward rich overtones.
But like
buying stereo speakers, the sound
you hear
in the showroom may not match
that which
you hear at home because of the
difference
in room dimension and acoustics.
Whatever
piano you choose, there are lemons
among
even the top pianos brands so
avoid pianos
that creak or make thuds when
playing.
Lastly, remember that a piano requires care.
Keep it in a room with relatively stable
temperatures and 40-45% humidity; keep the
piano away from windows and vent and out
of the way of direct sunlight. You want to
avoid all things that might cause the instrument
to frequently or unevenly warm and cool or
to warp as these conditions will effect the
musical tuning of the instrument. And periodically,
you will need to have your piano cleaned
of dust and tuned to compensate for the stretching
of the strings. |
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