Buying a Piano
part 4

Now, for your further piano lessons - some other hints to help you judge the quality of pianos when buying new/used piano for your piano lessons:

WEIGHT. In general, heavy pianos are the best pianos - they last longer and stay in tune better than lighter weight pianos. Much of the weight of a piano is due to the cast iron frame which takes the tension of the strings. The frame needs to be very strong to avoid distortion which could put the strings out of tune.

Do not be persuaded to buy a new or used lightweight piano, even though it may seem cheaper. Any cost saving could be spent having the piano tuned more frequently than a better instrument.

THE KEYS. A piano should have a full-size 88 note keyboard - 52 white keys and 36 black keys. Smaller pianos could limit your playing, eventhough it is only for playing beginners piano lesson music.

THE ACTION. If you are thinking about buying an upright, your best choice is a piano which has a 'full-size direct-blow action'. (The 'action' is the name given to all the different moving parts which make the hammers strike the strings when keys are pushed down.)

Full-size direct-blow actions are standard on most upright, studio and console pianos. They have a smooth, light, easy touch which wears better and is likely to require less adjustment than the 'drop actions' used on some consoles and most spinet pianos. Ask to see the specification of any pianos which interest you, to find out which type of action is used. (This comment does not apply to piano lessons using grand pianos - they have a different type of action.)

STRINGS. A piano should have a full set of about 230 strings - two copperwound strings for each of the lower 'bass' notes, and three plain wire strings for each of the higher sounding 'treble' notes. Avoid pianos which have only two strings for each of the higher 'treble' notes.

HAMMERS. Although you may not have much choice of different types of hammers, it is best to avoid pianos with hammers which are chemically reinforced to 'last forever'. These types of hammers are usually far too hard to give a piano a pleasing, mellow tone.

SOUNDBOARD. The size and quality of the soundboard is very important if a piano is to have a good tone and volume. A good soundboard will be large, have a well-designed 'crown' (curvature) and be made of the finest materials. It is generally agreed by experts that the very best soundboards are made of close-grained spruce and, contrary to the sales pitches given for some cheap pianos, they are not made of laminated wood.

Please continue to the next piano lesson page on piano pedals, case, and cabinet Next

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