Tips on Moving Your Piano
Obvious (And Not So Obvious!) Tips on Moving Your Piano
Whether you are moving across the Bay to a new loft apartment, or you are relocating your music studio, you may confront a serious and annoying challenge: How on Earth can you move your valuable, extremely heavy piano?
This article will help you do the job right – without hurting yourself, destroying your instrument, or just abandoning the quest all together and leaving your piano for the next tenant or owner because you simply cannot deal anymore.
The Do It Yourself Approach
Obviously, unless you are a hulking superhero, you cannot lift the instrument by yourself. You will need helpers. Lock down your lid and plan the moving route. Have a rolling dolly ready. Ideally, the piano should be rolling on the dolly almost the whole time. If you don’t have a dolly, avoid making major herky-jerky movements. Avoid going sideways; instead, move it end ways.
Wrap the piano in protective material before you move it – especially if you are going outside in bad weather. It goes without saying that you should look for shortcuts before you get into the nitty-gritty lifting and heaving of the instrument. If you have an elevator in your building,
reserve the elevator for the piano move. If you have to take the piano downstairs, you can jerry rig the stairs with body boards and other protective materials. Talk to your landlord to make sure that the stairs can support the weight of the piano.
The sensitive internal parts of the piano may need to be secured, and you may need special tools, like a heavy-duty hand cart and other tools to prevent nicks, abrasions, scuffs and other damage.
Anyone who helps should have a healthy back; everyone should wear gloves. Even a standard piano is very heavy, and if you get a piano caster square on your foot, it can break your bones. Also, pay attention to any special instructions from the piano’s manufacturer.
A Better Way?
Rather than put yourself through all this hassle and potentially ruin or warp the instrument that provides such wonderful music to you and your family, hire a professional piano moving service.
Bay Area Yamaha Pianos
When and What to Look for in a Grand Piano?
When and What to Look for in a Grand Piano?
Whether you are the proud parent of an eight-year-old future (or even current) piano prodigy; or you are a professional musician setting up a recording studio, you may be gearing up to make your first major purchase of a grand piano. When is it time to “pull the trigger” and actually purchase an instrument, and what should you look for in the piano.
First, let’s address the “when” question.
The answer is always a matter of choice. Literally hundreds of factors can influence your buying decision, including: your budget, your musical needs, whether you can use another piano temporarily to practice (e.g. at a school or at a piano teacher’s house), the seriousness with which you want to pursue piano studies, the amount of space available for the piano, your need for a “grand” piano versus a smaller instrument, such as a studio piano or other vertical, and so forth.
Bringing all of those factors in mind, if you still decide that a grand is the right way to go, here are some
rules of thumb to consider when shopping for your ideal instrument:
- The bigger the piano (in general), the more rich and nuanced the tone will be;
- Well-maintained pianos can have a lot of staying power. A used grand from the 1960s that has been properly maintained and tuned can be considered awesome and state-of-the-art. It’s not like you’re buying a couch or a car – items that do significantly depreciate over time and fall “out of style.” A great grand is a great grand, even if it’s older than you are;
- Get an instrument that you can “grow into” – your proficiency (or your students’ proficiency) will undoubtedly improve over the years;
- The instrument should look right in your home or studio. If you purchase an Elton John like bright red modern piano, and your home has a stately, classical aesthetic, the furniture will clash. So bear in mind that the instrument will exist as part of your overall interior décor.
To simplify and streamline your search, connect with the Yamaha Piano experts at Pianos Plus.
We’ve been serving East Bay Area piano customers for almost four decades. Our sales staff is professional, enthusiastic, and deeply knowledgeable about grand pianos. We provide significant value over our competitors because we own our buildings (and thus we don’t have nearly as much overhead).
We carry a diverse and exciting array of quality grand pianos, digital pianos, hybrid pianos, and other instruments. Learn more about our services at www.pianosplus.com, or give us a call to discuss your needs and musical goals at 510-581-1660.
True or False? You are Way, Way Too Old to Learn to Play the Piano.
True or False? You are Way, Way Too Old to Learn to Play the Piano.
Completely false of course!
Perhaps you had a few years of piano lessons as a kid, but then you gave up the instrument because you wanted to play sports and pal around with friends. Or maybe you always desperately wanted to play the piano, but you never had the opportunity, the encouragement, or the proper instruction. Now you are a “grown up” – a young professional, parent of young children, or retiree – and you are reflecting wistfully on your lost opportunity to cultivate musicianship.
Know this: it is never – repeat never – too late to learn to play the piano.
In fact, adults have many advantages over children when it comes to learning instruments. First of all, adults who are truly intrinsically motivated will find the time, energy, and resources to practice diligently. Children – particularly those who are forced to practice and play – are at a disadvantage here.
Adults can leverage their critical-thinking skills, planning acumen, and sense of “logic” to learn music quickly, develop a harmonic vocabulary, and communicate their needs, frustrations, and discoveries with their teachers more specifically and accurately than children.
You may already have developed and cultivated musicianship. Perhaps it’s dormant. Perhaps you have mastered another instrument (or your voice). In any case, you can plumb the depths of your musical experience to enrich and enlighten your time learning the piano.
Adults – at least adults who haven’t had their attention spans decimated by the internet or by watching too much television – also have an attention span advantage over children. Mastering any musical instrument – the piano, violin, ukulele, whatever – requires discipline and concentration. If you have developed any concentration skills, you can deploy them to maximize your time at the piano. In a nice feedback leap, practicing piano will also help cultivate your overall ability to concentrate. So it’s a classic “win win.”
Adults also have a physical advantage because they have the muscular strength, coordination, flexibility, and stamina to practice longer and make complete use of the whole instrument.
Lastly, adults have far more brain plasticity than they realize. Contrary to the old adage, it is possible to teach old dogs new tricks. New advanced neurological research suggests that our brains are highly plastic – even as we age into our 50s, 60s and beyond. Indeed, some researchers believe that just pushing ourselves to learn new skills – or by honing old, dormant ones – can lead to emotional growth and perhaps even physical and neurological benefits.
If you would like to boot up (or reboot) your piano career, the professionals at Pianos Plus will be more than happy to help you.
We are the San Francisco Bay Area’s most respected authorized Yamaha piano dealer, and our staff is knowledgeable and passionate about the piano.
Learn more about our services at www.pianosplus.com, or connect with us at 510-581-1660.
Beginners tip: Record yourself playing the piano.
Why Is Recording Your Piano Playing So Valuable?
Probably you have already recorded your own piano playing. Recording can be used as a valuable tool to learn to know yourself and your playing much better than just by practicing. When you listen to your playing from aside you can remove weaknesses that can be surprising and are later easily noticeable while practicing normally. Take the note sheet, listen to your recording and be your own tutor.
For a new or used Yamaha piano for yourself or to begin your own professional piano lessons conact us at Pianos Plus. 510-581-1660 or visit our website www.pianosplus.com
Drive a Little to Save a Lot For a New or Used Piano
Drive a Little to Save a Lot
If you left a wallet containing $150 at your favorite restaurant – and only realized after you got home that the wallet was missing – would you drive back to the restaurant to get it? Or would you just “forget about it”?
If you’re a normal person, chances are, you’d hop into your car and get that wallet ASAP. Common sense, right? $150 is not chump change.
Unfortunately, people who shop for instruments like pianos often don’t think in this straight forward and rational manner. Rather than driving to a respected, authorized piano dealer to get peerless assistance from reputable professionals, they will go someplace more “nearby” and often wind up getting inferior products – and paying too much for them, as well.
Believe it or not, a significant percentage of the price tag on your piano might go towards paying off the mortgage on the piano dealer’s building! Also, many dealerships promote so- called “piano sales” – flashy events that cost a lot of money: the costs get passed down to consumers.
If you skimp out on your piano shopping, the problematic consequences could plague you for years down the line. It’s not just $150 (or whatever) that you’ll lose. You may wind up with a genuinely inferior product for what you need.
Fortunately, if you live in and around the Bay Area, you can turn to Pianos Plus.
Pianos Plus has been under the same ownership for almost four decades. Our overhead is extremely low, since we paid off our building long ago. We are the biggest private authorized Yamaha piano dealer in the Bay Area. Since we have both new and used pianos – and a professional and deeply knowledgeable (and musical) sales staff – we can help you select the perfect instrument for your needs and budget. Our goal is not simply to “sell” instruments – it’s to serve the needs of our customers. Every buyer is different. A music teacher who wants to teach scales to elementary school students will have very different “piano needs” than will a concert pianist who needs a refined instrument to record in the studio.
Learn more about the Pianos Plus difference at www.pianosplus.com, or connect with us at 510- 581-1660.
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How to buy a piano and what to consider before buying
How to Buy a Piano
Whether you’re a music professor shopping for a concert grand for her student orchestra; or you’re the parent of a prodigy who wants an upright with a rigorous construction that will hold up to hundreds of hours of practice; here are tips for how to purchase the right instrument.
What Do You Want from the Piano?
First of all, before you start shopping, spend some time thinking about why you want this instrument and what you hope to get out of it. This will dramatically inform the process by which you winnow your choices.
For instance, say you’re an amateur pianist and music enthusiast who likes to play for friend-sat cocktail parties, but who you’re not interested in rigorously training at the keyboard. You might choose a small, beautiful looking instrument. Conversely, say you’re a piano teacher who teaches young children, and you need an instrument to teach scales to dozens. In this case, a used piano – may be preferable.
Factors to consider include:
- your budget
- your level of skill
- the amount of room you have to house the piano
- your aesthetic sensibilities
- whether you want the piano for practice or concert purposes (or both)
- how long you intend to keep and maintain the instrument
Testing Testing Testing
When you’re ready to shop in person, take the time to test out each prospective instrument. If you’re not a piano player or trained musician, go with a friend who is. Be sure to analyze the finer, subtle qualities of sound, pitch, and tones each piano produces. Each piano is individual. Although manufacturers like Yamaha go to great lengths to systematize how they construct fine instruments, subtle nuances always crop up – that’s part of fun and the beauty of making music.
Perspectives When Evaluating Pianos
Note: the resonances and tonal qualities you get from your piano will depend not only on the instrument, but also on the acoustics of where you situate the piano. When evaluating models, play a wide range of scales and pieces. Don’t be afraid to ask questions – authorized piano dealers often possess a wealth and depth of knowledge, and they can help steer you towards the best models for your needs.
If you’re looking for a piano, Pianos Plus is the most respected authorized Yamaha piano dealer in the Bay Area. For nearly four decades, we have been serving the community. Our multiple generations of sales staff can help you choose the perfect instrument for your home, music studio, or concert hall. We keep our overhead very low because we own our buildings, and westock the highest quality Yamaha pianos, digital pianos, and hybrid pianos. Connect with us online at www.pianosplus.com, or call 510-581-1660.