Piano dilemma, repair or not to repair, that is the question.

[Arpangel]

At last, you are spending money on something worthwhile - and not on F'ing cars!

We did a piano recital for Russian television yesterday - I am editing the thing as we speak. The pianist was all gushing about our Joanna - got it serviced and tuned on Tuesday. Look after the things and they keep their value, both as instruments and financially.

Congrats on the Bluthner BTW. I shall come and inspect it one day soon!

Thanks, you must come down.
Buying cars is remotely exciting, having instruments repaired is like calling a plumber, or a builder, essential, but boring.

[Arpangel]

The quality of workmanship by the is guy is totally beyond, just been talking to him (and payed him! )
The attention to detail was amazing, he even "restored" the original hinges on the music stand, rebuilt them, and replaced the wrong screws in various places, the result of a previous bad job.
I’m sorry I was a bit underwhelmed, but it’s finally hit home now, what a revelation it’s going to be.
Looking forward to our first recording session.

[Drew Stephenson]

That's the post I was hoping to see.

I was going to offer to look after it for you but I really don't have space!

[Arpangel]

That's the post I was hoping to see.

I was going to offer to look after it for you but I really don't have space!

I quote "there are 4 tiny metal pins, to that part of the key action, I replaced all of them on every key"
He is a very special guy, one of a dying breed.

[tea for two]

I quote "there are 4 tiny metal pins, to that part of the key action, I replaced all of them on every key"
He is a very special guy, one of a dying breed.

For me he is an inward traveller.

I think sometimes people think a person has to be speaking in some esoteric way or wearing some rose beads crystals turban, burning incents, have various esoteric ornaments, quote esoteric sayings or similar to be inward traveller.

Whereas for me how a person approaches their craft their dedication to the slightest, their concern conscientiousness selflessness towards the work the craft they do is an indicator :

a software programmer, an audio engineer, a tech inventor, an architect, a road sweeper, a nurse, a window cleaner, a blacksmith, an artist, a doggie trainer, a bricklayer plasterer, an athlete, a baker, a photographer, a person helping others on a forum.

[Arpangel]

The chap who repaired my piano has no lofty ideas about his station in life, like all good technicians, craftsmen, engineers, he's happy being just what he is, he’s not got a chip on his shoulder about not being someone else, this was his calling, he loves repairing instruments, and allowing musicians to carry on playing, and him to make a living and to continue to enjoy doing what he does.
How many times have you been in studios and witnessed young engineers who want to be musicians, or producers, and aren’t happy in their role, the best engineers are the ones who want to be "engineers" and dedicate their life to that, this chap is exactly like those people.

[Arpangel]

Piano panic!
I thought uh-oh? the pitch of this piano is a bit strange, it seemed a tad sharp to me, I was playing along to a Steely Dan track, and couldn’t find the key, it seemed to waver somewhere between b and b flat, so I got an A440 tone going and it was spot on, the Dan track must have lost something in translation somewhere along the line.

[BigRedX]

Analogue recordings were often sped up or slowed down to achieve the desired tempo at the mix down/mastering stage, with the equivalent change in pitch of the music.

Also in the days before the advent of the ubiquitous electronic tuner the tuning reference used in the studio could be whatever was convenient. Often the other instruments would be tuned to whichever instrument was most difficult to change the tuning of and there was no guarantee that it would be A=440.

My first band had two reed organs both of which were tuned differently and neither to A=440. We tuned to the one we used most often, but would retune to the other when we needed to use it because of the chords available or the sound.

[Arpangel]

Analogue recordings were often sped up or slowed down to achieve the desired tempo at the mix down/mastering stage, with the equivalent change in pitch of the music.

Also in the days before the advent of the ubiquitous electronic tuner the tuning reference used in the studio could be whatever was convenient. Often the other instruments would be tuned to whichever instrument was most difficult to change the tuning of and there was no guarantee that it would be A=440.

My first band had two reed organs both of which were tuned differently and neither to A=440. We tuned to the one we used most often, but would retune to the other when we needed to use it because of the chords available or the sound.

Yes alarm over, I’ve got a lot of old classical recordings on vinyl, it’s interesting checking the keys of some of those.

[Folderol]

Analogue recordings were often sped up or slowed down to achieve the desired tempo at the mix down/mastering stage, with the equivalent change in pitch of the music.

Also in the days before the advent of the ubiquitous electronic tuner the tuning reference used in the studio could be whatever was convenient. Often the other instruments would be tuned to whichever instrument was most difficult to change the tuning of and there was no guarantee that it would be A=440.

My first band had two reed organs both of which were tuned differently and neither to A=440. We tuned to the one we used most often, but would retune to the other when we needed to use it because of the chords available or the sound.

Yes alarm over, I’ve got a lot of old classical recordings on vinyl, it’s interesting checking the keys of some of those.

It's quite useful to have a record deck with speed control

[Arpangel]

Analogue recordings were often sped up or slowed down to achieve the desired tempo at the mix down/mastering stage, with the equivalent change in pitch of the music.

Also in the days before the advent of the ubiquitous electronic tuner the tuning reference used in the studio could be whatever was convenient. Often the other instruments would be tuned to whichever instrument was most difficult to change the tuning of and there was no guarantee that it would be A=440.

My first band had two reed organs both of which were tuned differently and neither to A=440. We tuned to the one we used most often, but would retune to the other when we needed to use it because of the chords available or the sound.

Yes alarm over, I’ve got a lot of old classical recordings on vinyl, it’s interesting checking the keys of some of those.

It's quite useful to have a record deck with speed control

Thanks, you’ve just given me a great reason to buy a Technics.

[James Perrett]

It's quite useful to have a record deck with speed control

Thanks, you’ve just given me a great reason to buy a Technics.

Or a Garrard 301/401 (though they don't have as wide a speed range as the Technics). Of course, if you want the ultimate ins speed range then a Lenco would give you any speed between 30 and 86rpm.

[Arpangel]

It's quite useful to have a record deck with speed control

Thanks, you’ve just given me a great reason to buy a Technics.

Or a Garrard 301/401 (though they don't have as wide a speed range as the Technics). Of course, if you want the ultimate ins speed range then a Lenco would give you any speed between 30 and 86rpm.

Don’t worry James, I’m not into playing along with records in a big way, I only have to "play along" with things when my partner has had a couple of glasses of wine, gets on YouTube and says "go on, play along with that" I then reluctantly have to make my way across the room to the piano, a feat in itself, to do my Russ Conway impression, smile and all, and attempt to play along very badly with the Rach 11 concerto, Chick Corea or some other stupidly difficult person, liked I’d fail every audition.

[RichardT]

It's quite useful to have a record deck with speed control

Thanks, you’ve just given me a great reason to buy a Technics.

Or a Garrard 301/401 (though they don't have as wide a speed range as the Technics). Of course, if you want the ultimate ins speed range then a Lenco would give you any speed between 30 and 86rpm.

Don’t worry James, I’m not into playing along with records in a big way, I only have to "play along" with things when my partner has had a couple of glasses of wine, gets on YouTube and says "go on, play along with that" I then reluctantly have to make my way across the room to the piano, a feat in itself, to do my Russ Conway impression, smile and all, and attempt to play along very badly with the Rach 11 concerto, Chick Corea or some other stupidly difficult person, liked I’d fail every audition.

How different from the home life of our own dear Queen! That’s very funny, Tony!

[Arpangel]

How different from the home life of our own dear Queen! That’s very funny, Tony!

Don’t worry, Angel Towers will soon be "By Royal Appointment"

[MarkOne]

It's quite useful to have a record deck with speed control

Thanks, you’ve just given me a great reason to buy a Technics.

Or a Garrard 301/401 (though they don't have as wide a speed range as the Technics). Of course, if you want the ultimate ins speed range then a Lenco would give you any speed between 30 and 86rpm.

Don’t worry James, I’m not into playing along with records in a big way, I only have to "play along" with things when my partner has had a couple of glasses of wine, gets on YouTube and says "go on, play along with that" I then reluctantly have to make my way across the room to the piano, a feat in itself, to do my Russ Conway impression, smile and all, and attempt to play along very badly with the Rach 11 concerto, Chick Corea or some other stupidly difficult person, liked I’d fail every audition.

That sounds like a YouTube channel I need to subscribe to !

[Arpangel]

That sounds like a YouTube channel I need to subscribe to !

You should have been here last night, too many Martinis, my partner did it again "play along with that"
Jascha Heifetz, the Bach Chaconne, Jacqueline du Pre, Cello Concerto, I didn’t do a bad job of standing alongside Yasha, a sort of ambient Jazz pastiche, but Jaque no, she left me on the starting blocks wondering where the gear stick was, she didn’t play the Cello, the Cello was part of her body, a limb, her very being, she played the Cello like Hendrix played the guitar.

[The Red Bladder]

A new baby grand from Bluthner costs about $100,000. So look after the damn thing!

The market for grand pianos has gone nuts lately - all the top concert grands today cost over $200,000 - and Bösendorfer and Fazioli both report waiting lists at that level!

[Arpangel]

A new baby grand from Bluthner costs about $100,000. So look after the damn thing!

The market for grand pianos has gone nuts lately - all the top concert grands today cost over $200,000 - and Bösendorfer and Fazioli both report waiting lists at that level!

Our piano isn’t that valuable, it’s not a baby grand, it’s a 5’ 5 inch, bigger.
Bluthner pianos now are very "bling" not like the classic old ones, ours is 1931.
I played a modern Kawai at the workshop, my god, was I surprised at how good that sounded, different to ours, but very good, one of those will set you back around £10,000 new.

[Kwackman]

she played the Cello like Hendrix played the guitar.

Sounds like quite an experience...
Hopefully no lighter fluid, or dentist appointments involved!