CARE OF THE PIANO.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume VIII, Issue 27, 4 July 1891, Page 125

CARE OF THE PIANO.

With proper care and attention a good piano should last a family a lifetime. If this is not given it the piano will in time become harsh and * tin panny ’ and afford little satisfaction or delight to its owner. Ordinary practice, whether by a child or a grown-up person, will not injure a piano in anyway. It is not necessary to be a professional piano player and to know exactly with what force to strike the keys in order to keep the instrument in good condition. Of course it will not be improved by tbnmping the case or by striking the keys with any haid substance. Neither does this remark apply to schools and institutions where playing is taught and the instrument is used continuously for ten or twelve hours every day. In the latter case the felt portions will wear out sooner than if it was used in a private family. The matter of tuning should not be neglected, and should never be intrusted to any other than an experienced person. Incapable tuners very often work irreparable injury to the most perfect and costly instruments. During the first year a new piano should be tuned every three or four months at least. After that it will only be necessary to have it tuned at longer intervals. Dampness is the most dangerous enemy the piano has to contend against, and for this reason the climate must be considered. If the instrument is placed in a damp room or left open in a draught of air, the result will be that the strings, tuning pins, and the various metal parts will become coated with rust, and the cloth used in the construction of the keys and action become swollen. It is positively painful to play on such a piano. Rosewood, the material used in most pianos, is a tropical wood with large open pores, and if the instrument is exposed to the dampness for any considerable length of time the effect on the polish or varnish by swelling the wood of the outside case will be extremely injurious. This applies to other woods, although in a somewhat less degree. Persons living at the seaside are particularly liable to have their instruments marred by this element.

That checkered, whitish appearance so often seen on rosewood pianos is doe to their being exposed incessantly to the influences of humidity. It causes the dry seasoned rosewood to swell, narrows the pores out of which the varnish is forced with irresistible power and revarnishing and repolishing then becomes necessary. This is rather costly, but it must be done if appearance is considered.

Another effect of dampness, and one of great importance although little understood, is the formation of ridges caused by the sounding board swelling and raising out of its exact position. While this in reality is one if the best evidences of the excellent quality and seasoning of the material, the uninformed observer often mistakes them for cracks and lays the blame on the manufacturer. The highest grade of pianos are made of thoroughly seasoned material, which obviously absorbs dampness more rapidly

than imperfectly dried wood, and are thus rendeied less impervious to its influence. Excessive eold or extreme heat should be avoided, and the piano should not be placed too near a heated stove or hot air fiom turnaces. Pianos sometimes give forth a rattling, jarring noise, while to all appearances they are in excellent condition. This is caused by some hard substance, often so small as to entirely escape detection, having dropped inside the instrument. It is very important that the sounding board should be kept entirely free from dust ana all other extraneous matter. The best way to accomplish this is by keeping the piano closed when not in use. A piano, however, should never be allowed to remain unopened for a peri.xl of several months or longer. To protect the instrumen’ from bruises and scratches it should be covered with an india rubber, or cover of some other material. Strange as it may seem, the piano is not free from the depredation of moths. They are very destructive to the cloth and felt used in the manufacture of pianos, but may be kept out by placing a lump of camphor wrapped in soft paper in the inside corner, which should be renewed from time to time. I have ~een pianos which have been in constant use for thirty-five years almost as good as new. With proper care and attention this is possible with any first class pianoforte.