Grand pianos, pianos and self-playing systems. Piano - musical instrument - history, photo, video

Story

The predecessors of the piano were harpsichords and the later invented clavichord. Their disadvantages were a quickly decaying sound, which interfered with legato playing, and a constant volume level (which only applies to the harpsichord), which excluded one of the important expressive means music - dynamics (volume change).

Piano (English, French piano; German Klavier) - keyboard stringed instrument with horizontal (grand piano) or vertical (piano) strings. The sound of a piano is greatly influenced by its design, since the 18th century. has undergone significant changes. The piano consists of an acoustic apparatus (resonance soundboard, string clothes), a keyboard mechanism, and supporting structures (footer, metal frame, virbelbank). A complex system of levers of the mechanism allows the force to be transferred from the player through the key to the hammer, the impact of which on the string produces sound. The modern piano range is 88 keys.

The piano was invented by the Italian harpsichord master Bartolomeo Cristofori, who worked on the creation of a hammer mechanism for the harpsichord in 1698 (around 1709). In 1711, the mechanism was described in detail by Scipio Maffei in the Venetian magazine Giornale dei letterati d’Italia. The instrument was called “gravicembalo col piano e forte” (harpsichord with a quiet and loud sound) - pianoforte - and subsequently the name piano was fixed. The invention of B. Cristofori contained the main parts of the modern piano mechanism - hammer, spiller, shulter, fender, damper. Cristofori's invention marked the beginning of the development of mechanics in the English system. Other types of mechanics were developed by Marius in France (1716) and Schröter in Germany (1717-1721).

In subsequent years, improvements in piano design were associated with the evolution of the keyboard mechanism, the introduction of a cast-iron frame and pedals, an increase in range, and changes in the arrangement of strings. Above the keyboard mechanism in different time K. G. Schröter, I. A. Silbermann, I. A. Stein, I. A. Streicher, I. K. Zumpe, A. Beckers, S. Erard, J. Blüthner, J. Brinsmead worked.

In the second quarter of the 18th century. German organ makers, of whom I. Stein and G. Silbermann are the most famous, begin to produce pianos. Johann Andreas Stein, student
G. Silbermann, who implemented the idea of ​​G. Schröter, improved this mechanism in 1770. Now the pianist could perform virtuoso works with greater ease, but a significant drawback was poor rehearsal. The Stein mechanism (Prellzungenmechanik) was called “Viennese” or “German” and was in use practically unchanged until the second quarter of the XIX V.

Sebastien Erard invented the “double rehearsal” mechanics, which made it possible to produce a sound by quickly pressing a key again halfway. In the mechanics of the English system, such a repetition was possible only when the key was fully raised, which means that the damper had time to dampen the string.

Since the 1760s The piano is widely distributed in all European countries, including Russia.

In Russia, piano making was primarily associated with St. Petersburg. In the 18th century alone, over 50 piano makers worked there. For the development of factory production of pianos, the first half of the 19th century century was influenced by the activities of the first Russian piano manufacturer, supplier to the Imperial Court of the English master G. Fevrier, German masters I.-A. Tischner, K.-I. Virta, A.-H. Schröder, I.-F. Schroeder and, from 1840, the Belgian G.-G. Lichtenthal. To date, the names of more than 700 piano masters who worked in Russia before the 1917 revolution are known.

IN mid-19th century, factories of J. Blütner and K. Bechstein were opened in Germany, in the USA - Steinway and Sons, long years had no equal. From 1828 to this day in Austria (Vienna) there has been a Bosendorfer piano factory - the oldest currently operating.

Piano device

Piano section diagram:
1 - frame and virbelbank;
2 - hinged part of the lid;
3 - capo;
4 - damper;
5 - fixed part of the cover;
6 - counter keyboard;
7,8,9 - transmission from the right pedal;
10 - pedal rod;
11 - pedal;
12 - headstay;
13 - rear pin;
14 - rear plate of the frame;
15 - resonant deck;
16 - string.

Interior view of the piano:
1 - side walls of the housing,
2 - top cover,
3 - cast iron frame,
4 - virbels,
5 - resonant deck,
6 - hammers,
7 - steering stick,
8 - fenders,
9 - keyboard,
10 - sideburns,
11 - stays,
12 - left pedal lever,
13 - pedal trains,
14 - pedal feet,
15 - basement floor,
16 - rollers,
17 – moderator.

The strings are stretched on a cast-iron frame with the help of whirbels (pegs), passing through treble and bass stems glued to the resonant soundboard (in pianos the soundboard is in a vertical position, in grand pianos - in a horizontal position). For lower register sounds, one string is used, for middle and high registers, a pair or triple choir of strings is used.
The range of most pianos is 88 semitones from A to the 5th octave (older instruments may be limited to A from the 4th octave above; instruments with a wider range may be found).

Piano (Italian pianino - small piano) - string keyboard musical instrument, a type of piano in which the strings, soundboard, and action are arranged vertically rather than horizontally, resulting in the piano taking up much less space than a grand piano.

The first piano was invented by the American J. Hawkins in December 1800; independently of him, the piano was also designed by the Austrian M. Müller - a little later, in January 1801. But modern form the piano acquired only in the middle of the 19th century (cast iron frame, later - cross strings, mechanics with lower and upper dampers).

The most common cabinet pianos have a body width across the keyboard of 1450-1500 mm and a height of about 1250-1400 mm; the range is 7 octaves. The piano has a plinth - this is a piece of iron construction that connects to the piano body from below and is necessary for attaching the pedal mechanism. The vertical upright of the body that connects to the beam and leg of the piano is called the console.

Pictured is a piano from Schiedmayer & Sohne (Stuttgart) at an exhibition in London in 1851.

Keyboard-hammer mechanism

The sound in a piano is produced by hitting the strings with a hammer. In the neutral position, the strings, except for the last one and a half to two octaves, come into contact with dampers (silencers). When the keys are pressed, a device of levers, straps, and hammers called piano action is activated. After pressing, a damper moves away from the corresponding choir of strings so that the string can sound freely, and it is struck by a hammer covered with felt.

Click on the image to enlarge it

Piano pedals

Modern pianos have two or three pedals.
Earlier instruments used for the same purposes
retractable levers that the pianist had to press with his knees.

The right pedal (sometimes called simply a “pedal”, since it is the one most often used) raises all the dampers at once, so that after the key is released the corresponding strings continue to sound. In addition, all other strings of the instrument also begin to vibrate, becoming a secondary source of sound. The right pedal is used for two purposes: to make the sequence of sounds produced unbroken (playing legato) where this cannot be done with fingers due to technical difficulties, and to enrich the sound with new overtones.
There are two ways to use the pedal: a direct pedal - pressing the pedal before pressing the keys that you want to hold, and a delayed pedal, when the pedal is pressed immediately after pressing a key and before it is released. In sheet music, this pedal is designated by the letter P (or the abbreviation Ped.), and its removal by an asterisk. In the music of composers of the eras of Romanticism and Impressionism, these designations are often used, usually to give the sound a special flavor.

The left pedal is used to dampen the sound. In pianos, this is achieved by moving the hammers to the right, so that instead of three choir strings, they strike only two (in the past, sometimes only one). In a piano, the hammers move closer to the strings. This pedal is used much less frequently. In notes it is indicated by the mark una corda, its removal by the mark tre corde or tutte le corde. In addition to weakening the sound, using the left pedal when playing the piano allows you to soften the sound, making it warmer and more muffled due to the vibration of the freed choir strings.

The middle pedal on the piano serves to hold selected dampers in a raised state. The dampers, which are in the raised state when the middle pedal is pressed, are blocked and remain raised until the pedal is removed. The remaining dampers continue to behave as usual, including in relation to the main right pedal. Today this pedal is found on most grand pianos and not found on most upright pianos.

There are pianos in which the middle pedal is moved to the left and thus fixed, while a special cloth is placed between the hammers and strings, due to which the sound becomes very quiet, which allows the musician to play, for example, at night.

Piano terminology

Strike line(something that many “tuners” do not know) - a line along the range of the instrument formed by the points of contact of the hammers with the strings

Damper spoon- a metal mechanical part designed to transmit movement from the figure to the damper

Mechanics- part of the keyboard mechanism designed to transfer impact energy from the key to the hammer

Moderator- a pedal assembly with a strip of soft felt designed to reduce the volume of the piano sound

Settings piano - maintaining the vibration frequency of a piano string within specified limits

Nakhdruk- the amount of key travel after the spindle is turned off

Carapace- part of the metal frame covering the whirlbank

Pasovka- the process of fitting parts and assemblies when assembling the tool

Pilot- part of the key that transmits movement from the key to the figure

Polster- a strip of thick soft cloth that serves as a support for the hammerstils and the key

Pushel- soft technical felt used for the manufacture of dampers

Register- part of the musical range of an instrument in height, characterized by a characteristic sound coloring

Resonance Shield- the main part of the soundboard, which serves to amplify and emit sound vibrations

Rehearsal- a property of the design of a keyboard mechanism that ensures the highest possible speed of repetition of hammer strikes without skipping on the same string per second

Ripk- a bar part designed to increase rigidity and transmit vibrations of the soundboard strings

Straightening- a cycle of operations to align the stroke of hammers and moving mechanical parts

Fixed steering stick- part of the piano mechanics in the form of a fixed bar, designed to support and attach the movable steering stick to the hinges

Movable steering stick- part of the piano mechanics in the form of a movable bar, which supports the hammers in the initial position and is intended to simultaneously bring the hammers closer to the strings

Timbre sound - piano sound coloring

Fenger- a mechanical part designed to slow down the movement of the hammer assembly when interacting with the counterfinger

Figure- the lower lever of the mechanics unit, which perceives movement from the key

Filtz- technical felt of various densities for the manufacture of hammers and dampers

Forbaum- piano part for covering the metal frame and the virbel bank from the keyboard side

Forschibung- a metal square for moving the piano mechanics when pressing the left pedal

Fugue- visible line when gluing parts

Fusklöc- support beam for attaching the piano leg

Futor- the main support unit of the piano, which, together with the metal frame, carries the tension load of all the strings; the frame of the futor serves as the basis for fastening parts and assemblies of the body

Choir of Strings- one, two or three strings tuned to the same tone and excited by the blow of one hammer

Horizen- key for equalizing the interval between strings

Tsvikovka- piano pre-tuning operation

Circlestick- bar part to close the gap between the keys and the clan

Basement floor- a panel structure unit connected to the piano body from below and intended for attaching the pedal mechanism

Tsuga- a bar part designed to transmit movement from the pedal to the mechanics

Plume- a wire mechanical part with a loop for connecting the shulter assembly to the figure using a bent

Spazeisen- tool for adjusting spacing

Spatzia- the distance between the same parts of the keyboard mechanism

Spiller- a mechanical detail for transmitting the movement of the figure to the shulter knot

Spillerback- the distance from the top surface of the bolt to the corresponding shoulder protrusion in the initial position of the key

Spreitz- futor frame part or component metal frame located vertically

Barbell damper - a metal rod in mechanics for simultaneous removal of dampers from the strings

Beading bead- a protrusion on the metal frame that serves to cut off the working part of the strings

Steg- a part designed to transmit vibrations of the soundboard strings

Steinung- the distance between the plane of the strings and the hammers in their original position

Pinning- a cycle of operations for connecting moving mechanical parts with pins, driving pins into a metal frame, pins, etc.

Stitz- part for stop when opening piano lids

Shtulrama- piano body frame assembly

Schulter- a mechanical part designed to attach the hammersteel and transmit movement from the pin to the hammer

PIANO

Piano is a generalized name for the class of keyboard and string instruments. musical instruments - grand pianos and a piano. In 1709, the Italian master Cristofori from Florence made an instrument in which sounds were produced by striking the strings with hammers. The volume of the sound depended on the force of the blow. It became possible to produce both loud and quiet sounds. In Italian, loud and quiet are “forte” and “piano”, respectively. From these words the name of the instrument comes.

The predecessors of the piano are the harpsichord (another name is the harpsichord) and the clavichord. On a harpsichord, the sound is produced by plucking a stylus that engages a string when a key is pressed. The result is a metallic sound that cannot be confused with anything else. Now this instrument is an indispensable member of ensembles playing Renaissance and Baroque music.

Another ancestor, the clavichord, had a different sound principle. The sound on it was produced by thin metal plates - tangents. The method of sound production - a careful touch on the key - determined the warmth and expressiveness of the sound.

Modern varieties of instruments are the grand piano and upright piano. The piano is usually used for concert performance. The strings in it are arranged horizontally, so it takes up a lot of space.

The piano stand with strings is located vertically, due to this the instrument has become more compact and suitable for home music playing. Electronic pianos are now common. They are smaller and lighter, but their sound is not “live”. They are usually used by musical groups performing pop music.

The largest number of musical works has been written for the piano. The first was composed by Giustini in 1732. Liszt and Chopin were virtuosos of playing this instrument. The Russian school was glorified by Rachmaninov.

On the piano you can play musical works of any form and genre and written for any performing group. The piano can be used as a solo instrument or with an orchestra. A musician of any specialty must sufficiently play the piano.

MYSTERY

I stand on three legs

Feet in black boots.

White teeth, pedal.

What is my name?.. (Royal)

Loved music very much

Two sisters, Natasha and Nina,

And that's why we bought it

They are big... (piano).

Fusclets- support beam for attaching the piano leg.

Capo- a metal figured bar that presses across the strings to the string bead in the treble register; is screwed to the whirlbank and is one of the boundaries for the vibrating sections of the strings.

Shell- a solid slab of a cast-iron piano frame covering the virbel bank. This detail is typical for an armored frame; it takes on a significant part of the tension force of the strings (about 2.5 tons), since a hole with a bushing is provided in the plate for each wirbel, which unloads the solid wood of the wirbel. This frame design is typical for all modern grand pianos. There are also two more types of frames - unshelled, the slab of which is not continuous (windows are made in it instead of holes, and a solid mass forms a virbelbank, screwed from below) and a semi-frame, in which the slab is absent as a cast-iron end, and its function is carried out by a virbelbank, screwed to the frame with screws and glued into the body of the piano on both sides, and also held in a given position by the ribs of the frame itself. (It is easy to notice that the last two types of frames are less durable, especially the half-frame, although some well-made antique pianos with such a frame, up to a hundred years old, are quite functional). In addition, on ancient straight-string pianos there was no frame as an independent component - its function was performed by the body and foot of the piano, and all this was supported by cast-iron spacer beams, the prototype of the current frame syringe (see below - spritz).

Shtulrama- a massive frame that is screwed to the body tanks and serves as the base for the piano's keyboard and hammer mechanism.

Spreitz- a beam of futor or cast iron frame, bearing the load from the tension of the strings.

String bead- a cast nut on a whirlpool shell of a cast-iron frame, on which each string is divided into a working and a non-working part; serves to cut off the sounding working part of the strings. Previously, they used it instead agraphs-screws resembling thumbscrews. Their heads have holes through which the strings pass, and these holes perform the same function as the nut. Agraphs are being replaced by glazing beads because they are labor-intensive to manufacture and install, including when replacing strings, while glazing beads are cast together with the frame.

Pedals

Most grand pianos have three pedals. Using the pedals you can:

• hold the sound without pressing the keys at this moment (right);
• weaken the sound (left; it should be noted that the left pedal is used not so much for weakening as for changing the color of the sound during playing, thereby creating additional nuances);
• hold the sound of part of the keys, the effect of creating a so-called “split keyboard”. Of course, this also adds color (medium).

Story

The wing-shaped piano was first introduced in 1709 by an Italian. Bartolomeo Cristofori- court harpsichord master of Duke Ferdinando de' Medici at a reception at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. Watching street dulcimer players play, Cristofori noticed that by striking the strings with soft mallets, these musicians achieved a particularly expressive sound. Cristofori redesigned the harpsichord, creating a fundamentally new mechanism for producing sound by striking the strings with soft hammers. Thus, it became possible to change the sound strength when playing. Cristofori named the first piano Gravicembalo con piano e forte - Large harpsichord with soft and loud sound. Until the end of the 18th century, pianos underwent constant improvements, which by the beginning of the 19th century put them beyond competition with the harpsichord and clavichord. IN early XIX century, the solid cast iron frame and cross string arrangement were invented, which led to improved quality and the appearance of the piano. Since the 1850s, factory production began in Europe (especially rapidly in Germany), America and Russia. The piano becomes the “king” of musical instruments. By the beginning of the 20th century, the piano acquired its modern form: a wooden body, a solid armored cast-iron frame, and a double rehearsal mechanism.

Classification

By size, pianos are classified as follows:

• Large concerts length over 270 cm - maximum range of timbre, duration and expressiveness of sound. Purpose: concert performance of music in large and medium-sized halls, ensembles with large symphony orchestra, studio recording
• Small concerts 225-250 cm long - a large range of timbre, duration and expressiveness of sound. Purpose: concert performance of music in medium-sized halls, small ensembles, studio recording
• Salon (universal) 200-220 cm long - a large range of timbre, duration and expressiveness of sound. Purpose: concert and amateur performance in music rooms (salons) and small halls, teaching piano art
• Office 180-195 cm long - the average range of timbre, duration and expressiveness of sound. Purpose: amateur music playing, piano teaching
• Small office 160-175 cm long - a small range of timbre, duration and expressiveness of sound. Purpose: amateur music playing, piano teaching
• Miniature minion (mini) 140-155 cm long - the minimum range of timbre, duration and expressiveness of sound. Purpose: to meet market demand for small-sized tools.

Note: In most cases, the model number of a grand piano is its length in centimeters or inches.

According to their purpose, pianos are classified as follows:

• Perfect- for practicing pure art
• Professional- for the work of a professional musician
• Amateur- for amateur music making
• Educational- for teaching piano art
• Interior- for interior decoration
• Status- to create the image of the owner
• Entourage- to create a show, performance, installation, etc.
• Self-playing- for fun
• Authentic- for authentic performance of music from a specific historical period
• Universal- grand pianos that combine several purposes

Royal rating

Based on quality, perfection of design, beauty of sound, playing properties and reliability, pianos are divided into the following classes (modern manufacturers):

1. Premium class (elite), case length more than 160 cm:

C. Bechstein(since 1853, Seifhennersdorf, Germany), Steinway & Sons(since 1853, New York, USA; since 1880, Hamburg, Germany), Mason & Hamlin(since 1854, Gaverhill, Massachusetts, USA), Bösendorfer(since 1828, Neustadt, Austria), Steingraeber & Sohne(since 1854, Bayreuth, Germany), Fazioli(since 1981, Sacile, Italy)

Premium grand pianos are perfect in design and are manufactured individually in accordance with technology that has evolved over several centuries. Also a determining criterion is a fairly solid production volume for more than a century. Pianos of other classes have simplified designs and are produced using faster and simplified technologies - in order to reduce the cost and meet demand in various market segments. Mason & Hamlin grand pianos occupy a special place due to the presence of a fundamentally new playing mechanism and the so-called Crown Retention, which keeps the soundboard dome intact. Fazioli pianos are positioned by the manufacturer as premium instruments, however, the unstable and low-power nature of production allows them to be included in this group only with a certain degree of probability

2. High class:

August Forster(Löbau, Germany), Bechstein(Academy line, Seifhennersdorf, Germany), Seiler(Kitzingen, Germany), Steinway & Sons(some models, USA and Germany), Grotrian Steinweg(Brunschweig, Germany), Bösendorfer(Conservatory line, Neustadt, Austria), Bluthner(concert grand pianos, Leipzig, Germany), Pleyel(Paris, France), Shigeru Kawai(concert grand pianos, Japan)

3. Middle German class:

Schimmel(Germany), Sauter(Germany), Ronisch(Germany), W. Hoffmann(C.Bechstein Europe s.r.o., Germany-Czech Republic)

3a. Middle class:

Boston Yamaha(some models, Japan), Shigeru Kawai(Kawai Musical Instrument Mfg. Co., Ltd., Japan), K. Kawai(some models, Kawai Musical Instrument Mfg. Co., Ltd., Japan), Samick(concert - Samick Music Corp., South Korea), Wm. Knabe & Co.(Tennessee, USA), Pramberger(Tennessee, USA), Beltmann(Gilan Pianos, Netherlands-Azerbaijan), Galaxy(Galaxy Pianos, UAE, Dubai), Schulze & Pollmann(San Marino, Italy)

4. Consumer grade:

Petrof(Czech Republic), Vogel(Poland), Samick(South Korea), Kohler & Campbell(USA), Boston(some models, Karawan, Indonesia), Sohmer & Co.(USA), Bohemia(Czech Republic), Haessler(Germany-Indonesia), Yamaha(some models, Indonesia), Kawai(Kawai Indonesia PT, Indonesia), Brodmann(VE models, Austria-China), Euterpe(Indonesia), Young Chang(South Korea), Bergman(South Korea)

5. Low budget class:

Essex(Steinway Musical Instruments Inc., Pearl River factory, China), Bluthner(some models, China), Feurich(Ningbo, China), Pearl River(China), Kayserburg(Pearl River Piano Co.Ltd., China), Ritmuller(Pearl River Piano Co. Ltd., China), Irmler(China), May Berlin(China), Roesler(Czech Republic-China), Weinbach(Czech Republic-China), Wendl & Lung(Ningbo, China), Yamaha(some models, China), Kawai(Beijing Xinghai Musical Instruments Co. Ltd., China; Kawai Musical Instruments Ningbo Co. Ltd., China), Goodway(Hangzhou, China), S. Ritter(Goodway Piano Co. Ltd., China), Brodmann(models PE and CE, China), Falcone(China), Lietuva(China), Niemeyer(China), Otto Meister(China), Carl Ebel(China), Weber(China), Schumann(Moutrie Piano Co. Ltd., China), Moutrie(China), Baldwin(China), Astor(China), Sorbonne(China)

Sources:

Magazine Pianoforum- Everything about the world of piano: http://www.pianoforum.ru/

- The Piano Book®, Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano by Larry Fine, Foreword by Keith Jarrett, ISBN 978-1929145010

Piano maintenance

To ensure long-term operation of the piano, it is important to maintain a constant temperature and a certain level of humidity in the room where it is installed. For this purpose, humidity control devices, humidifiers and humidity regulators are used. The climate control system maintains constant temperature and humidity in the instrument and works well, extending its life by 2-3 times.

The piano requires regular maintenance, which also includes setting, adjustment of the keyboard-hammer mechanism, sound intonation (change in timbre), replacement of worn parts, etc.

see also

Literature

• Blake Neely Keyboard instruments for dummies = Piano For Dummies. - M.: Dialectics, 2007. - 288 p. - ISBN 0-7645-5105-1

Notes

All about the piano:

Piano (Italian pianino - small piano) is a string-keyboard musical instrument, a type of piano in which the strings, soundboard and mechanical part are arranged vertically rather than horizontally, as a result of which the piano takes up much less space than a grand piano.

The first piano was invented by the American J. Hawkins in December 1800; independently of him, the piano was also designed by the Austrian M. Müller - a little later, in January 1801. But the piano acquired its modern form only in the middle of the 19th century (cast iron frame, cross strings, mechanics with lower and upper dampers).

Now the piano is increasingly being replaced by MIDI keyboards and synthesizers, due to the greater versatility and better ergonomics of the latter.

The most common cabinet pianos have a body width along the keyboard of 1450-1500 mm and a height of about 1250-1400 mm; the range is 7 octaves. The piano has a plinth - this is a piece of iron construction that connects to the body of the piano from below and is necessary for attaching the pedal mechanism. The vertical upright of the body, connected to the beam and leg of the piano, is called the console.

You might also be interested in learning about the history of the piano.

Tool placement: do not place the piano or grand piano where they are exposed to changes in temperature and humidity (radiator, window), as well as direct sunlight! Sudden changes in temperature and humidity in a room not only harm the wooden parts and body, but also the metal parts, the operation of the mechanics and the overall stability of the instrument. The normal temperature for operating a piano is considered to be +12…+25 degrees with a relative humidity of 50-60%.

Place the tool at a distance of 10 cm from the wall, all contact planes (legs) should touch the floor. Pictures on the walls and various objects located around the instrument can create unwanted side sounds, while the sound of the piano itself installed on a soft base (carpet) is quieter than on a hard base (parquet, linoleum).

Settings: It is advisable to tune the instrument after turning the heating on/off; the frequency of tuning depends on the intensity of its use, but in any case at least once a year, and for a new instrument - twice a year. If you do not do this for too long, then later the instrument will not be able to be tuned immediately, this is due to the weakening of the tension of the strings and the gradual deformation of the instrument frame. Moreover, the tuning will drop unevenly, and the instrument will begin to sound out of tune; the tuner will be forced to either tune the piano lower than it should be, or he will have to a short time configure it again.

When you decide on the quality of the work performed, pay attention to the accuracy of the settings, to the movement of the pedals (is there any squeaking, humming, are all notes playing when pressed), are there any extraneous sounds, are all the hammers returning to their place.

Care: a piano, especially a varnished one, like any furniture, needs constant care. With proper attention and care, such a musical instrument can become a family heirloom, passed on from generation to generation and live for several centuries. Caring for the outer surface of the instrument is very easy. A piece of clean cloth lightly dampened with water is safest for a polished surface, and dry for a matte surface. You can also use special furniture care products, using them in accordance with the instructions.

Some parts of pianos and grand pianos are attractive to moths, so ask your tuner to put insect repellent inside the instrument. At least once a year, remove dust inside the housing using a brush and vacuum cleaner.

Of course, the most important part of a piano is its sound. Call your tuner regularly (once every 1-2 months, depending on the frequency of use of the instrument), and be sure to follow his recommendations.

To give appearance For a fresh look, the piano uses high quality polishing fluid and natural drying oil. When carrying out the procedure, use gloves, preferably medical ones, they will fit your hands better and will be more comfortable for you.

The polishing pad is made from pure woolen fabric. It is folded so that it is convenient to hold, and then a pre-prepared linen cover is put on it (or wrapped in linen cloth).

A little polishing liquid is poured onto the swab and, after it has been absorbed, a few drops of drying oil are poured.

The polishing compound is applied to the piano using circular and straight movements. In this case, the liquid gradually seeps through the fabric (the effect is similar to liquid cream paint for shoes). The alcohol contained in the polishing liquid quickly evaporates, leaving a very thin shiny film on the surface. As soon as the tampon begins to stick to the surface, add a few drops of drying oil. You can’t pour too much drying oil, because... its excess reduces the shine of the polish. From time to time, the swab is soaked in polishing fluid (be sure to let it soak into the swab).

It is necessary to constantly move the tampon, otherwise stains will form that are very difficult to remove.

Don't be afraid to refinish your piano this way. Drying oil protects the surface from cracks, drying out and harmful effects. Polish gives pianos and any other furniture a shiny look.

Yellow stains on piano keys appear from oily fingers (unwashed hands). Such yellow stains need to be removed with chemically pure alcohol or ether. If your piano keys are made of ivory, you can clean them with a mixture of 1 part turpentine and 3 parts denatured alcohol. After cleaning, without rinsing off the composition, the keys should be exposed to light.

To prevent dust from getting on the keys, cover them with a special cloth and only then close the cover.

To preserve the instrumental qualities in the room where the piano is located, it is necessary to maintain a certain air humidity. If the air is too dry, cracks may appear on the surface, especially for varnish coatings. If the air is too humid, the instrument will quickly fail.