Maintaining Your Steinway Grand Piano

Good Piano Care

There are some basics that every piano owner should know about how to take care of their piano, where to place it, what to place on it, and other very practical pointers. Following a short list of dos and don'ts will do much in preserving your Steinway grand piano, making it ready and able for every type of use -- for everyday practice and prep, for the Sunday tea concert, for the romantic night home.

  • If possible, dedicate a room to your Steinway grand piano. This will enable you to devote all aspects of the room's atmospheric dynamic toward a piano that will enjoy perfect, proper surroundings.
  • Place your piano in the room such to avoid cold, warm or fluctuating air currents and drafts. You want to avoid placing within close proximity to a window without sun protection or a window that opens to the outside.
  • Regulate the moisture content of the room. You want your piano or music room to be perfectly dry. Not bone dry, but dry and not moist. Ask your technician about moisture content control.
  • Notice where heat enters the piano or music room. Is it a fireplace? An electric heater? A pellet stove? Is it forced air? Keep the piano away from these types of entryways. You want a dry room, but not a drying room. You don't want the soundboard to shrink anymore than it will want to as it is. Again, consult with a professional.
  • Don't abandon your piano in a room that no one ever uses. An unused room ends up being too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. Your Steinway grand piano deserves to be in the middle of the living context.
  • Get your piano serviced -- tuned and maintained -- by a studied and tested Piano Technicians Guild professional. The Piano Technicians Guild is a self-regulating organization that promotes professional standards for piano tuners and technicians.
  • Write your piano into your will or trust. For example, you can write into your will a statement such as, "I leave my Steinway grand piano, factory number XXXXX to PROPER NAME." You can even provide even more detailed stipulations. Talk to your estate lawyer for the details. You can also will your piano to an organization, such as a music department of your favorite university. If it's a really good piano, revolving performances might be possible, on stage, through many generations of students and music lovers.

Next >>More: Every Steinway Grand Piano Deserves Its Own Room...
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