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Can a piano be tuned after 50 years?

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“It’s an antique”, is a phrase I hear often.

The term antique should not be applied to a piano. Think of a piano less in terms of a piece of furniture, and more in terms of a car. A piano may LOOK like a piece of furniture, and in some ways it is i.e. picture frames on top, but it is a complicated musical instrument with a lot of working parts inside. Once a car gets to a certain age, it needs a new engine, a new transmission and stuff like that. As a piano ages, the hammers get hard and wear down to the wood. Also, the wood parts become brittle and break causing the piano not to play correctly, or at all. And the strings become rusty and dusty and no longer create a good sound. There are a multitude of more issues I could discuss, but those factors are pretty huge.

Left alone, pianos do not last forever.

A piano can be reconditioned. A piano can be restored. Both of these involve a great deal of expense and new parts. Unfortunately, the common scenario with a piano that I see most often is that it was purchased, then tuned maybe once or twice over the course of several decades and that’s about it. So, now there is a 60 (or 100!!) year old piano that has all original parts that are worn and dusty and not working well, and the poor piano hasn’t been tuned in ages. Why does this matter to someone else? The biggest issue is that this scenario seems to be the most common one for pianos that are listed on Craigslist and other marketplaces. The owner wants to get rid of it. They think it’s in “great” condition because the furniture part of it (the outside) has been cared for and dusted. However, the piano has rarely been opened in its tenure in that home. I’m going to share some pictures of older pianos in order to illustrate what happens as pianos age. These photos show dust, rust, and wear, which are all things that make a piano sound and feel bad. It isn’t just about it needing to be tuned with a piano. And grabbing a free piano off Craigslist and then having a tuner come and tune is not going to fix these issues (provided the piano can be tuned at all).

When looking to acquire a used piano, age matters.

It matters a lot. Find out how old it is. Pianos always have a serial number and the age can be pulled from that, if the owner doesn’t know how old it is. If the piano is older than 40 years old, generally, take a pass on that piano. The exception to this is owner care. If the owner had the piano service annually, then a 40 year old piano is much better than a 25 year old piano that hasn’t been serviced even once. There are multiple factors when considering a piano. One of the top considerations should be age. Once you know how old it is, then start digging into the condition and other factors.

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Musically,

Marta

The Piano Gal

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Can you learn piano in a month?

In fact, you can learn piano online in just 21 days – less than one month! How? By focusing on learning chords you want to play, not just the same boring notes and old-fashioned exercises. After all, most of us aren't trying to play piano in classical music.

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How Long Does it Take to Learn Piano?

Many people ask, “How long does it take to learn piano?” Jacques Hopkins spent 12 years of his childhood being taught piano through traditional classes. At the end of his lessons, he realized he only knew how to play two songs. There had to be a better way to learn piano fast. Does this sound like a struggle you’ve been through? How many times have you thought “I want to learn how to play piano,” only to find even basic piano lessons tough, boring, or too slow to see real results? Or maybe lessons begin to feel like a drag, instead of the creative outlet they’re supposed to be. The problem isn’t with you – the problem is with your piano lessons. In fact, you can learn piano online in just 21 days – less than one month! How? By focusing on learning chords you want to play, not just the same boring notes and old-fashioned exercises. After all, most of us aren’t trying to play piano in classical music. We want to play modern songs, the popular music we hear and enjoy every day.

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