I'm a classical guitarist (or used to be when I practiced more regularly) and I have taught many a guitar student. It always astonishes me that people buy $89 "guitars" at Wal-Mart for their kids. They are untuneable, the strings are so high and tight they'll cut your fingers off, etc. etc. Naturally, the kids get discouraged and quit. "Whew," say the parents, "Sure glad we didn't spend any money for an expensive instrument." There are parallel experiences with every instrument. So why not pianos? "Hey, honey, I found a piano for $100. Let's get it for little Susie!" I don't know what the answer is. I'll bet it was better when piano lessons for kids were more popular and their were so many rental and rent-to-own programs. On the other hand, it continues to ASTONISH me how many people--including area piano teachers and churches--have not had their pianos tuned in years and years, and still think they sound okay! I can't stand my piano after about 3 months and it holds tune very well! (That's part of what led me into the tuning biz in the first place.) How can we have a whole generation of people so "unatuned" to sound quality? Has loud, distorted, screaming rock been part of the problem ... or just lack of training and exposure? I don't mean this to be judgmental, I simply don't understand why someone can't hear a "problem" with wah-wah unisons, octaves with a 9 cycle beat, and bass notes nearly flat by a chord fourth! Whoa, little frustration dumped out here. Maybe y'all get that way, too? Alan Barnard Sour Notes From Salem, MO ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Love" <davidlovepianos@earthlink.net> To: "Sarah Fox" <sarah@gendernet.org>; "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org> Sent: Friday, October 25, 2002 11:14 AM Subject: Re: Winter & Co. .... Blahhh > I disagree. I'm asked this question frequently and I always encourage > people buying pianos for their children to buy the best piano they can > afford. I think it is more critical for a child because you are developing > a sense of tone and touch. You want them to have positive feedback in terms > of tone and control, they are not learning to play a typewriter, afterall. > This is not to say that somebody learning on a lousy instrument can't > develop a feel or love for music, but it won't make it any easier. > > David Love > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Sarah Fox" <sarah@gendernet.org> > To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org> > Sent: October 23, 2002 6:18 AM > Subject: Re: Winter & Co. .... Blahhh > > > Hi Terry, > > > I did say to him that I hear from many teachers that a youngster playing > on such a piano can be very quickly discouraged. > > For all it's worth, I don't think many children care how a piano plays, so > long as it plays at all. For my first year of piano lessons, I had an old > player that our neighbor gave us for free. The piano had survived a fire, > many parts of the case having been reduced to charcoal (literally). The > thing wouldn't hold a tune, and the action was pretty funky, as I recall. I > was 8 yr old, so I don't remember much, but I do remember thinking the piano > was pretty "neato," imagining that it had survived a fire in some saloon in > the old West. I insisted on opening up the cabinet so I could watch the > hammers as I played. I remember composing my first piece on that piano. > > After my parents could see I was serious about piano, they got me a '66 > Hamilton studio, which probably made my practicing more tolerable to them > and certainly did much more for the appearance of our living room. > Throughout the years I was a relatively serious student/amateur pianist. I > probably could have gone on to study performance and become a concert > pianist, were it not for my circulatory problems (Raynaud's), which impact > my speed when I'm cold or stressed. However at age 41 I still play the > piano for perhaps 30 min a day and sorely miss playing when I'm away on > vacation. > > I still have the Hamilton (a basically solid piano), which my older son used > for his piano lessons. The results were different -- no talent, no > determination, and total abandonment of lessons within a year. > > My stepdaughter started on a $500, 100 year old Knabe that's actually not a > bad piano, but still with a bit of funkiness of its own, some of which I've > corrected. She now studies composition at the California Institute of the > Arts. One would think she cares about how well a piano plays. Actually she > cares much more about the real ivory key tops and is, IMO, only a fair > pianist (but an extremely talented composer). > > My stepson started on the same piano, played for 5 yr, and quit when > athletics (and Dad's approval) became more important to him. He is more > appreciative of the technical aspects of a piano, and if he were to > continue, I think he would probably need a better instrument (or at least > some rebuilding work on the Knabe. > > Appreciation of a fine piano comes with age and advanced abilities. I can > now play well enough to understand my performance abilities and limitations > with a given piano. Any piece of junk is suitable for a child to play "Mary > Had a Little Lamb." However, if I'm going to play Beethoven's Sonata > Pathetique (quite a technical challenge for me), I NEED a very responsive > piano. > > My only point is that I can understand the parent who doensn't want to sink > more than $500 into a piano to see if his or her child is serious about the > instrument. I think in an ideal world, all beginning pianos would be junky > loaners. My only qualification is that I think students should *never* > learn on an electronic keyboard. Other than that, if it's a real piano and > the notes all play, I think it passes muster. > > ... just my 2 cents ;-) > > Peace, > Sarah Fox, AP, APT, PM (Amateur Pianist, Amateur Piano Tech, Professional > Mom) > > > > _______________________________________________ > pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives > > > _______________________________________________ > pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
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