In-Tune, the Piano World Newsletter

February 2018 Issue

The email service we use to send our newsletter (called Active Campaign) creates custom links in order to track data from our emails.

I’ve seen quite a few new members indicate they found us from PianoTV.net, so our thanks to Allysia for mentioning
piano world on her piano video blog.

A short Welcome Post Here

And of course a warm welcome to all of our new members. We’ve had nearly 500 new members join since the last newsletter.

If you know someone who likes the piano, please recommend they join our piano forums.

Join Our Piano Forums Here

The Piano Forums on Piano World are not just one forum, there are in fact several, each with a specific target.

The following is a brief description of our most popular forums.

• Piano Forum = The forum just titled Piano Forum is geared toward discussions of the instruments themselves.
  It is where you would go to find information about specific brands, or pianos in general.
  Many piano manufacturers monitor this forum
  even if they choose not to participate. It helps them to learn what the public is saying about their products,
  and their competitors
  products.
• Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum = As the name implies, this forum is primarily for professional piano tuner-technicians,
  however anyone can read what is being discussed. You can also post specific technical questions here, but please be polite and
  realize the pros that take the time to respond are giving freely of their valuable time.
• Digital Piano – Synths & Keyboards = This rapidly growing forum is geared toward the digital side of the piano/keyboard
  business. It includes digital pianos, electric pianos, electronic pianos, hybrids, and synthesizers & controllers.
  Discussions here can get pretty technical, but they can also be as simple as “which keyboard has the touch
  response you like the most?”

  You will also find discussions about things like midi interfaces, sound modules, speakers, microphones,
  sequencers, etc.

• Adult Beginners Forum = This is a bit of a misnomer as not all the participants are beginners (nor are they all necessarily
  adults). The idea behind it’s creation was to give adults a place to feel comfortable talking about learning to play piano
  later in life. Many of the participants played some when they were younger, got away from playing, and are now coming
  back to the joy of making music. Of course there are also lots of “adults” who are in fact just beginning their
  journey.

  I’ve found over the years this is one of the more civil and helpful forums where the members truly try
  to help each other. They even organize online recitals and friendly competitions.

• Pianist Corner = Primarily aimed at the more advanced pianist, many of the participants here are at an
  intermediate to advanced level. No need to be intimidated though, if you aspire to become a better pianist you can learn a lot
  from these folks.
• Pianist Corner – Non Classical = This is a forum for the rest of us. Take me for instance, I play rock, standards, blues,
  a little jazz and a little ragtime. If you’re interested, you can see/hear me “in action” here
  On YouTube (thank you to our friend Sam Bennett of
  Piano Works in Deluth GA for recording and posting this from a previous NAMM show).
  If you love to play piano, but classical isn’t your thing, this is the forum for you.
• Piano Teachers Forum = Yes, it’s what you think it would be. Primarily for piano teachers to discuss their
  trade, lesson plans, scheduling, etc. If you are not a piano teacher but have a question you’d like to ask someone who is, please
  be polite and be patient.

  If you are new to teaching piano, you may find a lot of good information here, and helpful people.

• Other Forums = There are a number of other forums on Piano World, please take some time to explore them, you may
  just find something you really enjoy, and learn something along the way.

  Some of our other forums include = Events-Recitals-Competitions, Composer’s Lounge, Parties-Tours-Cruises, Photo Gallery, Who’s Who,
  Member Recordings, Just for the Fun of it, and still more.

Visit the Piano Forums Today!

The 2018 NAMM show is over.

If you aren’t familiar with the NAMM show, it’s the biggest show of the year (in the U.S.) for manufacturers and
dealers. Every type of musical instrument you can imagine is represented at the show (and some you probably never heard of).
And now the show has expanded with huge displays from the sound, lighting, recording people.

Where You There?

Unfortunately I didn’t get to attend this year, but I know a number of our members did.
If you attended the show, we would love to hear your thoughts and see your pictures.

NAMM Show Responses

Did you know you can easily view a list of the current active topics in the forums?

You can view active topics from the last 24 hours, the last 48 hours, or the last 7 days.

Here is an example of the current active topics from the last seven days
Piano Forums Active Topics

You can find the Active Topics link at the top of the page, or just use the link I provided above.
When you get there, you can always change the time frame to one of the other choices.

2013 it was Brussels, Belgium
2014 it was Lisbon, Portugal
2015 it was Lucerne, Switzerland
2016 was in Milan, Italy (Kathy and I went to this one, amazing)
2017 had not one but two European parties, one was in Bulgaria, the other in Spain.
Here are some Reports & Pictures from the one in Spain.

Not sure if there are pictures from Bulgaria?

There is talk of a piano party In Germany for 2018
And another party In Bulgaria

We’ve also hosted a tour of European Piano Makers (2011), a Piano Cruise , a Piano Crawl (NY), and
several tours of the Mason & Hamlin factory in Haverhill MA and the Steinway factory in NY.

Not sure what a piano party is?

Check out the links above, and this forum
Forum Members Parties, Tours, Cruises, & Meetings

Also, see this
Collection of Piano Parties and Tours compiled by one of our moderators (thank you Casinitaly).

I love reading the threads posted by members who have finally purchased their piano.
Seeing the pictures and hearing the stories reminds me of one of the most important reasons we are here, to help each other.

And if you’ve found Piano World and/or the Forums to be helpful, we’d love to know that too.

Unfortunately these posts get buried quickly as new threads get created.

If you recently got a piano, or you know of a thread where someone is talking about getting their new piano, please let me know. I’d love to move the threads to this one central place for all to share in the joy of owning and playing a piano.

The New Piano Owners forum lives here , right under the primary Piano Forum.

What’s Happening on the Piano Forums?
Looking for a quick way to catch up on what’s being discussed on the forums?
One option is the Active Topics link. This one shows all the active topics over the past seven days..
Active Topics, Last 7 Days

You can also choose other options like past 24 or 48 hours, active posts, unanswered posts.
Check it out.

The Just for the Fun of It Forum

In Our Online Store!

Have you visited our online store for music lovers?

PianoSupplies.com is a division of Piano World.

Sales in our online store help support Piano World.

Right now we have some Clearance Items on Sale

Including:
Metronomes

and
Clocks

We also sell benches,lamps, cushions, music related party goods, tuning equipment, piano moving equipment and so much more.

And we offer free shipping on Jansen Artist Benches* and CocoWeb Piano Lamps* (*contiguous U.S.)
PianoSupplies.com is Piano World’s Online Store

• Stationary & School Supplies – Music Related
• Gifts & Unusual Items with a Music Theme
• Gifts for Music Teachers & Students
• Party Decorations with a Music Theme
• Piano Tuning Tools
• Lots More – www.PianoSupplies.com

I’ll Show You Mine if You Show Me Yours

(Show Us Your Piano Room Pictures)

This thread has been running for ten years now!

Every once in a while someone discovers it and adds pictures of their own Piano/Music room.

If you haven’t posted yours yet, please feel free to add them. We don’t care if you only have a keyboard sitting on a table or
two concert grands in an elaborate music room, we just love seeing people’s set up and knowing they are enjoying making music.

If you would like to add your pictures to this thread PLEASE be sure to upload your pictures to our servers (see Posting Pictures on the Piano Forums below). Otherwise they may just disappear some day, as you will see in some of the posts in this thread.

the Show Us Your Piano Room Pictures Thread

A big thank you to all the wonderful people who have made a
donation and/or become a
subscribing member
of our forums.

And why is this important? Please see this post
Piano World Is Not Really Free!

Keeping Piano World and the Piano Forums going is a challenge. I get up every day thinking I need to find
a way to generate income. I know it’s my choice to be self-employed and I love it, but there are times when it can be a bit intimidating.

That’s why we (Kathy and I) so appreciate it when one of our members/guests wants to show their support.

The support of our advertisers and sales in our online store (along with some piano tunings) is how
I keep Piano World going and how I support my family. Being self-employed is not
easy, particularly in the piano business.
Please consider purchasing from our online store,
or if you are professional in the piano industry, look into
advertising on the world’s most popular piano site, Piano World.

If you you’d like to show your support some other way, please visit our Support page.

Keep in mind one of the best ways you can help is to spread the word about Piano World and the Piano Forums.
Tell your friends, co-workers, relatives, etc. And especially suggest to piano related businesses (teachers, tuners, movers, dealers/stores, etc.) that they should be advertising on the worlds’s most popular piano site!

And if you know someone in the southwest Maine or southeast New Hampshire area, tell them you know a really good piano tuner
(me).
Frank Baxter – Piano Tuner-Technician

Do you know of a particularly good thread you think others would enjoy?

Send me an email with a link to the thread (webmaster@pianoworld.com) or send it from within the thread itself.
I’ll take a look and consider listing it in a future newsletter.

And if you find one that would make a really good addition to one of our FAQ areas, please let me know that too.

Waring International Piano Competition

Over $30,000 in prize money plus performance opportunities.

Junior (12 and under) and Intermediate (13-17) Competition

March 24th to April 1st, 2019

Read More…

VIII Piano Bridges International Competition for Amateur Pianists

will be held in St. Petersburg, Russia, from July 1-7, 2018.

We welcome amateur pianists aged 17 and above from all countries,
people of various occupations for whom piano playing is a serious hobby, but not a professional activity.

Read More…

Additional Piano Concerts and Competition Listings

Remember, if you know of any piano concerts, competitions, or events … let us know!

You can post in this section of the piano forums (and/or email us). Don’t forget to keep an eye on the forum below for
news of upcoming concerts, competitions, and special (piano) events.
Piano Concerts – Competitions – Events

Have you visited the member recordings forums?

This is a great place to hear some of your fellow forums members.
One is a sub forum in the Pianist Corner which features primarily classical music.
Member Recordings – Pianist Corner

The other is under the Fun Stuff category and contains hundreds of recordings of all types of wonderful music.
Member Recordings – General

Here in the north it’s winter, we’ve already had temperatures as low as 15 degrees below zero (F).

On goes the heat, and down goes the humidity in your house, often WAY down.

This is bad for you as a human, and bad for your poor piano. In fact many manufacturers of high end pianos have a clause in their
warranty that states that you must maintain a certain level of humidity in the environment around the piano, or chance voiding your warranty!

In winter, your furnace heats the air in your house and, by doing so, lowers its relative humidity. That makes the air dry.
Explanation of the term relative humidity.

Relative Humidity (RH) indicates the amount of water vapor, in percent, actually in the air compared to the maximum
amount that the air could hold under the same conditions. The warmer the air, the more moisture it can hold.
Air in the home heated to 70° F can hold about eight grains of moisture per cubic foot. That is 100% RH.
If there are only two grains per cubic foot in the home, this is 1/4 of the air capacity or 25% RH. So,
what happens to the air when it’s heated? Your furnace will bring in outdoor air to be heated. During the
winter months it’s very common to find outdoor RH at 70% and air temperature at +10° F. When this air is
heated to 70° F, the indoor RH drops to 6%, this is similar dryness to desert conditions.
The only solution is to add water vapor to the air – humidification.

A whole house humidifier would be ideal for you and your piano, but if your house isn’t already
equipped it can get pretty expensive really fast. Next would be a full room humidifier.

If neither of these is practical, ask your piano tuner-technician about a system made specifically for your piano.

The Dampp Chaser / Piano Life Saver is one such system (there are other). Be sure your piano tech is experienced
in determining exactly what your specific instrument needs, and that he/she is qualified to install the system.

By the way, for those of you are coming into your summer season (or tropical areas) the problem is the
opposite where you can have too much moisture in the area, also bad for your piano (the issue we have up here in the summer). Again you can control the situation either whole house, one room, or with the help of your piano tuner-technician within the piano itself.

The systems installed in the piano are also helpful in places like churches and schools
where it’s even less likely that the room/building will be controlled.

Did you know your piano should be tuned at least twice a year?

As a piano tuner I sometimes receive calls from
customers who tell me they aren’t sure if their piano actually needs to be tuned. Let’s think about this.
Have you ever watched a violinist in an orchestra? They often tune up before every piece, and they only have four strings
to contend with. The average piano has about 235 strings with a total tension (pull from all the strings) measured in tons!

And how do you make music on a piano? By whacking those strings with felt wrapped
devices called hammers!

Yes, your piano needs to be tuned.

And it isn’t just playing that knocks your piano out of tune, changes in temperature and humidity are major factors.

Need help finding a good piano tuner? Check our classified listings
Piano Classified Listings Find Piano Tuners,Piano Dealers,Piano Movers,Piano Teachers,Piano Restoration Shops,Piano Manufacturers, and more

Please Share Our Newsletter with Others, & Invite People to Join Our Forums

Warm Regards,

Frank Baxter

(Founder / Host) &

My Lovely Assistant, Kathy

Piano World & the Piano Forums, PianoSupplies.com

89,000+ Forums Members, Over 2.6 Million Posts, and always growing!

webmaster@pianoworld.com
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Frank & Kathy available to perform at your home or event Frank & Kathy

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