My studio was recently gifted with a Baldwin Hamilton baby grand piano and I am thrilled! Going through this new experience taught me a few things that I think you might enjoy learning as well.
Listen to the full episode here
Hire a piano technician
Like you would ask a trusted auto mechanic to evaluate a used car before you buy it, it is a good idea to hire a trusted piano technician to inspect the piano before you make such a large purchase.
They can ‘check under the hood’ and let you know about possible issues the piano might have. This information will help you make an informed choice.
Make sure you have plenty of space
My baby grand piano is 5’4″ long and about 5′ wide. Five foot by five foot square (plus room for the player and piano bench) is a substantial amount of room.
I had to make choices about what could stay in my music room to make space for this new addition.
To learn more about proper seating at the piano, listen to PPP030: Ten Steps to Sitting Properly at the Piano
Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith
Like buying a used car, you can do all the research and gather as much information as possible and still not have a guarantee that you are making a wise purchase.
Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith.
Even though the FREE price was right for this piano, it could have ended up costing me a lot over time: it could have serious problems maintaining the tuning, the hammers and strings could need to be replaced, and there could be issues with the pedals and dampers.
I could have ended up with a FREE but costly giant piece of furniture and a head ache trying to dispose of it.
UPDATE: My piano tuner came out recently and tuned both pianos. He inspected the Hamilton and gave me great news – everything looks good and it only needed a routine tuning. Whew!!
Hire professional movers
One stipulation from the former owner is that the piano needed to be moved by a professional.
A 5’x5′ piano wouldn’t fit through the front door anyway so I needed to hire professional piano movers to remove the legs, stand the piano on its side, and transport it safely to my home.
Don’t roll pianos across the floor, especially a carpeted floor
Even though a piano is on itty, bitty wheels, it is not really intended to be rolled across the floor.
That never kept me from trying. Eek!!
When my mover brought the piano to me, he noticed that one of the legs was loose because the piano had been rolled by pushing. This put too much pressure on the joint and compromised the screw holes.
Fortunately, he was able to patch the joint, and now I feel that it is more secure than ever.
I’ve learned my lesson – don’t push a piano to move it!!
Acclimate the piano to its new home before tuning
A piano is a wooden instrument.
Just like wood planks need to acclimate to your home for a few days before new flooring is installed, a piano needs to acclimate to its new home before it is tuned.
Pianos do need to be tuned after they are moved. While I played my Hamilton before I agreed to accept it, some of the keys got out of tune during the move. I was so relieved to hear everything back in order after my tuner came last week.
Pianos have serial numbers
I never really considered the age of my piano before but getting this older baby grand piano made me curious to know just how old it might be.
After several searches online, including Blue Book of Pianos, I’ve estimated my piano to be about 85 years old.
Online piano age calculators
After several searches online, including Blue Book of Pianos, I’ve estimated my Hamilton piano to be about 85 years old.
I was surprised to learn my Kawai is about 47 years old!
To learn more about making a decision between getting your piano kid an acoustic piano or a digital keyboard, listen to PPP005: Acoustic Piano vs Digital Keyboard
Open books on the music rack is no joke
I’ve said it lots of times, “Keeping your books open on the piano is an open invitation to come play.” Have your piano kid play through their piano assignment as soon as you get home from the lesson, or at least within the first 24 hours.
Listen to PPP107: The First 24 Hours – Teacher Chat with Dawn Ivers and Becki Laurent
Since I teach on my primary piano so much, I don’t get to keep MY music out and open. With this new piano, I have been able to enjoy playing some of my old favorites without having to put the music away for my next lesson.
It is humbling to be on the receiving end of a blessing like this!
Throughout my life there have been several situations where people have come alongside and supported me through difficult situations.
When our daughter, Tracy was born with her serious heart defect, many people prayed with us, brought us meals, and took care of our older kids. One friend even cleaned my house for me!
When my mother died two years ago, friends and family shared kind thoughts and sweet memories and helped me mourn.
To receive this wonderful blessing of such a lovely piano that I can share with my piano students is very humbling.
I gave my students the opportunity to write a thank you note and added theirs to my own to mail to the previous owner. She told me it was a blessing to her to be able to pass on a blessing.
Is there some way you can bless someone today? I promise both you and the recipient will be delighted!
Thanks for listening!
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