As a piano technician and music store owner, I get calls, emails, and messages on a weekly basis asking about what to do with an old piano. It’s a very common question. There are a wide variety of scenarios when it comes to older pianos, but the common denominator with folks contacting me, is that […]
Craigslist is a minefield. When looking for a used piano, Craigslist is not a great option, unless you are a piano expert or you hire one when looking. There are so many pianos all over Craigslist and the private sellers posting their pianos almost always know little to nothing about the quality of their piano […]
Pianos are really cool. They are also pretty complex in their construction. There are about a bazillion things that affect how well one sounds and feels. I could talk endlessly about how a piano works, but I don’t want you to fall asleep while you read this. This post is to just give you the […]
“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 […]
…but we hardly play our piano. There is a misconception that a piano’s tuning stability is related to how often it is played. This is not true. A piano’s tuning stability has everything to do with humidity. A piano is a stringed instrument. The strings are tightened around metal pins that are held with tons […]
Let’s go over how to get that sucker outta there! Last week, we had a little chat about pencils and pens that make their way into upright pianos. It’s super common….and annoying for all involved, yes? I didn’t cover this situation with grand pianos in the last post, so let’s go over it now. It […]
Things fall inside pianos. Objects I’ve found while tuning: pencils, paperclips, a harmonica, coins, rolled dollar bills (yeah, I know), CDs, pieces of paper, markers, dolls, legos, toy blocks, erasers, sheet music, envelopes, crayons, a hair comb, hair clips…. I could keep going, but we would be here all day. The point is that things […]
Hello. I’m Marta, the Piano Gal. If you’re just visiting my website for the first time, I welcome you. Let me tell you a little bit about what I do and what information I can share with you. I’m a music teacher, professional musician, and piano tuner. I specialize in used pianos and I do […]