by Tania Gleaves on August 26, 2010
It’s About the Wood
Pianos are generally made of wood and no wood is impervious to heat, damp, dryness, or temperature fluctuations. If you have any experience with caring for wood products at all, then you already know some of the work involved. Fortunately there’s a tool that makes caring for a wooden piano a little easier. It’s called a piano humidifier and it could save your piano if you play in a dry environment.
Piano Susceptibility
In a drying environment, wood has a tendency to crack, splinter, and even warp. Indoor heating is a big culprit of drying wood but it isn’t the only thing that can damage a piano. Fluctuating temperatures can damage wood as well. The extreme heat of the summer months or the chilling cold of the winter season prompts us to turn on indoor heat or air conditioning. While our bodies may adjust to sudden temperature changes just fine, pianos don’t, and they respond with damage.
A piano humidifier won’t help with fluctuating temperatures so you’ll need to exercise some of your own precaution here. For example, don’t store the piano near or under any air vents, fireplaces, kitchens, windows, or walls that connect to the outside environment. And keep the piano out of direct sunlight as well. Sunlight, i.e. radiation will not only ruin a piano’s finish, it can distort the piano’s sound. To understand why, you only need to think back to high school physics and remember sound waves and light waves. As a form of energy, light waves will alter sound waves.
Proper Moisture
Placed inside the piano, a humidifier attempts to circumvent the effects of a dry atmosphere and maintain proper moisture. It isn’t quite necessary in a room that’s already moisturized with a humidifier, but in an environment lacking one, it’s a necessity. The constant swelling and shrinking of a piano’s wood does nothing but contribute to its deterioration.
A humidity level 40 – 45 percent is all that’s needed to prevent damaging effects and a piano humidifier works by monitoring the moisture and temperature around the piano. You should be able to find one that can stand by itself or hang from one of a piano’s inside walls. They’re relatively small in size weighing little over 70 grams, and all of them run from a battery.
We’re usually pretty aware of how wood is affected by the weather and inside atmosphere, but when you think of how much is spent each year on wood products for furniture, it shouldn’t be too surprising to acknowledge the care we extend to wooden pianos. Proper care opens opportunities for flawless tunes and the ability to focus on the music – not the maintenance.
by Tania Gleaves on July 1, 2010
How Did They Ever Manage In The Past?!
We really have to wonder how the musicians of the past fared without electricity. Can you imagine having to play piano by candle light or oil lamp? Can you imagine having to reserve practice to sunny days? Thankfully we’ve advanced to the point where we can play piano at any time without having to resort to the days of yore. Today we can use a piano lamp.
Conventional Lighting Is Either Too Much, Or Not Enough
You might think that the current lighting in a room would enough to suffice, but in many cases, it just doesn’t do enough. Piano lamps basically fill in where regular lighting fails and without own, you run the risk of not only playing poorly, but straining your eyesight as well.
The problem with regular lighting is that it’s either too weak to cast enough lighting, or it’s too strong and it unnecessarily casts shadows where they ought not to be. While playing piano, we have to be careful that the keyboard and sheet music we’re using is covered with an even layer of light. And a piano light will help even out the inconsistencies of conventional lighting.
The Advantages Of Using A Piano Lamp
The main reason is because they’re used right where we need them the most, which is right at the piano. Without one, we’re at the mercy of light rays that hit, bend, and bounce all over the place in order to light up an entire room. By sitting directly above or to the left or right of the piano however, piano lamp light rays don’t have to travel as far as conventional light rays do because they’re not required to fill up an entire room. They’re only required to light an area small enough to hold a set of 88 piano keys and a couple of pieces of sheet music.
The fact that some of them are adjustable makes them an even more attractive accessory. Because conventional lighting can cast shadows onto piano keys and music, an adjustable lamp can be maneuvered in a way that casts light into those shadows. And since they’re designed to reduce glare, you don’t need to worry about too much light either.
A Variety Of Lamps For A Variety Of Pianos
Today’s piano lamps come in a variety of styles, sizes, and colors of course, and they’re all designed to fit different styles of pianos. It doesn’t matter if you play an upright piano or a large grand piano, you can find a style that’s appropriate. Many of them are made with materials that will complement the style of your piano without you having to worry about things like finding a color match or style match. Some are large enough to sport a classic marble base while others are small enough to clip onto your sheet music.
For something that can cost as little as fifty dollars, you’ll find that they make perfect investments when you consider the troubles that you may run into without one!
