BUYING A PIANO

Youve decided to buy a piano the basic musical instrument, potentially the center of your home, and a source of your familys culture, learning and enjoyment. Whether young or old, player or not a piano is a major purchase deserving your serious consideration.

Buying a piano should be a happy rewarding experience and most of the time it is! You want and deserve to be happy with your purchase with its tone, touch, appearance, durable qualities and investment value over the years. All of these things are important to you. You have every right to expect that your piano investment is sound. It will indeed be sound if you take the time now to be fully informed on this for most people onceina lifetime purchase.

THE UNIVERSAL INSTRUMENT

To play any musical instrument is to discover a marvelous outlet for selfexpression. Which musical instrument is right for you? For most people, the piano is the most popular and has remained so for decades. its referred to as the basic instrument and is perfect for playing both as a solo instruemnt or for accompanying others. Learning the piano teaches the player harmony, rhythm, counterpoint, and both treble and bass clef. For any instrument you might play in the future, your piano training will prove invaluable.

IS BIGGER BETTER?

Not necessarilty, but all things being equal it is true that larger pianos have larger sound and greater volume. This is because they have a larger soundboard, and longer bass strings, which provide greater fundamentals in the bqass register.

Few homes can accommodate a concert grand usually 9 feet in length and these instruments are optimally designed for the concert hall.

There are very good instruemnt in all sizes, and it is wise to select on that best suits your needs and your budget.

PIANO TYPES

There are two basic types of pianos grand pianos and vertical pianos. Vertical come in several sizes the smallest are spinets, which are about 36 inches high. Next highest are the pianos commonly called consoles. They are approximately 40 to 44 inches high. Professional studio pianos are the largest and range anywhere from 45 to 52 inches high.

Whatever the height, all vertical pianos have the same footprint how much floor space they consume roughly five feet by two feet plus the space for the bench while playing the piano.

Spinet pianos enjoyed great popularity years ago, but there are very few manufactured today. the compressed size compromises, and thereby slows, the quality of the action Most manufacturers today prefer console or studio pianos due to their superior touch, tone, and musical qualities.