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300 yr old piano


Rye Miles #13621

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Very nice! I noticed that it seemed to be somewhat short of the traditional 88. I guess that is a more modern thing.

 

Blackfoot :)

Very observant of you!!! The original pianos all had 85 keys. It was sometime in the late 1800's or early 1900's when they went to 88 keys. ;)

Edited by Rye Miles #13621
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Fantastic!

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If you notice also how long it is. Steinway is the one that came up with "over stringing", where the bass strings go over the other strings and lean to the right making the piano shorter and wider and therefore getting the same sound as the long cabinet.

 

Steinway is brilliant, the best!! All the major innovations in the piano design over the years have been by Steinway! ;)

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Very nice Rye!

 

Would tuning one that old make you nervous?

The only thing I would be afraid of is if any action parts broke. Parts are not readily available and hard to get. I would do it though, I think it would be neat!! ;)

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Considering the Pianos were invented a little over 400 years ago, 300 has got to be pretty rare

The piano/forte was invented in 1703 in Florence Italy by Bartolomeo Cristafori. That would be a little over 300 years NOT 400!!

 

It was called Piano/Forte because of the hammer hitting the strings instead of plucking the strings like a harpsichord. Hence it could be played soft or loud! (piano/forte) unlike the harpsichord which has one volume.

Edited by Rye Miles #13621
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Rye, how did you become a piano tuner as a profession? Just curious.

I was a drummer, played in all kinds of bands, gave private lessons and owned a music store for awhile. I thought piano tuning would be a nice little sideline part time to get into. At my music store I did some minor repair on clarinets, flutes, guitars, etc. I got into it and lo and behold after a year of study with an old master, I hooked up with a piano store and within 2 years I was making a decent living just tuning and repairing pianos. I'm now semi-retired and still tune, it's a great way to make a living! I am not a concert pianist but I can read music and hack out some tunes. These days I mess with guitar more than anything, love them old "cowboy tunes"!! :lol:

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And your ears haven't been seriously affected by shooting? Or do you have electronic assistance for tuning?

Nope, ears are fine. I do use a electronic tuner for the first note only (A=440) and tune by ear from there. Guess I'm lucky! ;)

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