Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1849-1856, 1855-07-12

York paper, and endorse the article. In
our atmosphere, 80 fully charged with
moisture, the services of a tuner arc moo
frequently necessary than in almost any
other cit. Of the United States. Any of
our ctizsn~or visitors dc.rous Of procur-
ing the services Of one well qualified, who
resides here ami understands by long ex-
perience the peculiar effect of our climate
upon Pianoiortes, can do so by leaving
their orders at Wards music store, No
80 Thames street -
The PIANO FORTE, ITS PRESERVATION,
&c.-As this delightful instrument has be-
come necessary article of parlor furni-
ture, few remarks as to its use and pre-
servation will not be out Of place particu-
lsrly as al this time Of the year they are
moro likely to prove serviceablc from the
numerous changes that occur and the num-
Der of purchases made. Out OF thousand
Piano Forte manufacturers there are not
one hundred whose instruments are above
mcdiocri,y, and not fifty that combine The
requisite qualities of tone, touch fini sh and
durability that ch,racterize superior Piano
Ii is advisable therefore, when about to pur-
chase Piano, to be accompanied by
competent judge, either teacher or tuner
one who is both is preferable-or a manu-
facturer, as few who rely upon their own
judgment escape disappointment at all the
result there are, however, a small number
Of manufacturers who regard their well
earned reputation as well as the pecuniary
profits, upon whom we Gun depend for a
good Piano without the "ipse dixit" of
Professor but such is not the case with
the majority. The former are to be found
among those who for many years past
have stood prominent in the business, not
from the large capital they have. invested,
but also on account of the excellent quail
ty Of their instruments. For the latter
class-vide the daily papers. We will here
remark that Pianos of European manufact-
ure, with rare exceptions, fail to stand the
action of this climate and also that the
best Of them of the horizontal form are infe-
rior to those Of our eminent makers. Few
are aware of the importance of having their
Pianos regularly tuned aud kept in order.
We speak advisedIy when we say that not
one Piano ina thousand will remain in tune
over month. There are some few which
seem to require timing once or twice a
year, but they are very scarce, and where
there is one such there are fifty that need il
every month. No Piano should be allowed
tn remain uniuned for more than three
months, AMI all new Pianos, particularly for
the first. year, should be tuned every month. +,
Very few are made capable of resisting the
injurious action of the heat from the hot air
furnaces in general use now, and those of
an inferior quality are very soon rendered
useless by it. Exposure to moisture is al
so another cause of injury, especially to the
action, keys, &c. As cloth is used 10
great extent in The action Of Piano moths
must b. prevented from obtaining access to
it; this can be done by two or three Jumps
OF eamphor, wrapped in cloth, being pluc.
cd in each corner of the instrument.
The Piano should always be closed when
not in use in order to prevent the collection
Of dust, pins &c. on the "sound board" and
also to preserve the strings from the i'll eff
ects Of sudden changes of temperature. A
frequent cause OF the sticking of keys is
moisture of some kind or other swelling the
keys around the pins placed underneath to
keep hem in their places; care should be
taken to prevent this when cleaning the
keys. Any hard or metallic substance
placed on the cover OF Piano will almost
invariably cause jinglng noise, and if there
is no cloth to protect it the cover itself is
liable to rattle from the great vibration in
the Piano. These various annoyances are
often attributed to defective make or nfer.
or tuning when neither OF the latter are in
fault. When you first require tuner pro-
cure one from the manufactory where your
Piano was made, or from first class mu-
sic store, as they are or ought to be respon
ible for the ability Of the person they send.
Always employ the same tuner unless, of
course, he is glaringly incompetent; but
should his first efforts not pr owe entirely
satisfactory give him one more trial, as he
may not be in fault. There ere mutitudes
Of bad tuners and but very few good ones,
therefore care is requisite in making Sc
lection. The criterion is that no good tun-
er ever lacks employment for an hour
Briefly then, to sum up these somewhat
crude remarks, when you buy get good
Piano, net a "cheap" one "a bsrgain."-
Have it regularly tuned and kept in order;
keep it closed when not in use, and
do not "hammcr" on it when you play or
practice, and you will be agreeably surpris
ed 10 find your Piano in good order when
otherwise il would have been nearly worn
out.