Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-06-25
Choosing a Piano.

IN choosing piano people are liable
to be led away by the desire of possessing
what they call a powerful Instrument
forgetting, or not knowing, that mere
lOudness is of itself anything but a rec
ommendatiOn, and may be, as it often is
the result Of a defect rather than of any
excellence in its construction. 1t is the
quality, not the strength of the tone. by
which piano Cor indeed any musical in
strumenD should be judged; and as this
quality or timber is thing which can
not easily be described, it would be we'll
for novice to take COUnselOr's opinion
before purchasing-that is, to get some
musical friend who knows what tone is
to make the selection for him. AS rule,
general evenness of tone throughout is a
good sign, carelessly-made or iIlrevised
instruments being frequently uneven in
tone and weak about the tenor or middle
part Of the key board. Pianos are either
unichords, bichords, or trichords-that
is, have one, two, or three strings to each
note. UnichOrds are not much in vogue,
and are now rarely made unless to order;
for though sweet in tone, being incapable
Of imperfect unisOns, they were liable to
get much out of tune before a tyrO, in
the absence Of the dissonant false uni
sons, would be well aware Of it.
Cottage, cabinet, and square pianos
were generally bichords, but for the last
dozen years and more upright trichOrds
have been largely made. with advantage
to the possessOr Of them in every way,
with the trifing drawback that they take
rather longer time to tune. Other things
being equal, the quality of tone is best in
trichord, and for that reason has our
preference. Grand pianos are almost in
variably trichords, and they are, and al
ways must be, from the plan of their con-
structiOn, the most perfect Instruments
But their cost shuts them out of the ma
jOrity Of middle-class households, and
they are further much too powerful and
resonant for the small rooms of middle
class dwelling house a word as to the
treatment of the piano. It is fact, odd
as 1t sounds, that piano may, in a sense
be educated to good behavior. 1t should
be kept in dry atmosphere, at an even
temperature, not in a current of air, and
not fronting the fire too near New pianos
need not be expected to stand very long
in perfect tune, but if a piano is well
tuned freQuently-say once a month for
the first year Of its existence, and some
what less frequently for a year or
so afterward-it will, SO to speak, acquire
the habit of keeping in tune, barring any
radical defect in it's material or its con-
struCtiOn. The reason is that there is a
tendency in strained string to remain at
any degree Of tension to which ithas long
been subiected-nay, if a string which
has stood at a certain pitch for months be
let down or drawn up quarter of a note,
and so left, it will be found after the lapse
of twenty-fOur hours to have gone back in
a very appreciable degree toward its
former tension or pitch; curious fact
this, which any reader owning piano
forte OR a violin can easily test for him
self. 1t is much to be desired that people
should tune their own pianos. The proc
ess, though it would appear somewhat
complex to beginner, is really not diff
cult tor any one to acquire who possesses
an accurate ear; though doubtless cOnsid-
cradle practice IS necessary to enable any
one to tune rapidly and well. In country
places, where decent tuner is rarely to
be found when wanted, ii is almost indis-
pensable to tune ones own instrument.
The use of the domestic piano is for az
cOmpanying the voice, and for the per
tormance of music composed or ar
ranged expressly for it. The first
of these uses is by far the more
valuable and delightful Generally, all
the youthful members of family can
learn to sing if they have any real liking
for it, and where there is a genuine must
cal feeling they will get most of the in
struction they want out Of a piano almost
intuitively, with very little professional
assistance; and, indeed, we often see that
they do get it without other help than the
instruction book affords, supplemented,
perhaps, with few quarters lessons.
Thousands of young people of limited
means thus learn to accompany them
selves, and without becoming skillful per
formers yet reap solid enjoyment, and
crowd the home with simple and limo
cent delights. OF course it is highly de-
sirable to play correctly and with good
taste, and correct playing tells nowhere
more pleasantly than in the due rendering
of the written accompaniment to the voice
or voices. 1t is a pity that this fact is not
so much appreciated as it should be
that young people are too much given
both to perpetuate and to put up with
slOvenly Accomplishments, as if that were
matter of little or no importance. 1t is