The herald., 1894-11-03
THE PIANOS FLsETlNe TONE.
No Instrument In Use Can Hold Its Best
Tune Longer Than Six Months.

"This instrument" said the piano
dealer as he ran his fingers lightly over
the keys, sis uneven in tone. 1t is some
what worn. You ask $500, but ! cannot
give you more than $3.50"
IAN absurd offerl'' exclaimed the owner
of tho instrument Indignantly. THAT
piano is not yet year DID, and it cost me
S400 when new. AS regards its tone, it is
better today than it was when i bought
It."
"There is where you are wrong" re-
sponded the dealer. "Why, there is not
piano made that holds its tone for longer
than six months if it has been used to
any extent. OF course you, having heard
this instrument every day, cannot detect
any difference in its tone. AS it has grad
ually deterioratcd in quality your ear has
gradually doteriorated with it. All musi-
clans know that the ear can be educated
down as we'll as up. An artist, or IA COM
petent piano salesman, for that matter,
could tell Immediately that your piano
was the worse for wear-a trifle worm.
"But have a written guarantee that
this instrument would last for five years,
and do you mean to tell that it is worn
out already
ITO all intents and purposes it is as
good as new and will probably remain so
as long as your guarantee holds good, and
longer. But it has lost its original tone
nevertheless, although the change would
be perceptible only to an educated ear.
Pianos are said to last u lifetime and for
ordinary uses good ones do, but for artistic
purposes they last but five or six months,
as 1 have said. No first class pianist
would give public recital on an old in
strument, nor will an artist use an old
| piano even for practice. When Paderewski
| was in this country, he used up a new
! piano in practice every month, lie real
| lied that even an car as educated as his
| would lose it's fine perception of tone if he
accustomed 1t to the gradual changes that
time and usage effect in piano.
1.-THE ear for tone is such a very delicate
sense that 1t can be deteriorated without
the knowledge Of its possessor. Custom
exerts a powerful influence in tho mat
ter To employ a familiar illustration,
| you have observed that those in daily in
| tercourse with the sick fail to mark any
material change for weeks at a time. But
the changes have taken place nevertheless
and are plainly noticeable to outsiders
1T is exactly so with pianos. Those
who play upon them every day fail to
mark the gradual falling off in their tone
that time effects. The deterioration has
taken place in such imperceptible degrees
that the ear has failed to distinguish it,
Hence piano or years old is as salts.
factory to the ordinary player as it was
when he first bought it and it was new.
''Pianos are at best but imperfect in
struments,' continued the dealer. THE
chamois skin caps that cover TIE hammers
in the middle. octaves are worn down
sooner than those in the upper and lower,
because they are brought into play of
tenor, and an unevenness of tone in the
instrument results. Even tho sounding
board wears out in timo. The constant
vibrations Of sound to which it is subject
ed cause disintegration of particles in
the wood of which it is made, and it be-
comes porous, losing its resonant quality.
So you see that when / offer you $3.50 for
your instrument l am making you a fair
bid, especially when you take into consid-
| Grafton the fact that shall have to sell it
for 5000 or more to recompense me for my
| pains. "--New York Sun.
| M