The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-03-01

YOU DON'T KEEP YOUR PIANO
IN TUNE"-DIFFEREN BE-
TWEEN COMMERCIAL AND
HIGH GRADE INSTRUMENTS.
This is the story, related in the
hotel lobby, to a CITIZEN reporter,
by veteran piano tuner" whose
twenty-five years experience in that
line, have taught him the ins
and outs " of the business:
"a piano ought to be gone over at
beast once a year for the good OF the
instrument. A piano on the second
floor will always stand in tune bet
ter than one on the first floor, be-
cause there isn't so much dampness
there.
"You can't educate the ear to a
pure musical tone, if you don't keep
your piano in tune. A musical tone
is tone that is pleasing.
"How much does a good piano
eost?"
"Just according to the quality.
You can buy good grade, that is
not a high quality grand piano, but
a piano that will give you good sat
isfaction and stand in tone well, in
the neighborhood of $500. | am
speaking now of a cash price. If you
were to buy on installments, high
grade piano would run from $400 to
$500.
Commercial Pianos"
"Two-thirds of the pianos manu-
factured in the United States might
properly come under the term OF
commercial pianos. A commercial
piano is one that is gotten up as
cheap as you can get them up.
There are pianos you can buy
at from $50 to $S5. Pianos for
$50 to $175 we call commercial
pianos. They're line of goods sold
to class of people who want a mu-
sical instrument and are just as SER
viceable to them as a high grade
piano.
Why People Buy Pianos.
"Two-thirds of the pianos are
bought by people because they want
something about the house for the
children. They have no musical
education. But they want piano.
1 don't believe one-tenth of the peo-
pie that buy a piano realizes and
knows the difference in the quality
of the tone of a piano.
Don't buy cheap piano These
cheap plduOS Will uoI HOlu IhCll
tone. slick salesman can tone
regulate them so they'll sound
good. They won't hold that quality
of tone only few years.
Where a piano holds its quail
ity of tone is characteristic of a
high grade piano. The quality of
the tone of a high grade piano will
be as good twenty years after, as on
the day you buy it.
"The tone of a commercial piano
will begin to deteriorate in five years,
and by ten, will be very metallic.
"If you close the lid on the ivory
keys of piano, so that no light gets
on for a year or fifteen months, they
will get very yellow. The idea OF
keeping it open is that the light
bleaches the keys. One thing that
turns the worries of a piano a red
dish-brown color is the perspiration
from the fingers. By taking cloth,
and dipping it in alcohol, and rub
bing it, you can very frequently take
the yellow off, because the alcohol
will absorb the oil and grease in the
ivory.
"Where pianos are used a great
deal they are tuned every three
months.
There Is No "Best" Piano.
There is really no best piano
made. BY common consent of lead
ing artists and people that are com.
petent to Judge, the 'Steinway' used
to stand at the head. If you were
to buy Concert Grand piano
there is no piano superior to the
Steinway.
"As far as wearing qualities are
concerned, there are a number oi
Others that will equal it: Chickering
Sohmer, Mason and Hamlin, etc.
1--WE had 25 years experience as
a piano tuner, and | couldn't say
what was the best piano. Take
the individual person and put hin
into wareroom and let some one
play on the pianos, something in one
of those pianos will appeal to tha
person, and that will be the best
piano for him to buy.
"Taking care of piano when yol
get it is the principal thing. Lot
of medium-priced pianos will give
just as great satisfaction if takeI
care Of A piano ought to be tuned
about once year.
"If you buy a $1,000 piano, anC
don't take care of it, and have i
tuned, it won't be better in ten year
than cheap piano"