Chen Zhigang: Please take good care of your piano

> Chen Zhigang: Please take good care of your piano Chen Zhigang Phoenix City We Chinese attach great importance to the music education and cultivation of our children, and many families own pianos...

> Chen Zhigang Phoenix City

We Chinese attach great importance to the music education and cultivation of our children, and many families own pianos. The styles range from platform pianos (grand pianos) to upright pianos, and the prices range from a few thousand to tens of thousands. The love of parents is deeply touching. Unfortunately, most parents know nothing about piano maintenance. Unfortunately, many pianos, even expensive pianos, have never been maintained or adjusted since they arrived home. The strings were loose, the parts were broken, it was eaten by insects, it was even flooded, and no one took care of it, and no one knew how to take care of it. Respectfully, our king of musical instruments worked diligently and without complaint in order to educate the next generation of our Chinese people, but he never received the service and care he deserved, until he passed away early.

Actually, this is not entirely our fault. First, the piano is a high-end Western musical instrument, and we middle-aged people are not very familiar with its structural principles. Second, the mistake was that people originally translated Piano as 'piano'. Pianos, as the name suggests, are made of steel and are certainly strong and durable. As everyone knows, the so-called steel actually refers to the more than two hundred steel wire strings. The rest is wood, woolen and pig iron. To be precise, the piano should be a 'key string' instrument. The sound is produced by the keys driving the hammers to strike the steel strings. Therefore, from the perspective of sound production principles, half of the piano is a string instrument.

When it comes to string instruments, everyone is familiar with them. Instruments such as erhu, violin, pipa, guzheng, etc. are all stringed instruments. Anyone who has watched a string instrument play knows that the player must tune it before playing. Because all string instruments are being transported and played, especially with changes in humidity and temperature, the pitch and temperament are constantly changing. In fact, the same goes for the piano, but it doesn't change as quickly as other string instruments. Because its structure and performance are relatively much more stable. In fact, the pianos used by professional pianists are inspected and adjusted by a tuner before each performance.

So how often should a piano in an average family be tuned? Simply put, if your piano is played every day, it should be tuned at least twice a year. The best time is after turning on the air conditioner in the summer and after turning on the heating in the winter. Other pianos should be tuned at least once a year, and pianos that are not played should be tuned every two or three years to maintain the piano's intonation, temperament, timbre, sound quality, and the stability and tension of the internal structure. Don't think that a piano that no one plays does not need to be tuned. Otherwise, it will take two or three times more time and labor to adjust it to the standard, and the tone and sound quality will take longer to recover.

Also remind everyone, 1) Because pianos are particularly sensitive to humidity and temperature, it is best to place the piano at home away from three outlets: the door, the window and the air outlet of the air conditioner. 2) If it gets flooded and gets damp, be sure to open all the covers and ventilate it to dry. The drier the better. 3) When moving the piano, try to be as steady as possible to avoid vibration. In short, the piano is a valuable and high-end musical instrument that requires careful maintenance. If taken good care of, it can produce beautiful sounds at any time.