FT article on old Upright Piano

[Hwb]

See Financial Times, 22/23 May 2021: the home in 50 Objects No (shown as #) 43: the Upright Piano by Peter Chapman, museumofthehome.org.uk (was Geoffrey - can't get right spelling on computer - Museum).Starts: "This seven-octave upright piano, in walnut veneer and rosewood, was made in about 1872 by Grover of Shoreditch, London, a leading British piano manufacturer of the day." Article goes on "marrying couples of modest means might have only two items on their wedding-gift list: a bed and a piano." My quest is to find out how the people who tuned these things were trained - in the late 1850s!
Hugh Bailey

[moni_now]

Hi Hwb,

I just joined the site and had been exploring when I saw your posting from back in May. It's a very interesting question but I guess no one has a response for it.

I had a bad experience with a piano tuner. Unknown previously to me, very old pianos were tuned to a different sound than pianos these days. I was given an old upright grand by my grandmother. I play a little by ear, as she did. Through the years, I've had it tuned and never had a problem. Looking back all of the tuners were rather old themselves and evidently knew what they were doing. When we moved to a new location, I hired a gentleman to tune my piano and from what I understand he ruined it. I have had two others come and look and they said that it could no longer be tuned. They said something about things breaking. Since I don't know anything about pianos in general I was/am at a loss.

Anyway, I'm thinking of restoring this sentimental piano with a new soundboard and refinishing (because it's beautiful). I want to give it to my daughter who has a music degree. I'm trying to find out how old it is but there is little information on Lakeside Chicago Upright Grands. I read Bill Kirby's articles on history and have sent him an email. Hopefully he'll see it and reply.

So you see why I think your question is legitimate. I even wonder how tuners are trained to tune pianos these days because evidently the fellow I had didn't know how.

Moni_now

[Barrie Heaton]

to Hugh Bailey

Most tuners in the olden days were trained at the factory and went on block release to college.

Read this by Gill Green MA
https://www.piano-tuners.org/history/pi ... story.html

[Barrie Heaton]

To Moni_now,

Someone just tuning your piano would not ruin it. Unless they broke a lot of parts . Some Pianos are just too old to bring back without major rebuilding.
Some would argue that rebuilding your piano the way you are planning the piano would not be the same as the original.

There are a few companies in America that will reproduce a new soundboard for you from the original.

Barrie