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A piano left outside is as good as dead. Weather is even more a threat than vandalism. Then there's tuning. The piano needs to settle in to the going temperatu
by BXLE_1-1-BitIs1 5y ago
A piano left outside is as good as dead. Weather is even more a threat than vandalism.
Then there's tuning. The piano needs to settle in to the going temperature and humidity. Low humidity will split soundboards and many commercial spaces in northern winters allow humidity to sag. So you need to schedule tunings to seasonal changes as the wooden components (soundboard, bridge, nut, wrench plank, etc) expand and contract with humidity changes.
Best to keep a public piano where somebody keeps an eye on it.
- pen2l 5y agoAbsolutely. I don't think I've ever played a playable public piano. In fact, I remember last year I happened to be visiting Harvard Law School (I think Langdell Hall) and I saw a piano and I thought to myself that since it's in such a pretty building and in an elite law school, surely it'd be in good shape. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it was pretty much unplayable: totally not in tune, and at least 3 or 4 non-working keys. At this point I think it would be a greater public service to offer digital pianos (if one does want to offer the public free-to-play pianos): they don't need to be tuned and a good one in this day and age is close enough to an acoustic piano. But if it must be acoustic for whatever reason, then for goodness' sake never place it outside.
- prawn 5y agoThey get donated because they have a dud key or cracked soundboard. We have an antique German upright in our garage in Australia that we believe is untunable but don't have time or interest to pay to check. Can't give it away. At this stage, our best bet is to tear it apart with a crowbar and put it out for pick-up or feed it through the bin. Given it's likely varnished, can't even use it for firewood.