Now that we have addressed let off, drop, and repetition lever spring adjustment in our previous discussions, rounding out the four primary adjustments is the back-check.
The back check itself is a small wooden block covered with a small piece of felt, over which, a strip of leather is stretched. It is mounted to the back end of the key with a wire that provides easy adjustment.
Awarded to Ashley from Sterling Heights, MI "I have been teaching Ashley since I started teaching. She is so passionate about music that being able to share that love with her through the years has truly made me a better teacher. Ashley has big dreams with her music and I am so proud to be able to help her and push her to her goals."
The physical and mental benefits of playing music have long been recognized. The piano has been an unparalleled outlet for those seeking escape, creative expression, and simply fun and joy.
We LOVE hearing about past scholarship recipients and their success! From our October 2020 Scholarship Winner, "We appreciate so much your kindness to Aleks, he was quite honored to be the recipient of your generosity. In fact, that month of lessons that you covered enabled him to make a very fine video performance that doubles as his college audition video and also his entry to certain competitions. The results were:
“Repetition lever spring adjustment” is many official words for a simple adjustment. As discussed in the two previous posts on let-off and fall, we were able to see and measure (at least with our eyes) the hammer position relative to the string. To do this, the hammer is raised very slowly and in a controlled manner.
Awarded to Hana from Clarkston, MI "Hana is a Junior and has been studying with me since she was four years old. She has been an active musician by joining the Clarkston High School Orchestra and by volunteering as a performer at the retirement house in the Troy area since she was in Elementary school. To add, she has won first place at numerous local piano solo and concerto competitions, and achieved the Superior ( highest rating) rating for the past twelve years at Michigan Federation Festivals. During the pandemic, she has been the most active student to participate in our donation efforts for frontline workers at Beaumont Hospital. Thanks to her continuous dedication in piano lessons, we were able to donate some funds and PPE to Beaumont. She hopes to continue giving back to the community with her musical talent and believes that her enthusiasm for music will connect and help people."
Awarded to Koda from Plymouth, MI "Koda is a 9th grader in Plymouth. His parents were both voice majors in college and are still active professionally. He is also a competitive dancer with Synergy Dance Company, in Plymouth, and they compete nationally. He’s very musical and will be playing the Mozart Fantasy in D minor as well as the Chopin Nocturne in C# minor in the upcoming Student Achievement Test. He’s very receptive to “how to” suggestions that improve what he’s working on and he gets up early every morning to practice before school."
Buying a piano can be a thrilling experience. However, if you are not careful, you could make a few of these mistakes:
Research: There is a lot of research that goes into buying a piano. There are multiple questions you will have to ask yourself. Do you want an acoustic piano or a digital one? Should you get a vertical piano or a grand piano? Should you go for a new piano or a used one? Finding the answers to these questions requires research
One thing you can count on in life is that you don’t always get things right the first time. This holds especially true when buying a piano, the choices are vast, the price ranges seem infinite, and nowadays you must choose between digital and acoustic! Ouch. In many cases piano shoppers, especially beginners, do not even really know what they really want, creating even more anxiety about buying the wrong instrument for their individual long- and short-term needs.
We previously discussed how great a significance the correct let-off distance is in the control of the instrument, allowing the pianist to play pianississimo. The next adjustment that we will consider is referred to as “drop”. You may have noticed that when you were slowly raising the hammer to view the let-off distance, when the hammer would rise no further, it fell away from the string. This fall is referred to as drop.
That is a question I have answered over and again for many years and for the most part the answer is a resounding no. Once you realize how many things that can go wrong, most people agree with that friendly advice. Pianos can weigh up to 1100 pounds, even a small upright can weigh in at 400 to 550.
