I recently got the opportunity to tune a Yamaha C7 Grand Piano for a Colm Wilkinson concert at the Capitol Theatre in Chatham. I was given the opportunity by the piano dealer who supplied the piano, D&S Pianos. I have always been a great fan of Colm Wilkinson, ever since I played the role of Jean Valjean in the Beal Musical Theatre production of Les Miserables. Colm was the original Jean Valjean, and he has played the part all over the world, including on Broadway and in London’s West end. His voice is velvety and quite unique. His transition between falsetto and regular voice is smooth. I was able to stand by and watch the rehearsal after the initial touch up tuning I performed, as another tuning was required just before the concert. He was very personable and down to earth. The band included a piano, keyboard, guitar, bass, drums, cello and a flute/saxophone player. All of the players were seasoned veterans.

I happened to know the sound guy through my father, who is also an audio engineer and runs a company called Stage Wireless. We talked about the acoustics of the theatre and the mic techniques he was using for the piano. He had the piano lid closed for the concert so that there was less bleed into the piano mics from other instruments. This, he said, posed a problem in generating an authentic piano tone. If the lid is open, one is able to mic the piano from an appropriate distance, yielding a fuller, more open sound. With closed lid, close mics, the tone can be thin and growly. This was a compromise he had to make.

It looks like there is a lot of great acts coming to the Chatham Capitol Theatre. Check them out and find something you’re interested in.

Are you being annoyed by squeaks that happen every time you play certain keys?

It may not be a difficult thing to correct. In most cases I find that piano squeaks come from the keys. There is a brass pin which the keys rock back and forth on. This pin tends to oxidize over time. The felt with which the key pinches the pin rubs on this oxidation producing a squeak. I find this very often, especially in Yamaha pianos. If this is the cause of the squeaks, a piano technician can polish up the brass pins in usually no more than an hour. Voila, no more obnoxious squeaks.

Mention the fact that you have some squeaks in your piano at the time that you book your tuning appointment, that way your piano technician can schedule enough time in to disperse those pesky squeaks.

One of the most common areas to collect grime and dirt on a piano are the pianos keys. If the piano has ivory keys, they are porous. They tend to absorb oil and dirt from our fingers and considering the fact that they are white, it shows up. While plastic keys are not porous, they get dirty in much the same way. If you are wishing to see your keys cleaned up, a simple solution of water and vinegar can do the trick. Find a clean rag and moisten the rag with the water and vinegar solution. Don’t put so much water in the rag that the water drips down the sides of the keys. Wipe the keys down with the rag from back to front. It’s a noisy procedure but one from which you may derive some inner satisfaction. In the event that your piano’s keys are dubiously grubby, you may need to contact a qualified piano technician . These keys may need sanding or polishing. Enjoy the feel of your newly cleaned piano keys.