Magpel Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 And how do you use it in your work? I don't. Grew up in a house with a lovely baby grand that my Dad (a pretty formidable jazz pianist) kept in good shape and tune, so I have deep Freudian associations with acoustic pianos, lying under them and soaking up the resonance while my Dad worked through Waltz for Debby for the 100th time that afternoon (Bill Evans = diety in my household). There's a great article in a recent New Yorker about the star Steinway saleswoman in Manhatten. She has an almost psychic ability to match the shopper with the right piano, almost like romantic matchmaking (or incredibly effective upselling). Point is, after reading that article, I decided a nice piano is something I will own one day. Now I am readying myself to be worthy of a nice piano when that day arrives. I'll probably get a Motif first to tide me over. John Check out the Sweet Clementines CD at bandcamp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve LeBlanc Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 I have a small Console piano that I play all the time...it's got lead weighted keys so it's a real bear to play...keeps my technique up. One of the keys is sticky and it's way out of tune so I haven't recorded with it yet...but I plan to remedy those problems soon. http://www.youtube.com/notesleb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicaL Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 I have a Bechstein Baby Grand. A hair flat of an A 440, and the hammers need work, so I don't record with it. But I would love to. It's just soooo expensive to do an overhaul on that piano. I could buy several motifs for the price. Albert Gear: Yamaha MODX8, Mojo 61, NS2 73, C. Bechstein baby grand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobro Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 I had a black '50s Wurlitzer upright, reconditioned but still full of that time-bomb plastic (you can repair it with baking soda and superglue, IIRC, but an old guitar tuning knob is one thing, a piano another). Exgirlfriend sold it when I was away, I never get tired of that story, hehe. Oh well easy come easy go. It's electronic piano for Casa Bobro this year, still don't know what to get, there's been a lot of discussion on this forum, it boils down largely to taste and budget doesn't it. -CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Frankensteinway Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 A BECHSTEIN!? You have a Bechstein? You bastard! Man. Those are even nicer than Bosendorfer or Steinway ~ although I suppose I would take either in a pinch http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif Remember playing a Bechstein once, and the low C was simply a m a z i n g Melted me. Shivers up my spine. Currently I have a small New York made Hazelton grand piano @1885. It too is tuned under A440 ~ it is so old that the frame can't hold concert pitch any longer. But it sounds intimate and nice and simply has an ambient funk about it. So tell us the story of how you came to own a Bechstein? What size? I simply love old pianos. Brown, wooden pianos that have lived. Maybe they plied the trade of dance studios or old broadway stages. Maybe they were abused and down on their luck. Maybe now all they want is a nice cozy corner of your house. I can confess it now, I sneak down into any concert hall, music academy or piano show room and play every piano I can. < sigh > it's an addiction. Our first Frankensteinway family piano was a huge upright that was painted avacado green. Well, it was the 1960's after all . . . mamma Frankensteinway insisted that the piano be avacado green, the telephone harvest gold and the kitchen had to be that god-awful burned orange colour with dark brown wood veneer cabinets. How we ever held our food down in that kitchen is beyond me . . Oh yeah? That's fine for you, you're an accepted member of the entertainment community. What about me? What about Igor? Marginalized by Hollywood yet again. I want my Mummy . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicaL Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 Originally posted by Doctor Frankensteinway: A BECHSTEIN!? You have a Bechstein? You bastard! So tell us the story of how you came to own a Bechstein? What size? I can only tell you the part of the story that happened when I was around. Actually, I grew up playing that piano in Alexandria, Egypt. Sounded great. When I left in 1980, I said goodbye to all of my favorite gear including my beloved piano. Finally, in 1993, my mother shipped it to me from Alexandria. . . Now, that was a NICE thing to do. The Piano is in good shape, but some of the hammers need a little (a lot of) work. The strings are the ones I played way back when. . And it sounds great. Fills the room, and most of all I love the action. It's about six feet, maybe longer. I am not sure. . . Albert This message has been edited by tuttorney@hotmail.com on 09-10-2001 at 02:32 PM Gear: Yamaha MODX8, Mojo 61, NS2 73, C. Bechstein baby grand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 I have a K. Kawai KG-2C grand. Love it. love it, love it. dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bardstown Audio Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 I have a Baldwin SD10 nine foot concert grand in the studio. It is one of the three pianos I have sample recorded in my Giga Studio/Sampler concert grand piano series, which will be available before too long. Kip Bardstown Audio www.bardstownaudio.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Azzarello Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 I've got a Yamaha C3 (6'4"? - don't normally take a tape measure to it http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif ). I love it. It's pretty new (got it Nov '00) and, though it's still in the breaking-in stages, has a nice round tone (and isn't too bright as some yamaha's tend to be). Still waiting to record with it (post season tuning is coming up - as well as a little regulation and voicing). The techs who have worked on it say that it's one of the better ones they've seen, which makes me exceedingly happy AND I can still send the kids to college (which I couldn't do with a Steinway) http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif Pat http://www.patazzarello.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joegerardi Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 I've had 3, though currently none. I started on a Baldwin Spinet, (I know, I know. But my parents didn't know dick about buying pianos, and listened to the salesman) an upright grand player piano that my tramp of an ex-wife sold on me for $50.00, (along with 200 QRS rolls - most from the 30's to the 50's!) and another, I cannot remember the name of that was a gift from the church I was organist and choir director at for 15 years. They had sold the church, and gave me the pick of the 4 uprights that were there. Interestingly, when I was getting ready to move to Savannah, I gave it BACK to the church because their new location didn't have one, and I didn't want to cart it here... Setup: Korg Kronos 61, Roland XV-88, Korg Triton-Rack, Motif-Rack, Korg N1r, Alesis QSR, Roland M-GS64 Yamaha KX-88, KX76, Roland Super-JX, E-Mu Longboard 61, Kawai K1II, Kawai K4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldberg Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 I have a very new Yamaha studio upright-very cool. It helps me with pretty much everything, seeing as my synthesizing and composing SUCK. At least I can play real music on it, and it sounds wonderful. "Bach is ever new"-Glenn Gould Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted September 11, 2001 Share Posted September 11, 2001 I have a Yamaha G2, and after a lifelong story of losing pianos (in divorces, moving houses and other things) I hope this is gonna last a few years. Before that, I had a Petrof, nice and bright but too "screaming" for me. I found this Yamaha in a doctor's house, almost 30 years old but VERY well maintained. He needed to sell it fast... In short, I found its voice very sweet and responsive: Unusual enough for a middle-level Yamaha. Mechanically, it held wonderfully, I'm merciless when I practice, and after almost one year of beating it gives no sign of weakness. I really love this piano, and I consider myself lucky to have found it. I also love the fact that it's not painted black, but mahogany; it fits beautifully in my place. I had a little work done on it already; in a few months, I hope to send the action block to a laboratory for a complete adjustment of the action to my needs. This is very expensive, needless to say. marino Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusker Posted September 11, 2001 Share Posted September 11, 2001 I have a steinway model L grand piano. It was made in 1928...the same year my father was born. It is very heavy in its action and has a big bottom end. Great for powerful music. I play it mostly for practice and inspiration... as I haven't learned a good way to mike it. It's in the next room from the DAW, so it's quite quiet and perfect for recording. I'd appreciate any pointers from those of you who record your pianos. (Mic & pre-amp combos esp.) What works for you guys? Thanks in advance, Jerry ------------------ www.tuskerfort.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan scobie Posted September 11, 2001 Share Posted September 11, 2001 I have two in my studio, both uprights one is a Chappell and the other is a Strohmenger. Both mass production home jobs. I play them both all the time and write exclusively on them, there is something organic about it, even though they are not fine instruments. That sounds a bit hippy but I tend to figure out parts on them before getting digital to record because they seem to make the parts 3 dimensional, they also make you play less than you normally would because the actual tone does alot of the work. keep it real (if its practical)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Frankensteinway Posted September 11, 2001 Share Posted September 11, 2001 Originally posted by Tusker: 1928...the same year my father was born. It is very heavy in its action and has a big bottom end. Um, just to clarify ~ you're talking about the piano there, right? I mean who am I to judge. Some fathers do indeed have a very heavy action and big bottom end. Others subscribe to a less harsh disciplinary routine and eat more fibre. But hey, it's a free country. Oh yeah? That's fine for you, you're an accepted member of the entertainment community. What about me? What about Igor? Marginalized by Hollywood yet again. I want my Mummy . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfjazz Posted September 11, 2001 Share Posted September 11, 2001 Originally posted by Magpel: And how do you use it in your work? I don't. Grew up in a house with a lovely baby grand that my Dad (a pretty formidable jazz pianist) kept in good shape and tune, so I have deep Freudian associations with acoustic pianos, lying under them and soaking up the resonance while my Dad worked through Waltz for Debby for the 100th time that afternoon (Bill Evans = diety in my household). There's a great article in a recent New Yorker about the star Steinway saleswoman in Manhatten. She has an almost psychic ability to match the shopper with the right piano, almost like romantic matchmaking (or incredibly effective upselling). Point is, after reading that article, I decided a nice piano is something I will own one day. Now I am readying myself to be worthy of a nice piano when that day arrives. I'll probably get a Motif first to tide me over. Johnhi surfjazz here, i own a baldwin upright and get to play a yamaha baby grand at my job at my library... and yes i do use it on my recordings and i write on it too when the circuit breaker blows up i can still run a david benoit tune out on my good ol acoustic... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAULIII Posted September 11, 2001 Share Posted September 11, 2001 I grew up on an old Cunningham upright player piano with an action that I have yet to find on any other piano that I have played over the years. I currently have a Schubert 4'6 baby grand. The action is nice and the tone is very good for a small grand, but not as deep as the Kawai that Dave has. Kawai makes a great piano. I have been playing since age 4 on acoustic pianos and have been a songwriter since 1973. I ran out of inspiration for songs on my acoustic though and about 1 1/2 years ago bought my Triton Pro X 88. I absolutely love it. I totally enjoy playing both instruments but there is and always will be something very special about having and knowing how to use an acoustic piano with it's non-electronic, mechanical damper pedal and the actual vibration of real strings. Still my favorite! PAULIII Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted September 11, 2001 Share Posted September 11, 2001 Originally posted by PAULIII: Kawai makes a great piano. Yes, they do. Really dynamic. It's one of my favorite things in my house! Interesting note - from what I understand, there's actually a difference between a Kawai piano and a K. Kawai piano. The way that it was told to me, Kawai pianos are made by machines, and K. Kawai pianos (named for founder Koichi Kawai) are handbuilt. I think all of their grands and baby grands are K. Kawai.. I don't know how accurate that is...it's just what was told to me... dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucktunes Posted September 11, 2001 Share Posted September 11, 2001 I don't own a real piano yet, but I play a K. Kawai every night at work. Originally posted by Dave Bryce: I have a K. Kawai KG-2C grand. Where is the model designation on Kawai's? The one I'm playing is about 6' and is kind of a dark maroon color. As I mentioned before, it's got a fairly heavy action, and you said yours does, too. I'm wondering if it might be the same model as yours. Nice tone. Slightly darker and warmer than a Yamaha, but if you punch it, it brightens up plenty. Very wide dynamic range. Peace all, Steve This message has been edited by SWBuck1074@aol.com on 09-11-2001 at 05:55 AM ><> Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midispaceho Posted September 11, 2001 Share Posted September 11, 2001 I wish I did. There is no finer sound or feel than a good grand piano. I don't even have room for one in my house unfortunately. I think my daughter is going to have to learn piano on a synthesizer. I need to get a good 88 note weighted keyboard. A Motif perhaps... Heeeeeere kitty kitty kitty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusker Posted September 11, 2001 Share Posted September 11, 2001 Originally posted by Doctor Frankensteinway: Um, just to clarify ~ you're talking about the piano there, right? I mean who am I to judge. Some fathers do indeed have a very heavy action and big bottom end. [/b] Heh, heh. Both Sir! Current piano very heavy action. Dad (now deceased) very heavy action on my bottom end. Sad to say, the little technique I still have is probably due to my dad's not-so-subtle approaches to motivation. Hmm, I wonder if I should post that to the motivating childre to play thread? Cheers, Jerry ------------------ www.tuskerfort.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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