Introducing, Guillermo. He's An Estey Organ!

I have a roommate!
I have a roommate!
His name is Guillermo
He is an Estey Organ.
(More on Estey Organs at a later date!)

My pianist owner brought him home
a couple of days ago.
She went to a rummage sale
and spoke to a few people.
A few emails and phone calls later,
she brought Guillermo, The Great Estey Organ
home for the first time!

Poor little guy
has hibernating in an attic
here in the Beautiful City
of Wyandotte, MI
just a few blocks away from us.
She woke him up and now
he is a part of our Little Piano House family!

He actually is in great condition,
very clean and playable. 
All he wanted was to be played!
Boy, is he getting a work-out now!
And so is my pianist owner!
Those pedals you see in the photos
on this little organ
are for pumping!
Yeah, that's right!
Guillermo is an organ
you must pump to play!

We believe that at one time
he was a convent chapel organ.
We are absolutely certain
that he was used for religious services,
which is awesome
because my pianist owner
is a church musician and choir director!

We don't know how old he is
because we don't see his serial number.
We will probably need to remove some screws
and look inside to find it,
but we think he is over 60 years old.

That's me,
Andrea The Piano,
with Guillermo The Great Estey Organ
in the first and last photo!

Welcome, Guillermo,
The Great Estey Organ
to The Little Piano House!
Music Makers Welcome Here!

Enjoy the pics!

-Andrea,
The Piano
 

 

101 Dalmations

My pianist owner
is busy trying to make a complete shopping mall
of stuff you can buy,
which, when you do,
a portion of the proceeds will go for my restoration work.
Alas, the Disney stuff is giving her a bit of problems.

But here are a few 101 Dalmations products
you might like.

Enjoy!

-Andrea,
The Piano.

101 Dalmations' Cruella de Vil Angry Disney Tee Shirts

Sugar & Spice Dalmatian Puppy Card

101 Dalmations Puppy Disney Tee Shirt

101 Dalmations Puppy Disney T Shirt

101 Dalmatian Patches Wagging his Tail Shirt

101 Dalmations Puppy Disney Coffee Mug

101 Dalmatian Patches Wagging his Tail Magnet

101 Dalmatian Patches Wagging his Tail Bags

101 Dalmatian Patches Wagging his Tail Mug

101 Dalmatian Patches Wagging his Tail Bags

101 Dalmatian Patches Wagging his Tail Tags For Luggage

101 Dalmatian Patches Wagging his Tail Ornament

101 Dalmations Puppy Disney Tee Shirts

101 Dalmatian Patches Wagging his Tail Vinyl Binder

101 Dalmatian Patches Wagging his Tail Sticker

101 Dalmatian Patches Wagging his Tail Tee Shirts

dalmation 02 case for the iPad mini

101 Dalmatian Patches Wagging his Tail Spiral Notebooks

Pianos Twitter, Too!

It's official.
I am now on Twitter

Twitter.com/AndreaThePiano

Do follow me!

Thanks!

-Andrea,
The Piano

How Did They Move Andrea The Piano Into That Room, Into That House? She Is Such A Big Piano!!!

People often ask
how it is that I am in that first room
in The Little Piano House.
The doorway is so small
and I am so huge!
Even the door to The Little Piano House
is really pretty small.

My pianist owner
was seriously considering
an old upright player piano
before she decided on a square grand piano
but then realized that an upright
wouldn't fit through the door into the Little House!

So,
how did I fit in the door??

Square Grand Pianos
and even baby grand pianos
are disassembled for a move.
And then,
we are reassembled
once we are at our destination.
I'll tell you more about the piano movers
in a future blog entry.

So,
even though I am much larger than an upright piano,
I fit through the door.
I came to my new home in pieces!

This video shows
how I moved into 
The Little Piano House
in the Beautiful City of Wyandotte, MI.

Enjoy!

-Andrea,

The Piano.

Andrea The Piano Asks, "Would You Like To Go Shopping?"

I so love this day and age we're living in.
Back when I was crafted into existence
there was no TV, no cable, no internet,
No Netflix, Hulu, Youtube.
We had none of that!

I LOVE cartoons!
I especially love Dora The Exporer!
Can you say, "shopping?"
 

Remember
how in a previous blog entry
I was telling you all
how I was going to offer up some ideas
 

   
Well,
Now I am taking you all shopping!


And when you purchase something
you'll not only get the great product you order
but you'll also be helping me
with my restoration costs
as a percentage of each purchase
will be used just for that!
It's a win-win!

But it's not just Dora The Explorer stuff.
It's Spongebob Squarepants.
It's the Backyardigans.
It's Blue Clues.
And tons of Disney stuff:
Frozen, Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Planes,
Severn Dwarfs, Toy Story,
Cars, Monsters Inc.

And there's even 
Godzilla stuff!

T-shirts,  sweatshirts,  coffee mugs,  notebooks,
cell phone covers,  tote bags,  hats,
baby stuff,  pet stuff,  kitchen stuff,
office stuff,
bumper stickers,  skateboards,
and so much more!!!

It's like
The Andrea The Piano Shopping Network!
More stuff to come,
but for now
you can click on some of the links above.

Soon 
my pianist owner
will put up a gazillion links
to everything under the sun.
It's not too early to start thinking 
about purchasing Christmas gifts.
Thing of that special someone
you want to buy something for.
And then think of me,
Andrea, The Piano.
And do purchase something
from one of the links on this blog.
By doing so
you'll help to make me new again.

Thank you so much!
Happy Shopping, Everyone!

- Andrea,
The Piano. 

This Is What I Could Look And Sound Like . . .

Yes, in this video you'll see and hear
what I might look and sound like
once I am fully restored.

This video is of a Bradbury piano, and I am a Steinway.
Nonetheless, I think you all get the idea.

This video was made by the people
I hope to do the restoration work for me,
The Antique Piano Shop.

Via pianomation, (a feature I hope to have one day!)
this piano plays Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

Enjoy!

-Andrea, The Piano

Andrea, Can You Tell Us What Happens To Pianos As They Age?

Andrea's Piano Strings

What can happen to pianos
after time?

Well,
you're asking the right question
as I am a piano
that is 142 years old!

Many, many things can happen,
even to the finest pianos,
when they age.

As pianos are made of wood,
well,
things can happen.
Some pianos can suffer many dents,dings and scratches
over the years.
Some pianos may need refinishing.
Pianos, such as myself,
can have many ornate moldings.
With time,
some of the moldings may have gotten chipped or damaged.
Some of the moldings
may even be missing.

I have a round stain.
At some point in time
one of my previous pianist owners
kept a house plant on me.
The plant got overwatered,
and,
unfortunately,
so did I.

Elderly pianos may have missing hammers or felts.
I have both of these problems.

Older pianos
may also have ivories
that have yellowed.
Sometimes the ivory
is chipped or cracked.
Some of my ivory is missing.
And some of my ivory
has actually fallen inside.

Now,
it's only older pianos
that actually have ivory keys.
Ivory hasn't been used on a piano keyboard
since 1972,
due to ivory laws.
Since 1972 pianos have plastic keys.

I, however,
have my original ivory keyboard.

And now,
let's talk about strings.
Most modern day pianos
have 88 keys,
though some square grand pianos before me
had 61 keys.
Eighty-eight keys is pretty standard now.
And each key has 3 strings.
The average life for strings and mechanisms
is about 50 years.
Sometimes a string will break
or there are other problems,
but for the most part
we can expect strings to last 50 years.

I have my original strings.
Though out of tune,
I am playable.
My pianist owner
doesn't want to have me tuned
for fear that the excess tension
will cause the strings to break.

Still,
my strings have lasted
almost 3 times longer
that what is normal.
This, indeed,
is yet another testament
as to what a fine instrument
a Steinway piano really is.

But,
alas,
my strings are old.
They need to be replaced,
as do my hammers, felts
and pin block.

I am a very special piano
with very special needs.
Please stop and take a few moments
to think of ways
you can help me
reach my goal
of a complete restoration.
In the weeks to come
I'll be offering several suggestions.
For now, though,
you have some idea
as to what can happen to pianos
as they age.

Historically yours,
Andrea,
The Piano.

Where Was Andrea, The Piano, Before She Came To Wyandotte, MI?

Where was I before coming to Wyandotte?

Many, many years ago,
I was born in New York.
I was hand crafted
by the many fine skilled artisans
of Steinway & Sons.

Now,
dates are not clear,
but I have lived in a few places
before coming to
The Little Piano House
in Wyandotte, MI.
(the little piano house
is actually a little house behind the main house.
i believe traditionally
they are called "in-laws" quarters.
The city of Wyandotte, MI
has many such little houses
behind the main house.)

Anyhow,
from New York
I moved to Chicago.
Now mind you,
travel for Square Grand Pianos
was a bit difficult back then.
I made my way
from New York to Chicago
via covered wagon.
Yes, that's right!
I made the trek from the east via covered wagon.

After some time in Chicago
I would take another covered wang trip.
This second wagon trip took me to a farm in Lapeer, MI.

Now,
mine is just one of many stories told
that sing the praises of Steinway pianos
that have made the long trip via covered wagon
and arrived at their destination in tune.
I am so proud to be a Steinway!!!

My next home
was in a very beautiful house
and in an absolutely love neighborhood
in Pleasant Ridge. MI.
I was a gift for a very nice lady.
A man brought me to give to his wife.
I made that trip from Lapeer to Pleasant Ridge
in the back of a pick-up truck.
I was cushioned by mattresses and blankets
for that trip to Pleasant Ridge.

And finally,
my arrival to Wyandotte!
For the first time in my life
professional piano movers,
people who all they do is move pianos,
were the ones to bring me to Wyandotte, MI

One of the things these piano movers noticed
is that the last time I was moved
they put my legs in the wrong places.
This is sort of like
a pre-schooler who puts their shoes on the wrong feet!
But my legs are all in the right places now!

I've been in Wyandotte
since May 2014.

I live in a lovely little house
lovingly called
"The Little Piano House."
I  have my own room
in that little house.
Another room in the house
is the music study room.
There are several electronic pianos in that room.
A few local artists
also use the little house
as a studio
and many fine paintings are created there.

Well,
that's the story of where I've been.
Now I am a resident of Wyandotte, MI!

I am
Andrea,
The Piano.