92-year-old Pianist

I suppose in the life of every human, there will come a time
that you no longer play football or soccer or baseball or basketball.
There may come a time when you  no longer take to the mat
for those graceful flips and tumbles of gymnastics.

But even when you're 92 years of age,
you can still enjoy a Steinway piano!

. . and at 143 years of age,
a Steinway piano can still be enjoyed!

When my pianist owner is 92,
I do hope she will be enjoying me
as much as the graceful pianist in this video.

      -Andrea,
           The Piano

Post by botl.com.

Ah, Bach!

My pianist owner just loves Johann Sebastian.

She dreams of the day that she will be able to play this piece,
Brandenburg Concerto #3 in G Major,
on this old Steinway once I'm an fully restored.

To tell the truth,
I can wait for that day either!

Ah, Bach!
Now, this is music!

       -Andrea,
            The Piano

Imagine. . . .

"Imagine me restored
Ivory repaired.
Music rack refinished
Strings and pins replaced.

"Imagine all the music
that could come from me. . .

". . you may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one.
I hope some day you'll join us
when the fund raiser begins!"

(pianos dream, too!)

    -Andrea,
       The Piano.

Steinway

It takes a full year
to prepare the wood
that will one day
be crafted into a Steinway Piano.

And then,
it takes a year
to create a Steinway Piano.

And it will take one year
for my restoration work,
once necessary funds are in place.

Here's a video
that shows how people just love their Steinway pianos.
Makes me shed a tear
to know that I am loved this much.

Enjoy.

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.

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

What Are Some Of The Features Of A Steinway Piano?

Hello, World!

Andrea The Piano here
with another great Steinway Piano video.
This video details some of the reasons
that Steinway pianos
are the best pianos ever.

With this video,
I've included the transcript that youtube provides.
It's just that the information contained here
is so very important
that I don't want you to miss any of it.

Remember,
I am a Steinway,
albeit, a piano much older
than any in this video.
But I am Steinway!

Enjoy!

-Andrea, The Piano

**********************************

**********************************

0:06

[music]

0:18

Since 1853, Steinway & Sons has been synonymous with musical

0:22

excellence in the building and the design of the Steinway Piano.

0:27

Our founder, Henry Engelhard Steinweg,

0:30

had one simple tenant that we subscribe to today,

0:34

simply build in the best piano possible. Period.

0:38

Today, over 1,500 pianists worldwide proudly bear the title

0:44

Steinway Artist.

0:45

What is so remarkable about this distinction, is that these are not paid

0:49

endorsers,

0:50

but they choose the Steinway piano because of the love of their craft.

0:54

As President of Steinway & Sons for the Americas, I am often asked,

0:59

"What components within a Steinway piano contribute to this unique and imitable

1:03

Steinway sound?"

1:04

Considering a piano is comprised of over 12,000 parts, it is a

1:07

little difficult to determine which ones are the most prominent.

1:11

But I think as we all know, the soundboard of the piano is perhaps the

1:14

heart and soul of any piano.

1:17

And Steinway & Sons, in 1936, had an innovative breakthrough.

1:21

We developed what is known as the diaphragmatic soundboard that

1:24

essentially allowed the piano

1:26

to vibrate more freely, creating a warmer, richer, more resonant sound for a

1:31

longer, sustained period of time.

1:35

The action in any piano is an extraordinarily important part of an

1:39

instrument,

1:40

and in 1936, Steinway & Sons patented the accelerated action.

1:44

This was a revolutionary breakthrough which enabled the performer to extract

1:48

whatever sounds, loud or soft,

1:50

they wished to get from the instrument.

1:58

Another exclusive feature of the Steinway piano, is the patented Hexagrip pinblock.

2:02

The pinblock is an integral part of the Steinway piano in that it holds

2:07

the tuning pins in place using hard rock maple construction angled at forty-five

2:12

degrees in laminations.

2:14

It is this particular Hexagrip design that enables the Steinway piano to

2:19

withstand any climatic conditions and maintain its tune for extended periods

2:24

of time.

2:29

The rim of a Steinway grand piano is comprised of hard rock maple,

2:35

continuously bent in one operation.

2:37

It is this process that enables the Steinway piano to endure for generations

2:42

to come.

2:48

The scale of each Steinway piano is this some of all of its components,

2:52

and one specific component which is extraordinarily important to every grand

2:56

piano, is the cast iron plate or frame.

2:59

This component is so important to Steinway & Sons that we own and operate our

3:04

own foundry, using bell quality castings to make the Steinway plate.

3:12

The duplex scale,

3:13

a Steinway invention, adds color to every Steinway piano

3:18

by enhancing the termination of each individual note.

3:24

[music]

3:31

It takes over a year to handcraft a Steinway grand piano from the finest

3:35

materials available,

3:37

and it is this painstaking process

3:39

that enables the Steinway piano to develop its own unique musical personality.

3:48

Whether you are an aspiring artist, or just want the joy of music in your home,

3:53

there is a Steinway built especially for you.

How Do You Make A Steinway?

How do you make a Steinway piano?
What makes Steinway so special?
As you will learn from this video,
many many people join forces
in creating a single Steinway piano.

I hear people usually say
that it takes a year to make a Steinway.
That's not really true.
Really, it takes about two years.
As you'll hear in the beginning of this video,
the wood is dried for year.
That's the first part of the process.

Narrating this video is Mr. John. H. Steinway.
He was the great-grandson of the infamous Henry E. Steinway.

Now,
this video details the process
of a concert grand piano.
And I, of course, am a square grand.
And Steinway doesn't make pianos like me anymore.
However,
the loving care that goes into a Steinway
remains virtually unchanged.
Each Steinway is unique.
Each Steinway is marvelous.

Enjoy the video.

-Andrea, The Piano