This is one of the most common questions asked of me in the near 15 years in the piano business. It is a subjective question, in that children are different. The answer and explanation I generally offer is meant for most children of average intelligence and maturity for their age group.

Generally, when a parent or guardian would like advice on when to start piano education for their children, the first thing I ask is: “Did your child ask to play piano or want lessons?”

If the answer is yes, this is the best possible scenario for a child remaining interested in piano studies. The one thing you can not do is push too hard for a child to learn and practice every day. When this happens and the student is not willingly pursuing self control of consistent studies, negative results will occur. Generally, the most common warning sign of failing to practice is procrastinating and excuses as to why he/she doesn’t want to “play” now. When this occurrence shows regularly, this generally leads to the inevitable stopping of  lessons.

The next thing that I like to know is the age of the child. Many people can be fooled when a child is 4 or 5 years old, thinking that the age is too young, or the fingers aren’t long enough, or he/she is too short, or another of various possibilities. Before I offer any other suggestions, I also like to meet the child to form my own opinion. When meeting the child is possible, I am able to gauge by observing the child and see reactions to questions and interactions between him/her and the piano. If the child is  not available to meet, then I ask the parent to best describe what they see in their child and why music would be advantageous to pursue.

The age when a child should start varies on maturity, but some children have started as young as 3, while others start into their teens, and of course, in between. For what it is worth, the author of this article started at 4-1/2 years of age.

The nitty-gritty of this is simple. A child who has expressed interest in learning and, exhibits a willingness to pursue what he/she asked for, should start as early as possible; the younger the better. In this case the student is not concerned with work, school, cooking dinner, paying bills, interviews for jobs, or any other adult possibilities. Without the adult issues, the young student can soak up information like sponges that are excessively thirsty and hold on to the data far better than a person with other issues to occupy their thoughts.

A child who has learning issues may or may not be able to comprehend the intricacies of the study of piano, but should still be given the opportunity to learn. Studies have shown that music education has helped children with arithmetic and logic, and can possibly help with improvement in levels of self-confidence. This scenario has been shown to help students with varied learning disabilities.

In summary, your child should start as early as possible, and of course, as long as the price is reasonably within your affordable range.

For any further questions, please contact me through the website.

Harmoniously yours,

Rich Goldberg
Owner, RGPT

Yamaha C3 Grand Piano

One of the many concerns of a piano owner who purchases a piano is to keep the piano “looking good.”  When you look for a piano for the first time, before you even walk out the door, you need to do one thing—find a location away from heater vents or air conditioning ducts and direct sunlight. It is best to find a spot (if possible) on an inside wall and then, unless your space is more than large enough to hold your piano, the next item is to measure the space you are planning to locate your piano.  In this way, you will have a clear idea of what size and what type of piano to look for. Of course, your economic situation is a consideration as well.

When you find the piano you want and know that it is going to fit, once it is in place, you need to make sure of several things to protect the finish:

• Keep the piano clean by dusting regularly
• If it is a polyester finish (mirror-like look), you can use a non-ammonia type glass cleaner by spraying a small amount on a small soft cloth or soft paper towel, then follow up with a dry cloth to clean off any residue. Another solution is a slightly damp soft towel or paper cloth, and if there are finger prints, a very small amount of mild dish soap will suffice.  Don’t forget to wipe and dry with a clean cloth or soft paper towel until there is no residue left.
• If the piano is a wood finish, one of the things you need to do besides dusting the piano is to make sure the finish does not dry out.

Finishes that are not polyester will tend to show more age by drying out and then cracking (or alligator look) damage.  This looks like skin from an alligator and destroys the look of the finish.  To prevent this problem, your room air must contain adequate amounts of humidity (averaging 42% year round for the piano) in the heating season. And for the climates that are more dry than humid, such as the American southwest, a method of control is equally important.  The best way is to utilize the Dampp-Chaser Piano Life Saver System*. If the investment is too much at first, you must supply some humidity near the piano so the heat in the location does not dry out the parts causing many types of damage. Some folks have found a container of water below the piano is of some help, but of course, it cannot adjust humidity when required. Others who have used room humidifiers have had some success, but again, unless you are willing to invest nearly as much as a Dampp-Chaser System, may be more costly, and not get the best results. The absolute best way is the Dampp-Chaser system. Don’t forget, the piano is “furniture” and as such, will react much like any other wood pieces in your home.  There  are other non-wood parts (wool, felt, steel, leather, rubber, silk, strings and glue) that are all affected by dryness. Some of these effects will lead to major repair bills, which could have been prevented from the beginning.

The finish should also have some moisture-preserving chemicals applied periodically, such as lemon oil, orange oil or a polish/dust remover that can clean and keep the finish moisturized sufficiently to prevent the finish damage that will occur if the opportunity is there. Products that can help are found in places like hardware stores, large specialty stores such as Home Depot or Lowe’s, supermarkets, and many other places that offer furniture care products.  It is also good to keep soft, lint-free cloths available, or very soft paper towel (not the inexpensive brands that can scratch the finish).

Keeping the finish looking new is important for the looks of the piano, and it does help the appearance stay fresh longer. Thanks for stopping by.

* Please refer to the Dampp-Chaser section on the main site at the Products page.  We also supply and install these systems, and have done many installations with wonderful results and happy customers.