I want all of my readers and customers to know that we are here to help you with any of your needs for your piano tuning, maintenance, repairs and any other concerns or questions you may have for your piano and its care throughout the year. Please feel free to contact us at any time via telephone or e-mail and we will do our best to return messages as soon as possible. We truly believe in keeping our customer base happy, because without the customer base, we don’t exist.

We would also deeply appreciate your considering looking at our testimonial page and adding your comments about the quality of service you have received from Rich Goldberg Piano Tuning. We look forward to hearing and seeing your comments and will be happy to address any concerns you have individually about any of the issues regarding your piano and its care.

We also can’t impress enough the importance of an organization known as ChildHelp. Since we have become involved in helping to fund services for the Suffolk County area, we have seen few people help with monetary contributions. We know that times are tough, but what we are asking for all of you to do is to donate under two dollars to purchase a song that is available on my website to help out children throughout Suffolk County as well as the United States. By showing support for this organization, you are also showing a commitment to help the younger people grow to be responsible rewarding adults who have strong values and a belief in keeping society strong and free. Please consider helping out by purchasing the song we sell for $1.99, “For The Kids of the World” and of course, if you can afford any additional funding, please go directly to ChildHelp.org and donate whatever you feel comfortable. Also, for those of you who have heard my music and would like to hear more, the album called “Eclecticity” is available as a download or as a CD purchase. We have heard comments here at Rich Goldberg Piano Tuning that the music played on the CD and on the downloads is a variety that is both relaxing and enjoyable as well as uplifting and thoughtful. For any fans of easy listening, new age, light jazz or light Latin, you will be in for enjoyable listening .The music also makes a wonderful gift for those who need help in relaxing. All the music spoken of is available at the website http://www.reverbnation.com/richgoldberg.

Again, please accept our warm wishes for the healthiest and happiest of holiday seasons and peace throughout the year.

Here’s another song from the Eclecticity album.

Brazilian Nights

Since I have been playing piano, and live in the northeastern USA, I always have had the experience of having my piano serviced (before I could, obviously!!!) in the fall or early winter, which is a great time to get a visit by your tuner/technician. In most of the country, as the weather changes, the environment where your piano is located will change accordingly. So, unless you are fortunate enough to have your piano in a completely climate controlled room where humidity and temperature are always the same, it is best to have your piano serviced by a technician who knows what to look for in the body of the piano, and what areas to examine for any indications of potential trouble. Because air gets dryer in the winter, your piano will react to the dryness by having the wood constrict, glue joints losing some effectiveness and other problems, such as potential cracks in the wood. This, of course, has been addressed in the past by the installation of a Dampp-Chaser System.

With todays economic environment, not everyone has the necessary funds to install a Dampp-Chaser system, so things that can be done in the environment without the system, are very important to your pianos survival.

1.- Make sure that your piano is not directly next to a heater vent, especially with forced air heat. If it is, try to relocate your piano into another area of the room. If you can’t, try to get a baffle made to put near the heater vent to drive the hot air away from the piano. This one step could help not only save your piano from early destruction, but will also help the tuning remain a little more stable by not having dry air being directed at its’ body.
2.- If you don’t have a humidity system in your home (which most of us don’t), you can also get a room humidifier with digital controls that give you the option to keep humidity to approximately 45%. These systems are available on e-commerce sites and can be priced by going to various web services that help you to compare pricing and features.
3.- If you are not able to place a humidifier near your piano, then the next best thing is to keep a small container of water (about 2 quarts) under the piano to allow some mild humidity to escape into the body of the piano. Of course, you want to change the water on a weekly basis minimum to make sure you do not build algae in your water container.

All of these solutions for keeping the piano in the winter will be ineffectual if the piano is not serviced by your technician. In order to protect the integrity of the piano, regular care is the single most important item that you can have completed.

If you have any concerns about your individual piano, feel free to use the “Contact” page to express your concerns, and we will do our best to get you an answer as quickly as possible.

I do hope you give the music a listen, and pass this on to all your family and friends.

May you be blessed with good health, prosperity and peace throughout the coming years.

Sincerely,

Rich Goldberg

Thinking about music for over 50 years and how I could bring some joy to others with music I created, or, arranged other great tunes to my style, finally my first release is coming out this summer (2011). The album, available digitally and on CD format, is entitled “Eclecticity“. The name came from a suggestion by my beautiful wife and love, telling me that my taste in music has always been so “eclectic” since she’s known me. So, due to my tastes in music, I named my first entry into public music a word that I have never seen before  and think I invented (not to say it wasn’t around before).

The music is centered on Easy Listening, New Age, Lite Jazz, Latin and light rock. Some on piano, some with orchestra via my iMac and Logic Pro 8, and all performed and arranged by Rich Goldberg. Notable, are the piano selections, recorded in a wonderful studio, AP Music, in New Jersey, and engineered and produced by the wonderful Joe Vulpis, a dear friend and fabulous musician, writer, producer and sound engineer.

In doing my recordings, stories are told through the notes and expressions with the aid of feeling from the heart and a sense of past happenings in my life. The fun with “Let Me Take You on a Ride” was meant for the motorcycle (Harley Davidson specifically) crowd, the rhythm of “Brazilian Nights” and Latin #1.09 were meant for partying, and the others meant to listen and enjoy.  I am most proud to dedicate to my loving wife, “From Me to You (A Song for Barbara), as it was her belief in me and strength that has helped me to this point in my life.  With all the things we have seen and done in the 28 + years together, I would like to have done more to date, but I do know that the music will be there for many years.

All the other tunes have meaning to me, an explanation will be coming in the album.  There will also be 3 other tunes on the album that are not originals, and once the proper legal things are completed, the album will be issued in full for sale digitally and/or CD format.

To go to the music site on ReverbNation, click here.

Please feel free to sample a tune or two, and if you like, tell your friends and family about this “new” artist on the map.

Thanks, and may the lord be kind to you all.

Rich

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

The most common answer is 2 times per year, or once every 6 months. This is acceptable for the private home, in temperate climates, and where no one is planning to be a concert pianist or performer. If you have aspirations of moving up in the world of music, you then need to commit to making sure your instrument is assessed regularly and services performed as needed.

There is more to taking care of a piano than “tuning”. One also needs to realize changes in the environment (which has been spoken of in the past by RGPT); use of the piano which leads to parts maintenance and/or replacement, and other adjustments needed to maintain the “playability” of the piano. The term “playability” simply refers to the way the piano performs when the pianist applies pressure to the keys by playing music, usage of pedals and the dynamics of expression. Eventually parts will need adjustment or replacement, hammers, strings, damper pads need adjustment or replacement and action parts may need replacement, adjustment, lubrication or a combination of several items.

It is for the basic reason presented that your piano should be under the care of a trained tuner/technician a minimum of 2 times per year. Those pianos with player systems (and especially with speakers) need service at least once every 4 months, or 3 times per year. After all, the investment is not only in the piano, but also substantially in the player system which will ALWAYS need maintenance to operate as designed. A piano is always affected by its’ environment and a player system is as well.

With the advent of computer players, pianos have been able to be utilized for more than simply playing, learning and entertainment. Since the investment in having a player system installed as a retrofit (after it is built and not in a factory) is substantial, it is wise to schedule regular visits by a trained professional to make sure the system works to full potential. If not, problems will develop and may be expensive to repair if not dealt with by normal maintenance.

Anyone with questions or concerns about piano care are always welcome to inquire through the website or by e-mail.

Wishing you a very happy and healthy prosperous 2011 and beyond!

It has been a long time since I offered any information, and it is now time to re-start the process of giving ideas, news and interesting factoids for your enjoyment.

This past year has been a tough one for me health wise. In August, I underwent surgery to correct health issues, and the recovery has taken its’ sweet time. But as time marches on, my strength has reappeared, and I am able now to devote a good portion of the work day to work activities. Nothing bites more than hanging around feeling miserable all the time. Well, that is now in the past! Thank goodness.

Anyway, on to some new information…
When you look at keepintune.com, you will now notice a new area called “RGPT Store” in the “PRODUCTS” heading. This area is a separate shopping cart from the regular one (keepintune.com shopping cart) that gives you access to thousands of items musically related, emphasizing piano, of course. Items are in many categories, such as books, sheet music and scores, mp3′s downloads, dvds and cds, clothing, jewelry, and many other novelty and musical items. This merchandise is all associated with amazon.com, which I am sure you know is the leading e-commerce force on the internet. Please feel free to look around and purchase anything you like. When placing an order, you WILL BE TRANSFERRED to the amazon.com website for order completion. Of course, when you purchase directly from the keepintune.com store, the shopping carts are separate and all transactions need to be completed independently in each cart.

Feel free to contact RGPT at any time to make comments, ask questions and state your concerns about piano care. We are always glad to be of assistance in any way possible.

Once again, a happy and health holiday season to all!

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.

It seems that there are too many instances of pianos not being maintained on a consistent and frequent basis due to the massive money crunch (more than any other reason). There are methods to make sure the piano is given the best chance of “survival” that will little to nothing. These are items requiring some physical work, but all are well worth the effort.

The first item you want to consider is placement in the room (where the piano is located). If at all possible, do not keep your piano on an outside wall or near a heater vent, especially electric or hot air. Placement away from these fixtures can prevent direct and irreparable damage to the wood components, including, but not limited to the body, soundboard, bridges, capping, action parts like shanks, wippens, jacks, and many other items. The dryness also will cause glue joints to dry out and give way – e.g., hammers and wool separate and cease to function correctly, felt peels away from areas requiring padding to prevent noise (key fall), damper pads fall off damper blocks (wood), etc. In excessive heat or dry areas, finishes will show damage with “alligatoring” on the exterior, small cracks and chips, etc. By keeping your piano away from direct heat areas, large windows with direct sun exposure, you can insure that your piano will have a better chance not to be damaged by the environment as much.

When your situation does not allow placing a piano away from heat vent, you can consider turning the vent OFF, covering the vent to prevent direct warm air flow from entering the body of the piano, or placing a “baffle” in front of the heater vent to misdirect the flow of heat away from the piano. You can purchase plastic or fiberglass materials from your local “super” home products store to make a device that will block and/or deflect the heat. The baffle method is especially good for an upright piano against a wall with a heater vent behind OR underneath the piano. When you have a situation where there is no other place to put the piano but on top of a heater vent, by all means, close that vent.

The best way to prevent damage from the environment is to have a Dampp-Chaser Piano Life Saver System (Humidity Control System) installed by a professional technician. The installation by a recognized professional technician is important for correct placement in the piano, but also for warranty purposes. The manufacturer will not honor any warranty if the system is installed by anyone other than an authorized technician. There is an investment (or cost, if you prefer) to protect the piano, but in these times, the outlay of funds may prevent some piano owners from carrying through with this plan.

For those who can not make the investment at this time, you may consider placing a large bowl (at least 1 quart) of water underneath the piano to get moisture in the air. This will help slightly to make sure that some humidity will be near the piano. You will have to check the water level every day to make sure the water stays clear, and the level is high enough. REASON – In the winter with heat on, the inside air is too dry (in most cases), thus causing damages as mentioned earlier.

For those customers who have a house humidifier, or a portable one, you can also set your humidifier for 42%, the recognized humidity percentage by the piano industry for optimum performance and stability. The humidifier must be located next to the piano, NOT UNDERNEATH. Placing the humidifier under the piano will leave the piano open for excess humidity, which is the opposite of what the piano requires.

You may wonder why there is so much information for this topic. The truth is, in my more than 50 years being around pianos (playing since age 4-½ years and working on pianos since 1992), too many people are not aware that the piano is a piece of furniture or woodwork in your home; it is constantly affected by humidity changes (see Dampp-Chaser information). Sometimes, a door might stick in the summer because excessive humidity makes the wood swell, causing tightness. Other times in the cold months, when opening a drawer for clothes or kitchen utensils, the front may fall off, as glue joints dry out and become ineffective due to lack of humidity. The piano is affected in an identical fashion. The most dangerous time for a piano is the cold months when heat is a necessity. Heat will always dry out moisture in the air, causing wood to shrink, which in turn causes damage over a period of time. There is generally no predicting when the damage will come, only that the damage will be there.

In closing, I offer this advice because of my love for the piano, and the music and creativity it brings out in so many of us. I do hope you share some of these feelings, and make an effort to remember that “Pianos Express Feelings, Too!”

by Rich Goldberg

Owner, RGPT