Tuning, Maintenance, and Pre-purchase Inspections for Used, Acoustic Pianos
I recommend German tuner and master technician Mr. Matthias Wandler, (703-975-7249 or matzemusic@aol.com)
Piano Moving
I recommend Gohn’s Piano Movers
Buying Acoustic Pianos
If you want to buy a new instrument that comes with warranties and a 100% trade-up guarantee from a dealer, and if you want to have a greater selection of pianos to compare before buying, I recommend you visit PianoCraft of Gaithersburg, Maryland.
I have driven all over the Washington DC area to research dealers and workshops for the past 4 years. I have driven to the music center of Elkhart, Indiana to work with a local dealer there. I have visited reputable dealers throughout my native Germany. There is no dealer or workshop that I have seen that comes close to the knowledgeability, resourcefulness, and professionality of PianoCraft. I don’t purchase anywhere else, I don’t hold recitals anywhere else, and I don’t send my students anywhere else to purchase. Anyone taking the tour of their backrooms, their workshops, and their showrooms will understand immediately what I am explaining here.
If you want to purchase a used upright without warranties or trade-up values from a private owner, I would consider Feurich, Baldwin, or Yamaha. These instruments sound very nice and have always been built well. If you have more space I recommend the grand piano “Model 178″ from Feurich, which I have in my studio. It has a beautiful, full, and rich sound – more so than the Baldwins and Yamahas. At the same time it is not as costly as these other brands. Don’t buy baby grands under 5’3″ – they don’t sound very expressive or musical. Rather buy a good quality upright using craigslist.com, Ebay.com and the Washington Post. Don’t forget to have Matthias inspect and evaluate any potential purchase first. He will tell you things you need to know about pianos and guide you to secure a quality instrument that needs little maintenance over the years.
Buying Digital Pianos/ Keyboards
as a musician I never recommend anything electronic. you will always be limited in your ability to express yourself artistically and the sound quality will always be synthetic instead of authentic. as a shopper with a limited budget i do recommend electronic substitutes. they are cheaper both in the initial purchase as well as in the maintenance since there is no need for tunings. they are practical for small spaces and quick to transport on the back seat. make sure to buy extended warranties (3 yrs. or so) as a normal warranty is only 12 months parts, 90 days labor. if it retails for $800 wait until it’s on sale for $600. If it retails for $600 wait until it’s on sale for $400. which company to buy from doesn’t matter. today, they all have become good in sound imitation. they need weighted keys, strong legs on both sides (not an X-stand because they are not stable and the instrument wobbles) and should have at least 66 keys. you can shop at the following locations:
music & arts locations
Sheet Music/ Teaching Supplies
www.sheetmusicplus.com or from your local Music&Arts store.
Ensembles and Performing Arts Venues
(click links below for calendars of events)
For The Very Young
national symphony orchestra family events
Western Classical Music
in order to get the most out of orchestra observations you need to sit in the grand tier boxes immediately above the stage. “stage left” or “stage right” doesn’t matter. when observing a piano solo recital you need to sit “stage right” to see the keys and the performer’s hands.
the three most important orchestras in our area are:
national philharmonic, strathmore music center, baltimore (ages 7-17 are free entry)
national symphony orchestra, kennedy center, d.c.
baltimore symphony orchestra, strathmore music center + meyerhoff symphony hall, baltimore
Non-Western Classical Music