The sad state HuStu's Pianos

Well its been 2 weeks now since my last post. Whew! Obviously I do have other things to blog about, but in line with my previous post I will first present to you the two pianos here at Hugh Stewart Hall.


CANDIDATE ONE: A Steinway & Sons Baby Grand Piano


















WOW! A Steinway!!! When I first found out about it I rushed to the Middle Common room to check it out. At first glance it looks like everything is A-OK. However, the fact that the top is down should already indicate that something isn't right. Apart from the fact that its really very old (1875 I think), these pictures should describe some of the many problems this piano is having.

What a waste!!! Its like a freaking Steinway! And not just body, playing it is soooo crappy. The dampers are damaged so is like theres a perpetual semi pressed sustain pedal on. Speaking of pedals, the sustain pedal is crap. It doesn't work properly and you have to press it all the way to lift the dampers. The soft pedal is ok but either way its not nice because they are too close to the ground making it very uncomfortable to use and giving it a very 'flat' feeling. I prefer some inclination to the pedals, so they should have been raised al little higher from the ground.


Some keys don't sound so this indicated some mechanical problems as well. I do know that one of the hammers are about to break which is why one key has a very soft sound. If you look carefully you will notice that one of the keys is slightly broken making it dangerous. Its easy to injure your finger. Also the lid cant be lifted because the support bar is missing (broken I presume). The hammers have some lines (not really an issue) and overall the piano is out of tune.

However despite all of this the piano still has a semblence of a lovely touch, and each note still carries a sense of grandeur. We are trying to get it fixed, but initial estimates for the cost of repairs is a whooping 9000 POUNDS!!!! Well, it still IS a Steinway after all...



CANDIDATE TWO: A Knight Studio Piano

This humble little studio piano is in the Don Reeds Library and is in decent condition (probably because less people go there and also cause its much newer than the steinway). This piano's keys are slightly higher than the baby grand (typical of upright pianos), but since like most people I too am more used to that it is easy to play. You can actually play it properly, though the Hammers have very deep lines, making the piano very very LOUD, even when you play softly. It is also out of tune, but overall it is ok. The condition is that of in any ordinary pianists home, and I don't really have any qualms about playing this piano.

FINAL VERDICT:
The fact that the Steinway has been greatly vandalised makes one very reluctant to play it. Even though the touch is mouch neicer and softer than the Knight, the Knight piano will defniately be the choice of any person who truly intends to play and enjoy music simply because it is in very much better condition.

Also the more private location of the Knight piano in the library is an added bonus, which is why I always play this piano. I only play the Stienway if I feel like tinkering with it, or if I don't want to disturb other users of the library.