Vanguard Piano Service | Piano Repair Service Kansas city

  The Footnotes of Piano Playing: What Pedals Really Do Piano pedals are often overlooked by beginners, but they play a crucial role in shaping a pianist’s sound. Let’s break down what each of the three standard pedals does—and how their functions differ between grand and upright pianos. Pedals should support your technique—not hide your mistakes. The sustain pedal connects and colors your phrases. The soft pedal brings down the dynamics or creates a gentler mood. The sostenuto (if you’ve got it) adds complexity and control. The key is to listen. Use your ears. If it sounds too blurry, lift your foot. Wrap-Up: Use Your Feet, Free Your Sound Though operated by your feet, piano pedals are essential to expressive playing. They shape dynamics, tone, and atmosphere. Knowing how each pedal works—especially the differences between grands and uprights—lets you use them intentionally and musically. Master them, and your piano will truly sing. Read More... Book a repair appointment. Our tech...

  Piano Tuning; What Goes Into a 1 Hour Service Call? During a piano tuning appointment, clients will often ask questions like “How often should my piano be tuned?,” “What kind of work do you recommend to fix my piano?” or even just “How bad was it?” We always appreciate these kinds of questions, because they represent an underlying concern about keeping the piano working properly. We feel a strong responsibility to give these questions answers that will help people understand their piano better, and it is from the conversations that result from these questions that I am attempting to distill some useful information here for current and future piano owners. One hour service calls are, on the whole, best suited to maintaining the current level of your piano. Through efficiency and planning it is often possible for us to make a big difference in a piano over a short period of time, but the task is usually great and the time short. As a company, our values push us to always do our bes...

  A common question we get asked is “What should I do with an old piano?” When it comes to modern appliances, devices, clothes, toys we consider something ‘old’ after maybe 7-10 years. (Who still uses the same phone they had 10 years ago?) When it comes to acoustic pianos, old typically means anywhere from 50 - 120 years old! Many old uprights and grands still exist in people’s homes today that were acquired and passed down from previous generations. These instruments for the most part were wonderful instruments in their time. Many pianos from the early 1900s through the 50’s were made in the USA under many different reputable brands. The fact that so many century old pianos are still around and playable today is a testament to the fine craftsmanship and quality of materials used. At some point though, every piano has a shelf life. Even the most excellent quality pianos made with the finest materials will need to be refurbished / rebuilt at some point. Strings and hammers typically...

  A common question we get asked is “What should I do with an old piano?” When it comes to modern appliances, devices, clothes, toys we consider something ‘old’ after maybe 7-10 years. (Who still uses the same phone they had 10 years ago?) When it comes to acoustic pianos, old typically means anywhere from 50 - 120 years old! Many old uprights and grands still exist in people’s homes today that were acquired and passed down from previous generations. These instruments for the most part were wonderful instruments in their time. Many pianos from the early 1900s through the 50’s were made in the USA under many different reputable brands. The fact that so many century old pianos are still around and playable today is a testament to the fine craftsmanship and quality of materials used. At some point though, every piano has a shelf life. Even the most excellent quality pianos made with the finest materials will need to be refurbished / rebuilt at some point. Strings and hammers typically...

  In the year of this writing, in the state of Missouri, there are three major competitors remaining in the market of new piano sales that retain sales locations in the state, that is, the Japanese piano corporations Yamaha and Kawai, and the German/American Steinway Co.. These three makers have something in common that has allowed them to thrive where others have sunk, among other differences, and that is that they all invest heavily into the quality of their products. Where they differ is a bit trickier to define without resorting to technical definitions, but when talking with clients, I will sometimes reach to the automotive industry for metaphor and compare Yamaha and Kawai loosely with Honda and Toyota, by happy coincidence two japanese auto brands that also offer quality products, and combine both relative affordability with reliability. Yamaha has arguably stronger brand recognition of the two japanese piano concerns, and many people already associate Yamaha with quality mo...

Piano technology has a vast array of different disciplines one could dedicate their life to perfecting. This is why education remains a cornerstone value of our company. Whether that is annual conventions with the guild, specific brand focused training with manufacturers, and ongoing communication within our team as we sharpen one another’s skills. Piano’s come in a variety of styles, and every brand has it’s quirks. This is why we continue to engage with manufacturers to receive the latest information on how to best service their instruments. Ty Uphoff receiving one on one tuning instruction from “Ace” at Yamaha headquarters. Visiting the manufacturers also gives us a unique perspective on our strengths and weaknesses. While visiting Steinway for training we got the chance to tour the factory. There you see hundreds of technicians all dedicated to one small aspect of piano building. Ty Uphoff exploring the rim room where Steinway reduces the RH % of the wood in preparation of building...