Vanguard Piano Service | Piano Repair Service Kansas city

 As a piano technician, one of the frequent questions I get from piano owners is about how to take care of the piano better.  There are several ways to do so and today I would like to specifically talk about how humidity affects the piano.  Materials we can find in the piano consist of metal, felt, wool and wood.  Changes in the humidity can affect all of these things that is why it is important to keep the piano in a controlled environment. With the changes in humidity, there are several ways the piano might be impacted. The most immediate change people notice is in the pitch of the piano.  Sometimes you may notice the keys feel weird when they feel heavy to the touch or sometimes stick down in high humidity, other times you may notice there are rattles or clicks when the keys are played with low humidity. Permanent damage may be caused when the piano goes through extreme humidity changes where parts swell and shrink rapidly, this may cause wooden parts to have...

 Regulating your piano is an essential aspect of piano maintenance that involves adjusting and optimizing the various mechanical parts of the piano’s action mechanism. This process ensures that your piano plays accurately, responsively, and with consistency across all keys. Why is regulating your piano important? Playing Comfort: Proper regulation ensures that the keys of your piano respond consistently to your touch. This allows for comfortable and effortless playing, reducing the risk of finger fatigue and strain during extended practice or performance sessions. Dynamic Control: Regulation enables you to have precise control over the dynamics of your playing, from the softest pianissimo to the most thunderous fortissimo. A well-regulated piano will respond to the subtlest variations in touch, allowing for expressive playing. Even Tone: Regulation helps achieve an even and balanced tone across all keys and registers of the piano. This ensures that each note has a consistent and pl...

  Have you ever suddenly realized that the room you’ve been sitting in is way too hot? Or suddenly realize you are hungry and probably have been for a while. Sometimes it takes our conscious brain a while to catch up to subtle changes in the way we feel. With pianos, if something suddenly goes wrong, it is often immediately apparent: a key stops working, or dampers ring forever, or the pedal squeaks. The decision to pick up the phone and have someone come out and look at the issue is an easy one, and the pain point simple to identify. As pianos age, accompanying subtle changes often require us as musicians to (often subconsciously) put more effort into making the piano sound good. In grand pianos, compression and wear of felt parts throughout the piano mechanism cause alignment problems in the hammers. Slight warping in the wooden parts in all pianos can cause piano hammers to gain extra friction, or strike the strings incorrectly or not at all. Keys can begin to feel significantly...

 As a piano technician, one of the frequent questions I get from piano owners is about how to take care of the piano better.  There are several ways to do so and today I would like to specifically talk about how humidity affects the piano.  Materials we can find in the piano consist of metal, felt, wool and wood.  Changes in the humidity can affect all of these things that is why it is important to keep the piano in a controlled environment. With the changes in humidity, there are several ways the piano might be impacted. The most immediate change people notice is in the pitch of the piano.  Sometimes you may notice the keys feel weird when they feel heavy to the touch or sometimes stick down in high humidity, other times you may notice there are rattles or clicks when the keys are played with low humidity. Permanent damage may be caused when the piano goes through extreme humidity changes where parts swell and shrink rapidly, this may cause wooden...

  “Three of my favorite things in regards to piano work : the music, learning how things work, and restoring old and neglected things to their former glory.” — Christine Piano Technician and Chamber Vocalist Christine grew up in Ellisville where she began playing piano at the age of seven years old. She developed her musicianship studying piano from several well-respected piano instructors in the Saint Louis area. Christine studied at the University of Missouri Kansas City where she earned a Bachelors Degree in Vocal Performance. She went on to earn her Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Webster University. She is currently performing as a 2nd Soprano with the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus under the direction of Philip Barnes. Christine’s music career has allowed her to perform in over a dozen countries in North America and Europe including several performances at Carnegie Hall. As an accomplished musician, Christine knows that a well-cared for piano is a powerf...

  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 bu...