Vanguard Piano Service | Piano Repair Service Kansas city

  Performing even minor repairs to a pipe organ requires so many steps- climbing many ladders, removing wooden pipes, cleaning leather pouches, followed by tuning the entire rank once all the pipes are reinstalled. Read More... Hiring a technician might feel like a hassle, but for something as delicate as string replacement, it’s the smart move. Your piano will thank you — visit Vanguard Piano Service .

When we think of the piano, we often imagine its wide dynamic range, rich harmonic textures, and expressive capabilities. But did you know that the sound quality of a piano can be dramatically shaped through a process called "piano voicing"? Whether you're a seasoned pianist or just learning, understanding piano voicing can help you get the most out of your instrument. What Is Piano Voicing? Piano voicing refers to the process of adjusting the tone of a piano by altering the hardness or density of the felt on the hammers that strike the strings. Over time, as a piano is played, the hammer felts can become compacted, leading to a brighter, sometimes harsh tone. Voicing brings balance back, tailoring the piano’s sound to match a player’s preferences or the acoustics of a particular room. Why Is Voicing Important? Think of voicing as tone-sculpting. Two identical pianos can sound completely different depending on how they’re voiced. Some pianists prefer a warm, mellow tone, ...

  Yes! Now to find out why this technician who makes his living off of servicing acoustic pianos would recommend buying a digital piano keep reading. The most commonly cited reason against purchasing a digital piano is that they are not REAL pianos. If we all had unlimited resources and space we would all play on 9ft concert grands prepared by professionals in recital halls worth a quarter of a million dollars. Now THAT is a REAL piano. Everything else is a compromise on that standard for reasons of space and or money. The actions in upright pianos are different than grand pianos, generally less expressive with slower repetition. Spinet pianos are worse yet with shorter keysticks and a “drop” action. When comparing a high end digital piano with a spinet the digital more closely simulates the previously mentioned concert grand. If space is the biggest concern that is one reason people mistakenly consider spinet pianos. While it’s true that spinets are shorter than other vertical pia...

A broken piano string can be frustrating — one key sounds off, and suddenly the whole instrument feels wrong. If you’re thinking, “Maybe I can fix this myself,” — hold that thought. Replacing a string might seem like a simple task, but it’s one of those repairs that’s best left to a professional technician. It's Not a Simple Swap Unlike other stringed instruments, piano strings are under extreme tension — often more than 150 pounds per string. They’re also wound through a complex path involving tuning pins, bridge pins, and agraffes or pressure bars. If something’s not aligned just right, it can cause: 1. Persistent tuning problems 2. Unwanted buzzing or muted tone 3. Structural damage to the piano 4. Premature string breakage all over again One wrong move can create more problems than it solves. Read more... Hiring a technician might feel like a hassle, but for something as delicate as string replacement, it’s the smart move. Your piano will thank you — visit Vanguard Piano Servic...

  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 hav...