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bitflipper

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I was about to buy a moderately expensive sample library, not because I needed it but because it's just been awhile since I've had a new toy.

But this morning, with mouse hovering over the Buy button, I abruptly changed my mind and decided to have my real piano tuned instead.

Although it's not a new toy (I bought it back around 1984), it'll feel new because I stopped playing it 25 years ago after it was last moved. I've had no desire to play it because it sounds awful, having never been tuned after that move. But I remember that it used to sound quite nice and once was a joy to play. Now it's just a nice-looking piece of furniture.

 

Piano.JPG

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3 hours ago, bitflipper said:

Last time I paid for a piano tuning it was $100. But that was 30+ years ago.

I guess nothing is bargain priced any more. I loose track of time and how much things cost. Not to mention inflation.

Were you thinking to mic it up at some point ?

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40 minutes ago, InstrEd said:

Isn't it always the way?  Folks really wanting a Grand Piano and Dave lets his sit idle for 30 years!  Do a little piece and post it for us to have a listen too after you get it all tuned up and back in shape.  What make and model is it?

 

It's a Young Chang (Korean), a 6' baby grand. At the time it was the biggest purchase I'd ever made in my life, by far. Took 10 years to pay it off.

The day I went in to finalize the purchase, I wandered around the piano store playing on different instruments while the salesman drew up the loan papers. I sat down at one, rattled off a few arpeggios and then ran into the office shouting "I've made a terrible mistake! I want THIS piano instead". He looked over and said "fine, but that one's $40,000. Oh. Carry on then.

As for those "folks really wanting a grand piano"...when I tried to sell it back in 2014 in preparation for moving overseas, I got no offers. I had it listed for $3k. I get it; you can buy a nice digital piano for half that. It just won't match your credenza.

Unfortunately, it's too far from my DAW to record easily. Mostly I just want to use it for composing and to keep my chops up when my main synth isn't available (I often just keep the Kronos in the van between gigs because I'm very lazy and it's very heavy).

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13 minutes ago, bitflipper said:

(I often just keep the Kronos in the van between gigs because I'm very lazy and it's very heavy).

Now this I can understand having ruptured  two discs in my back 14 years ago.   Anyway I'm glad you're getting the lady fired/tuned up Dave.  My future will most likely be a hybrid like the Kawai NV10s or a Yamaha N1X or should I say what ever they replace them with in a few years.  Having both of my children in college next year has put a damper on my spending.  

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Good call, Dave. You won't regret it. I went without a real piano from 1988 until just a few years ago when a friend made me an offer I couldn't refuse on a Yamaha G3.  I have it tuned yearly, but it's now overdue by about six months, and sounding a little wonky in places (spoiled by the always-perfect tuning of digitals).  The good news is that tuning still only costs about $150 around here. I love playing and improvising on it, but when I come up with something new, I have to run upstairs to record it . Micing it up properly would be too much of an imposition on the aesthetics of the living room so I have not tried to record it seriously, but I have occasionally used a digital camera to capture a quick video with sound.

Have fun!

 

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Wow Dave ! you have a really nice looking place . Sweet !

Have you thought about the possibility of having something like one of those Zoom handheld recorders that have stereo mics placed on a mic stand in your room .

I have an older one ...the video end just crapped out recently yet the audio recording still works perfectly ...  I have gotten some really wonderful acoustic recordings using that thing . It's easy peasy to transfer over your work into a DAW VIA USB ....

After you tune your Piano you can enjoy playing in your living space with out the added burden of having to be sit there dicking around chained to a computer .

all the best,

Kenny

 

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10 hours ago, kennywtelejazz said:

Wow Dave ! you have a really nice looking place . Sweet !

Full disclosure: according to the datestamp, that photo was taken in 2013, a year before my wife died. She was 100% responsible for the tidiness, the plants, and that crazy-expensive Chinese table that my great-grandkids do their coloring books on today. These days my place very much looks like it's occupied by a single guy who spends way too much time in the garage in front of said computer.

That reminds me, I'd better dust that piano before the tuner gets here. Once every 7 years should be frequent enough for dusting, no?

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55 minutes ago, bitflipper said:

That reminds me, I'd better dust that piano before the tuner gets here. Once every 7 years should be frequent enough for dusting, no?

To paraphrase Phyllis Diller, if your great-grandkids insist on writing their names in the dust tell them not the write the year.

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21 hours ago, bitflipper said:

Full disclosure: according to the datestamp, that photo was taken in 2013, a year before my wife died. She was 100% responsible for the tidiness, the plants, and that crazy-expensive Chinese table that my great-grandkids do their coloring books on today. These days my place very much looks like it's occupied by a single guy who spends way too much time in the garage in front of said computer.

That reminds me, I'd better dust that piano before the tuner gets here. Once every 7 years should be frequent enough for dusting, no?

I remember your sharing on the old forum when she passed away ...You have paid some dues for sure .

If I had a garage I would probably spend a lot of time in there too. I would even try to start a band with a bunch of old guys with beards  ....

Dust that piano after 7 years  sounds like a good plan too me idea.gif

I did an online search to see if there is a song about dusting pianos ....

This is what I found ....my first time listening to him and I think he sounds pretty good ..Whew his playing  seems pretty intense .

I got 8 mins in then I decided the only way I could keep up with him is if I drank a whole pot of coffee ...in my case either way it was worth the listen .

Kenny

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On 2/23/2022 at 10:45 AM, bitflipper said:

Full disclosure: according to the datestamp, that photo was taken in 2013, a year before my wife died. She was 100% responsible for the tidiness, the plants, and that crazy-expensive Chinese table that my great-grandkids do their coloring books on today. These days my place very much looks like it's occupied by a single guy who spends way too much time in the garage in front of said computer.

That reminds me, I'd better dust that piano before the tuner gets here. Once every 7 years should be frequent enough for dusting, no?

Whew. I was beginning to worry there for a minute. That house looked way too neat for a musician.

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