5. The Optimal Location for your Piano
As we've just learned, the majority of an upright or grand piano (which you can see when looking at it) is made of wood. And wood is living!
It doesn't matter if the tree, from which the raw material came, was felled a long time ago. Many have heard the proverbial "creaking in the timbers" when, for example, a wooden ceiling expands or contracts making all sorts of noise because of the daily changes in climate.
Therefore, you should follow these tips for setting up your instrument:
| - | When possible, the room should have an even temperature or at least not have big drops in temperature (of more than 4 degrees Celsius). |
| - | Avoid direct sunlight and proximity to radiators or other heat sources. |
| - | In the case of underfloor heating, you should seek the advice of a specialist and carefully read the guarantee on the instrument. For some makes this will void it! |
| - | Windows can also have an unfavorable effect (drafts etc). Preferably you'll want to position the piano on an interior wall. For grand pianos this doesn't really apply as they're best placed in the middle of a room anyways. |
The room humidity
It is almost more important than the room temperature, as it can lead to massive changes in the character of your instrument.
Here are some tips:
| - | Too much as well as too little moisture in indoor air can damage the wood. That's why the ideal room humidity is 50% to 60%. |
| - | If you do not have one yet, then you should buy a hygrometer. It gives you an idea of the current humidity and is also good for your health! |
| - | If the humidity falls below 45% (when constant heating is needed for example), room humidifiers can help. However, you can also try placing a water bowl on the radiator. |
| - | Beware of long dry spells. They can lead to cracking of the soundboard and the sound post which are very costly to repair. |
| - | On the other hand the instrument must not be exposed to excessive humidity (> 70%) (e.g. due to condensation on the exterior walls of poorly insulated old buildings). This may lead to oxidation of strings and tuning vortices or distortion of the wood components. |
The acoustic conditions for your piano
An entire science has been developed around this, with many differing opinions. Nevertheless, with a little knowledge, you can easily avoid the worst mistakes:
| - | The volume of the room is essential for good sound development: It makes no sense to play an upright or grand piano in a broom closet. In the latter case, you should definitely plan for at least 50 m³. So at least twenty square meters of floor space with a ceiling height of 2.5 m. |
| - | In addition, a grand piano should be placed in the approximate center of the room and the open lid should be pointing into the room. |
| - | A piano placed against the wall also needs space. It should be placed about a hand's width from the wall (also to allow for air circulation). In addition, it is not advised to place the instrument directly in a corner, it should be at least 50 cm away from an adjoining wall, so as not to obstruct any maintenance work and to avoid moving it. |
| - | You should also consider the furniture in the room. |
| - | Upright or grands with a "hard sound" need a "soft-sounding" environment. This means that the room shouldn't be tiled or have bare walls. Even reverberant furniture can reinforce this effect. A carpet and/or curtains can help here. |
| - | On the other hand it makes sense to put an instrument with a more "soft sound" in a "reverberant" environment. A good room set up may be wood floors and few pieces of smooth surfaced furniture. |
