As a piano technician, you see it all. People do all kinds of things to their pianos in hopes that they will sound better, play better, and last longer.
One piano myth continues to come to light in homes that have had a piano stored in a room or a garage for years, and bring it out to give to a friend or sell for a little extra money. They bring it out, dust it off, maybe even have a piano technician do a few simple repairs. When they open it up and take a look inside, they will find a long-forgotten dusty jar of water at the bottom of the piano.
If you ask you grandmother about it, she’ll tell you that jar is there for a reason. She knew that low humidity is bad for a piano. A piano needs a certain level of humidity in order to keep parts in good working condition and to continue playing at its best throughout the years.
Once upon a time, houses weren’t conditioned in the manner we are accustomed to today. Homes weren’t properly insulated. Drafts and weather could easily get inside the home and impact the condition of the piano.
But a lot has changed over the years. It’s the overall environment that matters most. And a jar of water placed inside isn’t going to impact the condition of your piano. A jar of water puts your piano at risk of mildew by spending their life in too damp of an environment.
The best way to control the ambient conditions is through efficient control over your heating and cooling system. And by keeping the piano in a place where it isn’t at risk of facing certain environmental elements, such as breezes from an open window, vents where air conditioning can have a direct impact, or direct sunlight.
If a very old piano has been kept in hot, dry environments, it’s quite possible the piano is beyond repair in the first place.
This is why you should take special care when accepting a “good deal” online when searching for a piano. Or trying to rescue a piano from “a friend” who has stored it for years in a basement or in storage.
If you don’t know the conditions behind how it was stored, it’s probably not the best piano to have in your home to learn to play.
A jar of water to help your piano stay in top shape? We think not. There are better ways to ensure the piano you are playing creates quality sound now and well into the future.
