Nostalgia. Just one look at the antique sitting in your room can bring back long-ago, simpler times.
But this isn’t just an antique; it’s so much more.
For nearly 150 years, square grand pianos were the piano of choice in both Europe and America. Yet today, very few people have even seen them.
Also referred to as a box grand, the square grand piano is an earlier form of piano that is built in a rectangular shaped cabinet. It sits squarely on four legs with its strings running left to right rather than front to back that had been common up until this point. They became very popular because of their smaller size and more stylish appearance.
By the late 1800s, the upright piano became more favorable, taking up even less floor space than the square grand. And by 1900, the last was produced here in the US, all but becoming obsolete.
Yet today, there’s a growing interest in the square grand piano. Collectors and musicians alike are beginning to appreciate and preserve these instruments, making them quite valuable.
If you find one in your grandmother’s back room, it may be time to bring it back to life and restore it to all of its glory.
Some piano tuners may tell you that a square piano in its original, unrestored condition can’t be tuned. In fact, they are correct. Square pianos built long ago used tuning pins shaped differently than modern tuning pins. And if the piano hasn’t been tuned in years, decades, the old strings, felt and leather tend to have deteriorated over time. There is an estimated pressure of 12 to 14 tons of tension on a piano when it is in tune. And when this tension is put back on these deteriorated parts, it simply can’t hold the tune properly.
A proper restoration will fix all of these components – tuning pins, felt, strings, leather – thus bringing the square grand piano back to life.
With a square grand piano, the pins are located in the back of the piano. Which means the piano tuner will have to lean over more during the tuning process to reach the parts and service them correctly. It’s a little more effort, but just as effective as tuning any other modern day piano. And it’s required to keep your square grand piano in good working condition.
Have a family heirloom you’d love to restore back to its original condition? Give us a call today.
