Three Approaches to Piano Restoration

Conservative | Modern | Innovative. 

WHEN REBUILDING A PIANO, the restorer is presented at every turn with questions concerning the extent to which the piano’s original design, parts, and materials should be preserved or, conversely, altered or replaced. The philosophies that guide these decisions fall, roughly, into three camps, which might be called, respectively: Conservative, Modern, and Innovative. Of course, this division is, to some degree, a generalization; a particular restorer may combine elements of more than one approach in his or her work.

  • With the conservative approach, the restorer places a high priority on preserving as much of the original instrument as possible.
  • With the modern approach, the restorer attempts to make the piano only as good as it was when new, closely maintaining the original design.
  • With the innovative approach, the restorer not only replaces worn parts with new, but also feels free to modify the design of the instrument in any way that, in the restorer’s judgment, would make it perform better — even in ways the manufacturer never contemplated and might not approve of. 

In this article, several well-respected piano restorers, each approximately representing one of the above positions, explain their approaches to restoration in general and, specifically, how they might be applied to various eras of Steinway grands.

Read more at: Three Approaches to Piano Restoration: – PianoBuyer

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