Keyboard Phenomena

After I tuned and voiced this piano today two students complemented how it sounded after, which is nice.

Finger grime caked onto the sides of the sharps has been there forever.

These grimey sharp sides really need a vigorous scrubbing with ammonia on a rag. This level of buildup only happens after years and cannot be addressed advisably with the action still assembled as it requires elbow grease to clean fully (pun intended?). It would be so nice to have some student apprentices who would be interested to see how the piano comes apart and willing to do some of this gross scrubbing in exchange for learning to buff the white acrylic naturals, rebush the mortises, regulate the balance holes, lubricate the keypins, reset the glides, polish capstans, brush key-end felts, as applicable etc. (You will be richly rewarded by getting to see the innards of this fine piano and learning how to handle and treat all its components!).

Let this be a testament for everybody to WASH YOUR HANDS before sitting down to play a piano (and perhaps afterwards…?)!