The Piano Book

"I'm exhausted and frustrated. I've been to five stores that sell new pianos, and I've heard five different stories on which piano is the best."

"How can I tell if a used piano is in good condition?"

"What do piano technicians do?"

"My daughter is starting lessons next month. Should I rent a cheap spinet until we're sure she's really interested?"

If this sounds familiar, don't despair. Many shoppers find the myriad of brands and styles confusing.

The Shopper's Dilemma

For comparison, just think how tough it would be to shop for an automobile if:

• There were no car reviews in Consumer Reports, no ads on TV and no one you knew even owned one.

• Ford, Chevrolet and Honda built cars in only two different shapes.

• And you couldn't take it for a spin around the block because you don't know how to drive.

Sound scary? But that's the dilemma for lots of people shopping for their first piano. If you're not already an expert player and you don't know how a piano works, how can you be sure you're buying the right one for the right price?

And to make it even harder, pianos create something invisible - music! Can musical miles per gallon be measured so different pianos can be compared?

In the past, the only way to get objective advice when buying a piano was to hire a piano technician to accompany you every time you went shopping. If you wanted to read about pianos, the card catalog at the library listed either jargon-laden textbooks for full-time piano technicians or biographies of musicians long since dead.

Then in 1987, Larry Fine, a piano technician from Boston and long-time columnist for Keyboard Magazine, published The Piano Book.

It was a pioneering effort. The piano-loving public finally got what it had long needed: a comprehensive and user-friendly reference book written expressly for the piano shopper and owner.

The Piano Book opens with an explanation of how pianos work (both verticals and grands), accompanied by outstanding hand-drawn illustrations.

The chapter "Buying a New Piano" talks about piano construction and the all-important difference between marketing and engineering. This will help you separate sales jargon from meaningful design enhancements.

Fine discusses used pianos, their inspection and purchase, which companies built pianos worth searching for today, what repairs are commonly needed and the associated costs.

But the book's most important (and controversial) section is Chapter 4, "A Consumer Guide to New and Recently Made Pianos." It contains reviews of pianos from approximately 75 manufacturers, based on 1,100 surveys submitted by 45 piano technicians.

It begins with a caution about the survey's limitations and an overview of the piano industry worldwide. Reviews and histories of 44 of the major piano manufacturers and approximately 30 smaller companies are next. Incorporating information from the survey, Fine describes strengths and weaknesses of each company's product line, and the suitability of particular models for buyers of various abilities and budgets.

The book also contains practical information on piano moving and storage, a glossary and a description of piano tuning and servicing that will enable you to intelligently discuss the myriad tasks your piano technician performs on your piano.

In an effort to stay current with changes in the piano industry, Fine plans to revise and update editions every three or four years. The fourth edition, with a new survey, was released in 2001.

The Piano Book succeeds at many different levels, due largely to Larry Fine's prodigious writing skills and the clarity of Douglas R. Gilbert's excellent illustrations. It would be a valuable addition to the library of anyone with an interest in pianos, whether they're a beginner with no previous musical experience or an experienced professional piano technician.

If you're shopping for a piano, The Piano Book is indispensable for sorting out conflicting sales claims and could save you many dollars. And if you already own a piano, it will deepen your appreciation of its complexity and propel you to play with renewed enthusiasm and wonder.

The Piano Book by Larry Fine is available from Brookside Press, P.O. Box 178, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130. (800) 545-2022.  The web site for the book is www.pianobook.com.