There are only a few ways to keep the interior of a grand piano clean--- keep the lid and fallboard fully closed most of the time, forcefully blow the dust out regularly, or install a string cover. While a string cover can be extremely effective, there is some debate as to whether the felt material can actually act as a wick and absorb moisture from the air, thereby causing rust to develop on the strings. (This same question applies to the red felt punchings used on the hitchpins of older Knabe and some other grands. Do they lead to rust and premature string breakage at the hitch?).

I recently tuned a piano for a new customer who had his own unique approach to this problem While he told me he was quite diligent in blowing the dust out with his shop vacuum (on reverse), he wanted to limit the dust collecting in the piano in the first place, while causing no possible harm He took a piece of thin plexiglas (1/16") and cut it to fit the full width of the piano, from left rim to right rim, inserted under the music desk rails. The clear plastic sheet rested on the plate struts, extending from the stretcher in front, just to the resting lid prop stick. Besides being almost totally invisible, it kept the tuning pins and plate webbing, the damper heads, and the entire action and cavity totally spotless, without risking rust accumulation. His periodic use of his air blower kept the soundboard equally clean.

Next month's meeting will be our year-end dinner party, to be held on Tuesday evening June 10, 2008 at 7 p.m. at:

The full-course dinner is $38 per person (including tax and tip) with a cash bar. We hope everyone will plan to attend. Further details will appear in next month's newsletter. Please send your reservations/payment to our treasurer: