Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Saerra's New Piano - pics

Well, it's here. I'm still a bit overwhelmed. And, a little worried that maybe I made a mistake, and should have listened better to *everyone* who warned me be patient and stop rushing.

Right this second, honestly, I don't love it. I'm sure part of it is that the room is not in good shape for a piano (no rugs or anything on the walls, kind of echoing in there). But even the feel... I just feel like, in the end, I was sick of shopping and didn't see anything better... and so here it is.

Totally my fault but it hasn't been such a great day.

I'm trying to keep in mind that most people don't start out with a dream piano, they get a good-enough piano to practice on, and as they go along, and save money, and hopefully improve they trade up... until they find something they do love.

So, I'm thinking, this is not a permenant piano, and trying to remember that that's ok. It will hopefully help me get better.

If I ever play it. Because right now, I don't want to! It's sooo loud, I need earplugs to play. (Or to hold the una corda pedal down. The entire time I'm practicing. Which is quite a challenge, since I've never actually used it previously.)

But, I'm hoping as I get the room in better shape that it improves, and I at least get used to it. I'm thinking... I don't love my car (and really the first year or so I had it, wanted to sell it and get something else), and I really do NOT love this house... but they function for me. So, that's what I'm hoping for. That the piano will function for me, until...

I know, this must be the most depressing "here's my new piano" post in the history of PW

OK... so let me see if I can get the pictures to work...

#1: Here's the piano coming out of the truck...
[img]http://dc147.4shared.com/img/132073522/a0e81022/outoftruck-sm.JPG?sizeM=3[/img]


#2 & 3: Shots of the piano in the house, before moving the furniture back...

[img]http://dc152.4shared.com/img/132074055/ead1e914/piano-sm.JPG?sizeM=3[/img]

[img]http://dc152.4shared.com/img/132073921/30fbb8fc/piano2-sm.JPG?sizeM=3[/img]


#4 - Here is the STUFFING I've put BEHIND the piano, in a first attempt to make easier to live with. I went out and bought three EXTRA FIRM king-size pillows, that are all side-to-side behind the pillow. On top of those are two extra throw pillows that needed replacing anyway.

This actually DID help, a tiny bit. So maybe there's hope.

[img]http://dc153.4shared.com/img/132074384/2a3e1996/stuffing-sm.JPG?sizeM=3[/img]


#5 - The Schimmel name thing, because I know you guys like to see these pics I'm not sure why it looks slightly speckled in the photo I didn't notice anything odd in person.

[img]http://dc152.4shared.com/img/132074180/2ed709e1/schimmel-sm.JPG?sizeM=3[/img]


#6 - And, here's my living room. You see why I say it's kind of empty and bad for sounds. No rugs or pictures. This is looking out from the connected dining area. Please forgive the random pile of papers on the table some is piano-related, but there's a huge pile of recipes that I was trying to sort through, and just abandonned at one point!

[img]http://dc147.4shared.com/img/132073413/fd001940/lr-sm.JPG?sizeM=3[/img]


#7: And last but not least, here's my wonderful little Yamaha P120 digital upstairs in the office. On the left is the sheet music device that Monica discovered awhile back at Office Depot... and it's all set up with those little tv trays so I can pile music up, or sit and try to compose And the fun pics above were from a Mellow Mushroom calendar (free!) a few years ago, that I ripped out and threw in cheap frames.

Much love for my little digital!
[img]http://dc147.4shared.com/img/132073284/b62b4b18/digital-sm.JPG?sizeM=7[/img]

*Phew* That's the news from here. The store called this afternoon to make sure everything was ok, and I haven't called back, because I was feeling rotten, and they've been great all along, so I didn't want to call them up and sound like I was feeling rotten So I need to figure this out. But hopefully, as I said, it will at least be work-able, once I make the room a little more piano-friendly.

Thanks, hope you enjoy the pics...
-saerra

PS: Ohhh no! The pictures didn't show up? I'm not sure what I did wrong?

I can see them if I click on them, don't know why they aren't embedded. Did you get the instructions for putting up photos? I'll send over.

Don't despair! Your room is bare compared to some, so maybe a small carpet and a wall hanging should be in the offings for this weekend. Also, acoustic tile behind is worth a shot as well...

You poor thing. I am sure that you will get it to a place where it is working for you. It's a great piano, and I would bet that any larger acoustic would sound loud in there. Don't beat yourself up, just go rug shopping see what you can do. I wonder if the corner would be good, maybe you DO want to lose some of that sound. I also wonder if it would help to simply pull it a bit further from the wall. It looks super close.

I bet your tech will have some good pointers. Mine had amazing ideas about using decorative cloth panels on the ceiling. Ended up being unnecessary, but I was sort of excited by the idea since it had great aesthetic potential.

Hang in there-and keep bumping this thread til you get enough info to help fix the positioning!

From http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/forums/15/1/FAQ%20-%20Piano%20Forum.html
************************************************
http://www.pianoworld.com/Uploads/fileuploader2.html

Directions are provided on the fileuploader page. Look for the e-mail and copy/paste the exact URL it sends you into the new message.

you will also receive an email containing the link information. You can pretty much assume your picture will be at: http://www.pianoworld.com/Uploads/files/
followed by the name of your file.

To post pictures in a forums thread...

* You need to either have started a new thread, or use the Full Reply.
* Simply click the "IMAGE" button (bottom of right hand list of buttons under the text box), then copy and paste the Full URL pointing to your picture.
* Be careful not to have any space between the IMG tags, and make sure you only have one http:// in the URL
* The picture should appear in your message, wherever you were when you clicked the Image button.

Thanks to Clef for showing me where the heck these were!

CLICK-FREE


Saerra, beautiful piano. I'm sure it will sound terific in that setting especially with the wood floors. The room is on the bright side so play very gently and it will reward you with goose bumps!

Saerra it looks great. Don't despair! Your room is way too bare so of course it sounds very loud. Add some rugs especially underneath. Cover the walls with artwork or some kind of tapestry. Try putting a comforter over the piano until you get used to the sound. One thing about uprights - the sound comes directly back at the player, unlike a grand where the sound rises up toward the ceiling.

Don't hesitate to call the dealer and explain why you are disappointed. Dealers are very dependent on word of mouth recommendations. They want you to be happy, so call!. Any reputable piano dealer will offer you suggestions on how to deal with the the volume.

You might also consider getting the hammers voiced. Hard hammers will make the tone loud and bright. It can even sound harsh. A piano technician can soften the hammers making a huge difference and giving it a more mellow tone.

Of course, your new piano will sound louder and more resonant than your old digital. The sounds are being produced by live vibrating strings not electronics. This difference will take some getting used to. You can't move a dial to turn down the volume. You've got to use your hands.

You might want to think about welcoming the new piano as an intimate friend rather than a usurper of your old digital. I'm serious here. Caress the case. Look at and touch it lovingly. Think of all the hours of pleasure you will get from it. Just think how much your technique will develop on a "real" piano! Every piano, whether it is yours or someone else's, takes getting used to. Give it some time.

saerra,
First of all, she's a beauty! It's no wonder you fell for her. Thanks for the pictures.

Now, go to Home Depot or Lowes today, yes today - don't put it off - and pick up a cheap 9' X 12' rug or two. For about $100 you can add enough sound absorption to make a real difference in the sound. For a couple hundred you can get to a point where it will sound like it did when you were trying her out.

I have noticed when I was trying out new pianos that quite a few of the new uprights have practice felts that are set with the center pedal. Does she have one? That could also help.

Finally, I agree with Deborah - call your dealer and let them know the issues you have with the piano. They may come up with some solutions that we haven't recommended.

Please let us know your progress.
Woody

Hi Saerra--

Congratulations! You're definitely not the only person who has had trouble adjusting to a new piano, even if it's a really, really nice one. I had someone tell me the same thing when they got their Steinway home. It's easy to have a build up of excitement beforehand and then worry that it's not meeting your expectations.

My Yamaha U-3 is really loud, and I used the pillows behind it, a rug under it and a large stuffed sofa in the room to soften it. The thing I finally understood was that no matter what I did to the room, it would always be louder than my spinet. It also had a much, much fuller sound and could play FF and pp in a way I could never get out of my spinet. It took a little time to get used to, but now when I go play that spinet (it's at a friend's house), I can't believe I missed it in the least!

I also suggest that you don't play the digital for awhile. I really think that if you do some acoustic adjusting to your room (everyone has to do this; you're not alone here) and play it as often as you played your digital, you'll get to the point where you revel in those complex sounds spilling out of the Schimmel and washing over you. It will be like being bathed in beautiful sounds--a physical feel to the sound that, once you get used to it, you'll really miss when you go back and play the digital.

Nancy

Saerra,
I think she's gorgeous! As you might have guessed I'm a sucker for shiney black pianos. I love the solid legs with real functional wheels. Mine has dainty little toothpick legs that might break off if I'm not careful. I also like the European style music desk that doesn't strain your neck the way most American ones do. I think 47" is in the end going to be a great size for a home upright. It will give you solid tone over the whole keyboard without the size and even greater volume of a grand. I also love the padded bench.

I ditto all those who said you can get the volume under control. It's much easier to soften a room than to harden it. Floor rugs, wall rugs, drapes, book cases, furniture, even sound absorbing panels can be used. I would, however, shy away from messing with the Schimmel factory voicing too much, except as a last resort.

I certainly understand piano buyer's remorse -- I've had it twice in the past two years. With the Walter I worked through it by reminding myself I was developing skill and control that was far greater than I could have done on the DP alone. In fact, my biggest "growth spurt" ever was probably the month after I bought it. With the Yamaha there was much less remorse, because I always knew I could sell it for at least what I paid, but even so, when I first got it home and heard how muffled and out of tune it sounded in the corner of a carpeted room, I was quite disappointed.

Now I am very happy with my pianos, and I suspect that over time you will be too -- but that said, if you are truly unhappy and believe you can't resolve the problem, now is the time to deal with it. It's possible the dealer would take it back minus the delivery charge. In a few weeks that probably won't be possible.

I really hope it works out for you. Thanks for the pics and keep us posted!

saerra,
First of all, congratulations on your new piano and try not to worry: with some adjustments as recommended, you will soften the sound somewhat and come to love your Schimmel for everything it will bring you. I had the same issues with my Schimmel upright, several years ago- it was also on a wood floor in a room that had a definite lack of sound-absorbing materials. There were area rugs, but initially nothing under the piano. Curtains were (still are) thin, and the other furniture consists of our dining room set- hard wooden table and chairs, hutch- no wonder the lovely sound I had heard in the dealer's showroom was now loud and harsh. (Of course, in the dealer showroom, the piano was out in the open, not against a wall, and the floor was completely carpeted.)

Over time, I made some adjustments that helped somewhat: we put a small rug (or, a scrap of a rug) directly underneath the piano; also the technician cut some acoustic foam and fitted it directly into the back of the piano. The hammers were voiced as well. All these changes did help, but to be honest: I practiced almost exclusively with the middle pedal (the practice pedal) depressed and clicked to the left. (You don't have to hold it down continuously, it locks into place.) This definitely softened the sound to a point where it was bearable and pleasant. On those rare occasions when I played for company, I would release the pedal and play at full throttle- but for practice, down it went.

It was a wonderful piano for developing technique (I was upgrading from a spinet), and I have no regrets. But eventually the itch to get a grand with a mellower sound was overwhelming, and just last January we turned in the Schimmel for a Yamaha C2- which has a very warm and mellow tone, despite being probably just as "loud" or louder. It has never sounded harsh to my ears. We did get a larger area rug to fit directly under the piano, but otherwise nothing has changed in that room. The sound opens to the long end of the room as opposed to a wall- that probably makes a difference too.

I would have posted pictures of my new piano, but I had the same problem as you did initially: I followed the instructions to the letter, but got no further than posting the link to the picture. I couldn't get the picture itself to "embed", no matter what I did. This proved to be a roadblock that I couldn't get around, and it's one of my weaknesses that I'm not blessed with the patience to keep trying when it comes to computer roadblocks! So I gave up. Maybe I'll try again.

You will adjust to your new piano and, as others have said, will come to appreciate what it can deliver- the greater nuances of sound, and the unique "Schimmel" touch and feel which is totally lacking on a digital. Give it a chance! But know that eventually, when you upgrade to a grand, it is possible to go in the more mellow direction.

It must be incredibly difficult to get a mellow, soft sound from an upright, given that they are typically placed against a wall-?

Saerra,
Beautiful piano!
I am sure after the hectic day you had yesterday, today will be much more enjoyable. Have fun getting aquainted with your new piano. I would try the back angled to the corner with a rug underneath to see if this improves your perception. As others have said, you do have a very live room, but I am sure you can get it under control. There is a very good article in the online edition of the "Piano Buyer"

How to Make a Piano Room Sound Grand

When we moved into our new home I had all sorts of issues with the acoustics and ended up rotating my piano 180 degrees from where I thought it would sound best. Don't be afraid to explore positions.
Good luck!

Naw.... THIS was the most depressing piano delivery post in the history of PW:



Saerra, I am so sorry your big piano move-in day was disappointing. But I agree with the others: Don't despair. Yet. A few changes to the room may make a world of difference. Go over to bluekeys' "Walter vs. Yammie" thread and listen to the recordings of his new grand on a carpeted floor vs. a noncarpeted floor to get a sense of just how dramatic a difference the room acoustics can make.

I think there is also some truth to the observation that it takes a while to get used to the in-your-face sound of an acoustic.

So, take a deep breath, add some wall tapestries, bookcases, rigs, whatever to the room, and play it for a couple of days, and go from there.

I know it's been said already but don't panic!

If you have been playing a digital for some time then the full sound from the Schimmel will take some getting used to. It's a powerful piano and my 120 is exactly the same. My music studio is smaller than your living room and I have tamed the sound by putting some nice thick material over and down the back which is also tucked into the lid at the front. It also means I can stand things on top of the piano without damaging the finish. Makes a good difference to the sound and just takes the edge off the extreme frequencies. I think you could also place a rug directly underneath the piano and get some artwork up on the walls.

When your tech comes ask about voicing the hammers or call the store and talk to them about this.

When you get used to the sound you will find that it is a fabulous little instrument and the variety of tone and nuance you can get out of it is incredible.

saerra, congratulations on your new piano. I know you will iron out your loudness issues by getting more soft and/or irregular surfaces into that room. It's a beautiful instrument.

I bet that company changed it's name and painted it's van quickly. That is sickening.

Hi I didn't follow the whole conversation while you were looking for a piano so I'm not sure what you were playing before, perhaps a digital?

I LOVE the look of this piano, the tall black glossy upright. I think it's really lovely.

No doubt the lack of carpets and not too much furniture make the piano sound louder and let's face it acoustics are just loud!

When you get your post move tuning, you can have the technician regulate it in various ways to soften the sound.

Often pianos are regulated to a very bright sound because that is what most people want. I don't know how much of a budget you have...I'm assuming it came with one tuning in the home, maybe you can talk the seller into paying for a regulation.

Hi -

Thanks everyone, all the advice and tips have been very helpful, and have given me a sense of hope It looks like I've got some shopping and decorating ahead of me though, not really my strengths.

I've got a ton of questions about softening up the room... I'd love to hear any advice/info here, thanks!

- Has anyone ever seen a "flokati" rug (fluffy wool rug from Greece)? They look nice in pictures, but I haven't seen them up close. Would these be ok for helping with the sound?

- How about canvas prints on the walls, rather than tapestries?

- What types of stores usually carry "acoustic tile"? Is this something I could find at a Home Depot/Lowes, or is it a speciality item?

- Would it look *weird* to put a curtain rod above the piano, and have heave curtains that fall to the sides of the piano (and maybe some light sheers that fall behind it)? I don't really have any windows in the room... so no curtains. Just not sure if it would look terrible to "highlight" the piano with it's own set of curtains!?

- Is it possible to put a small scrap of rug under the piano in such a way as it's not visible - so it doesn't extend, particularly out from the front by the pedals? Or will this make the piano lean and cause problems?


re: All the other comments...

- It does have a practice pedal! I loved it in the store, and wanted to use it all the time, but the dealer mentioned that might hurt my technique. (Chardonnay did you feel like practicing with the pedal hurt your technique or "touch" - it doesn't like it did?)

Right now though, using the p-pedal sounds weird, kind of like you're underwater. Again, I assume it's the weird room acoustics.

The una corda pedal does sound great though... but it's uncomfortable for to hold down throughout an entire song (I've never used it before and am not used to the positioning).

I'm tempted to see if they can just adjust the piano to have it permanently in the una-corda position

- re: taking it back

I've thought about this, but it doesn't make sense. I think you are all right - it's the room - and any piano I bring in will sound awful until I get the acoustics adjusted some. Heck, even just standing in there talking can sound echo-ey (certainly did when I had all the chairs pushed into a corner to make room for the piano).

So it's probably not fair to blame the piano. Though I do worry that I will never get it to a decent volume for "shared walls" in the townhouse... I will try to the room adjustments, and then talk to the tech when he comes out for the tuning if that doesn't help. I'm sure being there and seeing the layout, he'll be able to give me better tips...

I'm also a little worried... when people tell me to try playing gently, or that this will give me more dynamic range... when I try to play quietly, I get *nothing*. There seems to be a big spot between "no sound" and a pretty aggressive sound, and I'm having trouble finding the "quiet" spot in between. Maybe this is something the tech can adjust for? The action also feels very *light* (lighter than the digital) - so if there's any way to tighten that up, I think that would be helpful... I feel like I need some resistance to work with...

- re: trying different positions - this looks hard! The delivery guys warned me that if I roll/push the piano, I will likely damage the floors... (I'm going tomorrow to buy caster cups to help protect the floors as well.)

- blankets/covering - Chris - what type of material do you use to cover your piano? My teacher also suggested throwing a blanket over it... this may be great for sound, but I think will look odd for my living room I'm wondering if there's a nicer looking solution...

fitting foam into the back sounds helpful though!

Huge thanks to everyone... for the great advice and encouragement and tips!

Technically, your piano (like most uprights) probably has a "soft pedal" and not an "una corda" pedal. The difference is a soft pedal moves the hammers closer to the strings so they don't strike as hard; an una corda pedal (which usually only grands have) shifts the hammers to the side, so they only strike one string.

That's probably good news for you, because the soft pedal can be adjusted so the hammers are always closer to the strings and you don't have to hold down the pedal. On my Walter it's a simple wingnut adjustment that I can do myself without calling the tech. I bet if you ask the dealer he can tell you how to do it over the phone.

Once you get the room softened and get more used to the piano you can adjust it back if you want.

I don't know why I didn't think of that earlier, since that's what I did for a while when I first got mine.

As for getting a rug that just fits under the piano, you could probably get a carpet remnant dirt cheap from a carpet store. Personally, I think a 4X6 rug with part sticking out would look fine, but I'm no designer either. In any case, I think a rug under the piano is going to make one of the biggest differences.

It sounds like you're making peace with the piano, and I'm happy to hear that.

I hope you will come to like your new piano more.

I have an Estonia 190 in a small room, and it is very bright and loud in there. I finally had the tech voice it last year, and that helped somewhat. This past spring, I had a bout of sudden hearing loss in one ear, and music sounded horrible but I still wanted to play the piano, so I closed the piano up completely, covered it with two quilts, and put the music desk on top. Even after my ear healed, I kept it that way.

As far as decorating goes, you can get a piece of wall-to-wall carpet cut to any size and bound, or just buy a remnant that is already bound. These are usually very inexpensive. Or you could get several smaller area rugs. Covering the floor will help the most with the loudness.

Playing softly is more difficult and requires more muscle control than playing loud. You are probably used to being able to really pound the digital. With practice, you will get used to the feel of a real hammer hitting real strings and will learn to control it. Perhaps if you try to visualize what is happening technically when you depress a key, it will help.

Good luck!

saerra, a flokati rug looks like shag carpeting on steroids. They collect a crudload of dust, and they are really hard to vacuum since the long yarns get caught in the brush roller of the vacuum cleaner.

Canvas prints should help. Anything on the walls will help to some degree. As strange as it sounds, a bookshelf full of books can really make a difference. The irregular surfaces of the books helps to deflect the soundwaves.

You might find acoustic tiles in a really well stocked music specialty store, but most likely you'd need to order them online.

The curtains - hmmm . . . that might not look so bad. It could be kind of cool.

I would think the tiny piece of carpet just under the piano would not be a good idea. I'd worry about leveling issues should a corner slip off the carpet. It's unlikely to fall over, though. Hey, maybe you could cut the carpet piece a bit smaller than the piano so that the casters aren't actually sitting on the carpet.

Schimmels do have a reputation for brightness. Bright pianos are generally perceived as louder by most people even though they may not actually be. The lack of ability to play softly is probably just due to the fact that you are accustomed to playing the digital. It could be, though, that the action was not regulated properly as part of the dealer's prep process.

It's actually a lined curtain which I made to fit the size of the piano. You can see where it tucks into the lid and goes down the back. Big difference in brightness.

I think it looks okay and I am hopeless at anything to do with textiles and furnishings!

For the rug I would go with a standard 6x4 as well. Yes it will extend in front of the piano but it won't look odd. It gives enough room to place your piano stool on it and the stool would not mark the floor.

Chris,
That looks like a good solution to me... and you could have different colors to match the decor.

For me it's functional and I'm not too fussed about how it looks. If you wanted to you could pick out some nice fabrics and make it look really cool!

As you can see I also have a habit of putting things on top of the piano and if I didn't have it covered I'm sure it would pick up a lot of scratches.

Saerra, why not fold a thick blanket or curtain and just throw it over to get an idea of how the sound changes? If you like it then you could look for fabrics to make a neater job.

Congratulations on your wonderful piano!!! I’ll bet it sounds as good as it looks!!!

Take care,

Rick

Well, number one, Saerra, pull yourself together. No need to accuse yourself of shopping poorly and settling for just any old piano, because we watched your process and you did everything right. So, be fair to yourself; you did well.

Number two, you are not stuck with what you have, if it turns out you really don't like it. The seller will, very likely, make an exchange for something else and may even cancel the sale, if it comes to that. You will have to pay for return shipment and possibly a re-stocking charge. But if you really want out, you can get out.

Number three, you picked a nice instrument by a good maker. Your prospects for being happy together are good.

Number four, you won't know what it really sounds like until it settles after shipment, is tuned and regulated, and possibly, is voiced to your music room. Unless you live in a showroom, it's bound to sound different when you get it home. Allowing for the acoustic factor is one of the big problems facing piano shoppers.

Number five and last, voicing the room is inexpensive and can help you a lot. You've already had excellent advice, so I'll add one that I didn't see: a 4"- to 6"-thick foam piece the size of your piano's back, put between it and the wall, will really cut down on the sound volume. Try the Yellow Pages; a foam dealer will cut it to size for you. You don't need acoustic foam from a specialty house.

I think a curtain behind the piano might look nice--- I did it, and it helped. Couches, bookcases, and yes, canvas pictures for the walls--- it will all help drink up some of the excess volume and break up the excessive reflected sound energy, or diffuse it.

Think twice before you do anything radical with hammer voicing or setting the soft pedal to a permanently-depressed position (which will throw an upright out of regulation). The piano adapts itself to you over time, as the felts compact and the moving parts get broken-in. So, it's too soon to jump into doing much to the hammers. Find a good technician, and tune it four times the first year; that, too, takes time to stabilize, and being a little out of tune can make it sound more harsh than it should, to a sensitive ear.

I feel very confident that you are going to be happy, and that you'll come to realize that you did a great thing for yourself. Do the easy and reasonable things that are within reach, and see if it helps (including, of course, talking to the seller and examining your sales contract). And take a deep breath and realize that life these days is about choices; that's both the good and the bad news. If you choose something and it doesn't work out for you, you can choose something else. I can see that there are a lot of people here who are wishing you the very best--- including me.

I just did a google search for foam and within a couple of minutes found a company (in the UK) who will cut it to size for you. I typed in the measurements of the Schimmel and the quote came out at £75. I think this would work if you didn't want to use a curtain, in fact I might go for this solution myself.

Thanks Jeff

When I had my acoustic upright I held down the Una Corda ALL the time for practice, never took my foot off of it. It was just too loud, and in our current house, we have concrete painted floors and a pretty open floor plan.

It didn't hurt my technique.

I have a feeling you're going to get use to the volume, as long as your neighbors do...

You could probably put a makeshift piano cover on it, and it's a good opportunity for you to learn to play pianissimo!

I think you should post on the piano tuner/technician forum and ask them what would be involved in regulating the piano.

You really can dramatically change the sound of a piano in a number of ways, well not you, but a technician.

Have you asked the seller if he will pay for the regulation?

Hi saerra,



someone already suggested some voicing of the hammers might help - this statement of yours seems to support that.
(When I tried some uprights in a store there was one on which I could not get any dynamic shadings at all, it was just loud. The dealer acknowledged it needed voicing)

Good luck and give your beautiful new instrument some credit - hope the two of you will fall in love eventually.

I would agree with Jeff that it's probably a bit early to be thinking about voicing and regulation. Wait until you have your first tuning and ask the tech for their opinion. Things like getting no sound when playing really gently could simply be the adjustment from a digital to an acoustic. It sounds obvious but you need to generate enough speed for the hammer to hit the string and most digitals are far more forgiving.

Live with it for a bit so you get used to the sound and feel. Do all the cheaper stuff with room treatment first of all.

Thanks everyone, the advice here has been tremendously helpful, and I am starting to adjust to the piano, little by little

And, I've now got tons of ideas for the room... I'm not a great decorator, so my work is cut out for me, but I think in the end alot of the changes will make the room more pleasant overall, not just for piano playing.

And - yes - I will work on the room first, before I mess with the piano It sounds like there's alot of room for improvement by adding rugs/curtains/pictures, which will be fairly easy, and not risk damaging the piano at all.

I haven't scheduled the first tuning yet - but I think it should happen in about month, so plenty of time to experiment.

- Bluekeys - thanks for the correction. I knew the pedal worked differently on the upright, didn't realize it had a whole different name too! I did talk to the dealer today and mentioned this, but he said if I change it, I should have everything regulated, since permanently moving the action's "rest" position would affect the feel... so I'll hold off until I see how the room changes work.

- Chris H.- The picture was awesome, thank you for posting it. It helped me understand what people are doing, I was imagining a much thicker, fluffier comforter (which would look odd). What you did looks very discrete and elegant!

Jeff Clef- Thanks for all the very sound advice and practical-ness Do you think one of those foam mattress toppers would work? I think they're pretty easy to find around here, and (maybe?) easy to cut...

TX-Dennis- Thanks for the warnings on the flotaki! I may end up regretting it... but I'm still feeling really drawn to these rugs I may have to just get a smaller one.

Thanks everyone! I'm feeling much better about the piano... though it might take me awhile to implement all the room changes I want to do now...

Saerra,

We have tile floors and a very open floor plan, in a small townhouse. The whole downstairs is basically one big room (living/dining/kitchen). Our piano is very loud in there too if played opened clear up. I have pets and despise carpet so I have tried other things to make the sound nice. Some day if I find one cheap I'm getting a nice round snazzy looking dog bed (they make them in really pretty fabrics)...I figure about a 3 foot round one will fit under the piano. The dog and cats sleep on anything I put under there anyway might as well get a pet bed

One thing we did was to go to World Market and buy a tapestry/drape rod, some rings with clasps for hanging textiles, and a multicolored woven area rug. We put the clasps on the rug and hung it up on the wall next to the piano. It hangs out a little from the wall so if you wanted to put acoustic panels behind that, it would give even more sound deadening. A matching or similar rug under the piano would look nice and probably go along way to helping the situation.

Bookcases about the same height as the piano on either side, filled with your music and other books and other cool stuff would also be a big help. You can get cheap ones and paint them black to match the piano.

Chris H.--What a great idea. I'm glad you posted the picture, because I couldn't visualize it either.

Saerra--My carpet scrap is almost the exact size of the piano footprint, so it goes under the wheels. The carpet plus Chris' comforter idea would be a huge help, I bet.

You heard right about the wood floors and rolling a piano around; we have grooves in the floor from my not believing that would really happen. After that experience, we put corrugated cardboard on the floor, and that kept the dents from occurring.

Glad it's getting better!

Nancy

Rather than buy something like a mattress topper I would go to a specialist like:

www.twfoam.co.uk

I know this is UK but there will be the same thing where you live.

If you measure the back of the piano and order foam which is a couple of inches under that size by maybe 4" thick you could sandwich it between the piano and the wall and it wouldn't really be visible.

With my large upright on a hardwood floor I use acoustical panels from Lowes's or Menards. I place 2 of them behind my piano just propped against the wall about 4 inches from the soundboard. They are inexpensive and a perfect solution to a powerful piano like mine. You can get either 1 inch or 1/2 inch thick (2 x 4's) yellow/white sided panels.

Check out the acoustic panels this guy made for his drum room:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lc0BjFHoA8

Here's more info. I might try something like that for the room where I moved the grand.

http://www.atsacoustics.com/item--Owens-Corning-703-Case-of-6--1004.html

Thanks! I'm now actively shopping, I promise It's a bit exhausting with everything else going on though, so it might take awhile for me to get it all in place...

ProdigalPianist - thanks for the tip. We have a World Market near here too I think, I will check them out.

Nancy - perfect, thanks! So the rug fits just under the wheels, and the bench is NOT on it, right? I think that's exactly the setup I'd like too!

Chris - thanks, I'm going to go look at the website and see if I can find anything similar near here. I don't think I've ever heard of a foam specialist (!) but apparently, they're out there!

Joan - thanks! I tried HomeDepot, but they stopped carrying the acoustic tiles. There's a Lowes near here, cross your fingers that I have better luck there!

Thanks Bluekeys, I will look to see what they did!

Lots of ideas now... now I wish I could get some time off work and just focus on "fixing" up the house!

saerra

I fit a rug under my upright by cutting around the legs -- it took the edge off the brightness and does not show at all. I tried it out first by sliding small scatter rugs under the piano -- sat on the bench and shoved them in and out with my feet to see if they made a difference -- they did. And I tried them stacked (for thickness) and single -- each way made a difference.

You have been given many great suggestions. I'm certain that both piano and space will make peace -- and beautiful music -- together very soon.

Saerra,

I asked for "ceiling tiles" when I went to our Lowes' store. They have them but only sell them in full boxes. Our Menard's store was willing to let me buy them individually.

When I first discovered how well they work, I asked about the very expensive acoustical tiles that are designed for music studios and professional sound proofing areas, and got the advice that these are the very same product. They cost only a fraction of those that are marketed as acoustical tiles.

Maybe you have lots of friends with upright pianos to share a full box with.

Hi Retread! So, even though your wheels were not on the rugs, they still helped? Hmm interesting... I was thinking I was going to need to get help moving the piano on to the rugs... Thanks!

Joangolfing - Oh! Thank you, that will make it much easier to find them I'm sure!

Yes. The rugs helped even though the wheels were not on them. And you cannot see the rug at all -- my husband did a dandy job of cutting carefully around the piano's "footprint."

There is a rug in the room but it's an area rug and it's framed by the hardwood floor.

This could be a whole new subject for HGTV!

Cool, thanks Retread! Sounds like your husband is very handy and helpful!

And, yes, I think this is an untapped niche! Especially combining the visual aspect (I don't want my acoustic "improvements" to make the house look awful!) with the acoustic parts

I haven't read anything after your first post...just SOOOO depressing!!!!

Why don't you at least call the shop and let them know the piano arrived OK?? At least put them out of their misery. That's one tick off your list. Gees, just get on with it and play that sexy black beast. You cannot play any worse than I so REJOICE!!

Let out the music in you!!!!!!Or even play some good disco and dance!!!!!