My last teacher gave me no sympathy at all when I complained about his piano. He rightly said I have to learn to adjust to any instrument because I can't carry mine around in a case over my shoulder.

I know just what you mean. My teacher's Steinway has heavier action than mine and I never play my best for her.

My last teacher gave me no sympathy at all when I complained about his piano. He rightly said I have to learn to adjust to any instrument because I can't carry mine around in a case over my shoulder.

The professional pianists who give recitals at Mannes in NYC are often given several hours of practice time on the piano they will use even though it's a Steinway D, a model which they've probably played many times. Same with the recitalists at Carnegie Hall. And when a pro plays a concerto he gets to rehearse with the orchestra on the piano he'll be using(and may very well rehearse by himself on that piano also).

My teacher has a Steinway from Russia...

I accompanied once on an old clunker with no middle D. I nearly swore out loud.

Most of the pianists on this thread aren't professionals who are going to "perform" very much except maybe at their teacher's recital. So I think the argument saying "What are going to do when you perform, take your piano with you?" is too severe.

Perhaps the teacher can agree to let the student warm up on their piano for 10 minutes? This may be of some help.

The professional pianists who give recitals at Mannes in NYC are often given several hours of practice time on the piano they will use even though it's a Steinway D, a model which they've probably played many times. Same with the recitalists at Carnegie Hall. And when a pro plays a concerto he gets to rehearse with the orchestra on the piano he'll be using(and may very well rehearse by himself on that piano also).

At the piano competitions at Mannes, once the field is down to a small number of contestants, they are also given practice to get used to the piano.

Of course, for a student taking a lesson the reality is that usually there would be little or no time to warm up. But I don't think that this should mean one shouldn't be sympathetic to the difficulties of adjusting to a new piano.

I was not unsympathetic as I gave means of solving this problem. I said that to explain that *every* pianist has this problem when they perform unless they perform in their home.

It is best to focus on the solution, and not the problem.

Yes, but my point was that professional pianists giving recitals or concerto performances often don't have the problem because they are given ample time to practice on the piano they will play. And amateurs usually don't do that much performing, if any.

I also think the main problem in adjusting to a new piano is not an aural but a physical one of the fingers getting used to the feel of the piano. After playing a fairly heavy Mason A for a year, I began rehearsing for a musical on a digital. It was incredibly hard to control for the first half hour because I was going from a heavy action to a very light one.