Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum teacher who doesn't take care of her piano - what to do?

Right. But your examples don't follow the discourse being quoted and discussed. Context.

Then what did Wavelength mean by "... playing a bad piano sometimes prepares you to play on all the imperfect instruments that you will encounter, including your own"? He was talking about substandard instruments you encounter, and sometimes you have no choice about encountering them. If you want to play the piano, that is. I know it's not quite the situation of the OP, but neither (apparently) is the piano belonging to the OP's teacher a "bad" one, just (probably) poorly maintained.

Your question was why would you want to even touch a bad piano? - my answer was that there are many situations where it's the lesser of two evils, the greater being not playing. It seems the OP's situation is just this, as he actually likes his teacher and values her instruction.

On the necessity of we teachers maintaining our pianos well, there's no disagreement from me.

I just feel that if your attitude as a pianist is that you will only play the best and scorn anything else, you will miss a lot of musical opportunities. I kind of pride myself on being able to make the best of a substandard piano. I'm not saying I seek them out.

I think that's a better way of putting it.

Get on her ass and tell her to fix it. That's totally unacceptable...If my teacher was holding lessons on a piano that was out of whack I would cut her faster than an umbillical cord. Who does that?

that didnt work on jersey shore!

Colourful language. But the original post was about how to approach the issue with the teacher. It might be your style to march up to the teacher and demand it be fixed otherwise you'll "cut her" etc etc, but I don't think it's the OP's style.

I have enough self control not to 'march up to the teacher and demand it be fixed' as you so claim, but i would certainly have a word with her about her neglected piano. Lets teach everyone to drive on a car with a bad alignment, a cracked axle and bad brakes....see how good they do.

Just fine, thanks. Now that I have a good car it's like a dream.

This reminds me of Beethoven's Broadwood piano: according to Reis, clumsy Beethoven had the habit of repeatedly knocking an inkwell into it. Johann Stumpff, visiting Beethoven, said of his piano, "The upper registers were mute, and the broken strings in a tangle, like a thorn bush whipped buy a storm."

Of course, Beethoven was deaf by that time, nevertheless, he was an active teacher, particularly of Czerny, who in turn was a teacher of Liszt and Leschetitzky.

But the teacher in question, above, is not Beethoven, so the logical conclusion is that: 1) the teacher is indifferent to the condition of the piano, or, 2) the teacher is living on the razor's edge of financial survival, is also mortified by the condition of her piano, but has only enough cash for immediate bills.

I would spring the question to the teacher, without animus, "I really enjoy studying with you, but this action is far too uneven - what has your piano technician said about regulating the action?" It is a fair question, and deserves a frank response in turn. If the piano is that bad, but the teacher that good, I would also ask her about conducting lessons on your own piano, and be willing to pay extra for the travel & time incurred by your teacher.

Jonathan, I like your approach. If no one says anything about the problem, it will not get resolved. But you don't have to be antagonistic to broach the subject of a badly maintained teaching instrument.

Beethoven was indifferent to more than that wind-whipped thorn bush. One memorable letter, written by a visiting aristocratic friend to another, mentioned, not only the extreme disorder of Beethoven's quarters, but also the stench of an unemptied chamberpot shoved under the piano.

Would you still take lessons?