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Hi

I have just purchased my first piano. I am so excited for it to arrive. Should be here next week. It is a Weber 6'1 grand piano with German scale.

I have a question for all.

I would like to protect the piano from dust etc. I also have little kids and they will most likely get their fingerprints on the piano. This is a polished ebony (very glossy). I dont have pets so I dont think I will have a problem with hair and scratches unless my kids get friendly with a fork or something, but I dont think they will do that.

I did some research in these threads and a product to polish the piano came up as a Cory brand of products. They sell a kit with cloths etc. I am thinking of getting this, and also three small dusters (red tips) for the soundboard - forgot the name brand of it.

I have carpet in the room , and want to hear how the piano will sound in this room. The room is approx 400 SF and the carpet ends with tile in the foyer. I might put in wood flooring if the sound is too muddy and the technician cannot liven it up.

I am wanting to protect the piano from dust and was wondering if a piano cover is worth the money? Do you used it oft and can you recommend a seller/dealer that sells piano covers?

All in all, I wish to take care of this piano as much possible and just want to make sure I am on the right track.

I welcome your input.

Dave

Hi Dave, welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your new piano! We love photos, so please post some when you get it delivered.

People have different philosophies about dust covers and the like. I'm in the school of thought that pianos are musical instruments that are meant to be used and enjoyed, and if that means dust, fingerprints, and the odd scratch or two, I don't get bent out of shape. So I personally wouldn't consider a piano cover to be essential. I would also point out that anything that makes it more difficult to get to the piano and play it might result in your playing it less, which would be a shame. Will you be as inclined to jot off a quick piece on your way to another room if you have to stop, take the cover off, fold it up, and then put the cover back on when you're done? I'm guessing not...

On the other hand, there is a school of thought that pianos are fine furniture in addition to musical instruments and one should care for them as the beautiful and expensive objects they are. And that's perfectly okay, too, although it wouldn't work in my household.

Way to much hassle unless you are going on a month long vacation,,, but then just use sheets.

I think they're worth having. I use mine for parties where the piano isn't going to play a role other than be a target for spilled drinks.

I also found it helpful when we were having new windows installed and the house was filled with dust. I even covered the piano cover.

Dust isn't only an aesthetic enemy. It is evil!

I'm with Monica, but I see kluurs's point about the cover being useful for non piano related gatherings and the occasional remodel.

By the way, I doubt a 6'1 piano will be too quiet in a 400 square foot room. My room is nearly 600 feet, and the little piano is only 5'5". It can be really loud in the space. I have tile rather than carpet, but then again, you have a larger piano and a slightly smaller room. I'll bet you'll be good to go. Oops, I forgot to say CONGRATULATIONS on your new piano! Enjoy!

In an institutional setting (school, church, auditorium, etc.) I think they are a necessity.

At home, it is entirely up to you.

If you don't like dust, get the cover! That is the best way to ensure your piano remains looking nearly new, many years down the road.

I would miss seeing the piano though... I guess you could enjoy it whenever you practice.

You might want to consider a very inexpensive cover.

Another option is to cover it with an artistic looking shawl. It is not quite as protective, but it does protect the piano a bit and it looks attractive enough to stay on the piano. If you have Victorian or antique furniture it would look quite nice.

How often do you get rain or dust storms in your house?

In my opinion, yes! I got myself a cover the first time my 2-y.o. son couldn't resist driving his little Thomas the Tank engine train around the nice shiny curves. I basically leave it on all the time, just folding it back enough to open the front and use the music desk. I rarely play with the lid up, but obviously when I do I take the cover off (my music room is small, and the sound is plenty loud enough without the lid up). I think it would be different if it was in a large and classy living room (we don't have one of those ) but in my studio setting this works well. I also have students and instrumentalists/singers coming in all the time, and they do tend to plonk their books on top of the piano, so it's good protection there too. I bought the cover from the shop where I bought the piano - it was about $80 but that's some years ago. My son is 18 now and doesn't drive his trains around any more - *sigh*.

People vary.

Some people want piano covers.
Some people don't.

Neither is wrong.
One solution never fits all.

Enjoy your piano, it is normal to be carefull but to put a cover on it is such a waste, it should look GRAND (not covered)

Enjoy your new piano, play on it everyday thta's what it is for!! :-)

When something is painted or done in the room put a sheet over it!

Everyone, Thanks for all the replies. It was refreshing to see the different replies and I thought about it.

I have decided to not buy a cover and just to get a microfiber rag or chamois to rub off those little fingerprints. I want my children to get into music and also realise by covering it up, that they might miss that opportunity.

I dont think that my children will be destructive, so I am going to take my chances. Plus as GC1Patrick mentioned I love the look of the grand:)

Thanks to all for your experiences. Each unique to their own.

I look forward sharing some pics with you and will need some input on where to place the piano as I am not the most aesthetic coordinator or furniture placer in the home:)

Thanks once again

Dave

Congratulations on your piano, studiomagic. I got a cover for my piano - and then of course the piano never came. So I will try again to get the piano, although now I have found a couple of other pianos I might also like but the cover won't fit them! I need to ask the manufacturer of the cover if I can swap for a larger model.....or just seek out the same model that I was supposed to get in the first place

I will want to cover it in the morning before I leave the house, on the day that my cleaning lady comes so she won't be tempted to clean the piano (off limits!). Also I go off frequently on business trips so will use it then, too. Haven't decided whether to worry about the cats walking all over it. Nothing in my house stays shiny and pristine for long so I will probably learn to overlook pawprints as long as the cats are not inside the piano (as per other threads).

Hi Dave,...

You may also want to stop by Wal-Mart and get a California Car Duster,... It makes dusting the piano very quick and painless

Regards,

Robert

Dave,

You probably don't "need" one, but depending on your personal circumstances, a cover may help from time to time.

If you will be gone for an extended period of time (even a long weekend), a cover keeps the sun and dust off. (The sheet idea probably works just fine too.) By the way, my RPT (a very good one) told me that dust on the strings, etc. is for the most part just a cosmetic issue, not a performance issue, and that an occasional cleaning/vacuuming (or blowing off) will suffice in keeping the instrument in tip top condition.

If (like our house) you are occasionally invaded by large numbers of boisterous adolescents whom you just can't trust to follow instructions that include: no rough housing around the piano, grandfather clock, etc., no drinks on the piano, etc., a heavy duty protective cover might provide some peace of mind. That (and to cover up over long times away) were the primary drivers of why I purchased mine.

While some people I know cover their piano prior to parties, I think a cover looks unsightly and a bit conceited, and I don't think I'd do that. I'd personally opt to have my piano just closed up (unless it is being played), and would probably put a note (or 2) on it that humorously but pointedly says "Put Your Drink On This and Suffer A Painful Death".

I suspect others would take "other" approaches . . . just my 2 cents.

I think it depends on how much dust you get in your house. I happen to live in a virtually dust free area and so have no need for a cover.

I love having my piano unencumbered and I can just sit down and play any time the mood strikes me.

I entertain quite a bit, and fortunately have never had a guest put a drink, or anything else on the piano. One friend takes the extra precaution of raising the lid of her piano to the lowest level to discourage anyone putting anything on it when she is entertaining.

The only problem I had was that,when I am away, my cat liked to sit on the top of the piano and look out the window. I solved that problem by keeping the blinds to that window shut when I am leaving the house. So now she has found another window to look out of, and my piano is safe,and she can enjoy the view.

Enjoy your piano and don't worry about a few fingerprints--they wipe off, or even a few hairline scratches. They may even make for an interesting patina. Gaby Tu

Congrats on the new piano!!! Very exciting. I'm very envious. I'm at the beginning of my search rather than the end.

I know I don't have experience in having a piano cover or not, however, I do think that if you have a beautiful instrument, you should keep it open and use it. Pull out a sheet when you need to protect it.

Dust isn't necessarily the enemy, as this absolutely true story will show:

A couple of years back, I was at a piano conference and Luiz de Moura Castro was playing an all Liszt recital, but ended with an encore performing Manuel de Falla's Ritual Fire Dance. He got to the part where there are several measures of repeated notes, played ffff. You know the spot.

I was sitting near the front and had an excellent view of the concert grand; the spot lights were shining focused and very brightly on the instrument and it gleamed! With the repeated pulses of ffff notes, an interesting thing happened. The piano began to smoke! I could barely contain myself as smoke was rising off the sound board as music climaxed. It was an ethereal effect and experience I shall not forget, ever.

Of course, the "smoke" was actually dust particles being bounced up, off the sound board, and then getting caught in the heat being generated by the spot lights, and slowly rising up out of the concert grand. What an awesome effect! The stage crew couldn't have engineered anything close to this, even if they had tried!

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By the way, my grand has stood open, full stick as they say, for ten years. Once a year, I lower the lid and give it a dusting, as well as the sound board, frame and strings. We just added a new HVAC to the house with electronic air filtering, so perhaps I can go longer between dustings. Who knows?

I never considered it seriously. I've always had cats, and furniture wouldn't stay pristine in my house even if I didn't.

I keep the lid down nearly all the time, but almost always leave the music stand up. I just push it back when not in use so that it shields the dampers and strings from inquisitive feline feet; the tuning pins are then exposed, but they have no interest in walking on them!

I used to fret about protecting my digital piano, and eventually bought a nylon cover for it. I'm careless about putting it on, though, and have learned that many digital owners consider it a non-issue, too.

Steven

Another advantage to a dust cover is the possibility of "house pollution". Cooking foods, such as frying, broiling etc, those activities will eventually after many years, settle on the bass strings and dull the sound as well as the copper. Having a dust cover and or a full piano cover with help ameliorate those problems.

A few months ago we had to get some plaster repair done in the piano room, so I put a quilt and a blanket on top of the piano to protect it. Then I actually liked the way it sounded better, so I've left them there. The room is very small (15 x 14), so the piano was very loud in there. Only the back part of the piano, not the music desk, is covered up. One of these days I may try to find a more attractive version, but this is functional.