How to care for pianos and pianists

Years ago I gave a charity performance that became one of my most memorable—not because of the beauty of my playing or the enthusiasm of the audience, but because of the state of the piano. Tucked in a corner of a common room in a senior housing facility, the old upright hadn’t been approached by a piano technician for over a decade. Broken keys, a few dead notes, and an upper register so out of tune with the rest of the instrument that music spontaneously changed keys when I played high notes guaranteed that everything I played sounded like vaudeville.

Beautiful music is difficult to create on a poorly-maintained instrument. Anyone who commits to adopting an acoustic piano learns that it requires regular attention from a good technician to keep it sounding its best. But while passionate musicians know the value of maintaining their instruments, many of us forget the second part of the music-creating equation: the human component. Without our health and mobility, even the best-maintained piano can’t make music. This is why creating music is a partnership that asks us to take care of our pianos and ourselves.

The following suggestions aren’t one-size-fits-all solutions. They’re signposts—ones I hope will encourage you to find your own path to optimal instrument and personal health. Take what’s useful; discard what’s not. And got a tip for the rest of us? Share it in the comments.

Caring for the piano

Location

Acoustic pianos require stable temperatures and humidity levels to maintain proper tuning.This is why most technicians suggest placing pianos away from outside walls, heat sources, and windows. Find a nice inside wall, out of direct sunlight, and keep the room’s atmosphere as stable as possible.

Protection

The piano is not a shelf or a drink holder. Water destroys both the case and (if it gets inside the instrument) can destroy the mechanism of the piano itself. Place pictures, decorations, vases of flowers, cocktail glasses, etc. anywhere but on the piano.

Maintenance

Pianos need to be tuned by a professional technician at least once a year. If the piano gets lots of playing time, two tunings a year may be required. Yes it’s expensive, but it’s the only way to provide a beautiful playing experience and to protect the value of the instrument.

Caring for the pianist

Nutrition

I’m not going to bang on about one type of diet or another—after all, whenever the topic of nutrition enters conversation some bore weighs in on the benefits of a vegan/gluten-free/Paleo/Mediterranean/whatever diet with such born-again vigor that one desires to rush out and binge on coffee and a donut (with a side of bacon). That said, all of us know that poor nutrition destroys us and that diets high in sugar, unhealthy fats, and stimulants lead directly to a cornucopia of unpleasant health outcomes.

As stewards of our own bodies, it’s our responsibility to eat what nourishes us and to consume less of what compromises our health. What is best for me might be poison for you, which is why no one-size-fits-all fundamentalist approach to food works for everyone. When in doubt, it’s best to discuss options with one’s physician rather than making a wholesale adoption of whatever diet-of-the-month others are touting. Once we know what does or does not work well for our bodies, it’s easier to make healthy choices—even when we’re pushed for time.

Exercise

Playing the piano consists of sitting for hours at a time, which can lead to weight gain. In addition to added pounds, sitting too much has been shown to lead to diabetes, poor heart health, depression, dementia, and multiple cancers. Given the severity of these health threats it’s easy to see why doctors and health professionals always encourage us to exercise every day.

Exercise is like practicing—it’s a habit that’s easier to develop if we enjoy what we’re doing. Find a physical activity you love to do and, like practicing, schedule it into every day. This insures that it actually gets done. It helps to remember that exercise isn’t just about spending an hour a day working out. It can be sneaked into the nooks and crannies of one’s schedule. We can walk around for 10 minutes of every hour. We can run errands on foot rather than driving. Once we make the mental switch from trying to avoid moving to looking for ways to move more, we’ll see our activity levels rise without feeling we’re struggling to find time to do it.

Sleep

Years ago during a particularly busy time in my life I drove through a red light because my sleep-deprived brain couldn’t translate that red meant stop. Thankfully I emerged unscathed, but it was a sobering reminder that I needed to get more rest.

Marathon practice sessions, late night gigs, working too many days in a row—sometimes we’re so busy that it can feel like a good choice to cut back on sleep in order to meet our obligations. This may work for short periods of time, but eventually it affects our ability to function, both at the piano and in daily life.

Having a regular sleep schedule, creating restful bedrooms free of noise and electronic distraction, giving ourselves transition time before we try to sleep—these things help us rest more easily. For those struggling with insomnia, online resources such as this one from the Mayo Clinic offer guidance.

Mental health

Several weeks ago I joked with a friend that given the state of the world it’s surprising that everyone isn’t on anti-anxiety medication. For musicians who are hustling like mad to make a living in a difficult profession, anxiety and depression are very real concerns. I always think of it as the “never good enough” disease—one we fight every time we put ourselves or our music out into a world quick to judge or (perhaps worse) ignore.

The body and the mind are connected; what affects one affects the other. Diet, exercise, sleep—these things influence our emotions as much as our bodies, which is why one of the best things we can do to protect our mental health is to take better care of our physical selves. There can come a point, however, when even our best efforts aren’t enough. That’s when it’s time to seek help from professionals. As with diet and exercise, the solution that works for us is uniquely personal. There are those who recommend medication and those who tout talk therapy. Research all options with the help of a medical professional, and commit to the work that comes with make difficult changes.

Time Off

Ahhh, the joys of a day off. Waking naturally, lingering over a cup of coffee, spending the rest of the hours doing exactly what we want to do, unplugging from news, email, and social media, and (most importantly), not playing the piano. Yes, that’s correct. Not playing the piano. No one—not even the most dedicated musician—can practice every day. Time off keeps our creative wells from running dry. It helps us avoid injury and burnout, and it allows us to live deeper, richer lives. An added bonus? Stepping away allows our subconscious time to work; many times when we return to practicing we find that the time off has magically fixed problems we couldn’t solve through practicing alone.

The creative life is a privilege and it asks us to be good stewards of what we’ve been given. We’ve been graced with beautiful instruments and miraculous bodies and minds. We’ve been given a wealth of meltingly-beautiful repertoire. Our gratitude for these gifts is shown in the way we show care for our pianos and ourselves. This care radiates through every note we play as we bring the beauty of the music we love to those with whom we share it.

Photo by Hassan Ouajbir, courtesy of UpSplash