If the Shostakovitch doesn’t bring tears to your eyes, then maybe you haven’t heard enough really good orchestras!

I’m working on my concept  that we, as manufacturers, need to get together to develop and promote the idea of the High End Piano Experience, rather than assume that everybody agrees with our premise that these things are worth a lot of money. What is the HEPE? It’s the combination of an outstanding musical instrument and a product of supreme craftsmanship. The instrument needs to be one that is capable of giving an artist (at any level) a tool for exploring the real power of music to create and influence emotions. The product of craftsmanship should be associated with a long and noble history of the science and craft of piano building. The HEPE is best when experienced by a musician (of any level) but is not at all limited to those who play themselves. The craft aspects should appeal and give satisfaction to those that don’t play and the

Maybe, maybe not. The number one reason to NOT buy a Steinway is this: Don’t buy a Steinway because somebody told you it’s the best piano in the world.

Why am I such a Bosendorfer geek? In a nutshell, everything I know about high end pianos I learned from Bosendorfer. Seeing my first Imperial at the University of Wisconsin/Madison at the ripe age of 20 set me on my path. From then on, there was nothing so dramatic, spectacular and, well, downright sexy as that piano. The extra keys, the shape of the rim, the construction detail, the sound, there was nothing like it, especially not the Steinway D’s scattered about the building. Later, to my utter amazement, I got the chance to work there. I was trained at the factory, did concert service throughout the US, and became the first US Service manager. yes, I are a technician …can you identify the world famous pianist on the right? Then, again later, after a stint with a major East coast Steinway dealer and 12 years at Yamaha, I had

I previously disabled the comments feature on this site because it is a magnet for spam. However I just updated to the latest version of WordPress and will turn comments on. Maybe the upgrade fixed the spam problem. Just click on the button that probably says “No comments”. If you’re a blogger, try wordpress. The upgrade went just as smoothly as they said (still, not for newbies). I welcome comments, mainly to see if anybody is reading this.

Just got back from a quick tour of 3 German manufacturers; Bluthner, Steingraeber and Schimmel. I’ve been wanting to visit these makers (and others) and took advantage of my son’s school break and a (relatively) cheap fare from Delta to fly from JFK to Berlin, rent a car, and spend 4 days driving through cold, damp, gloomy northern Europe. We spent Tuesday morning doing a driving tour of Berlin before driving to Leipzig. Berlin is a fascinating city due primarily to its history, not its current incarnation. While it certainly has its sights, it has more than its share of drab, built-in-a-hurry, post war architecture. I did show my son the wall, drive through the former East part and have a lunch of a Donner. Then on to the autobahn for the 2 hour drive to Leipzig, where we stayed the first night in a typical, small, hotel-restaurant and slept

Hmm, blogging would be great if it wasn’t for that need to write consistently! I’m not by nature a natural writer and maybe this business doesn’t have enough intrigue to write daily, but come on…3 months!! Well, the good side is, I’ve got a lot to write about now!

As you may have read in an earlier post, I am no fan of that blow hard Lou Dobbs. Larry Kudlow, even though I see now he may not be the most objective student of the market, is more my kind of guy. Jim Cramer is also a good guy. Not always right, nobody is, but smart, involved and thoughtful. Anyway, Cramer stated last night that, after the Feds most recent 1/2% cut in interest rates, that the economy has turned the corner, including the housing market. It will be at least 6 months before John Q. Public sees it and believes it, but he made a pretty clear statement. This fits my perspective. The DJIA has been pulled down by the dismal financial companies, but many other parts of the economy, including inflation, corporate earnings, and durable goods are actually quite good. The durable number is, no doubt, helped

I have already been criticized, of course not directly, by somebody who took offense at some of my language in a now-deleted post.  This is despite this blog being somewhat buried on a private web site.  If you might be offended by something somebody writes when expressing their personal opinions, then simply don’t read the (or any) blog.