Tag Archives: Bluthner

Welcome to Retail – Allegro Pianos Manhattan

For the past 6 months I’ve been helping build a new high end piano retail store in New York City. Allegro Pianos Manhattan is an expansion of Allegro Pianos of Stamford CT. We represent Bosendorfer, Bluthner, Steingraeber, Estonia and Kawai. … Continue reading

Posted in At work | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

2 basic concepts of fine piano tone

Let’s digress for a moment and speak in gross generalizations about concepts of piano tone. I have come to the conclusion, specifically reinforced by Udo Steingraeber, that there are fundamentally 2 approaches to piano tone; high rim tension and low … Continue reading

Posted in The piano world | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Frankfurt Music Show 2010

The Frankfurt Messe this year had a separate salon for piano makers, as well as the usual displays of accordion makers, brass and winds and combo gear. Overall the piano makers said business was up. Continue reading

Posted in The piano world | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Frederick Collection and the world’s great piano builders

Click here for a great Slate article, make sure you read to the end.

Posted in The piano world | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Factory visits

To recap my philosophy, I do not see the worlds true high end makers as competitors. With the idea of “tonal diversity” firmly in mind, I think these makers support each other in trying to reach prospects who might otherwise … Continue reading

Posted in The piano world | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Bluthner 3

And the 3rd unique feature, in my opinion, is the 4th unison string in the treble. This string is raised above the level of the other 3, so the hammer does not strike it. It’s purpose is to vibrate sympathetically, … Continue reading

Posted in The piano world | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Bluthner 2

Bluthner was the only maker of the 3 that allowed me to take photos. As Christian said, one can take all the photos one wants, you still won’t be able to build a Bluthner, and he’s right. The factory is … Continue reading

Posted in The piano world | Tagged , | Leave a comment

First stop, Bluthner

Wednesday morning was a visit to Bluthner, where Christian Bluthner met us with his customary hospitality. This was the hardest day for my son, who had to endure a number of hours of piano related talk before getting on to … Continue reading

Posted in The piano world | Tagged | Leave a comment

Pianos in recordings

I’ve been trying to come up with some examples of recordings where the non-Steinway piano is notated, AND it is a good representation of that makers sound. I have many Bosendorfer examples, mostly Garrick Ohlsson’s vast output. I have also … Continue reading

Posted in Bosendorfer | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment