Photographer captures some wonderful images in the Steinway piano factory

[Jim Becker]

http://www.chrispaynephoto.com/steinway/ksgno2pfaofq62zskug37n38k7ucuf

This is a pleasant "slide show" to browse through with many photos of interest to woodworkers, not to mention musicians. Enjoy!

[Warren Wilson]

Jim:

I have three hobbies that absorb most of my retired life: woodworking, photography and playing piano. That slide show hit a lot of very nice notes.

Thank you.

[Dave Richards]

Thank you Jim.

[Wakahisa Shinta]

So lovely! A bit different from Warren, I play guitar but also photograph and work with wood for fun. Wanting to teach myself to play the piano though. Thanks for sharing!

[Tom M King]

We have a 1933 M in amazing condition. It's quite a piece of work. Both our children played, but they've been grown and gone for several years, and play other stuff now. The piano just sits here.

[John K Jordan]

Excellent, thanks Jim! I've read before of the incredible job it is to make a piano. These photos are outstanding.

Warren, you sound a bit like me, retired, woodworking (mostly turning), photography, and piano (plus an occasional other instrument). I have a 7' Baldwin I bought decades ago. When we moved to a farm and had less room I thought about selling it and keeping the electronic keyboards but I'm glad now I squeezed it in! (I have surplus synthesizers and keyboards that need a home) There is nothing like the feel and sound of a piano. I rebuilt a player piano once but a son has it now.

I also enjoy time caring for llamas, horses, and such and teach kindergarten SS, - I love the variety. And I also very much love this retirement thing! (about 10 years now for me) Life is good.

BTW, I mostly play improv, I like blues and hymns, and still play a bit of classical.

JKJ

[Joe Jensen]

thanks for sharing

[Warren Wilson]

Nice connection, Jordan. I can only dream of a 7' Baldwin. I have an upright Yamaha that I bought new 30 years ago with my first cheques as a beginning teacher, and I have added a nice Roland e-piano to do some sequencing (and to save my wife's ear).

I studied in the normal way and still enjoy learning new Bach preludes and fugues, but my heart was early taken by jazz and jazz improvisation, playing from fake books -- oddly, I am only now learning how to play the blues. As in woodworking (and photograhy) I enjoy the emphasis on technique and I consider everything I undertake to be an opportunity to exercise and develop my technique. AND it saves my dignity when I screw up.

And I have to agree this retirment gig is fine.

[Ken Krawford]

My wife claims that the only reason I've limited my hobbies to sailing, photography and wood woking is that I couldn't find anything more expensive!

[Martin Wasner]

We have a 1933 M in amazing condition. It's quite a piece of work. Both our children played, but they've been grown and gone for several years, and play other stuff now. The piano just sits here.

Find someone to come in and play it, or sell. They don't like to just sit.




I was a little surprised of some of the more modern tooling. The spray booth they were probably forced to change because of osha or epa regulation. But the cnc, even if it was an antique itself, was a bit of a shock. Also neat they do their own castings.

[Tom M King]

We live in a sparsely populated area-mostly weekend vacation homes, and life's just too busy. I had it on Craigslist for a run, but was bothered every day by several scammers who wanted me to talk to their Wife about "musical instrument". One dealer offered $5,000 for it....so it just sits. It seems to be holding up fine. I used to tune it a couple of times a year, but our electronic tuner crapped out, and I've just been too busy to worry about it.

[Peter Quinn]

Can't wait to watch that on the big screen. I used to live it in Queens and take the 7 train past Steinway every day. There is a wonderful documentary out there, used to be on netflicks, on the making of a Steinway from start to finish, captivating. They are pretty much the last unautomated old school hand made piano manufactures I was told. Inspiring wood working, great process, makes my work like like child's play.

[John K Jordan]

is that I couldn't find anything more expensive!

You haven't looked very hard! Tell her to be thankful you don't take up flying airplanes - the "sky is the limit"! And my buddy got every fixed-wing rating available to mankind so he took up helicopters. Ack. Another expensive hobby I had for years was cave diving. Full gear was only 10 grand or so but the trips every few weeks to dive sites would empty the change right out of the pocket. Or horses - one nice vet bill can could pay for a new camera or lathe.

[Robert LaPlaca]

Can't wait to watch that on the big screen. I used to live it in Queens and take the 7 train past Steinway every day. There is a wonderful documentary out there, used to be on netflicks, on the making of a Steinway from start to finish, captivating. They are pretty much the last in automated old school hand made piano manufactures I was told. Inspiring wood working, great process, makes my work like like child's play.

My ex-boss worked for Steinway when he was as young man, later in life he migrated to the Information Technology field, which really wasn't uncommon for musicians to be in the IT field.. Anyway he was quite the resource for information about quality hand built pianos, actually along with Steinway a old and well abused name in pianos (Mason and Hamlin) was reborn in Boston Mass. Mason and Hamlin, would be the the piano worlds equivalent of either Delta or Porter-Cable, once grand quality brands that were parts of corporate buyouts, then driven into dust. Anyway Mason and Hamlin is hand built in the traditional fashion like Steinway.. The LOML is a proud owner of a 2008 Mason and Hamlin model A

[Martin Wasner]

Can't wait to watch that on the big screen. I used to live it in Queens and take the 7 train past Steinway every day. There is a wonderful documentary out there, used to be on netflicks, on the making of a Steinway from start to finish, captivating. They are pretty much the last in automated old school hand made piano manufactures I was told. Inspiring wood working, great process, makes my work like like child's play.


I think this (http://www.pbs.org/program/note-by-note/) might be what you're talking about? I'll have to give it a watch tonight.

[Ben Rivel]

OH WOW! What an honor it would be to build those! Amazing! Thanks for posting!

[John K Jordan]

I can only dream of a 7' Baldwin

I read advice once that when you buy a piano always get one "up" from the one you decide you can afford. I took this to the dealer and decided I could afford the smallest Baldwin, so of course, I moved over to the next larger. Ooo, it sounded and felt better! Then since I was obviously going to buy that one, I must have been able to afford it so I moved to the next one... I stopped at the 7' concert grand because of the size of my living room. Whew!

Bach and I don't get along well. I'm not that good at sight reading and worse at memorizing. I was fortunate to find a teacher once who taught improvisational hymn-playing, opened my eyes to a whole new world. Now I'm amazing unless someone is listening. Ha! :-) It's so easy to sit down and two hours later wonder where the time went.

Hey, I do have the concert bench that Billy Joel sat on when he came to Knoxville years ago. When the upholstery wore out a friend reminded me of the legacy - he said someone on Ebay would surely pay good money for a piece naugahyde that once caressed Billy Joel's butt. Ha!

This was a part of our music room before we moved and I had to downsize a bit (you might recognize the fake books on the floor):

328759

I still have guitars and some brass but sold my good double horn last year. Gave away most of the books and sheet music to my young nephew, the concert pianist. And my wife said either she or the musical saw had to go. That thing was music to my ears! Well actually, it was awful...

JKJ

[Kevin Jenness]

Thanks for that. How many times have I heard "We aren't building a piano here" ?

[mreza Salav]

very nice, thanks for sharing.

[Martin Wasner]

Thanks for that. How many times have I heard "We aren't building a piano here" ?

A carpenter buddy of mine worked on a crew that always said "we aren't building a church here". Then they had to build a church, so it changed to "we aren't building a liquor store".

I always thought that was funny.

[Chris Padilla]

That was a wonderful capture of old and new, hand and machine tools building a high quality instrument. I see building these runs across metal and wood and textile; such a superb combination of them!

[Peter Quinn]

I think this (http://www.pbs.org/program/note-by-note/) might be what you're talking about? I'll have to give it a watch tonight.

Thats the one! Great watch. Wood porn of the first quality.

[Peter Quinn]

The funny thing that struck me after watching that movie is the scale of production. It's a largely hand made instrument, machines are involved but not robots and lots of CNC gear. Oddly almost nobody in that factory knows how to build a piano. They all make parts. The jobs are highly specialized, some got to their positions through a progression, others less so. It's such a cooperative effort versus say a luthier hand crafting a guitar where they might make every aspect of the entire production. Are there any piano makers that hand craft the whole product in a small shop setting, or is a certain scale required to pull this off? Not building pianos here either, just curious.

[Martin Wasner]

Even in a cabinet shop skills become very narrow and very specialized. Not so much in small shops, but bigger places there's guys who do nothing but cope rails, run a rip saw, or cut out face frames. Factory type work.

[Jerry Olexa]

Thanks Jim... GREAT pics, attn to detail!!

[Warren Wilson]

John:

That is hilarious -- I looked at your photo and the fake book on the floor and it is one of my favorites, sitting on my piano as I write: The Best Fake Book Ever. This conversation is making me want to get back to the piano with TWO hands -- damned broken hand!

[Phil Mueller]

Thanks for posting Jim. Perhaps it's just the subject matter the photographer wanted, but sure didn't notice many under 30 craftsmen/women. Makes me wonder how long high quality hand crafted products like this will survive.
Sure makes me wish wood shop/metal shop was still offered in schools.

[Dimitrios Fradelakis]

Can't wait to watch that on the big screen. I used to live it in Queens and take the 7 train past Steinway every day. There is a wonderful documentary out there, used to be on netflicks, on the making of a Steinway from start to finish, captivating. They are pretty much the last unautomated old school hand made piano manufactures I was told. Inspiring wood working, great process, makes my work like like child's play.

I was born and raised in Astoria (still live here, too) and no subway is anywhere close to the Steinway Piano factory.

The Steinway mansion is only a few blocks away from the factory. The factory itself is a 10 minute drive from my home. It is located in an industrial area but oit was built way before any of the other industries and warehouses went up. The stacks of lumber sitting in the lot outside next to the kiln is incredible. The dust collector cyclone on the outside of the building is HUGE. I know they have open house and tours throughout the year but I have never been inside the factory. I'll look to see when the next tour is and definitely go!

[John K Jordan]

-- damned broken hand!

Warren,

When I was a teen I broke my left wrist in a fall. I was so desperate to play the piano my teacher found something written for the left hand and I played it with my right, as well as lots of melodies, arpeggios, duets, etc. Pretty soon I was swinging the cast on my left arm so I could reach some notes in the bass with the one or two fingers not immobilized by the cast. I guess I had the bug bad.

My brother and I were always in hot competition for piano time (in the late 50s, we were probably 8 or 10). Our mother had us set the stove timer in the next room for 15 minute sessions and our turns would end with the loud buzz. Mother said she went in the kitchen once during my turn and found my brother bumping the timer knob a bit to cut my time short. He was always better than me - that must have been the reason! Bless our mother for insisting that music in education was just as important as math, reading, and the rest - so many kids never even get the chance to try.


My sister's son Josiah Sprankle is depressingly amazing on the piano. :-) When he was perhaps 6 he was performing for all of us with hymns, classical, and improv. At 14 and 15 he raised thousands of dollars with concerts and a tip jar at the mall to pay for mission trips to India with his church. A few years back I sent him a spare french horn and a spare cello - although he had never touched these instruments he was playing in a Christmas cantata in less than a month! He once learned some Shostakovitch from scratch in just a few weeks so he could enter a competition and won. Makes me sick. (kidding!)

Josiah can listen once to a recording or the radio then sit down and play a variation of the piece. I always wondered how he could be so good at improv and memorization when I suddenly realized the kid has perfect pitch - where I'm stumbling for the notes and chords he knows EXACTLY what he wants, every note, every chord. Now he is conducting some of his own symphony compositions, plays in a youth band, loves to play for the old folks at nursing homes and assisted living places, and started college this year at a good music school. I am beside myself with ecstasy when he comes to visit and plays my piano!

In case you would like a listen, he is playing here on the piano at his church:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8Xqi0gLI5Y

This kid developed most of his expertise on a cheap spinet piano with the C below middle C not only not working, but stuck hard in the up position! He played that way for years until I visited once and fixed it. Yikes. A few years ago they finally got a small, inexpensive grand, one with all the keys working! I feel guilty for having that beautiful Baldwin to go with my mediocre skills...

After all this talk I can hear my piano calling to me too! I feel the urge to break into my jazz improv version of Amazing Grace...

JKJ

[Jim Becker]

This particular photographer seems to have a knack for not just capturing the image, but also capturing the mood. I really appreciated that given how "personal" a fine piano can be.

The irony for me is that I have a home with the space for a very nice grand, but I rarely play anymore...too many other avocations and distractions. I should probably change that and spend some regular time with my Kurzweil one of these days!

[Warren Wilson]

Thanks, John, for your post. Wonderful story. I have been doing exactly what you describe: hitting a few notes with my cast (left) hand just to put a few legs under the tune. I'll have to listen to your nephew. And see if I can work up a few "Amazing Grace" one-handed riffs. In fact as I hum it to myself, I realize what a great blues tune it is.

And Jim, as to the photography-- I think he has created a lot of that sense of intimacy with his subtle use of lighting (not to mention finding, line, shape, form, and texture then composing those elements).

It's inspiring for a guy who loves pianos, woodworking and photography to be simultaneously confronted with excellence on all fronts! Great post.

[Jim Becker]

It's inspiring for a guy who loves pianos, woodworking and photography to be simultaneously confronted with excellence on all fronts! Great post.

Yea, I resemble that remark... LOL Just add some food to this and I'd be "complete". :D

[John K Jordan]

I should probably change that and spend some regular time with my Kurzweil one of these days!

You maybe need some more Kurzweils to keep it company? I have a Kurzweil Midoboard and two Kurzweil rack-mounted synths (plus a Yamaha KX88 and some other stuff, mixer, reverb, switcher, etc... And of course midi and audio cables, good Yamaha pedals, reference speakers. All these are wasting away in my attic. I had a lot of fun with them when I had more room.

328841

Some keyboardists claim the Midiboard is the best there ever was, especially in the studio.

JKJ

[Jim Becker]

Nice setup, John. Back in the 1980s, I had a bunch of Yamaha stuff based on the DX7 keyboard including the 8-module rack and a strap-on controller, a Sequential Circuits keyboard and drum machine, an Ensoniq keyboard and some other things. Over time and when I stopped playing out I sold that stuff and bought the Kurzweil 2000 with the extra modules. I still have the SC drum machine, but likely will be selling it and a bunch of rack mount sound reinforcement gear this year along with a Kramer solid-body guitar that's unique with the aluminum "horseshoe" peg-head. My older daughter occasionally plays the keyboard, so it's setup in the loft of our great room just down the hall from my office. And I really do need to sit down and play...

[Warren Wilson]

DX7 with the breath controller. Blast from the past. Pretty soon someone's bound to mention a Fender Rhodes. (I remember when Leslie Speakers were cutting-edge technology).

[John K Jordan]

I never had a DX7 but this made me think of one fun synth I had in the 80s - a Moog Opus 3. It was not a modular Moog, no midi, and way before digital programming, but you could get some amazingly rich sound full of wild overtones by fiddling the the filters and cranking on the wheel while playing. I had a lot of fun with it then let it sit dejected and lonely until a buddy across the country told me he was playing with old synths so I packed it up and shipped it to California. I see people are still selling and using these - probably a collector's item now!

I don't have a picture of mine (if I did it would be a color slide or a tri-x print) but here is one Sir Google found for me:
329037

JKJ

[Jim Becker]

DX7 with the breath controller. Blast from the past. Pretty soon someone's bound to mention a Fender Rhodes. (I remember when Leslie Speakers were cutting-edge technology).

I played with one of those a few times, but never bought one since I wasn't a woodwind player. And I did have a Fender Rhodes...it was traded for the Kramer guitar I mentioned in my previous post. Why? Because I couldn't lift the darn thing. It wasn't practical for portability, especially in a passenger car. But the sound and "touch" was wonderful.


I never had a DX7 but this made me think of one fun synth I had in the 80s - a Moog Opus 3. It was not a modular Moog, no midi, and way before digital programming, but you could get some amazingly rich sound full of wild overtones by fiddling the the filters and cranking on the wheel while playing. I had a lot of fun with it then let it sit dejected and lonely until a buddy across the country told me he was playing with old synths so I packed it up and shipped it to California. I see people are still selling and using these - probably a collector's item now!

I don't have a picture of mine (if I did it would be a color slide or a tri-x print) but here is one Sir Google found for me:
329037

JKJ
I was always a Moog fan, but never owned one. I did almost buy a MicroMoog at one point, but got distracted by something else.

[Keith Pleas]

I watched the Steinway video (was free on Amazon Prime) last year with my wife - she hugely enjoyed it. I can also recommend "Crafted" (http://www.amazon.com/Crafted-Yuji-Nagatani/dp/B00ZKPHF58/), a short film that is also free on Amazon Prime. I try to share this kind of thing with her so that she can understand craftsmanship as opposed to marketing. The downside is, she then expects more out of me! :)

[John K Jordan]

I can also recommend "Crafted" (http://www.amazon.com/Crafted-Yuji-Nagatani/dp/B00ZKPHF58/), a short film that is also free on Amazon

Thanks, Keith! I just watched Crafted after seeing your note - the statement at the end says it all!, "just the joy, the joy of the craft".

JKJ

[Harry Hagan]

Thanks Jim. That was a real treat.