I learned on a Jacob Brothers spinet that my parents bought around 1956. I was 6 years old. I know they liked the way it looked. I had no comparison pianos to tell if it sounded good or not. I took lessons for about 5 years but I never really enjoyed it. Thirty years later - in 1985 - I bought my current piano - a Yamaha C3 that still plays perfectly and has only needed annual tunings to keep in A1 shape. Since retiring 7 years ago I have played every day. Now averaging 2 hours a day. Thanks for the memories Ted.
My dad played in church. We had a Werlein furniture/console piano at home. I didn't care because it was the 80s/90s and guitar was everything. The movie Great Balls of Fire came out and I was blown away. The next day after school I came home and tried a big glissando slide (without knowing the technique) and 4 or 5 black keys flew off the piano and landed on the floor. I was in deep doo-doo. I got my dad's wood glue out and did my best. He never found out, and I never told him (R.I.P.). My younger sister is an amazing pianist, inherited the old Werlein, and her daughter is learning on it. She still doesn't know.
Great topic. I once had a conversation with a piano dealer about general public interest in pianos. He told me some people bought them but didn't play them. They instead would hire people to play them at parties. It seemed to me like it was a symbol of social status to them so I innocently asked him; Do people buy pianos as furniture to display wealth? I could tell he almost took offence to the question, but he was professional, and stated that he sold instruments. I had no idea that furniture pianos were a thing.
I have my grandmother's 1960s-era Baldwin-Howard spinet. It was a fairly modern style, and is unique in that it has toe-blocks under the front legs and wheels, so it's much more stable standing than most spinets with the free-standing spindly front legs. It needs restoration, but it sounds surprisingly good, considering its age and overall condition. I don't use it anymore because it does need significant work, but it's got sentimental value. I learned on it as a child, and I remember listening to my grandmother playing it.
when I was little, we rented an upright. it was out of tune, but for some reason, we got enjoyment out of it. I wasn't that great really, I was just learning. however, my sister was playing at the time. she'd play on it forever. of course our mom was strict with her about that. I was 8, and she was 15. now, I just have well, alot of keyboards, but I have 2 88 key ones. one's a generic digital piano, and my other is the cossain borabx15 foldup. well, people call it a foldup piano, but it feels more like a keyboard to me. never even heard of a furniture piano til I heard this video. I think it took it's toll on my sister, as she dropped piano all together. where's I stil play. I'm more of a guitarist, but do love playing piano and keyboards as well.
“Made out of coffins”. Almost crying laughing about that one, oh my goodness. I think with consoles you don’t hear the fundamental of the note as clearly as with bigger pianos, and any unisons that are out just wash out the whole sound. I think deep needling of the hammers would help them a lot. I think a lot of pianos skimped on voicing.
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Enjoyed that. Brings back lots of memories.
I learned on a Jacob Brothers spinet that my parents bought around 1956. I was 6 years old.
I know they liked the way it looked. I had no comparison pianos to tell if it sounded good or not. I took lessons for about 5 years but I never really enjoyed it.
Thirty years later - in 1985 - I bought my current piano - a Yamaha C3 that still plays perfectly and has only needed annual tunings to keep in A1 shape. Since retiring 7 years ago I have played every day. Now averaging 2 hours a day.
Thanks for the memories Ted.
My dad played in church. We had a Werlein furniture/console piano at home. I didn't care because it was the 80s/90s and guitar was everything. The movie Great Balls of Fire came out and I was blown away. The next day after school I came home and tried a big glissando slide (without knowing the technique) and 4 or 5 black keys flew off the piano and landed on the floor. I was in deep doo-doo. I got my dad's wood glue out and did my best. He never found out, and I never told him (R.I.P.). My younger sister is an amazing pianist, inherited the old Werlein, and her daughter is learning on it. She still doesn't know.
Great topic. I once had a conversation with a piano dealer about general public interest in pianos. He told me some people bought them but didn't play them. They instead would hire people to play them at parties. It seemed to me like it was a symbol of social status to them so I innocently asked him; Do people buy pianos as furniture to display wealth? I could tell he almost took offence to the question, but he was professional, and stated that he sold instruments. I had no idea that furniture pianos were a thing.
I have my grandmother's 1960s-era Baldwin-Howard spinet. It was a fairly modern style, and is unique in that it has toe-blocks under the front legs and wheels, so it's much more stable standing than most spinets with the free-standing spindly front legs. It needs restoration, but it sounds surprisingly good, considering its age and overall condition. I don't use it anymore because it does need significant work, but it's got sentimental value. I learned on it as a child, and I remember listening to my grandmother playing it.
when I was little, we rented an upright. it was out of tune, but for some reason, we got enjoyment out of it. I wasn't that great really, I was just learning. however, my sister was playing at the time. she'd play on it forever. of course our mom was strict with her about that. I was 8, and she was 15. now, I just have well, alot of keyboards, but I have 2 88 key ones. one's a generic digital piano, and my other is the cossain borabx15 foldup. well, people call it a foldup piano, but it feels more like a keyboard to me. never even heard of a furniture piano til I heard this video. I think it took it's toll on my sister, as she dropped piano all together. where's I stil play. I'm more of a guitarist, but do love playing piano and keyboards as well.
Loved ny Winter piano in the 1950s.❤
“Made out of coffins”. Almost crying laughing about that one, oh my goodness. I think with consoles you don’t hear the fundamental of the note as clearly as with bigger pianos, and any unisons that are out just wash out the whole sound. I think deep needling of the hammers would help them a lot. I think a lot of pianos skimped on voicing.
I definitely have a furniture piano, lol. And it's spinet.
Aside from the spinets, I think what you are calling furniture pianos, are rightly called console pianos.