So, the house piano at Imperial Theatre is 15 years old this year. Hard to believe for those of us who have been around as long as it has. It is a 9' Steinway "D" that was hand picked in the New York showroom of Steinway & Sons by well known pianist Philip Thomson for use in our venue. It was one of five I believe that he spent time on that day, before settling on one that best met his criteria for what would satisfy our needs.
I remember being able to pick his brain about the process he used to choose that one piano for use over the next century+ as an instrument of choice for all styles and colours. He explained that an organic, acoustic instrument such as a piano will change over time as it is played, and settles in its environment. He graded them by what he heard as the potential of what their character could be, as opposed to what they just sounded like new. As someone who has mixed FOH at more events with this instrument than anyone else, he was right.
Not only has this wonderful piano changed radically over the years, becoming more rich and complex to my ears, but it is extremely temperamental. This is where we get into the love/hate part. Some days this thing is perfection to the n'th degree. Some days, it's a mess. I can only describe the bad days as, dull... soggy... Lacking in the life I know it can actually have. It would drive me crazy looking for "electronic" solutions if I didn't figure out years ago, sometimes it's just the way the instrument sounds.
If it were cared for in a more controlled environment, and played more consistently, I'm sure it would be less of a pain, but in our venue, that isn't realistic given our space.
For most people, it's a great piano always. This includes the "off" days for me including tonight where our guest artist loved it. I know it's a great instrument, especially since I have had players' and sound techs' comments ranging from one of the best Steinways they've ever heard/played, to doesn't play/sound like a Steinway at all. That to me means we're right in the middle, where a venue piano should be.
I just know, some days it works for me, and some days it doesn't. I would love to have set up a database in 1996 to track the environment, storage, and playing time to see if there's any consistency in conditions VS sound, but we never did. Casually, we've never seen any solid patterns. Typically the more it's played, the better shape it stays in, but it's still no guarantee.
I learned on Yamaha pianos in the '80s doing pop music when they were the rage. This Steinway has shown me why they are such a popular choice for a do it all grand piano. I get positive comments from patrons about the piano sound at shows, including some who want to know details about how it's miced etc. What I usually say after talking about any mics, placement etc is... "...but first thing you have to do is, go to NYC Steinway & Sons and buy a $100,000.00 piano."
It's all just the piano baby.