What to do with pianos
One only has to scroll through Facebook Marketplace to see a plethora of older pianos for sale or to give away. Once considered family heirlooms, or a central piece in the family home, many are now wondering what to do with them.
“As you can probably imagine, we are constantly asked what to do with older pianos,” says Gary Trenholm, owner and manager of Doctor Piano, piano specialists based in Halifax.
GET AN EVALUATION
The first step, says Trenholm, is to evaluate the piano to see if it is worth salvaging. This is something that Doctor Piano can do for a fee. They can help determine the condition of the piano, but sadly, he says the majority of these older pianos they are being asked about are cost prohibitive to attempt any type of salvage.
Quite often, without looking at the piano, Ternholm says they know the history of the specific piano they are being asked about and are knowledgeable about that brand. So instead, he says they usually encourage the customer not to incur the cost of an unnecessary inspection.
However, if the piano is around 50 years old or so, or if they are the slightest bit unsure or if the customer wants their piano looked at, Trenholm says Doctor Piano is perfectly pleased to complete an inspection.
“We are always happy to refurbish a piano if the end result justifies the expense,” he said.
DISASSEMBLING A PIANO FOR REMOVAL
If a piano is not deemed salvageable, Trenholm says it is still quite an involved process to disassemble a piano for removal and disposal.
Generally, he says, it is easier and less costly in the long run to hire Doctor Piano to remove and dispose of the piano in one piece instead of in several pieces. This way, people can easily dispose of the piano and not give it any further consideration, he says.
When disassembling a piano, he says there is a lot of work to remove tuning pins, strings and the approximate 300-pound cast iron plate located in the center of the piano to come out just to make it somewhat manageable to handle.
REPURPOSING THE PIANO PIECES
Generally speaking, there’s not enough reuseable wood on a piano to justify the amount of work and expense it takes to obtain it, says Trenholm.
For anyone who is handy, there are plenty of ideas on Pinterest as what can be done with old pianos. People like Lynn Haverstock, Kentville, N.S. turned her old piano into a desk. Other ideas include bed frames, bistro counters and bars. Other artisans have turned keys into key racks or used other components for artistic pieces.
COMMUNITY PIANO PROJECTS
The Business and Arts NL program has created a special community project across Newfoundland that gives old pianos a new life.
Lynn Panting, the program coordinator who specializes in public art, mentorship and special events for the organization explains the #Comeplaywithmenl initiative. The idea is to build community expression and create more meaningful public spaces across the province, by giving unwanted pianos a new life, she says.
Through this initiative, they collect pianos which are then painted by local visual artists. Their upkeep and longevity are supported by the program’s sponsors, says Panting.
“Everyone who plays them contributes to their legacy,” she says.
Currently, there are pianos in St. John’s, Gander, Deer Lake, Stephenville, and Happy Valley Goose Bay, says Panting.
The key to this program, says Panting, is the sponsors and partners, and locations who allow the pianos on their properties. Support is for the maintenance of the pianos as well as special programming and pop-up performances. Without that support this program could not be as successful as it is, she says.
Although the program is no longer looking for pianos, they are always looking for sponsors and partners.
“Anytime you can give a new life to an instrument that is garbage bound, is a net positive. The fact that a piano, once used in a private home, is now in a public venue available to everyone is also really exciting,” says Panting.
Since its inception in 2014, #Comeplaywithmenl has held hundreds of planned and impromptu performances, says Panting. They partner with arts organizations, professional artists and arts educators to animate the public pianos. Anyone interested in sponsoring or partnering with this program, is asked to email lynn@businessandartsnl.com.