Playing too much on the piano

[kghayesh]

I have just bought a used Yamaha U3. It is just a wonderful instrument and i don't wanna have it ruined or have something messed up in it. What makes me fear this is that i practice too much on it (about 4-5 hours a day). And the practice is that hard one where you press the keys hard as there are so much ff and use the pedal extensively.

I don't know but will this overplaying do something to my new U3?? I hope not !!!

[sklebil]

Do you play with your bare hands?

[jeremyjchilds]

Overplaying will wear out some components

1) Key bushings and keytops
2) All centerpins and bushings
3) your tuning will deteriorate faster
4) Buckskins
5) tapes could bend irregularily and interfere with backchecks
6) all general action components that either push, or get pushed, move or get compressed...
7) hammers will have string grooves in them.

So stop playing already... every note you play decreases the value and life of your instrument you don't want a useless piece of furniture do you give it a rest
and while you're at it... dont use your computer either


OK, seriously now... you should know that time has the same effect on your piano...for many of those things... esspecially if you experience humudity or temperature changes.  so my advice is to play away so you can cause the deterioration, not time!

My piano is played about 8 hours a day, and I just perform the same maintanence that I would if it was played 2. (except for tuning, and hammer filing)

The moral of the story is, don't even think about it...especially because you have a Yamaha, your piano is a workhorse. The only thing that makes me nervous is that you are playing "ff" for 4 hours straight...at least when you get tendenitis you will preserve your instrument..

[kghayesh]

Do you play with your bare hands?

What??? Should i play with gloves???

[kghayesh]

The moral of the story is, don't even think about it...especially because you have a Yamaha, your piano is a workhorse. The only thing that makes me nervous is that you are playing "ff" for 4 hours straight...at least when you get tendenitis you will preserve your instrument..

Thank you so much now i will practice ffff and with sf on every note for 8 hours 

[alzado]

First, I am not sure this is a serious question, or if you are putting us on.

But my piano tuner asked me, "are you a banger?"  According to him, using a piano hard will cause it to go out of tune much sooner.

Like this -- 

Rachmaninoff concertos practiced six hours a day = bad.

Clare de Lune practiced one hour a day = good.

[jr11]

A piano is simply a tool we musicians need to ply our trade... no different than a hammer a carpenter uses, or a truck a trucker drives. A U3 is a worthy instrument, and made for the kind of use you speak of. The instrument I play was used 8 hrs a day for 60 years, before I had it rebuilt. It is still the best piano I have ever played.

Do not concern yourself with the piano itself. Concentrate on your playing. If the piano needs attention, have it repaired immediately so you can get on with the job of practice. For the most part, once or twice a year should be plenty adequate for a tuning and minor tweaking. There are plenty of little adjustments you can learn to do yourself, should you need to. But your U3 should not wear out before you do!

[Bob]

I agree with a few of the above.  Practice how you want to practice.  The piano can always be fixed and repaired.

I have heard loud playing will make the piano go out of tune faster, and then the pins will twist a little more and wear out faster over time, but so what?  You've got the piano to practice on and it can be fixed if that happens.  You can't hold back your playing because you are afraid the piano can't take it.

I would think temperature and humidity could do as much to change the piano as loud playing would.

[jeremyjchilds]

I would think temperature and humidity could do as much to change the piano as loud playing would.

And that's exactly the point...not to mention the fact that your piano is steadily depreciating in value no matter how much you use it.