help?

[trinapiano]

Ok..
well Im hoping to be able to look into buying a new piano(as in, new to me but not necessarily brand new) in the next few months. The one I have at the moment is over 100 years old and was bought for 60 euro, was bought nearly 3 years ago and has seriously deteriorated since. It was the best we could do at the time. Im also hoping to do a performance diploma this year that I should have done almost three years ago and methinks a better piano would be helpfull....

Now, the room my piano is in is what used to be the dining room, but whoever lived in the house before us knocked the wall between that and the kitchen so it is all now one big room.. the piano is behind a sort of corner though..
So.. theres all those fumes from the kitchen.. the back door is also in the kitchen.. and there is a large window and  radiator directly across from the space where the piano is, which is the only space in the house where we could put it... and not exactly the best place for a piano really.

In regards to looking for a new piano.. obviously some changes need to be done or there probably isnt much point in getting a new one. I have room for a small grand but havnt currently got the finances to buy one... Has anyone got any suggestions that wont leave me bankrupt?? Both about the piano and the room it will have to go in. Or should I just put up with my old piano (that now has about an octave of keys that dont play at all)? Im kinda reluctant to go for a digital piano.. id prefer a real acoustic piano...

any suggestions?

[trinapiano]

Right, I know I said im kinda reluctant to go for a digital piano and thats true but what do people think of the following models of digital piano anyway?? How are they for practicing advanced pieces around the level of la campanella, chopin ballade 4, islamey... and others?

Yamaha clavinova cvp309
Yamaha clavinova clp280
Roland hp207
Roland kr107

I notice that with some of the latest roland digital pianos it seems like almost everything is adjustable.. touch sensitivity is adjustable to about 100 levels(or so ive read?), theres that piano designer feature.. what do people think of all that?

[pianistimo]

if you are serious about piano - DON't get a digital.  get your acoustic piano. 

and, place it in the same location - but as soon as you can get a humidifier - and also a storm door for the kitchen.  in fact, if you can talk your parents into getting a second on the house (which you can pay off credit cards - and still have money left for adding to the piano purchase) - pay off the credit cards and buy the piano at the same time.  cash down.  and the storm doors or get enough out to put on a mud room.  the second front door will be sealed off from the first.  thereby allowing less temperature exchange.  for that matter - take out enough money to put the wall back in between the kitchen and dining area and get a piano guy out to tell you how to deal constructively with the radiator and window.  perhaps some draperies for summer sun.  and dispersing the radiated heat in some way as to avoid hot spots.  maybe even putting a humidifier somehow with the radiator?  i've seen vents that double as humidifiers - but not the radiator itself.

now, about the piano.  look for an estate sale.  i'm telling you - buying cash down from an older seller or someone selling an estate - you can get a GREAT bargain for a well kept piano.  maybe even used as furniture and barely played!   

[pianistimo]

i've got it!  make your own!  here's the patented idea:
https://www.freepatentsonline.com/5082176.html

basically, it's a 'go to homedepot and buy a metal box to surround the radiator with a screen on the front'  (fireplace front?) build it to enough height to holdup and also cover a pan of water placed on top of the radiatior by a couple of inches?  it heats up the water - the water evaporates through a screen on the top and regular heat also passes through the front.  effectively dissipating the heat two ways.  through humidifying and through radiating.

ps if you don't want to surround the radiator - you can look at some vintage 1926 metal panels they used to put behind radiators to deflect heat into the room.  they cantilever into a shelf about 3 inches above the radiator where you can put three or so dishes with water in them - or a pan - for that matter.  you can humidify when you want to - and then also - just put the metal sheet down when you don't want to.

[trinapiano]

Heya
Thanks for your suggestions. They are very much appreciated. However, the house is rented. We are renting from the guy who bought the house from the previous owner so the wall was already knocked before the house was rented out. My parents are into breeding cockatiels and some are kept in the same room as the piano and apparently a humidifier/dehumidifier would kill them... I am also of the age where I should be living out of my own pocket but moving out isnt an option for me yet either. I have spoken to my parents about making changes to the room(would have to be financed by myself when I can afford it) but theyre not convinced the landlord would allow it.

That all kinda complicates things further doesnt it...

[pianistimo]

he shouldn't be upset about a storm door.  at least you can get that!  and a cover for the radiator. 

[trinapiano]

Heya,
thanks! Ive been out to the piano shop since and gotten a fantastic deal on a 1976 Kawai K35.. it looks and plays as if its only a couple of years old or something though! You wouldnt know it was thirty years old at all.. Makes a colossal difference from my old piano!
Piano guy says all I need is a container of water near the piano.... thats a relief!