88 x 88

It certainly would be nice to have a grand piano at our church, but you might ask how much does it cost? What about the piano that we already have? Why do we need a larger piano, when we already have an organ? These and other questions probably run through your mind when the issue of buying a piano is raised, and I would like to take this opportunity to answer your questions about the upright piano we already have, and the choices we have to make in selecting a new piano for our congregation.
 
The upright “Yamaha” that can often be heard at our Sunday services is an average student practice instrument; it is designed for home use, but not to accompany a choir or inspire congregational singing. Its tone is muffled and is too weak to fill the entire church, which means we really do need another piano.  Which brings us to the question of what kind of piano do we need? Grand pianos come in different sizes. Larger instruments have longer strings and fuller, richer tone. Baby grand pianos are called so because they are small and cute. They look nice when placed in a living room, but often sound similar to a good upright piano, simply because their strings are not very long. Medium sized grand pianos measure about seven-feet in length and are used in small concert halls, churches and recording studios, and this is the type of piano that would be most suitable to our church.
 
The sound of a piano is universal, and in a church setting it often represents a new style that some call “contemporary Christian” or “worship” music. Additionally, the majority of new choral music is written for piano accompaniment these days, and while the organ is capable of producing beautiful sustained tones, the piano is more percussive, and better suits music with a strong beat.
 
Because of your generosity, our piano fund has grown to approximately $2,000. Will this amount buy us a seven-foot instrument? Definitely not...This is just enough to pay for seven to nine piano keys. Those of you who took music lessons would remember that there are altogether 88 keys, black and white included. Would you like to buy an F-sharp? Or maybe a full octave? It is not impossible, if we do it together. Pianos live long lives; they even have their own histories. I am sure that there is a grand piano somewhere that will some day ring its joyful resonance in the Valley.
 
Max Vladimiroff

P. S. To find out more about pianos, their cost and their manufacturers, visit the following websites:
 
Piano Technicians Guild http://www.ptg.org

Bluebook of Pianos http://www.bluebookofpianos.com 

Dave and Tom on Easter

PIANO FUND BEGINS

Thanks to the benefit concert mentioned below, Valley now has a Piano Fund.  With proceeds from the concert by Legacy on April 14 (described below) and other gifts, the fund is on its way.

Chris Aher negotiated another gift to the Piano Fund by donating what the Connecticut Choral Society would have paid a recording engineer to the Valley Piano Fund!

To hear one piece from the April 29 concert Chris recorded, click here.  (Expect a delay of a minute or more.)  The piece, River In Judea, has also been sung several years ago by the Valley Church Choir.