How to Buy a Used Piano and What is a Good Age to Start Piano Lessons?

"Practice makes perfect." 

Nowhere is this adage drummed into little heads with such metronomic regularity as with piano playing. And it's true: If you have dreams of little Kim soloing with the Boston Symphony when she grows up, or even playing a few simple tunes for Grandpa the next time he visits, she's going to need more than a weekly piano less. She's going to need a piano at home so she can practice every day.

So begins the article I co-authored with piano tuner and friend Ed Beaver that appeared in the January issue of Parenting Magazine in 1992. The title of the piece was Pianos: A Sound Investment. Our aim was to share insights regarding how to buy a used piano so you don't get stuck with a 900-pound lemon. Here'a a little backstory on how that article came to be.

Esther Piszczek's Zentangled Piano

And here are some tips I learned from my friend Ed and shared with readers. 

1. Stand back and look at the keyboard. Are the keys level and all the same height? Do they wobble from side to side? Are the ivories cracked and broken?

2. Try out the piano. Do the keys feel loose a floppy? Do you hear any clicks, rattles or buzzes? Do you like the tune? Is the touch too heavy for a child? Play each keey four times rapidly to make sure none of the keys stick.

3. Do the pedals work? Press down the "sustain" (right) pedal and run your fingers up and down the keyboard. Now let the pedal up. The sound should stop promptly.

4. Check the hammers for wear. Deep string cuts in the felt cause poor tone; loose hammers tend to rattle annoyingly.

Pianos are too big to be used as a door stop if you make a problem purchase. So choose wisely.

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A love of music is one of the greatest gifts we can give to our children. And there's no better way to make the introduction than the having music in the home. 

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A few months back I became aware of a podcast by Mindy Peterson, a Nationally Syndicated Music Teacher. I listened to a couple of her podcasts this week and thought this one should be paired with the article I wrote above. It's titled, "What is a Good Age to Start Piano Lessons?" Check it out.

Related Links

Oli Braithwaite of Stars and Catz on the Power of Music

Henry Wiens Talks About the Power of Music to Comfort and Heal

Quiet Heart Music: CDs and Grief Videos

Let's Face It. A Lot of People Are Suffering. Here Are Some Links to Useful Grief Resources

Losses can be devastating. It can be like a wound that initially feels numb, but then the pain hits you with an unexpected intensity. For some, the wound can become infected and require a more complicated healing process. Over time, the wound may heal, but the scar remains as a reminder of the pain and loss you endured. For some, the wound never fully heals.
--Dr. Ron Newman

Loss has always been a part of life, and alongside loss is that inner anguish we've come to label "Grief." The above is a quote from my brother's article Seeking Balance When Experiencing Grief.

I've already noted in several blog posts that 2020 is a year very few could have imagined. The economic challenges are pervasive and news stories somewhat striking, but when families lose loved ones, it's very personal. We're not just statistics. Their absence, especially when sudden and unexpected, leaves a massive hole in our hearts.

For this reason it's good to be aware of resources that are available to soften the wound and aid in healing. That is the purpose of this blog post. The trigger for this post was discovering that Quiet Heart Music has a new website: https://quietheartcomfort.com/

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So far COVID deaths are currently more than three-quarters of a million globally, more than 170,000 in the U.S. There may be a few, but most people have friends and family members who have had hearts broken this year, and more to come. Are you among those who have lost a loved one?

Pianist Henry Wiens has spent a lifetime producing and sharing music designed to comfort those who are hurting. Through Quiet Heart Music Henry sought to provide a meaningful, inexpensive alternative to sending flowers to friends, co-workers and employees who have lost loved ones. Flowers are a temporary token, but you can tell that many people today are requesting that "in lieu of flowers" you should consider giving to a charity that the loved one cared about.

Giving music that truly heals those who are left behind is another alternative. (EdNote: My intention here is not to put florists out of business. It is to add options to friends and family, especially an option that contributes to the well-being of someone you care about, the ones left behind.)

I found this note about the gift of music in one of my old journals:

Music is one of the more fantastic gifts of God. It lifts the soul on wings to ethereal inner spaces. Nothing more effectively breaks life’s monotonous hold on us, transporting us to the portals of paradise. How do musicians and composers do it? From nothing & emptiness they bring forth combinations of sounds, melodies, themes, so pregnant with feeling it seems an inexplicable mystery. Rainbows of sound, trembling with life, causing our hearts to break open with rapture, or sweet sorrow.--Journal Notes, June 30, 1993

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The new Quiet Heart website allows you to listen to Henry's music free, something I heartily recommend. Then purchase the CDs that you most relate to. (I have all, but also have favorites.) In addition to being a potent form of healing, Henry's music is perfectly suited as a background track for writers and artists. It doesn't intrude. Like a light breeze on a summer's eve it carries you along on its wings.

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Another truly valuable feature of the site is a section titled Grief Resources. One page in this section has links to an overabundance of articles on grief by Dr. Alan D. Wolfelt. In one of these he writes, "Grief is not a train track toward acceptance. Instead, it is more of a 'getting lost in the woods' and almost always gives rise to a mixture of many thoughts and feelings at once.

There are links to more than 50 articles dealing with all aspects of grief. Some deal with grief in general, some with helping you in your grief, or with helping others through their grieving. Others deal with grief with regards to specific situations like suicide, or grieving children or teens. Life is hard, and I know first hand how isolating it is to suddenly lose someone close when you are a teen. There are even sections to help hospice workers and funeral directors.

Visit this page for the grief resources noted above:
https://quietheartcomfort.com/grief-resources/

For what it's worth, Henry Wiens is a beautiful man with a beautiful spirit. You can feel it in his music.

Related Links
Henry Wiens Talks About the Power of Music as an Agent of Healing and Hope
Healing the Hurting Through Music
Quiet Heart Testimonials
A Grief Observed, by C.S. Lewis

Henry Wiens Talks About the Power of Music as an Agent of Healing and Hope

I've always liked good titles, whether of films, music, art or poems. One of my favorite book titles is Jacques Ellul's Hope in Time of Abandonment. Ellul argues that hope is one of the great needs of our time.

That kernel of thought was the first thing that came to mind when I heard about an event that Yamaha recording artist Henry Wiens was going to be part of titled Restoring Hope: Community Healing Service. In 2003 the career pianist consciously began directing his music toward people suffering from grief, stress or chronic pain. He had learned the power of music to comfort and heal.

EN: You said you and a trombone player were doing a special program or service for someone who died as a result of gun violence. Can you share a little about the event and how it came about? 

Henry Wiens: Several churches are coming together for a Community Healing Service to support victims of trauma. Folks will have an opportunity to express their grief in a worship setting and to experience healing through music and words spoken. There will be activities for adults and kids. Refreshments and resources will be available after the service.

An African-American woman in our community experienced trauma when her teen-age son was shot and injured to the point of permanent disability. She started a non-profit organization and asked if our church would host an event involving several other African-American churches on the north side of Pittsburgh.

Our pastor took a lead role and I volunteered to organize music for the event. Part of this has involved my composing a "blues lament" for piano, trombone and percussion based on 2 spirituals. A photographer friend is creating a slide show based on the recording I provided. So this "lament" will also have a visual dimension.

The service will continue with the presentation of ashes, similar to Ash Wednesday, and a candle-lighting time of remembrance for victims of urban violence. Readings, scripture and communion will follow.

EN: When and how did you first realize the power of music as an agent of healing?

HW: I think our mutual friend (Dr.) Dwenda Gjerdingden was one of the first people to bring this to my attention at Bethel Temple. She told me after a church service that a solo I played had a powerful, emotionally healing effect.

The Quiet Heart Story video includes several stories that heightened my awareness, leading to the formation of Quiet Heart Music.

EN: What is the mission of Quiet Heart Music?

HW: To honor the memory of loved ones' lives with personalized gifts of music and to comfort family members. When given by nursing homes, these gifts also provide a lasting reminder of the faithful, loving care provided by their staff and volunteers. But no matter who does the giving - individuals, churches, businesses, etc. - music is uniquely capable of expressing the transcendent beauty of a human life. Personalized CDs exist to honor the completion of life's journey. Many choose the following message for the accompanying card: "Loved ones' lives are like a song, every note rare and precious. We feel blest to have heard the music and shared in their life."

EN: Can you tell us about your new website and what you are trying to achieve?

HW: Although I was very pleased with the lovely graphics on my old site, it looked cluttered on a mobile device. In the process of de-cluttering the site, it became simple, clean and more user friendly on all platforms. My hope is that a broad spectrum of people will discover this meaningful, inexpensive alternative to sending flowers to their friends, co-workers and employees who have lost loved ones. I know this will happen if people visit the site, listen to the music and read testimonials like this: "I was so pleased to find your web site that enabled me to give something meaningful. Flowers are beautiful, but last only days. Music lives on like the spirit & gives peace to the soul."

EN: There are quite a few advocates for music therapy. Do you have connections with any of these people?

HW: The "Music and Memory Program" has probably gotten the most attention and it’s well deserved. Their moving documentary “Alive Inside” has had a huge impact on the long term care community. But no, I'm not personally connected in any way.

EN: Have you followed the research in this area in recent years? It seems that science is verifying what you have known intuitively all along. What are the biggest things you have heard or learned these past five years?

HW: Regarding research, the music itself is central & essential to this program's impact. Many thousands of gift recipients have listened to these CDs and have been comforted and encouraged during a difficult time in their lives. Current research supports the extensive anecdotal feedback I have received since 2003. Consider this excerpt from"Treatment of bereavement through music therapy":

"Both qualitative and quantitative studies have been completed and both have provided evidence to support music therapy in the use of bereavement treatment. One study that evaluated a number of treatment approaches found that only music therapy had significant positive outcomes where the others showed little improvement in participants." --Rosner, Kruse & Hagl, 2010

EN: Has the decline in popularity of CDs affected the relevance of your program?

HW: Although that decline is undeniable, they’re still selling well over a hundred million per year. “CDs are far from dead, and I don’t believe they will be any time soon,” said Zack Zarrillo of Synergy Artist MGMT and Bad Timing Records. Mainstream CD buyers LIKE the familiarity of the CD and value physical ownership.

 That said, I’m also attempting to bridge the generational digital divide.

Free Download Cards are included with each CD so that gift recipients to share a digital copy of their gift of music with other friends and loved ones. Many recipients, regardless of age, have younger relatives who will appreciate this feature, so it's a way to multiply the effect of your gift of music. The iTunes value of each CD download is $9.95.

My music is also available via iTunes, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, etc. It’s exciting to see detailed sales reports each month that reflect listeners from around the globe.

Spotify or Apple Music: You can use apps to stream my music in your facility for the benefit of residents receiving palliative care or to calm others who are agitated. You can also download MP3s on Amazon or iTunes.

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For more, visit and bookmark the Quiet Heart Music website.

RELATED LINKS
200+ Studies on the Benefits of Music and Music Education

A 2013 Interview with Henry Wiens
The Power of Music to Reduce Stress
The Comforting Power of Music
Why Are CDs Still A Thing

Quiet Heart Music Celebrates Ten Years In Business

Yesterday on the radio I heard an interview with someone who made music for people with Alzheimers or in their declining years. The interviewee made some interesting statements about the healing power of music, but his approach was different from what I usually read in one particular way. He said that he was in the business of creating music that had no attachments to memories of earlier years. That is, it was all original with no connection to memories, though still designed to comfort.

Because of my longtime friendship with Yamaha Recording Artist Henry Wiens, I wasn’t sure how to take this. In  my 2007 interview with Henry I asked why music has such power to reach so deeply into peoples’ hearts. He replied:

Music is like beauty for the ears and mind. The answer to why people are moved by beauty is rooted in what it means to be human. For me, creating and listening to music is linked to expressing love for everything that is beautiful about life. As a listener, I respond to what I "read between the lines"; as a composer-performer, I try to express that love & beauty to others. Any power that music may have to touch others is rooted in the authenticity and depth of the artist's expression.

As people experience music throughout their lives, they build up associations with that music which reinforce each other. Hearing a familiar melody will bring past experiences to life. For example, hearing a song that you danced to when you were 18 and in love will probably elicit some of those good feelings even decades later. Hearing a song that was sung in church while you were held on your mother's lap may bring comfort the rest of your life.

Joan Baez

It may be that the person I heard on the radio is right in some instances, but I’m going to imagine that when we Baby Boomers are in nursing homes or hospice care we’re more likely to be transported to fond memories and beautiful landscapes when we hear "Bridge Over Troubled Water" or "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" than when we hear something unfamiliar. Maybe I’m wrong but I’m guessing that three decades from now our souls will continue to resonate with Bach, the Beatles and "Wind Beneath My Wings."

Ten years ago Henry started a business called Quiet Heart Music based on the widespread response to his CDs as a source of comfort. His primary customers were nursing homes, hospice and funeral homes that purchased personalized CDs, but he’s not averse to individuals purchasing his music. This week he gave his website a facelift and if you’re in need of comfort or a quiet background as you write or draw, I can attest that Henry’s music offers a soothing accompaniment to nearly any activity.

There 's another feature of this kind of "comfort music" that's worth noting. According to many sources the music is not only like a soul-balm for the dying or grieving, but for the caregiver as well. Sherri Snelling's post in this Alheimer's Association blog is titled Music as Therapy: A Five-Note Plan For Caregiver Calm. Snelling explains, "Music as therapy is not just for your loved one. We know caregivers encounter increased stress over caring for a loved one — in fact caregivers who reported their health was impacted by caring for a loved one cite stress as their No. 1 challenge." She goes on to note that our reaction to music is actually physiological in that listening to music releases the hormone melatonin which reduces aggression and depression and can help us sleep.

No wonder we feel so good when we're listening to the music. Let's dance!

Centerville All Stars

The Soothing Magical Power of Quiet Heart Music

This week I was prompted to think again about the power of music, especially its ability to console and soothe. These thoughts led me to pick up the phone and call a lifelong friend, Henry Wiens of Quiet Heart Music, whose piano CDs are designed purposefully to this end, to comfort and heal. Afterwards he passed along to me a recent letter from a "customer"... the kind of feedback that keeps him motivated to continue sharing his music. (Posted below.)

The trigger for all this was a USA Today article that included some interesting insights on this topic.

"Often, music therapy is more cost-effective than administering medication, especially for patients with anxiety, sleep disturbances or pain," says Al Bumanis, spokesman for the American Music Therapy Association.

A 2007 survey of U.S. health facilities by the Society for the Arts in Healthcare, along with the Joint Commission and Americans for the Arts, found that of the 1,923 facilities, 35% offered some type of music to patients.

Besides promoting relaxation and reducing stress, music therapy has been shown to affect sleep patterns, improve stroke patients' memories and decrease the amount of sedation medication needed for some patients.*

Here's the letter that Henry forwarded to me:

Henry,
I’ve been meaning to email you for a while but just getting around to it now. I hope you are well.

My mother had a rough summer as she progresses further into the depths of Alzheimer’s disease. She no longer can feed herself or walk. Most days she is unaware of her surroundings and gets agitated very easily with noise and multiple people in the same room. My sister and I tried many things to calm her and have her be more relaxed and peaceful. We bought a few soft animals for her to hold. A soft blanket for her lap, and then my sister remembered she had bought your CD at the Pittsburgh conference last year. Your music has been key to calming my mother. When we start the music she closes her eyes as if she is visualizing a green pasture and feeling a warm breeze. It’s amazing to watch the tension leave her face and her body relax.

I will be purchasing some CDs for the facility where my mother is residing so everyone on her floor can experience the calm, soothing magic of your music. Thank you for providing this for not just folks with dementia but everyone who needs to restore tranquility and calm to their day.

Lois

Are you stressed out because of this whirlwind called the holidays? Do you have life complications driving you to distraction? Does the armor you wear during your workday make you weary by day's end? How do you spell relief? I spell it, M-U-S-I-C.

*Music provides healing grace note for hospital patients
USA Today June 17, 2008

Healing the Hurting Through Music

Music has long been understood to have power to comfort distress, to deliver us from the solitude of our sufferings. In the Old Testament, David the shepherd boy was brought before King Saul to play the harp, thereby relieving the king from his depression. Three thousand years later, we have CD players and radios. In whatever form it is delivered, the simple beauty of music is a therapeutic wonder.

To the hurting soul every bitter moment is an eternity. As the music unfolds, we are comforted.

Who can understand it, this miracle that music brings? For many at life’s end, whether ill or simply bed-ridden, time slows to a crawl. In fact, with little to look forward to, there really is nothing but time. The hours stand still, especially when magnified by pain. Time is impossibly slow for those who hurt or grieve.

One musician who understands music’s power is Henry Wiens, a Midwest pianist, Yamaha recording artist and founder of Quiet Heart Music. After years of receiving letters and calls from grateful listeners coping with grief, chronic pain, and stress, Wiens recognized that his music had significant healing potential and began to distribute his CDs to nursing homes, hospices and hospitals across the nation.

My wife and I first met Henry and his wife Lisa when we all lived in the Twin Cities back in the early eighties. Both are sensitive, thoughtful people with good hearts.

Earlier this year I asked Henry why music has such power. He replied as follows:

Music is like beauty for the ears and mind. The answer to why people are moved by beauty is rooted in what it means to be human. For me, creating and listening to music is linked to expressing love for everything that is beautiful about life. As a listener, I respond to what I "read between the lines"; as a composer-performer, I try to express that love & beauty to others. Any power that music may have to touch others is rooted in the authenticity and depth of the artist's expression.

As people experience music throughout their lives, they build up associations with that music which reinforce each other. Hearing a familiar melody will bring past experiences to life. For example, hearing a song that you danced to when you were 18 and in love will probably elicit some of those good feelings even decades later. Hearing a song that was sung in church while you were held on your mother's lap may bring comfort the rest of your life.

This summer, Quiet Heart Music was featured The Director magazine, a publication for NADONA, the National Association Directors Of Nursing Administration. You can read The Power of Music to Comfort and Heal here.