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The piano owner must deal with three separate issues which will be covered in this manual: Piano Buying, Piano Maintenance, and Piano Selling.

Piano Buying deals with the "Dos" and "Don'ts" one should consider when purchasing either a new or used piano.

Piano Maintenance tells what is involved in keeping your piano in tip-top shape. This includes placement of the piano in your home, tuning requirements, case polishing, mouse eradication, keytop care and basic cleaning of both grands and uprights.

Piano Selling gives you helpful hints on how to successfully market your piano, appraise your piano, and show it most successfully.

DO have plenty of money when piano shopping. Piano are not cheap. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. Most people who sell their pianos for next to nothing do so because there is something wrong with it - something too costly to repair. Be prepared to spend from $1200 up for an upright and $2500 up for a grand. New pianos are about twice that. It is recommended that you buy new pianos from dealers because they offer warranties, moving, and often a free tuning with the sale.

DON'T buy the first piano you see. Shop around. Play lots of pianos until you find one that both feels great and sounds right. You can find pianos for sale with private owners, at piano stores, county fairs, home and garden shows, big shopping outlets like CostCo and Sam's Club. Since most stores sponsor the sales at these other places (fairs, etc.), find out where the store is and visit it to see their other pianos before purchasing.

DO consult a piano technician if you find a piano that you might consider buying. It pays to get the opinion of an uninvolved third party as to whether it is a good deal or not. Piano teachers may know if it sounds good or not, but most of them are not that familiar with the inner action and workings of the piano.

DON'T buy a low-priced fixer-upper thinking you'll get around to making it work yourself. Sure, some of you can refinish the cases successfully, but can you repair a broken whippen or jack, or adjust the damper springs or level the keys? Most fixer-uppers end up in drafty garages or damp basements, shoved into corners and stacked with boxes. If you MUST buy a piano with a "small problem," at least contact your piano technician first and find out what it might cost if he or she fixes it.

DO buy a sound, in-tune piano for the beginner in your family. Beginners need better instruments than professionals (who can make even the rattiest piano sound good). Would you consider buying your beginner a trumpet with a bent valve or a clarinet with two key pads missing? Make sure all the keys play correctly and the piano sounds fairly well in tune. Let your beginner play it to see if it feels right. Avoid pianos with sticky keys, two or three horribly out-of- tune keys all in one spot, unusual buzzing and clicking sounds. Any of those things can mean a costly repair. Your beginner will learn quicker and better with a quality instrument.

DON'T buy any old square grands or "birdcage" pianos. These two types are abundant and usually have gorgeous cases. The square grand may seem like a lovely old antique but, as a rule, is hard to get in tune, has a weak, thin tone, and a short keyboard. The keys often are clattery and difficult to play and many technicians avoid them because parts are impossible to get and a special tuning hammer is required to tune them. They make great boat anchors! The little "birdcage" pianos are often made in England and can be spotted by their two cute pedals (instead of the usual three) and elaborate small cases, many sporting little candleabras on the front. Inside, the action is enclosed in a "cage" comprised of rods extending in front of the action making it almost impossible to see the action itself. Again, these pianos have shrunken keyboards (often not more than 70 keys) and small, unstable plates, which can crack under the strain of bringing them up to today's 440 pitch. Even if repaired and working properly, these pianos do not stay in tune and since they are so small, often with only one string per note, have a very weak sound. The actions tend to be difficult and stiff. Again, many technicians will refuse to deal with them. So, don't get suckered in by that cute case.

Congratulations! You're a piano owner! Your piano has arrived but you don't have an inside wall to put it on. Go ahead, stick it on the big outside wall in the living room. Only if your house is old and badly insulated do you need to put that piano on an inside wall. Just leave a couple of inches of room behind it (not tight to the wall), above it (to get the lid up), and room to walk around it on the right side. Your technician will thank you. Be sure there is no working woodstove or fireplace too close and don't set it on top of a heating/cooling vent. If you place it in front of a window, pull those drapes when the sun comes in or your case will fade and the whole piano will go out of tune. You can also purchase a cover for it, if you like. See my LINKS page.

Keep it away from that birdcage and whatever you do, never place live plants or candles on your piano. Water and wax (unlit candles can melt in the sunlight) can ruin pianos. Keep all drinks and food away from your piano. Wash your hands before you play if you want to avoid a grubby, sticky keyboard.

If your keyboard is true ivory (not plastic), it will stay a nice light off-white shade if you do NOT cover it (with a fallboard or cloth). The sun will bleach the ivory so it won't turn more yellow. Most pianos today have plastic keytops and it is recommended that you keep the fallboard shut when the piano is not being played to avoid dust and things getting stuck between the keys.

You can clean your keytops with a damp/dry cloth that has been sprayed with a mild detergent. Do not use bleach, gritty substances (which can scratch plastic keys) or other harsh chemicals for those stains. Never spray anything directly on the keyboard. The wooden keys themselves will swell up and stick together - another costly repair. If the whole key requires some cleaning use a fine sandpaper on the wood part or a very damp/dry cloth to quickly wipe it. Normally, you need only worry about the actual keytops themselves.

It is okay to vacuum inside your piano. You can remove the knee panel and vacuum below safely but be careful with the upper action parts. Best to use the soft dusting brush on those hammers and lightly, please. On grands, you can clean that tricky soundboard with a little instruction from your technician.

The case itself is not difficult to clean. If you have a wood finish, you can use any wood-cleaning products that do NOT contain silicones like Old English or lemon oil. However, if you have one of those shiny new acrylic finishes, I would recommend products from Brillianz, Kleenmaster or Cory Company, which may be purchased through your local dealer or online (see my LINKS page).

All new pianos require extra tuning: two or three times during the first two years so they can stabilize, then at least once a year after that. Old pianos that have been taken care of should be tuned one to two times a year, due to the changes in temperature and humidity. Your piano will be happier and stay in tune longer if you get it regularly tuned, play it often, move it as little as possible, and maintain a steady temperature between 50 and 80 degrees.

If you must store a piano, DO NOT store it in an unheated garage or storage area. Cover it with blankets and store it in a dry, weather resistant place no colder than 40 degrees. After you move it into its place in your home, wait at least two weeks before you have it tuned, so it can acclimate.

Mice infestation is one of the biggest problems people have with their pianos. Those mousies just love to chew on piano keys, felt, and make their nests in your piano. I always recommend the old fashioned cat remedy, but if you can't have a cat, there is one other safe way to eliminate mice. On the internet, visitwww.critter-repellant.com and check out their organic Shake-Away product which repels mice instead of killing them. The powder, containing the scent of fox and bobcat, has a slight sulphur scent but if you use just a tiny amount, you probably won't notice it. DO NOT put rat poison or traps in your piano. The damage dead mouse bodies do to a key bed, not to mention the horrible odor, stays in the piano for years.

One final note - please add your piano to your insurance policy so it will be covered in case of a disaster.

So, you need to sell your piano. To prepare it for sale, you can determine its actual age from its serial number which is inside on the metal plate or etched in the soundboard. Your technician can tell when it was built with that number. Make sure you have a tuning and repair record available to show you've been taking care of it, shine up that case, vacuum all those dust bunnies out of it and have it tuned. Also, you may want to collect the name of a reputable piano mover and pass your technician's card on to the buyer. Anything to make the sale a smooth one.

There are several ways you can advertise your piano: take out ads in your local paper, advertise on the internet, even auction it off on E-Bay. Or you can post flyers in stores, schools, churches, libraries, super markets, the post office, nursing homes, garage sales, even your local tavern. Be sure to include your phone number or cell phone number. Whether you want to include a basic price is up to you - sometimes you may want to hold back on that, only quoting to those who seem interested. Occasionally, piano stores will but it outright or take a clean piano on a consignment basis. However, don't expect a piano retail dealer to give you what you want price-wise as they need to make some money too. Most people only call their dealers when they absolutely have to get rid of that piano now.

If you're not sure what your piano is worth, call your technician for a ball park estimate. If he/she has been taking care of it for years, he/she will probably tell you what you need to know over the phone. However, most technicians charge for an appraisal, so don't be surprised by this. After all, their time and expertise is valuable too. An appraisal can also come in handy for insurance or tax purposes (if you donate it).