Rensselaer Republican, Volume 17, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 July 1885 — The Piano. [ARTICLE]

The Piano.

Any hard Bubstance, no matter how small, dropped inside a piano, will cause a rattling, jarring noise. It is, in every case, desirable that an India rubber or cloth cover should protect the instrument from bruises and scratches. The piano should not be placed in a damp room er left open in a. draught of .cold air. Dampness is its most dangerous' enemy, causing its strings and tuning pipes to rust, the cloth used in construction of the keys and action to swell, whereby the mechanism will move sluggishly or often stick altogether. This occurs chiefly in the summer season, and the best pianos are necessarily affected by dampness, the absorption being rapid. Extreme heat being scarcely less injurious, the piano should not be placed very near an open fire or heated stove,, nor over Or close to the hot-air furnace. Moths are very destructive to the cloth and felt used in the piano, and may kept out of it by placing a lump of camphor, wrapped in soft naper, in the inside of it, care being taken to renew it from time to time. Many persons are aware of the great importance of having their pianos 'kept in, order, and tuned only by a com-petent-tuner. A new piano should be tuned at least once every three or four months during the first year, and at longer intervals afterward.