Thank you to everyone who completed the survey I circulated, asking you about your piano needs. I wrote all your names on little pieces of paper, closed my eyes, shuffled it all up and selected the winner of the free tuning. And the winner is .... Steve! If you're name is not Steve, you did not win. If your name is Steve and you just received an email from me telling you, Steve, that you are the winner, then you DID win. Yay!

I hope you've all had a grand ole December with relatively in-tune pianos, something which is actually a bit of a tall order this time of year. It snowed, it was cold, we stoked the fire, kept the wood heat burning all through the night, drying out our homes and consequently throwing pianos noticeably out. Ken said he measured the relative humidity in his wood-heated space and it was down to 38% (unlike our usual Sunshine Coast relative humidity of 110%?),

These changes in humidity don't just affect the tuning, but the touch, and can even cause structural damage if the change is dramatic enough. Here is a link to what Yamaha says about caring for your piano: http://ca.yamaha.com/en/support/caring_for_your_piano/

Yup, not only do pianos go out of tune, but they also go "out of touch." Changes in humidity and wear on felt and leather, even tiny amounts, can cause a piano to go out of regulation. You may have noticed your piano just doesn't feel as smooth as it used to, or is harder to play softly. Maybe you just feel like you have less control. I can help restore the touch of your piano. If one of your resolutions this year is to play more, treat yourself to an instrument you can really enjoy spending time with.

Best wishes for 2017!

Do you find it challenging to play those super-wide intervals in Chopin's music? Well, now you know he had a little help with that ... Let the brilliant Janina Fialkowska take you on a tour of an 1848 Pleyel grand piano. The piano in this clip is the same make and model as the one Chopin had in his apartment when he died.

Want more? Here is Idil Beret playing the piano that was literally Chopin's piano. How do you think it sounds? With a shallow key dip and narrow keys, it certainly would feel very different!

It's already December 10, but it's not too late to get your piano tuned before Christmas if you book soon. It may be raining slush here on the Sunshine Coast, but at least you can enjoy the sound of in-tune Christmas carols (or the grandchildren's version of "Heart and Soul" and other unavoidable classics).