PIANO

Excellently and diligently written, this little book tells the story of one Steinway concert grand piano from conception to adolescence. Barron loves the piano, respects the Company, and is dilgent in showing the evolution of Steinway, as well as the creation of one, new opus - a 9 foot concert piano. Barron introduces us to the barons of Steinway and the individual craftsmen who hand make these excellent instruments. To me, the quality and individual character of each Steinway piano are no longer a mystery.Each time I play my own small grand piano (a quality A B Chase, close replica of the Steinway model S), I think of the efforts that went into it. Unlike Yamahas and such, the Steinway is an almost hand-built piano from a Company which has never relented in its determination to produce the best.The book also explains why age is not all that becoming in the tonal life of a piano. The instrument has a birth, a development, and an aging process which are measured in tonal character progress, not just years. The aged Steiway seems a time integral of all that has come before - including hundred year old designs and techniques, and all the way up to its last tuning.If you think a piano is a piano, is a piano, Barron's book will change your outlook.

Some books contain information, and some books are a pleasure to read. Piano by James Barron is both! As I read, I can practically see a fun-loving and slightly mischievous glint in Barron's eyes as he writes. And he covers much more than the technical aspect of building a piano -- he covers the history of the company and even the fascinating -- often cheerfully eccentric -- personalities of the many people involved. Amusing anecdotes? Piano has them, oh yes. Bribing the judges, anyone? Apparently, there were some rough-and-tumble times in the company's distant history. And the technical details are explained in layman's terms. Enjoy a great read!

While I enjoyed this book, it is really much more about people than pianos, and the "common man" at that. Picturesque as they might be, many details about the workers' personal lives could have been spared. For those of us who play pianos but have never taken one apart, a labeled schematic would have been very helpful in understanding the text.

Puts real stories about the workers at SteinwayExplains the Steinway family history wellGood explanation of the Steinway technology in particular part No. 81

Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book about the making of one particular Steinway grand piano, known as K0862, even though the person who recommended the book to me thought I would find it only mildly interesting, probably a three-star book. That wasn't the case. I enjoyed the telling of this nonfiction story and I enjoyed the easy-going writing, and I never felt that the details were padded or obtrusive. When the documentary based on this book came out, I watched it and enjoyed it. As for the book, I passed it on to a friend who liked it, and he passed it on to another friend. If you're interested in the history of manufacturing (even though of a grand piano), in how changing times necessitate changes in practice, in skilled craftsmanship, and in learning more about pianos, you will enjoy this book.

Part of this book describes how a piano is built, and that is not possible to convey without diagrams and/or photos. The only photos are grainy black & white images of craftspeople at the Steinway factory-- interesting, but lending nothing to understanding these insanely complicated devices, a complexity that cannot be conveyed in words, no matter how deft the writer.Apart from that, the book has interesting thumbnail sketches of the employees involved at the time of writing (late oughts), and that part is well done.Woven in is a light history of the Steinway family and business. A more detailed history can be found in Richard Lieberman's Steinway and Sons.The reader cannot help but wonder about the ways in which the company controlled access to its employees for this sunny view of its story.Still, an entertaining and informative read-- just not as fulfilling as I wished.

James Barron did his research on this book, and it shows. He traces the building of a nine-foot Steinway D from the spruce forests of Alaska to the concert stage. The begetting of the sound board, the heart and soul of a piano, was, for me, the most emotional aspect of the book. You cannot make an omelet without cracking an egg (we'll have to credit mass-murderer Joe Stalin with that quote), and you need old-growth spruce to make a great soundboard. Ouch. A good reason (or excuse for the impecunious) to always buy a used piano. The book spends time in the factory at Queens, of course, and will teach a reader enormous amounts about the innards of the instrument. The character sketches of the workmen and performers are fascinating, too. An outstanding work.

Anyone who loves music will find much to like in this labor of love by a first-rate reporter who documents the creation of a Steinway concert grand. James Barron recounts the history of the Steinway family and their company, both in Hamburg and New York. The book reads like a novel and you become attached to the many characters whose work brings forth this work of art, first named K0862, then CD-60, a company designation for the book's principal character, a concert grand traveling around the country as the artists who perform on it do. You fall a bit in love with the piano and worry and cheer for it as it begins its career. The story of the missing screw is priceless.

The book is not a technical book. It is more of a story of how the piano was built. Nothing technical.

If you can't afford a Steinway but would like to, read this story! If Bill Bryson had written this, it could not be more fascinating. Cleverly incorporating the story of the craftspeople and the company history it is a "must read" for anyone who aspires to improve their playing.

Very interesting read about the history of the New York Steinway piano. It hints at the New York Steinway as a very touchy and whimsical instrument, pending much on the environment it is located, and is not for the average player (unless you are buying it as a piece of furniture)

Ich habe dieses Buch gekauft und gelesen nachdem ich mir ein Steinway Grand Piano gekauft habe... und alles was ich erfahren habe hat mich nur noch mehr zu einem Steinway Fan gemacht. Heute, 3 Jahre spaeter war ich zwischendurch auch auf einen Besuch bei Steinway und habe quasi jedes Kapitel diese Buches nachgelebt. Der Auto hat wirklich nichts ausgelassen. Ein absolutes must have fuer jeden Steinway Juenger!

Difficult to rate a book you cannot read. The book I received in the mail, smelled as if doused in some strong perfume-- to the point that I could barely hold it, and certainly could not read it. Still cannot. The smell persists after many weeks, as strong and objectionable as when it arrived.In addition to the outrage a receiving this thing, I was -- and am -- extremely disappointed, as had been very much looking forward to reading it.