66-key piano?

[fen...@pop.nci.nih.gov]

I just acquired a new piano student and went over to her house to give a
lesson. She has what is probably the most peculiar piano I've ever seen.
It's looks like a miniature upright, with 66 keys instead of 88. It also
looks like it was probably made around 1910-1920. My guess is that it is a
"child's piano', or something like that. Has anyone else ever seen one of
these pianos? What's their history (I imagine they are not made anymore)?
Also, do they have any value as antiques. (I told my student I'd ask around
for her).

Cheers,

Dave

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[Eric Bennett]

I was recently in a stage production of "The Music Man", and we used one of
those miniature uprights as a stage prop. The one we used looked as though
it dated to the 30s of 40's, but I really don't know. I actually was able
to produce a somewhat acceptable sound for such a small piano.

Just a thought,

Eric Bennett

fen...@pop.nci.nih.gov wrote in message
<6udmrg$b2h$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>...

[miro szczeskiewicz]

Eric Bennett wrote:
>
> I was recently in a stage production of "The Music Man", and we used one of
> those miniature uprights as a stage prop. The one we used looked as though
> it dated to the 30s of 40's, but I really don't know. I actually was able
> to produce a somewhat acceptable sound for such a small piano.
>
> Just a thought,
>
> Eric Bennett
>
> fen...@pop.nci.nih.gov wrote in message
> <6udmrg$b2h$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>...
> >I just acquired a new piano student and went over to her house to give a
> >lesson. She has what is probably the most peculiar piano I've ever seen.
> >It's looks like a miniature upright, with 66 keys instead of 88. It also
> >looks like it was probably made around 1910-1920. My guess is that it is a
> >"child's piano', or something like that. Has anyone else ever seen one of
> >these pianos? What's their history (I imagine they are not made anymore)?
> >Also, do they have any value as antiques. (I told my student I'd ask
> around
> >for her).

That or the piano is from the mid 19th century. I played a steinway
grand, which looked like its from the 1940s it was in fact from the late
1880s; sometimes its hard to tell. Have a look at the sound-board, often
piano manufacturers engraved the date of their instruments.

have a look at some of the Liszt scores; often there is an ossia for 7
octave (88-key) pianos written in. As for Beethoven, I think the highest
note on his piano was an f above the treble clef.

Bye, Michal

[Dave Zappa]

fen...@pop.nci.nih.gov wrote:
>
> I just acquired a new piano student and went over to her house to give a
> lesson. She has what is probably the most peculiar piano I've ever seen.
> It's looks like a miniature upright, with 66 keys instead of 88. It also
> looks like it was probably made around 1910-1920. My guess is that it is a
> "child's piano', or something like that. Has anyone else ever seen one of
> these pianos? What's their history (I imagine they are not made anymore)?
> Also, do they have any value as antiques. (I told my student I'd ask around
> for her).

Could have been a Gulbransen mini piano. They were built in the 50's.
Some had this ugly formica-type green finish. We took one on trade at
my old employer 2 years ago, and when I was there a couple weeks ago it
still was on the floor. We joked about our "cute little piano
department"

Dave

--
Retail salesperson formerly representing Steinway, Boston, Yamaha,
Disklavier, Seiler,
Baldwin family, Kimball, Young Chang, Samick, Kohler & Campbell,
PianoDisc, Technics,
Suzuki, Viscount, Pianovelle, Denon, Roland & Clavinova. Support your
local
service-oriented dealer. Opinions expressed are my own and do not
necessarily reflect the
opinions of my employer.

To reply by e-mail please remove the "SPAMTHIS" from my address.

[rdgs]

These small Pianos are more common than you would think. Most of these were
made from the 1910's to 1940's.I've been in the piano business for thirty
years. I have had several of these little piano made under names such as
Wurlitzer, Mercer, Winter, Lester, and even one by J.C. Seeburg. I was told
once that some of these pianos were used for different public functions
because they were portable. The value of the small pianos like this is not
very good, $800.00 is the most I ever seen one sell for. I own a small
Lester shaped like a Square Grand, standing on four legs, the soundboard and
strings are horizontal. I am trying to buy a 65 note 3'8'' Grand by P.A.
Stark, nice little piano. If you can find the serial number, someone or I
can look up the number and get a date on it.

kwrdgs

fen...@pop.nci.nih.gov wrote in message
<6udmrg$b2h$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>...

>I just acquired a new piano student and went over to her house to give a
>lesson. She has what is probably the most peculiar piano I've ever seen.
>It's looks like a miniature upright, with 66 keys instead of 88. It also
>looks like it was probably made around 1910-1920. My guess is that it is a
>"child's piano', or something like that. Has anyone else ever seen one of
>these pianos? What's their history (I imagine they are not made anymore)?
>Also, do they have any value as antiques. (I told my student I'd ask
around
>for her).
>

[pTooner]

fen...@pop.nci.nih.gov wrote:

> I just acquired a new piano student and went over to her house to give a
> lesson. She has what is probably the most peculiar piano I've ever seen.
> It's looks like a miniature upright, with 66 keys instead of 88. It also
> looks like it was probably made around 1910-1920. My guess is that it is a
> "child's piano', or something like that. Has anyone else ever seen one of
> these pianos? What's their history (I imagine they are not made anymore)?
> Also, do they have any value as antiques. (I told my student I'd ask around
> for her).
>
> Cheers,
>
> Dave
>
> -----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==-----
> http://www.dejanews.com/rg_mkgrp.xp Create Your Own Free Member Forum

I tuned one of these things about a year ago that was marked "Made in Occupied
Japan". It had mostly unichords as I recall with no trichords at all. It was
built like a standard studio model except everything was down-sized. It
actually played okay after a little tuning and regulating.

Gerry
Oh yes, I saw a small Kawai just a couple of months ago at a piano dealer. It
was used, and was not all that small except for the short keyboard.

[John S. Gray]

Kohler & Campbell made a mini-upright in the 1920s (? not sure on the
dates there)

Some treble tri-chords, Ivorine naturals and the most rudimentary
music desk, even less useful than the item in a modern Far East console
piano.

Could be one of those...?

JG
Isolated out there somewhere...