Thank you to the David and Shirley Longfellow Headliners Program Fund for helping the Butler Music Department restore the Kawai grand piano at Butler Community College. The piano sounds like a completely different instrument. The action is crisp and the tone is clear instead of harsh. The damper felts were replaced and the hammers were reshaped. The sticky bass notes are gone, and they even cleaned and polished the Kawai inside and out. The piano keys offer much easier control now, and, after setting the strings, it holds tuning like it should.
“It plays like an absolute dream. I realized while making the recording just how important a good instrument is,” said Amanda Pfenninger, associate professor of music. “I’ve been playing the same Bach piece on my (pretty great) Yamaha at home this week but struggling with some of the technique. Playing on the Kawai made me realize it’s not me! The instrument’s action and tone make all the difference. This is going to be a delight to play on.”
Gary Telleen and the Craftsman Piano Service technicians restored the piano May-July 2023. To hear the piano now, visit Butler Piano Thank You.
“Thank you again for giving the go-ahead on this project,” says Pfenninger. “When I say it is a totally different instrument, I’m not exaggerating. It’s the best piano I’ve played on in a long time. Our students are going to love playing on this piano.”
