Testing A Petrof for its Characteristic

1. Press down the right pedal. Play the far left key as soft as possible. The softer you can play it, the better the action.

2. Let the note sound as long as possible. Check the sustain (rate of decay). Notice any changes in the quality of the sound as it decays.

3. Start over. Press down right pedal. Play a chord as loud as possible in the low, low bass. Let it sustain awhile. Then, play a chord in the middle register as loud as possible. Then play a chord in the upper treble as loud as possible. Let them sustain. (Woofer, mid-cone, and tweeter). Do the chords tend to merge over time? (Which is bad? You want the tones to remain separate.) This is a performance test for the sound board.

4. Leave pedals alone. Play one note at time one, two, and three octaves above middle C very, very loudly, one at time. Does the note distort? This is an acid test. Cheap pianos rarely survive this test. The Petrofs I have tested do well.

Repeat all of the above on other pianos to compare, especially the expensive ones above your price range to see what happens with a high perform instrument.


Also, test the following:

1. Is the treble about as loud as the bass for the same effort of playing, i.e., is the volume balanced? Some pianos end up with a bright treble because the technician is trying to balance a treble that is too weak in volume relative to the bass.

2. Can you play the entire scale softly? Many pianos play loud, and louder, but not softly. This is not an uncommon problem for pianos below tier one.

3. Does the instrument play really loud? Surprisingly, I have run into a few that are volume limited. This quality is not noticeable until you specifically look for it.