Musical Pleasures
Books in Cape Town

Musical Pleasure’s offers a wide range of piano services, such as sales, piano restoration and much more. Lukas van der Walt Piano Tuners has been in business since Lukas van der Walt only use properly trained and qualified piano tuners who have to be affiliated to the South African Association of Professional Piano Tuners. In 1992, Musical Pleasures developed out of Lukas van der Walt Piano Tuners. Musical Pleasures focus on import and sales of quality new and refurbished pianos. They specialize in new and secondhand pianos and their extensive service also includes repair and restoration of pianos and they also transport pianos. Musical Pleasures are the sole importers of Otto Bach pianos in South Africa. Both, Otto Bach & Strauss pianos are outstanding pianos at the best prices available in South Africa. At Musical Pleasures we pride ourselves to offer the best pianos, we stock a wide range of secondhand pianos and the well known Otto Bach pianos. Lukus Van Der Walt specialize in new and secondhand pianos and their extensive service also includes repair and restoration of pianos and they also transport pianos. Piano strings are under a great deal of tension which is supported by the frame, plate, pin block, piano tuning pins, bridges and sound board. Anything which affects the positions of these parts will cause a change in tension and make the piano go out of tune. Even though a soundboard is varnished, moisture from the air can seep into and out of the wood, causing the crown to increase and diminish. This is the most important factor causing a good piano to go out of tune. A typical piano goes sharp in the spring when rain increases the humidity and thus the crown, and flat again in the early winter when the dry heat of the furnace removes moisture from the soundboard, diminishing the crown. This seasonable pitch change is noticeably absent from pianos which are kept in climate controlled (temperature and humidity controlled) environments. When the temperature rises, the soundboard expands and increases its push on the strings. Temperature changes also have a slight effect on the strings, frame and plate, but this factor is even less important. New music wire is very elastic; it begins to stretch as soon as it is pulled up to pitch. New strings stretch the most during their first few years in a piano. Because of its stretching, many new pianos sink a quarter step flat within a few months after each tuning, for two or three years; then the stretching decreases, and the pitch becomes stable for longer periods of time. Some professional piano tuning,makers and rebuilders stretch their new strings with a small roller immediately after a piano is pulled up to pitch. This factor does not enter into the tuning of a good quality new piano. The pins in a new piano should be so tight that the string tension does not cause them to turn. In an older piano, however, which has been exposed to regular seasonal humidity changes for many years, the pin block loses its tight grip on the pins, from continual expansion and contraction. When the pins get loose enough, the strings rotate them slowly in the pin block and the pitch gradually goes down. Piano’s which are transferred from a wet to a dry climate tend to get loose tuning pins. The louder and more often a piano is played, the faster it goes out of tune. But playing is a factor even in fine quality pianos. In addition, a poor tuner can leave a piano in tune but in a state that it will not stay that way very long. Humidity and temperature changes and hard use normally affect even a fine piano: that is why pianos must be tuned regularly. This depends upon the condition of the piano and the musical demands of the owner.