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piano can fit in a living room. The piano is 4 ft.
7 in. long, 4 ft. 8 in. wide and 3 ft. 2 in. high, which
fits in most spots occupied by a spinet. Perhaps this
will mean the revival of the small grand piano, once
a popular instrument, so that the production of new
grand pianos will be increased perceptibly in a few
years. These instruments will be sold in all the ten
stores of the Jenkins Music Co. and the effort will
be worth watching.
Another Price-Conscious Sign
Established 1879
A
NOTHER development which is taking place
this month which should interest dealers
throughout the country is the announcement of
Kohler & Campbell, Inc. of the introduction of a 39-
inch
spinet piano, which is claimed by officials of the
MCMIEt Of ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
company
to be "one of the lowest priced pianos on
NATIONAL
1
V. T. Costello
Alexander Hart
ASSOCIATION
the
market".
Because it was felt that there might be
Associate Editor
OF MUSIC
Technical Editor
some price increases in pianos after the price controls
MERCHANTS
were
lifted, it seems that some manufacturers are
W& CHltD IS RICH ^M
^ f t WITH MUSICAL ^ 1
wisely trying to keep the prices of pianos well within
bounds. If it develops that piano prices may decrease
Dorothy Elizabeth Bloom
instead of increase, it would seem to us that it would
Circulation Manager
prove beneficial to the industry at large, because if
Published monthly at 510 RKO Building, Radio
eventually the wholesale excise tax is removed and
City, 1270 Sixth Avenue, New York 20, N. Y.
Telephone: Circle 7-5842-5843-5844
the public is educated to the fact that piano prices
No. 4 are becoming lower there should be a stimulated
Vol. 112
APRIL, 1953
demand for pianos all over the country.
CARLETON CHACE, Editor
Alex H. Kolbe, Publisher
T
HE Jenkins Music Co. of Kansas City, Mo. is
putting on a campaign this month, which will
probably be watched with considerable interest
exploiting a 4 ft. 7 in. grand piano in order to stimu-
late interest in the grand, which
at one time was considerably
more popular than it is at present.
The grand is being exploited in
honor of the 75th anniversary of
the Jenkins organization, and is
being sold for $995. For the last
few years, the largest percentage
of grands which have been sold at
retail has been rebuilt grands.
The new grand production has
dwindled down to approximately
CARLETON CHACE
4 % of the total, whereas, years
ago it used to amount to approximately 2 0 % . Of
course, there is a very good reason for this. Homes
which are built today are smaller than they used to
be. Also, there has been more promotion put behind
the spinet piano than the grand in recent years.
No promotion similar to the one that is now being
used by the Jenkins Music Co. has been presented
to the public since the introduction of the 5 ft.
grand in the days before World War I. The tech-
nique being employed by the Jenkins Co. is a paper
floor pattern which can be used to show where the
10
Teacher Cooperation more Evident
G
REATER cooperation between the piano indus-
try and the music teaching profession seems to
be evident. Last month a well known piano
traveler addressed the members of the Alabama Mu-
sic Teachers Association in Birmingham, Ala. and out
in San Francisco, Calif, a member of the Music
Teachers Association of California addressed the tun-
er technicians gathered at a regional convention of the
American Society of Piano Technicians. In his ad-
dress to the teachers Lyman Seymour of Winter &
Co., urged the teachers "not to frown on people who
plunk at the piano" and to use greater influence to
have more people play for fun. In commenting on
class instruction he said "those children who show
the natural aptitude will quickly learn the necessary
technical side of piano playing. Those children who
are not as apt will go on plunking away . . . both
situations please us and will please you" From the
opposite side Mrs. Isabele Stovel in her address to
the technicians expressed the hope that an inter-
organizational activity might be fostered for the
benefit of music students and piano owners who are
uninformed on the importance of piano care. Both
of these thoughts are important to the life of the
piano business. Another is National Music Week
coming on May 3rd to 10th during which all elements
of the music industry should participate.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, APRIL, 1953