Rah! Rah! Rah! Baldwin University graduates 15 people
by Ted Stalets

A handcrafted piano is a complex instrument, more so than most people imagine; the action alone has over 7,500 moving parts (the action is the system of levers and springs that transfers the energy from the keys to the motion of the hammers that strike the strings). It's complicated, and knowledge of the piano's inner workings is so important that Baldwin has created a "Piano University" to better educate Baldwin dealers and sales associates about the "grand" instruments they are selling (verticals, too) through a "hands-on" workshop environment and tours of the Baldwin woodworking and assembly plants in Trumann, Ark.

Eight Baldwin Dealerships from across the United States sent members of their sales staffs to Baldwin Piano University September 21-23. The two-day "super session" focused on increasing product knowledge, advanced selling skills, and tours of the factories to see the pianos being crafted.

The students' sales knowledge ranged from brand spanking new Baldwin salespeople to career veterans with up to 38 years of experience. Two new Baldwin dealerships were in attendance, Interstate Music from Milwaukee, Wisc., and Ryan Piano Company from Florence, Ala. Bill Barras of Baldwin Piano & Organ Center in Herrin, Ill. brought his veteran knowledge of Baldwin - Barras' dealership was recently featured in the September issue of Musical Merchandise Review, a musical instrument trade publication.

First-day classes had "home room" in the Les Paul Room at the Gibson Memphis Showcase, located just a block off famed Beale Street in Memphis, Tenn. Ted Stalets, Director of Training for Baldwin, provided a jam-packed session of product knowledge and selling strategies, with topics including "The Heart and the Soul of the Baldwin Grand" to new Baldwin Piano models introduced in 2003, and a special presentation of Baldwin's new Stealth^TM action being offered in all Baldwin vertical pianos. Competitive comparisons between Baldwin and Steinway grand pianos were detailed, as were comparisons between Baldwin and Asian vertical pianos. The students honed their selling skills by learning how to differentiate between four consumer "personality types" and then practicing selling techniques appropriate for each personality type.

Day 2 of Baldwin U. began with an hour-long bus ride from Memphis to the Baldwin manufacturing facilities in Trumann, Ark. The first stop was Baldwin's new woodworking plant, where skilled crafters make and finish the cabinets for the pianos. The class observed several interesting functions of the plant, including a computerized, numeric controlled panel-cutting and forming machine which precisely fabricates component parts of the piano. The handcrafted aspect of Baldwin pianos was evident in the amount of hand sanding involved in preparing the cabinet parts for the finishing process and the finishing process itself. Baldwin cabinet parts are "mocked up" on racks in a position that resembles the final assembly of the part in the finished piano, allowing the finisher to stain and finish the piano in one complete process. This assures that the piano cabinet is matched perfectly as far as color and sheen.

Students also toured the assembly plant, where Baldwin assembles both vertical and grand pianos. They observed the construction of a hand-made Baldwin vertical piano including soundboard conditioning and preparation (the soundboard transforms string vibrations into piano tone); the installation of pre-crowned ribs and bridges (the ribs and bridges combine to form one unit with the soundboard, and the integrated framework helps to shape the "tonal character" of the piano); the construction of the back frame which is also pre-crowned in order to accept the soundboard assembly; shaping of the piano back; installation of the cast iron plate (the piano strings are secured to this frame, and a patented method of installing the plate allows for accurate adjustments, improving its performance); stringing the piano; and at last, the intricate processes of damper installation and regulation, key and action installation and regulation, and final regulations and multiple tunings.

New Baldwin pianos enter a meticulously lit final inspection room for examination of the finished piano and to make final tweaks to the exquisite instruments. The students were especially impressed with Baldwin's new line of Custom grand pianos. A Baldwin model R1 Artist Grand was finished in a polished amethyst color, translucent so that the cherry grain of the veneer shows through, with the Baldwin Custom logo on the side. This is a special Baldwin Artist Series Grand Piano.

A certification test for both Baldwin grand and vertical pianos concluded the course, allowing the students to demonstrate their Baldwin "expertise" to their instructors. Baldwin U. ended that evening back at the Gibson Showcase in Memphis with a slide show of participants and activities, a dinner, and a presentation of plaque diplomas and Baldwin shirts to "graduates" by Phil Mannino, Baldwin National Sales Manager.

This intensive course of piano knowledge, selling skills, and factory tours has proven to be the magic bullet for increasing the effectiveness of the Baldwin sales force in local markets as they demonstrate Baldwin pianos to their customers.