Piano/Climatization

A climatized piano is a piano that has been modified in a way that gives the piano resistance and durability in wet or rapidly changing climates or weather conditions, with the added benefit of improving the quality and clarity of the piano’s sound. On July 31, 2021, a user by the name “Thepianoforever” (The Piano Forever) published a video demonstrating the benefits of owning a climatized piano, in this case, a 1952 Steinway piano. The pianist explains that while it is true that the temperature differences in the seasons can cause a piano to go out of tune, it is the humidity that plays a greater role in damaging the soundboards and thus compromising the quality of the sound of the instrument. Changes in humidity cause wood to expand or contract. Wood contracts in dry conditions and expands in humid conditions, causing the tuning pins inside the piano to move slightly. While one slight move is hardly noticeable, a piano will experience many such moves over time, and eventually, these slight moves will build up enough that the change is not only noticeable to the user, but also, so noticeable that it can make the piano practically unusable. Climatization can fix the soundboards, restoring the quality and making it sound cleaner, clearer, fresher, and better than ever before! Additionally, while normal pianos are susceptible to changes in weather, climatized pianos stay good-as-new even in harsh climates.

The words "Climatize", "acclimatize", and "acclimate" are interchangeable and equivalent. "Acclimate", which first appeared in print starting in 1792, was formed by adding the prefix "ac-" to the word "climate." The word "climate" itself was derived from the Greek word klima which means "lean", "slope." Ten years later, in 1802, the suffix "-ize" was added to create a fancier form, "acclimatize", which was then shortened to "climatize", which first appeared during the 1820s. Dictionary.com defines "climatize" as a verb that means "to prepare or modify (a building, vehicle, etc.) for use or comfort in a specific climate, especially one that includes extreme cold or extreme heat." Other dictionaries give similar meanings, to the effect of "adjust to a new climate." "Climatized", the past tense of this word, when used as a participial adjective, means "having a controlled temperature" or "adjusted or adapted for changing climates." A climatized piano is a piano that has been adjusted for durability in changing climates. Nails and screws also help to secure the soundboard to preserve sound quality.

In the July 2021 video, the pianist plays "Cavatine" by Russian classical composer.