Chris Chernobieff, Custom Piano Maker
USA, Knoxville
My approach to classical music:
Classical Music is real music, music with depth and variety. Music expands the mind and brings joy to all those who are willing to listen.
My journey discovering classical music was a strange one, it started with 70’s rock and roll! There were two popular rock instrumentals at the time, one was called “Joy” (I can’t remember the artist) and the other was called Bouree by Jethro Tull. It turns out that both were based on some 18th century guy named Bach. So I went to the record store and bought the only Bach record they had, the Brandenburg Concertos. I will never forget my first hearing of those incredible pieces. I was hooked for life because 40 years later, Bach is still my favorite. I am a completely self taught amateur pianist that is currently working on the Goldberg Variations--Horribly. Good thing classical music lead me in a different direction.
Profile
My building career began in my final year of high school (1978). By this time I had become incredibly fascinated with the harpsichord. I attended a concert in Los Angeles performed by Wm Neal Roberts. When I saw the instruments in person, I got the crazy idea that I could make one of those too. Going to libraries(no internet yet) I found everything I could on harpsichords. Somehow, I was able to build one all by myself, within 3 months, a little Pentagonal Spinet made out of Mahogany. After it sold, I built up a part time business working on harpsichords. A little time after that, my family bought properties and we moved to the Sacramento to build houses. So reluctantly, I got into the construction trade.
Nearly 10 years went by, and during that time I didn’t even touch the piano. Boeing made us a great offer and again the family relocated, this time to Seattle.
Missing the piano in my life, one day I decided to again get back to practicing, and so I needed to buy a piano. I went to the local piano shop to look around.
As soon as I went into their shop, I was hooked seeing all those pianos being worked on. Eventually, I went to work for that Piano Technician and served a five year apprenticeship in piano technology. I also attended numerous PTG classes and collaborated with other technicians. Plus I read and studied everything I could find about piano construction.
Then I started my own Piano Service Business and have been doing that ever since. After two decades of repairing, buying and selling pianos, I decided that I could take my craft to the next level, and build my own piano. Why not, I had rebuilt hundreds of pianos from hundreds of different makers. I became familiar with designs that were bad, and designs that were good. But I also noticed that I could only think of perhaps 6 pianos, stretching twenty years, that were truly memorable and special. So that created a desire in me to create memorable and special pianos.
The first design was my Chernobieff ‘Mammoth’ Vertical Grand piano. This is based on a concept that was tried unsuccessfully back in 1893 by Fridolin Schimmel of the firm Schimmel & Nelson. He made 12 Vertigrands which had a major flaw, the tuning pins were down by the floor. So the tuner had to lay down on his stomach to tune it. I looked at his design and felt that I could improve on the idea tremendously. My design then is 7’ tall, has a vertical double escapement action, along with a 4,300 sq, inch soundboard ( that’s 1/4th larger than a D). It was a risk building it, as you never can be a 100% sure it will work the way you imagine. But every time I play it, and hit an octave down in the bass, oh yes, magnificent and special.
With my Flemish Baby Grand piano, I went into a different direction. It’s a challenge to a piano designer to build a small piano that sounds bigger than it really is. Plus, I wanted to make a piano look like a harpsichord ( Gee, I wonder where that came from?) So I was up for the challenge. The piano came out beautiful with all the paintings, and with the new computer software tools available, the weight of the keys is perfection with a velvety touch. I felt justified when a fellow technician dropped by and was shocked it was “Only a 5’1” baby grand?”
The next piano I am designing, I believe, will be a piano that should get a professional pianist excited! It’s a 7’6” Butterfly that’s again larger than a D. The near circular soundboard will offer a unique combination of evenness, warmth and power. For some reason, I envision Rachmaninoff being played on this piano.
My goal and dream is to work with talented pianists who also are looking for that magnificent and special piano that they just can’t seem to find.
You’ll just have to visit my website to see them.
