Laura M. Robinson *
here is nobility in piano technology," stated Mr. Dennie Chambers, the President and Founder of Boston-based Piano Forte. For the past twelve years, Piano Forte has been a leading provider of piano technical service in New England. Mr. Chambers and his technicians specialize in tuning pianos for many notable performance centers and musicians, including the Great Wood Center for the Performing Arts. The company has rebuilt pianos for musician Pat Metheny, the Berklee College of Music, and many private clients, and now wants to bring its expertise to Africa.
Through a joint venture with a Kenyan firm, Real Music of Nairobi, Piano Forte envisions new African markets for its restored pianos. The joint venture, Real Piano International, is designed as a "win-win" deal that will revitalize the acoustic piano industry, and improve the living conditions for Kenyans through employment and musical enjoyment. The opportunity to set up a technology transfer arrangement exists: African students would receive scholarship funds from the Berklee School of Music in Boston, get trained as technicians at Piano Forte, and then return to employment at the Kenyan joint venture.
As part of the joint venture, Piano Forte will export raw materials and technical training, while Real Music, headed by Major S. S. M. Kamau, will provide labor and marketing expertise. In July 1995, the first shipment of fifty-five pianos, with machinery, materials, parts and supplies is scheduled to arrive in Kenya to initiate the venture. Mr. Chambers is excited about the project's prospects. Forming the joint venture "is the most fun I've had in a deal," he commented during an interview with ATF.
Decades of service
Both companies have strong histories in music. Piano Forte has been in existence in New England for 14 years, and has built its reputation on piano tuning "for the stars," and in refurbishing and selling beautiful, old pianos such as the one pictured in Figure 1. The business has restored one of the three rosewood 1885 Chickering pianos in the world. Piano Forte also has a long standing relationship with the Berklee School of Music, and has maintained a 15 year service contract for the School's 2,200 acoustic pianos.
The Real Music School of Nairobi was founded by Major S. S. M. Kamau in 1988. Major Kamau spent most of his professional career in the military, and upon retirement founded the Real Music School. Kamau, a native Kenyan, began by teaching piano lessons to both adults and children, and recognized the demand for pianos in many east African homes.
As a result of the growing interest in east Africa for pianos, and an overall focus on Kenyan trade opportunities, Major Kamau placed a couple of large orders with Piano Forte. Through discussions, it was established that a long-term agreement may be advantageous to both companies. Piano Forte has subsequently been providing pianos and technical assistance to Real Music for two years prior to the joint venture.
Boston was once the piano manufacturing capital of the world, and a major market for piano products. With the advent of electronic pianos and keyboards, the demand for traditional pianos has declined. New markets for firms like Piano Forte became necessary because of the high labor costs and expertise required for these pianos. With competition for pianos from Asia, Russia, and other countries, markets in Africa are attracting increasing importance in the global economy.
Real Piano International
The joint venture, Real Piano International, is a Kenyan firm with 50-50 participation from Piano Forte and Real Music (Figure 2). In forming the joint venture, Mr. Dennie Chambers reviewed a number of standard parameters to reduce business risk. He considered such factors as the political climate, strength of the Kenya shilling, customs regulations, and cultural differences.
Overall, the political climate was assessed as good, with forces working toward a more favorable business climate. The Kenyan government has liberalized trade policies over the past years to encourage foreign investment. It has also worked to stabilize the currency to stimulate more interest in overall investment, and has assigned inspectors at Kenyan ports to expedite the processing of American goods. As an English-speaking country, Kenya's educational and legal systems were perceived positively in the Americans' analysis of the business environment. The local currency, the shilling, has been freed up, and the government is encouraging foreign trade.
One of the major issues Chambers and Kamau have to contend with is the complex customs clearance required to import the pianos. Major Kamau's intimate knowledge of the local situation has been instrumental in shipment negotiations. Cultural differences have been identified and respected, and the two year relationship has aided in improving communications over time. Some of the cultural differences included the style of negotiations and the degree to which governmental agencies were involved in the oversight of the decision. Mr. Chambers has been impressed with the enthusiasm of the Kenyan technicians throughout the technology transfer and training process.
Piano Forte is providing the raw materials, machinery and equipment for piano restoration, and will initially train up to ten local technicians. Real Music will dissolve its piano business, and focus only on teaching. Through this joint venture, Piano Forte intends to find new markets in Africa for its reconstructed pianos, providing continued work for its technicians and equipment in the US. Real Music will gain a supply of pianos for the emerging Kenyan market, which will increase the demand for music training and instruction.
Technology Factors
Plans have been made for Piano Forte to train the Kenyan technicians in state of the art piano technology: regulation, tuning, voicing, bridgework, and re-stringing. While the technology in electronic pianos changes rapidly, the underlying technology for acoustic pianos has remained relatively constant over 100 years.
In restoring a grand piano, the sound board is one of the most important elements, with a necessary thickness of three-eighths of an inch of Alaskan spruce wood. The sound board, as are all of the other elements in a piano, is under tension. The bridge—the terminal point of the string—often must be restored in a piano. The bridge fits onto the soundboard, where the strings are all under tension and must be tuned appropriately. The resonant quality of a piano is restored by adjusting these major elements, as well as the levers and other minor components.
Future Plans
The partners of the Real Piano International are already discussing potential opportunities in Tanzania and Zaïre. New markets, training, and music education in east Africa will facilitate economic growth for this US/Kenyan joint venture. This joint venture may serve as model for other US firms considering new markets in east Africa.
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* Laura M. Robinson is a Contributing Editor of ATF.
For more information, contact Kimberly Busavage at New England Music Services, 401 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215. Telephone: (617)267-5226. Fax : (617)424-7918.