(It seems to be NY Times week here!) The second article in the NY Times’ series on the creation of a Steinway piano delves into the genesis of the sounding board. Piano No. K0862’s board is comprised of about 15 strips of spruce, selected from a pile of wood, the majority of which was rejected for miniscule imperfections. Only the slowly grown, stronger grained wood is allowed in the soundboard. The article also goes into some history of the Steinway workers and the company’s continued reliance on hand manufacturing while competitors sell pianos, some with higher price tags, made mostly with machines. Last week, the Times also published an article on the pianos exhibited in museums. There is actually a Museum of the American Piano in Manhattan where you can see various incarnations of keyboards and cases.