21 April 2021 Easy Ways To Soundproof Your Piano Room

Easy Ways To Soundproof Your Piano Room

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Depending on your living arrangements, you might have your piano mixed in with other pieces of furniture. Or maybe you’ve dedicated exclusive space to a piano you’ve saved up for for years. 

Do you enjoy playing? Is the sound enjoyable to listen to?

Is it tinny? Do you hear echoes? 

Are you tired of playing?

It might not be your piano or the way you play. It might be the environment your piano sits in. Consider soundproofing your piano room to make you a better player. 

Look for gaps

If you’re trying to create a warmer, more efficient home, your heating technician may have told you to add insulation around the doors and windows, installing weatherstripping where there are gaps. That doesn’t just apply to weather; it’s also great advice for sound. Wherever air escapes, sound moves right along with it. If you create a tighter, more efficient home, you’ll enjoy the sounds produced during your practice sessions more. 

Reduce hard surfaces

Across the US, we love tile and hardwood, granite on the countertops, and a nice, clean look. While you might like the way that presents, your piano doesn’t like the way it sounds. Every note created bounces off these hard surface areas and reverberates around the room. It can muddy up your music, and make it more challenging to practice and enjoy the sounds you create. Soundproofing includes adding reflective items like thick rugs and fabric for the walls. If you’re creating a music room dedicated to playing and recording, you can even select soundproof curtains and acoustic insulation. 

Upgrading your materials

As you are building or remodeling your home, it’s just as important to consider the materials you’re using for finishing. Upgrade from hollow doors to solid wood. Consider adding a drop ceiling to give added protection to the rooms that sit above your music space. You might also consider placement of your room – can you move it to a place with minimal impact, both from other family members in your home as well as away from common walls that may impact people in other apartments or houses? 

Soundproofing your home doesn’t take a lot of special equipment. To create a comfortable space you look forward to playing in, it just takes a little foresight to understand the best placement of your piano, and an area where you’ll enjoy what you do every day. 

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17 April 2021 Understanding a Metronome

Understanding a Metronome

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A metronome is either a mechanical or electronic device that produces short sound bursts at regular intervals of time. Click. Click. Click. It’s designed to help you set a beat and stick with it as you play. 

Metronomes are common instruments used in practice for helping you establish a beat. It’s been used by composers for centuries to help people better understand how the composer designed their songs to be played. 

Every song is created with a specific beats per minute – BPM – to let you know how fast or slow the music should go. BPM is also known as tempo. 

Think about the tick of a second hand on a clock. It moves at a regular beat – 1, 2, 3, 4, – and so on, always remaining at a steady pace. 

BPM is designed to work in a similar way. Some songs may match the natural rhythm of a clock – 1 beat per second. Some songs speed it up, going much faster. Some songs slow it down. 20 BPM isn’t unheard of. 

Why use a metronome? It’s designed to help you gain strength in the way you play. It establishes the way a composer created the song. And it also helps you build up your strength in the way the piece should be played. 

When you sit down to a brand new song, at the top of the page should be a tempo marking. It might be written as BPM (120 bpm) or as a tempo marketing such as “allegro.” Especially as you are learning more about music, it may be difficult to fully appreciate at what level the song should be played. A metronome gives you that sense of rhythm. It can keep the beat for you to follow as you play the song. 

If it’s a fast tempo, it may be hard to begin. Slow it down a bit. Become familiar with the notes and the way the song is played. As your comfort grows, you can increase the beat and pick up the pace until you get it to the desired bpm. 

It’s a way to keep you on track throughout your practice. 

Of course, you can stick with a traditional mechanical metronome. Or invest in an electronic metronome to sit near your practice area. 

Thanks to technology, there are also a variety of apps that can produce the same practice, and allow you to take the technology anywhere. 

What type of metronome do you use during your daily practice?  

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14 April 2021 How To Improve Your Sense of Rhythm

How To Improve Your Sense of Rhythm

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Want to be a better piano player? Maybe it’s time to improve your sense of rhythm. 

To get a true sense of how a composer wrote a song, it’s equally important to pay attention to rhythm and tempo. Yet that’s one of the hardest things for a pianist to learn. 

You get stuck in the notes. You practice at your own level, and can lose a sense of how a song is meant to be played. Adding this one piece back into your playing will not only make you a better piano player, but it will give you a better sense of rhythm overall. 

Using a metronome

A metronome is a mechanical device you use while you play to establish a musical tempo. You can have a mechanical one sitting nearby, or use an app on your phone. Play around with what’s available and find one to suit your needs. 

The key is to use it regularly when you’re first starting a new song to help you develop a stronger sense of how the music should be played. Decrease your usage of it over time as you begin to build your own rhythm and how it should be played. 

Adding rhythm into your practice

It’s easy to get addicted to outside influences. If you automatically turn on a metronome at the beginning of each session, you won’t develop your own sense of rhythm. This comes naturally over time. Composers suggest specific tempos based on the way they write music. It’s how they intended a song to be played. 

For a pianist, that’s a good starting point. It takes time and patience to get into a song. But as you learn to feel your inner voice, you’ll also feel the rhythm and interpret it in your unique manner. Trust it. Move with it. This allows you to add your own spin to the tune. 

You can also use a metronome to work out inconsistencies within a piece of music. Can you play one section well? Having trouble with another? A metronome can give you the steady beat to catch up in tougher places where you have trouble. It can build the rhythm stronger for your inner voice. 

Piano playing is never just about the notes. Developing a sense of rhythm gives you even more strength in the way you play. It allows you to feel how a song is meant to be played, and add your own spin to the tune. 

It can allow you to be the best piano player you can be. 

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10 April 2021 Learning To Play Piano As An Adult Is Easier Than You Think

Learning To Play Piano As An Adult Is Easier Than You Think

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Want to pick up a new hobby, something that will carry you through your life? Always had a desire to play the piano, but think you’re too old? 

Think again. 

It’s a myth that kids have an easier time learning the piano. It discourages adults from trying it, assuming they’ve passed the point where they will be able to learn. 

The truth is it might be easier for adults. Here’s why. 

You already have a greater understanding of music than kids

Think about your relationship with music. Even if you’ve never played an instrument before, you still have a history with music. What songs did you listen to in high school? What music has influenced you throughout your life? Do you hum in the shower? Do you sing with the radio while driving your car? That has taught you music theory. You understand how music is put together, what rhythm is, and how different beats work in a song. All of that helps you pick up playing faster.

You have the discipline it takes to learn music

If you decide learning to play piano as an adult is at the top of your to-do list, you’ve set your mind to put it into action. You don’t have a parent making you do it. You don’t have pressure to practice even if you don’t want to . With so many other hobbies and interests behind you, you know what it takes to get good at something. 

You want to learn

Is this something you’ve always wanted to do? You have that on your side. The hardest step is taking action. If you really want to learn the piano, give yourself one step to put it into action today. Buy the piano. Invest in piano lessons. Buy your favorite song in sheet music as motivation. All of it will set you up to succeed. 

Go into it with your “why”

Maybe you’ve wanted to learn to play the piano because you want to play your favorite song. If you’ve done any research, you also know that playing the piano has a lot of other benefits too. It relieves stress. It helps with cognitive skills. It’s something you can do for a lifetime. 

If you’ve always wanted to learn to play the piano, make this the year you do something about it. 

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7 April 2021 Weighted Keys vs Unweighted Keys – What Does That Mean?

Weighted Keys vs Unweighted Keys – What Does That Mean?

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A piano is a piano, right? 

Think again. 

While that might have been true years ago with acoustic pianos, with the onset of digital and electronic keyboards, that’s no longer true. 

Those keyboards you can pick up cheaply from your local big box store? They might look good on display. But once you sit down and try to play them, they might hold you back from learning. 

One of the biggest differences is the way the keys work. Are you working with weighted keys or unweighted keys? What’s the difference? 

Let’s start with a traditional acoustic piano. If you’ve ever sat down and pushed the keys, you might have felt a little resistance. That’s known as “weight”. The keys are weighted for spring action, to be sensitive to the way you touch and play them. 

If you want to play a traditional piano – vertical or grand – knowing how to play weighted keys will be a distinct advantage. 

When you move to the digital and electronic niche, you’ll find that keyboards typically come with unweighted keys, and digital pianos have weighted keys. 

The difference usually comes with cost. Less expensive models won’t create the weighted feeling. They don’t do what’s necessary to mirror the experience of an acoustic piano. 

The touch sensitivity is subtle. However, having a weighted keyboard allows you to practice and build up finger strength as you play. 

Before you invest in a piano or keyboard, as yourself one question: What is your ultimate goal? 

If you hope to transfer your skills to learn piano in many different ways, starting with a weighted keyboard will help you in the long run. It will give you the skills necessary to move freely from one instrument to another, without having to retrain for a new feeling. 

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3 April 2021 Buy Used or Rent Your First Piano, Which Is Right For You?

Buy Used or Rent Your First Piano, Which Is Right For You?

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You’re ready to expand your child’s skills. You’ve decided to enroll them in piano lessons. 

The first order of business is buying the necessary equipment. But where should you go? What should you get? Should you buy a used piano, or rent your first piano instead? 

Those are tough questions for parents who have decided to give the gift of music to their kids. Especially when you do a quick search online and find pianos can cost tens of thousands of dollars. 

Before you rethink your purchase, remember music is one of the greatest gifts you can give your child. It’s a skill they can take and use for life. There is also scientific proof it raises their test scores, makes them better learners, and creates a happier, more stress-free life. 

But first, you have to decide: buy used or rent your first piano?

Pianos come in all shapes and sizes. If you go traditional, you’ll find acoustic pianos come in upright or grand. Want something smaller? Digital and electronic pianos are available for your use. 

As a newbie, your best course of action before you make a decision is to ask a lot of questions. Don’t walk into your local big box store and purchase a keyboard in the toy section. That will never give your child the resources they need to play beautifully and enjoy what they’re doing. 

Instead, talk with someone who’s been in the industry for years. They can give you a better idea about what each type of piano can offer you. Higher price isn’t always better. It’s about knowing your goals and needs, and matching those up with the right piano. 

Renting is often the right choice for a beginner who isn’t sure about playing and isn’t ready to commit to something bigger. This is a great way to get to know the instrument and further your knowledge in piano playing, so that you can make a better choice down the road. 

Buying used can also be a great choice. Just be sure you know where the piano is coming from, and how well it plays. If it’s been sitting in your grandmother’s garage for the past fifty years, it’s been neglected and won’t provide high quality sound. The tonal quality will be off, and it will be noticeable as your child plays. Nothing can be more frustrating than playing a song that just doesn’t sound right. It can even cause your child to lose interest, and say no to continuing on with music lessons. 

Visit with one of our staff, and we’ll show you how to select the right piano for your needs. We can also show you a series of used pianos, and find one that fits within your budget. A quality piano will be a welcome addition to your home for years to come.

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24 March 2021 4 Things Piano Players Have Learned During a Pandemic

4 Things Piano Players Have Learned During a Pandemic

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Whether you’re a new piano player, or have been playing for decades, chances are playing the piano took on new meaning this past year. Suddenly, every day was spent closer to home. You looked for things to do to stay busy. Finding a hobby was no longer optional, it was mandatory. Luckily, playing the piano offered many benefits to getting through the year. 

Expanding your piano talent

There are so many ways you can improve your piano playing skills, right from the comfort of your own home. Want to improve the way you play your favorite songs? Sit down and play. But there are many other ways to improve as well. Download one of the many apps that can improve your skills. Want new music? You don’t even have to leave home – there’s an app for that. You could even find a variety of ways to perfect your skills. Whatever you’re looking for in a piano teacher, with a few clicks of your mouse, you can find a teacher offering you those skills. And you don’t even have to leave home to attend the lesson, which means your instructor can be anywhere in the world. 

No more busy schedules

Hobbies take time. Even with just a thirty minute lesson, you still have to account for driving time, traffic situations, running errands while you’re out – it eats up a great deal of your time. With online courses, you can login seconds before your scheduled lesson, and when you’re through, you can immediately turn around and move to your next task. That can build hours into your day that you’ve never had before. Maybe you can use that time to relax and play for fun?!

Productivity

Have you ever arrived at a music lesson … and forgot your music? It happens to the best of us. But when your music lessons are online, everything you need is right there with you, waiting. If you use an electronic piano and can move it from room to room, you might need a second or two to retrieve your music from another place in your home. But you won’t try and fill thirty minutes of time because you don’t have access to your current materials. 

Computer skills

Thanks to months of staying in place, many of us have picked up computer skills we never thought we’d learn. You might also have been introduced to things you didn’t know were possible. Have you added more equipment to your home office – a microphone and a Zoom light? Have you boosted up your internet connections, and upgraded your wifi? Connectivity is king in the future we’re moving towards, and you’re ready to use it in new ways.

As we move forward, take time to think about what has mattered most to you these past few months. Piano playing allows you to relax and enjoy a hobby you can spend a lifetime with. 

What have you learned about your piano playing skills these past few months? 

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21 March 2021 When Your Beginning Piano Player Has Dreams Of Touring With a Pop Band

When Your Beginning Piano Player Has Dreams Of Touring With a Pop Band

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People start playing the piano for many different reasons. Parents often enroll their kids in piano lessons to get them involved in music. Adults often take up the piano because it’s been a desire for years. 

While many beginning piano players simply want to make music, many others have bigger dreams. They love the idea of making music, and have dreams of touring with a pop band at some point in the future. 

If this describes your child, is it a healthy dream? Is it doable? Is it something you should help them pursue?

Yes … and Yes!

Pick out your favorite band. The members were beginning musicians at some point too. They started with basic beginning piano lessons, and progressed to dreaming bigger dreams. 

The best place to start is with practice. Change it up, learn from a variety of teachers, and in many different settings. Perfect your skills from an individual teacher. Join a group class and learn from others. Play in a band, an orchestra, and make music in many ways. 

This all gives you greater skills, and allows you to think faster on your feet. 

But it also does something more; it connects you to other like-minded people. 

Most of the people you listen to or attend their concerts started out small. They joined a local band and played local venues. They found openings for keyboard players at a local venue. 

They played at weddings, birthday parties, and bar mitzvahs. They looked for any opportunity to play and be heard. 

They also asked about managers, agents, and producers. These are the people with connections. These are the people that can say: “Have you met …” They can push you into new opportunities. 

And that’s ultimately what it means to be a professional piano player. 

It means working your connections and getting an in with someone who can further your career. 

What are your piano player dreams? Start out now as you enter beginning piano lessons, and use that to fuel your desires. 

Dream big.

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18 March 2021 It Takes Years To Learn To Play The Piano

It Takes Years To Learn To Play The Piano

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Wouldn’t it be great if you could sit down at the piano and play a song? 

The good news is: you can. The piano is one of the most unique instruments in that we have an innate ability to hunt and peck, press the keys, and play something that resembles a song. We can make “music” the very first time we touch the keys. 

However, it’s also an instrument that can take a lifetime to learn. 

As a piano player, you start out simple. As you add to your knowledge base, your concept of music grows. Ultimately, how fast you learn depends on several things:

Your practice time – how much time you give to learning your new skill. While it’s typical for a beginner to practice 30 minutes a day, it also depends on what you achieve during that 30 minutes. Banging out the same song over and over won’t help you improve. It takes focus and concentration to work your way up to becoming a better player. 

Your lesson time – in most cases, players spend time with an instructor once per week, often just 30 to 60 minutes at a time. In group sessions, you’ll share the time with other players. Even in one on one classes, you’ll have to spend part of the time reviewing your process rather than diving into new things. The amount of training you get per week varies greatly. 

Your desire – many piano players start out with a strong desire. But if you don’t see the results you were hoping for, your attention can move to other things. That can penalize you and change the track you’re on for growth. If you hope to make piano a part of your life forever, you have to learn to enjoy the process at every stage of your ability. 

Mindset is everything. 

Piano playing is more than a hobby. It can be a lifestyle if you allow it. 

Instead of expecting rapid change, enjoy the process. Play because you love to make music. Play because it relaxes you after a difficult day. Play because you hope to enjoy it for life. 

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14 March 2021 Can You Excel At The Piano With Small Hands?

Can You Excel At The Piano With Small Hands?

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What can hold you back from being an accomplished pianist? Are you worried you can’t excel at piano with small hands?

Let’s talk about another passion – basketball. Think players can’t excel if they are under 6 feet tall? Don’t tell that to Isaiah Thomas or Muggsy Bogues. They excelled at their sport even though many told them they would never achieve their dreams. 

People assume that to be a great piano player, you need long, graceful fingers that can easily reach an octave or more. It may help some. But just like in basketball, hand size isn’t everything to excel at piano. 

When the first piano was created, the inventor was a man. Bartolomeo Cristofori developed a harpsichord, and designed it for his own range of playing. Naturally, as additional pianos were created, they were developed using similar dimensions to compete. This became the standard over time. 

As the years moved forward, other people created and upgraded the original harpsichord to what we have today. Vertical pianos, grand pianos, electric pianos – all are a modern day version of what was created hundreds of years ago. 

While keyboards themselves don’t change in size, what does change is a piano player’s approach. Think child prodigies are held back because of their small fingers and hands?

It comes down to compensating for your differences, and learning what method is best for you to make it work. 

If you’ve done a search looking for friendly tips on ways to conquer your holdbacks, put the advice aside. You’re researching it because you’re currently having a problem – a song that requires a big stretch between octaves, for example. Don’t panic. Instead, slow down and learn what it takes to move through the song. Develop it with your own flair. 

It also helps to keep your wrist loose and relaxed. This will help your fingers move across the keys without straining your fingers or hand. 

Learn some exercises to help your arms, hands, and fingers stay flexible. Always play a few scales for warm up. Shake your hands lightly. Flex your fingers, and gently pull them back. 

Search out specific exercises to help you stay nimble and flexible. Work with an expert to ensure you do so without strain. You can even search out a teacher who has experience in helping people achieve their goals. Sometimes what’s holding you back the most is mindset, something a good teacher can help you overcome. 

It’s human nature to look for the fastest way to success. For piano players, it should always be about playing at your best. 

What tips do you have for mastering the art of playing the piano? 

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