21 February 2018 5 Things You Should Know About Buying a Digital Piano

5 Things You Should Know About Buying a Digital Piano

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Ready to buy a piano? It can seem like a difficult task. Do a little searching online, and you’ll come away more confused. Should you pick up the free one on Craigslist? How much should you invest to ensure it’s high quality?

And just when you think you understand the difference between an upright and a grand, you find something else to add to the mix: acoustic versus digital. If you’re leaning towards the digital, what should you keep in mind?5 Things You Should Know About Buying a Digital Piano

Ensure 88 Keys

While the number of keys has changed throughout time, today’s modern pianos have 52 white keys and 36 black keys for a total of 88 keys. While you can find keyboards with lesser amounts, if your goal is to learn how to play the piano, avoid purchasing anything with a lower count. A full range will ensure you have the ability to play any music. 

Make Sure The Keys Are Standard Width

One of the fun parts of learning to play the piano is your ability to sit down at any piano and start to play. For this reason, it’s important to ensure the keys on your new digital piano are standard size. Be wary of “toy” pianos which usually have narrower keys. A standard piano key width is approximately 23mm wide. If you find one significantly narrower, it’s better to move on. 

They Keys Should Be Weighted

The keys should also feel like a traditional piano when they are pressed down and played. It makes the keys feel more like the keys of a traditional piano. Without weighted action, the keys on the keyboard will feel more like an organ. It will also be more difficult to convert your skills to a traditional piano. 

Avoid Bells and Whistles

When shopping for a digital piano, it’s easy to be wowed by the extra features attached. The buttons, lights, and hundreds of different instrument sounds and features can look fun and appealing. In most cases, those extras are rarely used throughout the life of the instrument. You will likely play on the acoustic setting the majority of the time. You just won’t use your piano to make a sound like a tuba. If you’re looking for extras, select things you will use: a built in metronome can be handy for learning rhythms. 

Make Sure It Has Pedals

At a minimum, be sure the digital piano you select has a pedal called a sustain pedal. It’s impossible to play modern music without one. If you select a high quality digital piano, one pedal shouldn’t be a problem. It may also have the second or third pedal as well. 

That’s it. If the digital piano you are considering has all five things, it will most likely be a piano you can play on for years. 

How can we help you select the perfect digital piano for your needs?

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17 February 2018 Finding The Ultimate Worship Piano  

Finding The Ultimate Worship Piano  

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Every industry, every field is seeing massive change thanks to technology. The piano industry is no different. 

Churches used to be able to purchase a simple acoustic piano and have it meet all their needs. If you’ve been in the market to upgrade your piano, you know a lot has changed. No longer is your choice limited to an upright or a grand. Instead, you can quickly become overwhelmed by technology, finding pianos that do just about everything you could dream. Finding The Ultimate Worship Piano  

Just as likely is to get overwhelmed and overdazzled with the bells and whistles. If would be nice to be able to add in different instruments, right? Or play different sounds – that would make it a better addition to your events, right?

Very quickly your piano and organ overlap. And you wind up with an instrument you don’t like and can’t use the way it was intended. 

The problems most encountered by well-meaning buyers are they become distracted by purchasing pianos that are:

Too complicated: The WOW buttons may seem like a good thing in the store, but often are things that will never be used. If you’re using your piano for real-time performances, do you really need screens and sampling and workstations that allow editing and mixing?

Don’t sound right: Money doesn’t always equate to a better sound. But if you’re purchasing a piano for a very low price, suffice to say it won’t have a warm sound. And that will echo throughout every performance you have. 

Cheaply made: Worship pianos are usually transferred from room to room, from group to group. They should be rugged to handle a variety of uses. 

Have too many potential distractions: During services, pianists are watching a variety of things to keep everything on track. What if they hit a wrong button and a rhythm sounds across the hall and they can’t turn it off? 

While this is by now means a full list of distractions, your end goal is to find a perfect piano for your needs. And that can be difficult, especially when you have dozens of other things on your mind. 

That’s where we can help. We can help ask the right questions to find out what your needs and goals are, and help you make the right selection for your church. 

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14 February 2018 Best Piano For Beginners

Best Piano For Beginners

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To start your child out on the right path, you’ll need to invest in a quality piano. Not just any piano will do. 

If you wanted your child to take up tennis, you wouldn’t present them with a basket of flat balls. The game would quickly become difficult, and your child would be discouraged. 

The same applies to music. While you might not need a professional quality piano, having one that doesn’t do the job well will leave your child anything but excited about practicing. A good experience while learning should be your ultimate goal. Best Piano For Beginners

With so many options available, where should you start to look? 

You’ll find three different categories: electronic keyboards, digital pianos, and acoustic pianos. 

Acoustic

Consider acoustic pianos to be the real thing. The sooner a student has the opportunity to practice on an acoustic piano, the better. Acoustic pianos produce sound from real strings and real wood, which offers a level of responsiveness and a range of dynamics no digital can ever match. 

True, acoustic pianos are your most expensive category. Depending on if you look at uprights or grands, they can cost into the thousands of dollars. But there are options. You can find good used pianos on the market. If you are purchasing a used, don’t fall for the “finding one for free” on Craigslist trap. These are often of poor quality and even worse sound, which will make the playing experience bad. 

Digital

While it’s impossible to completely simulate the experience of playing on an acoustic with a digital, there’s nothing wrong with starting on a high quality digital. Digital pianos are designed to sound and feel as much like an acoustic piano as possible. They are smaller, meaning you can tuck them away when your playing is through, and less expensive than an upright piano. 

They can also be motivators to kids that want to combine their love of music with their love of technology. Digital pianos make it easy to transfer their music to the computer for easy editing, posting, and sharing. 

Keyboards

Many parents get hooked into keyboards because of the price. Yet they don’t offer a beginning student all they need to learn piano. They may learn key placement, but keyboards often don’t have properly weighted keys and don’t have the sounds that carry through on a real piano. And because they often don’t have a full 88 keys, they won’t be able to play every song presented to them, which isn’t enough for advanced students to move on. 

There are advantages and disadvantages to all. The best way to make your decision is to weigh your odds, and learn all you can about each of your choices. We can help. 

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10 February 2018 How Piano Pedals Work

How Piano Pedals Work

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Why you need them? Don’t select keyboard without them. 

Buying a piano for the beginner in your life? Thinking of purchasing a keyboard to save on space and money? Don’t forget the pedals. 

Many people try and go the least expensive way to bring music into their lives, only to realize that they didn’t purchase an instrument they could grow with over time. 

When learning to play the piano, you’ll generally start with the keys. But very quickly you’ll incorporate the pedals into your music. They aren’t difficult to learn or use, and can make your music sound even better. How Piano Pedals Work

Sustain Pedal

The sustain pedal (the right pedal) is the most frequently used of all pedals. This is why you’ll find sustain pedal inputs feature even on beginning keyboards. 

A piano consists of a series of strings that are hit by hammers when keys are pressed. When the key is released, the hammer returns to its place, resting the string and stopping the tone. To prevent strings from other unplayed nots resonating when notes are hit, a damper bar sits on the strings to keep those strings quiet. When the sustain pedal is depressed, this damper bar is lifted. The notes will continue to ring out after the keys are released. 

Sostenuto Pedal

The sostenuto pedal (middle pedal) is similar to the sustain pedal. When depressed, only the notes that are being played at that point will sustain; any notes struck after that point will not. The sustained notes will hold until the pedal is released. 

This can be used, for example, if a player wishes to hold bass notes while playing melodies over the top. 

Una Corda Pedal

The Una Corda pedal (the left pedal) is sometimes known as the soft pedal. The strings on an acoustic piano are usually grouped into threes for each note and tuned together for a richer sound. When a key is pressed, the hammer normally hits all of these string simultaneously. The una corda pedal shifts the internal piano action to the right, so that the hammers hit only two strings, resulting in a softer sound. 

On a digital piano, strings don’t exist. These effects are recreated digitally. 

Thinking of buying a piano? Make sure they have the proper pedals to ensure a lifetime of learning. 

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7 February 2018 Why You Shouldn’t Buy Your Child A Portable Keyboard For A Gift

Why You Shouldn’t Buy Your Child A Portable Keyboard For A Gift

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It happens all the time. Well-meaning parents purchase a portable keyboard for their child as a gift, choosing to see if their kids will “stick” with piano before investing in something bigger. 

And so a child tinkers with it for awhile. They may even stick with piano apps or online instruction for a few months. And then things start to change. 

Nobody wants to invest thousands of dollars into something a child will push away from quickly. Most parents are willing to support their child’s hobbies – as long as they remain serious about moving forward. Why You Shouldn’t Buy Your Child A Portable Keyboard For A Gift

And that’s where parents go wrong. 

Initial interest alone will not help mastery over a subject matter. You can’t pick up a book in a foreign language and expect to read it the first time you open the cover. It takes time, help, and experience to develop true musical talent that turns into a lifetime skill. 

You also can’t learn with something less than 100 percent. 

Ever picked up a foreign language app, a game that has you saying a few words in certain orders? You may pick up a word here and there. But can you really communicate in the foreign language if you were to step off a plane in that country?

Full immersion is the only way. 

The proper practice instrument is critical to success. Without the right tools in place, your child will never pick up the nuances of proper playing technique. 

And a portable keyboard isn’t a tool – it’s a toy. 

Studies show that over 80 percent of all students who start playing piano on a portable keyboard quit piano in the first year. That plays into parents’ fear of not investing money unless their child is serious about it. Unfortunately, their child never had a chance to enjoy making music because they never learned on a proper playing piano. They have:

Incorrect key action – there is little resistance when the keys are played. If she perfects a song on a keyboard and attempts to play it on the real thing, she’ll struggle. 

Not enough keys – most portable keyboards have 61 or 76 keys, compared to 88 keys on a piano. 

Keys aren’t full sized – they are often built on a small scale and don’t have the same reach or feel as a full size piano.

No pedal  – students begin using the sustain pedal in the first year of lessons. 

If you want to give your child the gift of music, ensure they have the ability to fall in love with it from the moment they bring it into their lives. 

Look at your options. A combination of an acceptable practice instrument, a compatible teacher, and family support can give your child an above average chance of making a full commitment to playing the piano. And turning it into a lifelong skill. 

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3 February 2018 What Learning To Play The Piano As An Adult Can Teach You

What Learning To Play The Piano As An Adult Can Teach You

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Most of us were taught music in some format as a child. Maybe you sang in the musical at school. Maybe you picked up an instrument to play in the band. 

But then life got busy and your attention turned in other directions. You still love music, but a musician you are not. 

That doesn’t mean it can’t change. You can still pick up your musicality at any age. 

Before you begin, set your goals from the beginning. As adults, goals help us stick with it, even when we get busy or stressed. Do it to:What Learning To Play The Piano As An Adult Can Teach You

  • Challenge yourself. Use piano practice as settling into a routine that can benefit your life.
  • Do something new. Learning music is easy no matter what your age. No athletic ability is necessary.
  • Play what you love. You don’t have to play the classics. Why not play music from your favorite band?

Goals can include things like:

  • Passing certain levels: a piano teacher can help set realistic goals for moving through different levels of instruction.
  • Improving your knowledge: take a trip through the ages by combining history with classical music lessons.
  • Playing a specific song: want to take your Guitar Hero to another level and play it just like your favorite musician?

Piano is difficult. It requires you to think in ways you’ve never had to before. You have to interpret music. You have to keep tempo. You have to variate speeds and sounds. You have to work both hands independently of one another. 

Oh, and you have to ensure the end result actually sounds good. 

But as you work at it, as you improve, you discover new things about yourself. You discover your creative side. You discover your imagination. You discover your ability to stick with a plan. 

And you’ll discover the music inside of you too. 

Looking for a new challenge this year? Maybe it’s time to pick up the piano. It’s something you’ll enjoy the rest of your life. 

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30 January 2018 6 Benefits Of Learning The Piano On A Digital Piano

6 Benefits Of Learning The Piano On A Digital Piano

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Trying to decide what the best piano is for you? Which gives you more opportunity to learn?

First and foremost, a digital piano is designed to simulate an acoustic piano accurately. If you have the right digital piano, in effect you are learning on both and can easily transfer your skills. 

Beyond that, digital pianos provide many unique benefits that simply don’t exist with their acoustic counterparts. 6 Benefits Of Learning The Piano On A Digital Piano

1. They allow you to practice quietly

Digital pianos have the capability of plugging in headphones and turning your practice sessions into something only you can hear. Headphones can also give more power to your practice sessions because they block out noise and other distractions, leaving you free to concentrate on private practice without bothering others. 

2. They allow you to record and listen to your performance. 

Recording your performance can help you hear exactly what you’re doing and recognize your strengths and weaknesses. They offer built-in features that allow you to record and playback music on the spot. Listening to your performance can help you resolve many issues, including timing, memory, even practicing by ear. 

3. They allow you to improve your rhythm

Timing is essential to playing the piano well. For beginners, it’s often the most difficult thing to achieve. People often tend to speed up or slow down specific parts of a song, depending on their capabilities. A digital piano can help you pay more attention to that with a built in metronome, able to help you control the tempo and beat. 

4. They can create more sound

With a touch of a button, a digital piano can create many different types of sounds. This can help you get into the true flavor of how the song was written. Try practicing music that was originally written for a harpsichord by changing it to inspire you and help capture the passion of how it was written. Experimenting with sound can also help you become a better musician. 

5. They have unlimited potential with programs and apps

Just like every other interest or desire, piano playing can be improved with an app. Do a little research and you’ll find apps help you with everything from learning to recording. They improve your understanding of music theory, or make piano playing even more fun by adding in games. 

6. They make practice more efficient

Are you struggling with motivation? Digital pianos can help track your practice and make you a better more dedicated player. They have features to maximize your playing efforts and help push you to improve in the areas that matter most to you. 

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18 January 2018 Piano For A Healthy Mind, Body, and Soul

Piano For A Healthy Mind, Body, and Soul

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Have you ever noticed that when a piano is in the room, we’re naturally drawn to it? Children of all ages will wander over, put fingers to the keys and start tapping out a tune. 

As humans, we have an innate ability to transfer our love of music down through our fingers and onto the keys. While we may not master the art of playing Bach at our first sitting, everyone can tap out beloved songs like Twinkle Twinkle or Chopsticks just by touching the keys. Piano For A Healthy Mind, Body, and Soul

For some of us, we choose to continue that love and play throughout our lives. When your fingers reach for the keys and music fills the air, it can be a release like no other. Piano has been proven to help you decompress after a busy day, relieving stress and helping you relax. Piano can be the perfect solution for creating a healthy mind, body, and soul. 

Mental

When you sit down and play the piano, your mind drifts to the task at hand. You focus in on the work your fingers are performing, listening carefully to the music being created. That problem you had earlier in the day simply drifts away. 

Piano is a creative activity. It brings out your imaginative talents and helps break monotonous routines. And because it engages various senses throughout your body, it helps keep you mentally fit. Studies show that piano players have higher IQ levels, perform better on tests, and have less memory-related challenges. It’s truly a great activity no matter what your age. 

Physical

Keeping the mind in top condition invariably leads to keeping you physically fit as well. A mentally relaxed person is less stressed. That means muscles and ligaments are more relaxed. 

A stressed person often has anxiety built up inside. As that starts fading away, it can reduce the pressures throughout your body, including reducing your heart rate and respiratory conditions. When you are in touch with your creative side, it impacts your immune system and gives you the mental capacity to try new things. 

Inner Peace

When your mind relaxes and your body feels good, you’ll be more likely to find inner peace. Playing a song well can give you satisfaction at a job done well. It can help you leave your cares behind, and give you a new outlook on life. 

Whether you are just starting out or have played the piano for years, don’t just think of it as making music, think of it as a release for your soul. Playing piano is the perfect way for you to stay healthy, mind, body and soul.

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15 January 2018 10 Reasons To Choose A Digital Piano

10 Reasons To Choose A Digital Piano

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Trying to decide what type of piano to buy? Wondering if you’re better with an acoustic piano or a digital piano? Here are the advantages of selecting the digital piano. 

1. Digital pianos are more affordable

If you’ve started looking at different pianos, the first thing you’ll notice is cost. Since the sound on a digital piano is produced by sampling an acoustic piano, the price is dependent on quality of the samples used. While you can purchase digital pianos at all price levels, be sure to do your homework and select a high quality digital piano that produces great sound. 10 Reasons To Choose A Digital Piano

2. No tuning required

Acoustic pianos require tuning to stay in top playing condition. Because digital pianos don’t control sound with internal hammers and strings, they don’t require the same maintenance to keep them in tune. Your digital piano will continue to play indefinitely. 

3. You’ll have lots of variety and choices

Prefer an upright or the look of a grand? Or maybe a portable stage variety is more your plan. Because digital pianos come in all sizes and shapes, there are a variety of options available to you. 

4. Need less space

Digital pianos offer you the option of leaving your piano on display in a room or tucking it away to save on space. 

5. Today’s pianos mimic acoustic piano action

One of the complaints with early digital technology is that digital pianos didn’t feel like acoustic. No more. Today’s technology gives digital pianos the look and feel of their acoustic counterparts. It’s often difficult to feel the difference. 

6. They produce a high quality sound

The more expensive a digital piano, the better are the sound samples, the high quality sound of the sound produced. Top of the line digital pianos use extremely high quality samples, making the results excellent. 

7. MIDI is useful

When most musicians transfer to digital pianos, it’s because of what digital allows them to do. With MIDI, you can connect your digital piano to a computer and turn your computer into a recording studio. 

8. Digital technology

It’s hard to do anything in today’s world without connecting to technology. Pianos too. Digital makes a piano have rhythms, different instrument voices, digital effects, and more. 

9. Plug in headphones

Digital pianos are perfect in tight spaces. By plugging in headphones, your digital piano becomes silent to the outside world. It’s perfect if you have more than one child working on homework, or in a dorm or apartment setting where other people are in close quarters. 

10. Internet and expansion

By using the Internet, you can connect your digital piano to a whole different world. Use apps and programs to do everything from learning to play to recording and producing your songs. Many also have expansion slots built in to allow your piano to grow as you do. 

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14 January 2018 Should You Enter A Piano Competition?

Should You Enter A Piano Competition?

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What do some of the best piano players in the world have in common? They all have participated in piano competitions throughout their careers. 

Competition is often what drives humans to succeed. It has a way of making you into a better piano player by allowing you to see how well you stack up against others with the same drive. 

It puts pressure on to practice

The biggest benefit is it gives you a reason to keep up your practicing skills. You’ll have a clean and concrete deadline in front of you to motivate you into action. Knowing strangers will be watching and listening is often a very good motivator to keep you focused over time. Should You Enter A Piano Competition?

It gives you performance experience

Getting up in front of an audience is one of the most widely feared activities. While most of us dread the opportunity to speak in front of a large group, playing can increase your fears. It’s nerve-wracking to be in front of judges, but it also can be exciting. The more you participate, the more you learn how to control your fears. And that can have an impact in all areas of your life. 

It can give you more self-assurance

You have to be self-assured to enter a competition. Your self-assurance will build the closer you get to competition, and with the more competitions you enter. It’s not the outcome that matters most, but your ability to put your actions into place to do what’s necessary to get there. That kind of attitude can open up the world to you by teaching you to say yes to more things. 

If can introduce you to new people

By attending competitions, you’ll be introduced to other musicians, judges, and other people in the industry that can influence your piano goals and desires. Even if you don’t necessarily plan on pursuing piano professionally, you may be introduced to ideas you’ve never considered. Some consider it a great way for being referred to a gig, or finding a group of musicians to jam with from time to time. 

Want to get involved in piano competitions this year? We can get you started with a few links to piano competitions around the world:

 

Do a quick search for your local area. Or check with your instructor to find competitions near you. Don’t worry about how big or small they are when you begin. In the end, it’s about finding a way to reach your personal best. 

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