17 March 2016 Regulating Your Piano

Regulating Your Piano

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A grand piano has about 14,000 parts in total. It includes as many as nine different types of wood, and the action contains many different types of leather and felt.Regulating Your Piano

In all, there are about 20 different things that can be adjusted on each key to make it play better. And if you play the piano, playing the best is something you strive for each time you play. You want the notes to sound perfect. You want perfect harmony when multiple notes are played at the same time. You want them to move with ease. You want to be able to create the right amount of power. These adjustments are called regulating the action, or regulating the piano.

Many pianos come from the factory in fairly well regulated. Others need service to bring them to optimal condition. And once a piano is in place, in an owner’s home, by the time its been played even a few years, it almost always needs regulation to bring it back to its prime.

Why does this happen?

Wood shrinks and swells with changes in the humidity (with nine different kinds of wood intact, they can each change at a different pace.) The keybed, the keyframe. The key height, the hammer height – all have changed based on the environment, how much the piano was played, maintenance, regular tuning sessions, etc.

And that’s just the wood. The felt and leather have all been used over and over again, worn and crushed under the pressure of each key being striked as music is created. Some parts may hold up while others fade away. Their relationship to one another changes from a variety of things.

Most modern day pianos are made in assembly line fashion. That means each piece of a piano is the same as the piece next to it. If a piano was made before the 1950s, most were handcrafted by hand, meaning each piece was created individually. Which also means less consistency from piano to piano. Parts are regulated down to a couple thousandths of an inch. The more consistency there is from key to key, the higher the level of performance when played.

If you’ve ever wished you could play better, wanted your piano to make a better sound, some of it could be your piano. If you’ve ever wanted to be able to play faster repetitions, or find finesse on slower features, it could be your piano.

That’s where regulation comes into play.

Is it time to regulate your piano?

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13 March 2016 How Do You Feel About Playing The Piano?

How Do You Feel About Playing The Piano?

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We all have different reasons for wanting to play the piano.

A child may be playing simply because a parent signed them up for lessons.

An adult may be fulfilling a lifelong dream.How Do You Feel About Playing The Piano?

Even a piano teacher may have the desire to play for enjoyment while sharing that passion with those around them.

But no matter the reason you started playing in the first place, playing the piano today has to come with a love for the art of playing. If you don’t know why you’re playing, its hard to enjoy it and strive always to do better.

Asking a few questions can set the stage for helping you strive for more.

How did playing that piece (section, measure, etc) feel? 

Sometimes playing music feels fine. Sometimes the hand movements feel awkward. Sometimes it’s flat out frustrating. Getting down to the feelings can help you move forward and fix things that may not be going correctly. Maybe you’re holding your hands in the wrong position. Maybe you’re holding back from learning a new pattern. It’s easy to gloss over a situation if you don’t dig down to how you handle it.

What did I do well? What can I do better?

We’re all creatures of habit. We all enjoy being the best we can be. Which means we enjoy playing well and hate it when we haven’t picked up a new skill easily. Recognize what you do well. Acknowledge what still needs work. Then spend the time bringing undeveloped skills up to par. It can empower you while helping you focus in on things that still need work.

How can I approach this struggle?

Sometimes it takes work to overcome a problem. It might not be solved in one practice session. Or two. Or three. Address the struggles and search for helpful suggestions. It may come from a teacher, a book, or even a quick search online. Don’t expect to solve the problem in one day. Instead, look at it as a journey that will help you become better all-around.

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11 March 2016 Creating The Perfect Piano Practice Space

Creating The Perfect Piano Practice Space

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So you want your child to begin piano. You’re ready for them to start piano lessons and be introduced to the world of music.

Buying the piano is the first step. And purchasing the right piano does take a little thought.Creating The Perfect Piano Practice Space

But once you get your piano home, there’s something worth thinking about even in greater detail; the ambiance of where your piano will live.

Depending on house size and living patterns, a piano can wind up in many places. A grand piano may take center stage in your living room. An upright may be buried in a corner deep in your basement.

And while having access to a piano for regular practicing is important, the setting is equally important. If your child is competing with a stack of laundry and a pile of papers when trying to find the keyboard, motivation can quickly decline.

If you want your child to love piano, you have to create an environment that is conducive to regular, meaningful practice.

Choose a prime location
Your child will gravitate more towards playing the piano if its where the action is. While you don’t have to have it in the middle of the family room so your child is always on display, don’t move it to a spare bedroom either. Place it in an area where they are free to practice regularly. Make sure it doesn’t compete with dishwashers and televisions.

Make the space welcoming
If your child will spend 30 minutes a day sitting at the piano, make sure it is a warm and welcoming place to be. Is the lighting good? Is it comfortable, with the right bench in place? Also remember a piano is not a piece of furniture, a table or a shelf. Avoid placing anything other than music on top of the piano to avoid distractions.

Keep everything they need near by
Teachers may give your child a variety of assignments to carry out each week. Keep everything they need to stay on top of homework in close range. Pens, highlighters, music, paperclips, post-it notes should all be in a basket easy to grab as they need.

Encourage the family to listen
A small audience is always welcome as a child gets better at each song. Beanbags, chairs, pillows and couches near by encourage family members to pull up a seat and listen. It can also promote music skills to other family members that may not be practicing the piano.

Filed Under: Owning a Piano, Piano Lessons Tagged With:
9 March 2016 Why Tuning Your Piano Is A Bad Idea

Why Tuning Your Piano Is A Bad Idea

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Think you can tune your own piano? Think it must be an easy process? After all, you can find videos and Internet sites dedicated to helping you “do it yourself.” Why shouldn’t you give it a try?Why Tuning Your Piano Is A Bad Idea

While a five minute video may give you the impression tuning a piano is easy, it’s anything but. Professional piano tuners receive many, many hours of training. It requires years of practice to understand the nuances and perfect the skill. Even so, professionals can take an hour or two to bring a piano back into great working condition. And the longer it takes, the more exhausted your ears become trying to find precision in every note that is played.

If someone who is trained for it can become exhausted, how about someone who isn’t?

Each piano’s temperament is tuned in a slightly different manner depending on the piano. Each piano will have a different gage, different lengths of strings. And therefore the sound of one piano will not be replicated in other pianos. Today, professional tuners use sophisticated piano tuning software to calculate how to tune the temperament of each individual piano.

Each individual key is worked on one at a time, with the tuning pin and string set and secured in place. A tuner will move the pin only as much as necessary to get the pitch. Once its achieved, the pin is set into place. If not done right, one strike of the key and the note will pop back out of tune. This is called tuning stability. And it’s the last thing a professional tuner will do to make sure his work is stable.

If a string is adjusted too far, or if the string is old and severely out of tune, it can be prone to breaking. Replacement is also a skill that takes time and practice to build to proficiency. A professional tuner will have the appropriate tools and skills to replace piano wire, knowing that in some cases restringing with existing wire is sometimes best.

If you want enjoyment every time you play the piano, it’s best to tune your piano on a regular basis. If you are considering tuning your own piano, chances are it’s currently nowhere close to its optimal pitch. And to bring it back to proper pitch takes time, energy and knowledge. Skill that all great professional tuners have.

And why allow your piano to be anything but the best?

Filed Under: Owning a Piano, Piano Renovation Tagged With: ,
6 March 2016 How To Structure The Perfect Piano Lesson

How To Structure The Perfect Piano Lesson

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Is there such a thing as the perfect piano lesson?

The answer, most obviously, is no. After all, there are many approaches to playing the piano, both from the instructor and from the learners point of view. What works for one won’t necessarily work for another.How To Structure The Perfect Piano Lesson

Still, as a piano teacher, it’s important to structure the lessons you teach. It’s important to give your student a well-rounded approach to piano playing. And for most teachers, structure is a part of the deal.

A thirty-minute lesson will often include warm-ups, technical work, repertoire, maybe some piano games, even a little ear training. And it’s often structured five minutes here, five minutes there.

In some cases, that works. But sticking to that every day of the year can leave both you and your student feeling a little board.

Structure ever month differently

March can bring on anxiety from upcoming recitals. July can be relaxed and hassle-free. September can bring about new things, both from school and changing seasons.

So why structure your piano lessons in the same manner? If a student is overwhelmed and is focused on an upcoming recital, press structure in helping them with performance skills. If they are relaxed and in a vacation mindset, games and improv work can be a welcome relief.

Tie lessons to the student, not a training schedule

For teachers in a classroom, establishing one schedule to teach the entire class is a must. But if you teach one student at a time, your teaching plan can adjust with every student that walks in. Some students may learn best from playing games. Some students may be completely obsessed with repertoire. Find a way to capitalize on each of their interests and cater specifically to them.

Structure every lesson with excitement levels

There are only a certain number of things that can be accomplished in a short time frame. Instead of stopping and moving to another topic, take the lead from the student. Are they having fun with an activity? Let them do more of it. Are they bored? Move on. Never feel you “must” do anything. Do what works.

Look for alternatives all the time

When was the last time you tried something new? Have you grabbed a book to learn more about piano improv? Have you downloaded an app and tried a game? Learning the piano is always changing, always growing. Which means as an instructor, it’s important to change and grow too. Find new things that work. Eliminate things that don’t. The more you cater to the individual needs of your students, the more they’ll enjoy working with you.

Filed Under: Owning a Piano, Piano Brands, Piano Playing Tagged With: ,
3 March 2016 Restore Your Square Grand Piano

Restore Your Square Grand Piano

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Nostalgia. Just one look at the antique sitting in your room can bring back long-ago, simpler times.

But this isn’t just an antique; it’s so much more.Restore Your Square Grand Piano

For nearly 150 years, square grand pianos were the piano of choice in both Europe and America. Yet today, very few people have even seen them.

Also referred to as a box grand, the square grand piano is an earlier form of piano that is built in a rectangular shaped cabinet. It sits squarely on four legs with its strings running left to right rather than front to back that had been common up until this point. They became very popular because of their smaller size and more stylish appearance.

By the late 1800s, the upright piano became more favorable, taking up even less floor space than the square grand. And by 1900, the last was produced here in the US, all but becoming obsolete.

Yet today, there’s a growing interest in the square grand piano. Collectors and musicians alike are beginning to appreciate and preserve these instruments, making them quite valuable.

If you find one in your grandmother’s back room, it may be time to bring it back to life and restore it to all of its glory.

Some piano tuners may tell you that a square piano in its original, unrestored condition can’t be tuned. In fact, they are correct. Square pianos built long ago used tuning pins shaped differently than modern tuning pins. And if the piano hasn’t been tuned in years, decades, the old strings, felt and leather tend to have deteriorated over time. There is an estimated pressure of 12 to 14 tons of tension on a piano when it is in tune. And when this tension is put back on these deteriorated parts, it simply can’t hold the tune properly.

A proper restoration will fix all of these components – tuning pins, felt, strings, leather – thus bringing the square grand piano back to life.

With a square grand piano, the pins are located in the back of the piano. Which means the piano tuner will have to lean over more during the tuning process to reach the parts and service them correctly. It’s a little more effort, but just as effective as tuning any other modern day piano. And it’s required to keep your square grand piano in good working condition.

Have a family heirloom you’d love to restore back to its original condition? Give us a call today.

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27 February 2016 The Difference Between High End and Low End Digital Pianos

The Difference Between High End and Low End Digital Pianos

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Considering purchasing a digital piano? They can make a great addition to your home for a variety of reasons. They are:The Difference Between High End and Low End Digital Pianos

  • Low maintenance
  • Easy to store
  • Easy to transport
  • No tuning required

And if you live in a small space, they allow you the convenience of being able to play quietly whenever you desire, then tuck it away until you’re ready to play another day.

All great reasons to buy. Yet now comes the important question: Do you purchase a high end or low end digital piano?

A lot goes into making that final decision. You can start by discovering why you want a digital piano in the first place.

  • Are you brand new to playing the piano?
  • What are your goals?
  • What is your budget?

And of course the biggest question of all: What are the differences between high end and low end digital pianos?

Digital pianos don’t use the string/hammer concept to make sound like their acoustic counterparts. Instead, digital pianos use samples to generate sound. So each manufacturer of a digital piano spends its time and energy recording sounds and placing them into their final production digital pianos. That difference is where quality comes into play. They must record each sound at different volume levels and then arrange them to make the appropriate sound, depending on how a player presses the key. This process is called modeling. And it’s what separates high end from low end digital pianos.

High end pianos will have more precision in the modeling process. The manufacturer will have paid a lot more attention to the details of successfully emulating the interaction between different strings, different notes. This means it will have a richer, fuller sound, and be closer to the sound an acoustic piano produces.

But of course that isn’t the only difference. It also comes down to the feel of the piano. And arguably so, a professional piano player will tell you this is one area that matters most. Acoustic piano keys are weighted, using a particular mechanism to produce the sound when a key is pressed. When pressed, a felt-hammer is used to press different amounts of pressure to the strings in order to produce different sounds. This “feel” comes through loud and clear on an acoustical. It’s also what separates high end from low end digital pianos.

High end pianos emulate this. Low end digitals will only use a spring and a graded hammer system to produce the same key resistance, which means resistance will only go so far. High end digitals use a replicated piano mechanism that is far superior, and does a great job at transferring skill level from acoustic to digital.

While these are the primary differences, they are by no means all. Yet sound quality is ultimately the most important thing. How its produced, and how its amplified. High end digital pianos will also put more focus in on the speaker system. What you hear is what you’ll remember. So they spend the extra time creating acoustic soundboards and advanced speaker systems that will provide you with a high quality sound. You’ll also increasingly find more opportunity and marked differences in the features, everything from input/output technology, to different sounds and options for production.

If your goal is to become the best piano player you can, investing in a high end digital piano can give you more opportunity to create better music. And when you have better equipment, better sound, you’ll automatically have more desire. Stop by today to find out what equipment is right for you.

Filed Under: Buying a Piano Tagged With:
22 February 2016 Career Choices For Your Budding Pianist

Career Choices For Your Budding Pianist

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Have you decided to give your child the gift of music? Ready to sign them up for piano lessons to introduce them to music?Career Choices For Your Budding Pianist

Great choice.

And while piano playing is a great skill to learn for personal reasons – reduces stress, improves brain activity, allows you to relax – it can also introduce your child to a world of career choices.

Yes, in today’s world, there are many careers that allow them to use their skills as a pianist in a variety of ways.

Piano Teacher
Teaching piano varies from teaching a few students part time out of your home, to full fledged university level teaching, helping concert pianists become even better. And in today’s world, that expands to being able to teach one-on-one in person, to creating videos or using tools like Skype to connect with people all over the world.

Classical Pianist
Top classical pianists have fulfilling careers playing at some of the top concert halls around the world. Most classically trained pianists begin playing in early childhood, and continue through the university level, developing strong interests in the music of Beethoven, Brahms and Mozart, among others.

Studio Musician
Many of today’s well known pop, country and rock artists need a pianist when they are recording an album. They hire studio pianists to record tracks for their songs. Because recording sessions are often funded by major labels, it can be a lucrative business opportunity with the right networking.

Theater Pianist
Many Broadway and Off-Broadway performances use music as a part of their performance. Theaters often hire pianists to perform during all phases of a performance.

Piano Therapist
A growing trend is to use music during recovery. And piano therapists can use their music skills in a variety of ways. Music therapy is being used with chronic conditions, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, as well as for stress relievers in children with ADHD or Autism. It can even be used in hospital settings, before and after surgery, or helping patients deal with stressful situations, such as in cancer treatments.

Restoration/Tuner
Most pianists have love and appreciation not just for the music, but also for the instrument. There will always be a need to keep today’s instruments in top condition, which means restoration experts and tuners will always be in demand.

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13 February 2016 Playing The Piano Will Make You Smarter

Playing The Piano Will Make You Smarter

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It sounds like a claim almost too good to be true. And yet study after study shows that’s not the case.Playing The Piano Will Make You Smarter

If you play the piano on a regular basis, it will make you healthier and smarter. Here’s how.

Music keeps you young

The longer a person plays the piano, the longer they are involved in creating music, the less likely they are to experience aging symptoms. Piano lessons and playing regularly keeps the auditory cortex healthy, and prevents age related changes.

It alters your brain

Studies show that people that take music lessons and play the piano add neural connections in the brain differently than those that don’t. This is prime for developing human communication at different levels, helping with speech, languages, memory and paying attention.

It helps with language skills

Musicians are also better in learning to incorporate sound patterns for new languages into words. They process speech in noisy conditions easier, and often do better with developmental issues such as dyslexia or ADHD.

It keeps your brain fit

In order to keep your body fit, you exercise every day. And in order to keep your mind fit, its important to have musical training regularly as well. Music is a resource that tones the brain for auditory fitness, one that can begin helping with learning in school, and continue into old age by helping prevent and lessen the damage from cognitive disorders.

It is a stress reliever

Sitting down to the piano regularly can allow the stress to melt away. It can also reverse stress damage at the molecular level, according to studies performed in various medical schools.

It breeds success

Playing the piano helps develop strong discipline skills, patience, coordination, dedication, as well as the ability to memorize things in detail. Piano playing also reduces the incidence of depression and anxiety, and can help anyone of any age put more focus into their daily life.

Is it time for you to begin taking piano lessons?

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10 February 2016 Piano Therapy For ADHD

Piano Therapy For ADHD

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It doesn’t take more than a few minutes of research to determine music is one of the best forms of therapy for all kinds of issues. And studies show that adding piano playing routines to a person’s lifestyle can provide a variety of benefits, everything from reducing stress to improving focus on everyday activities.Piano Therapy For ADHD

So it’s easy to believe studies that say piano playing provides specific benefits in all kinds of ways, including helping kids with ADHD.

Music adds strength to the areas of the brain where a child with ADHD is weakest. Music builds and strengthens auditory, visual, spatial and motor skills, which are tied to making improvements in speech, language, reading, comprehension, concentration, organization, focusing and attention issues.

Studies show that when children with ADHD begin taking music lessons, their attention, concentration, social functioning, self-esteem, self-expression, and memory all improve. Additionally, if a child has difficulty focusing when there is background noise, music lessons have helped. Which means by adding music lessons to a child’s daily routine, you may quickly begin noticing an improvement in school work, where noises and commotion occur all around them every day of the week.

No matter how old your child is today, if they’ve been diagnosed with ADHD, adding piano to their routine can make a world of difference. Where to start?

Start with group music lessons. Children as young as 18 months old can benefit from being a part of a music program.

Introduce private lessons between five and seven. This is when children become better at focusing, and private lessons make the biggest impact in a daily routine.

Listen to music. Music is all around us, but it’s important to point it out to your child and listen in a variety of ways. Play classic music as they are studying. Sing together in the car. Visit your local symphony for concerts. Point out the music in their favorite movies.

Orchestrate homework. Ever wonder why we sing the ABCs as children? It’s because it allows us to better absorb, retain and retrieve the information over and over again. You can apply this to many lessons a child must memorize in their youth, such as math and science facts. Play music while they focus in on homework, and not only can it help reduce stress and put them in a better frame of mind to finish the work, it can also improve their school abilities over time.

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