12 September 2015 7 Things To Look For In A Used Piano Before Buying It

7 Things To Look For In A Used Piano Before Buying It

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“I am considering buying a used grand or baby grand piano for my home. I’ve played piano since I was a kid, and now that I’m approaching retirement, I would like to spend more time playing. I want an acoustic piano, not a digital, and having the old, elegant style becoming a centerpiece in my living room is as important as the music it creates. I know a lot about playing the piano, but I’m not sure about selecting a quality piano that will last me for years. What should I look for in a used piano before buying it?”7 Things To Look For In A Used Piano Before Buying It

Great question. And because of the amount of used pianos there are on the market today, it’s one we get quite frequently. Putting looks and sound quality in the forefront of your mind is an important starting point.

Other things to consider:

The condition of the piano
The best place to start is with a quick overview of the piano inside and out. You can quickly tell if a piano has been well cared for, or if it has been neglected. Look for signs of neglect and signs of abuse. You can also judge based on where the used piano is – a piano in the corner of a dark and humid basement will tell a different story than one on a piano dealer’s showroom floor.

The value of the piano
No, you don’t have to invest in a Steinway to have a quality piano in your home. However, certain brands will provide a higher quality tone. Ask questions about the brand and do a little research online before you buy. You can learn fairly quickly about the pros and cons of each piano brand.

Look at the interior
The soundboard is a wooden plate at the bottom of the case. All reinforcement ribs should be properly glued and in place. The bridge should be solid, straight, and uncracked.  The strings should be properly conditioned and in place. Look for deep grooves on the hammers; the more worn they are, the more harsh tonal quality will be. The pin block should also be evaluated to make sure pins are properly placed and aren’t loose or broken.

Look at the exterior
Are pedals attached? Do they move properly and impact the tonal quality? Are all keys in place? Strike every key to make sure it plays and functions properly. If it sounds like they strike twice, are dead, or seem sticky, it’s a sign repair is needed to bring it back into proper working condition. Also look at the finish. If its faded or shows weather damage, you can assume it wasn’t well taken care of.

Ask about the history
One simple question can release a lot of clues about a piano’s well being. Many people will launch into a long, elaborate story about where the piano originated from, and the status of the piano over time. While it may not be a fail-safe way to determine quality, you can make instant judgement calls when someone says “It was stored in the shed for decades” versus “It sat lovingly in my grandmother’s living room for years.”

How much immediate repair the piano will need
As you analyze each part of the piano, you can quickly determine how much money will go into repair before it is operational. A used piano sitting on a dealer’s showroom floor will be ready to play the moment it arrives in your home. A “good deal” on Craigslist may require months of work and hundreds or even thousands of dollars of repair work to bring it into playable condition.

How well will the piano fare while being moved
You can’t throw a grand piano in the back of a truck and expect it to fare well during travel without a little TLC. Look for weak points and make sure they are well kept and preserved during the move.

Filed Under: Owning a Piano Tagged With: ,
8 September 2015 Does Left Handedness Impact Piano Playing?

Does Left Handedness Impact Piano Playing?

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If you look back to the greatest piano players of all time, it’s only natural to wonder which of them were left handed. It’s only natural that some of them were; after all, ten percent of the population is left handed.

Beethoven is rumored to have been left handed. So is Brahms. So is Rachmaninoff. Even Mozart’s music feels ambidextrous, as if it were written for both hands to have equal control.Does Left Handedness Impact Piano Playing?

Yet is there a difference when playing the piano whether you approach it from a left handed or right handed way?

As it turns out, lefties may have a certain advantage when it comes to learning how to play the piano.

While many instruments are clearly designed to be played right handed, pianos are no different. Most melody is played with the right hand. And if you look towards any written song, you’ll find that the right hand far outplays the left on average. Clearly music is written for the side of the brain that controls the right side.

All piano students must overcome resistance to having the two hands work separately yet together. Pianists must coordinate the activity of both brain hemispheres, since each is responsible for the use of a separate hand. Because lefties have to work harder to get the right hand in shape, they actually grow stronger at skill in the process.

Left and right handed piano players perform equally well when tested for their musicality skills. Left handedness does not seem to present and disadvantages. Over time, whether the pianist is left or right handed, the performance of the right hand always displays a greater evenness between the notes, and therefore a higher degree of motor skill and control than in the left. The more practice a person has, the better performance they will have.

The key is practice. The rest seems to fall into place.

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3 September 2015 The 10 Best Piano Brands Ever

The 10 Best Piano Brands Ever

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If you’re in the marketplace for a piano and you want to make a statement with the piano sitting front and center in your home, you want to make sure its one of the best piano brands on the market today. And after a little search time, you can find a short list of what people consider to be the best piano brand today.The 10 Best Piano Brands Ever

Surely names like Steinway, Baldwin and Boesendorfer would make the list. Kawai and Yamaha would likely show up too.

But what makes them the best?

Is it the piano itself? Is it the way its built? Is it the materials used? Is it the music it makes? Is it the reputation of the company?

Or is it all of the above?

Yes, to be considered “the best” is subjective at best. But there are things that each of the top contenders have that give them the limelight. And there are things you can look for in whatever piano you choose to purchase to make sure you are buying the best quality piano to meet your needs.

To be considered the best, the manufacturer should build each piano with the utmost attention to detail. Every piece should be chosen with care, materials selected to produce the greatest sound quality possible.

The manufacturer should emphasize both quality materials and attention to technology. Today’s technology can help scale a piano to meet exact specifications, including shape of sound boards, placement of bridges and ribs, length of strings and thickness of bracing, all of which helps produce the most amazing sound possible.

The manufacturer should spend its time developing the highest quality piano products for the market. In today’s world, that stretches beyond  acoustic, upright and grand pianos, and includes digital, portable, synthesizers and more. Pianos today have many functionalities to meet all kinds of demands. By understanding how to create the best sound possible in one category, many will take that knowledge and build it into something more.

The manufacturer should care about quality. You can find pianos built entirely by hand, with each piece meticulously handcrafted into place. You can find pianos designed for specific needs – from conservatory models to historical designs. You can find pianos whose name has stood the test of time, and who consistently evokes quality, value and excellence. You can choose a piano that will provide you with a lifetime of pleasure; an investment truly worth all of the time and energy you put in.

Yes, choosing the best piano in the industry is subjective. The list of the top 10 piano brands ever will change depending on who is creating the list. But the quickest way to find the perfect piano for your home or studio is to stop by our showroom and see all of the opportunities waiting for you.

Filed Under: Owning a Piano, Piano Brands Tagged With: ,
31 August 2015 Buying A Used Steinway Piano

Buying A Used Steinway Piano

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For many musicians, they don’t own a piano until they own a Steinway & Sons piano. Steinway’s are arguably the most coveted pianos in the world. Owning a Steinway represents commitment to excellence, and offers musical enjoyment for many years to come.Buying A Used Steinway Piano

Because Steinway pianos can be some of the most expensive pianos on the market, many turn to buying a used Steinway piano when purchasing a piano for their home. But what should you look for?

A piano can be broken down into three distinct areas:

  • The body of the piano contains the soundboard, the bridges, the pinblock, the ribs and the strings
  • The action of the piano contains the hammers, the hammer shanks and flanges, the dampers, the repetition levers, the keys, the key tops and the key frame.
  • The casing of the piano contains the lid, the frame, the music rack, the key cover, the pedals and the hinges

Over the years, repairs might be made to bring each piece back into working condition. If a complete rebuild occurs, it would require all of the above to be replaced. While some rebuilders demand on using only Steinway parts when making repairs, other rebuilders aren’t as arduous as others and will use parts easiest to find. While playability is important, it also brings into question “is a Steinway really a Steinway if it doesn’t have Steinway parts”. It’s important to consider and to talk with the person you are purchasing the piano from to understand the originality of the piano you are considering.

Inevitably the search for used pianos turns to the Internet. And in many cases you’ll find a wealth of information on the piano forums. Keep in mind that these forums are filled with a mixture of people with interest in piano. You’ll find the homeowner who picked up a piano for free and considers any music to be an acceptable form of entertainment. You’ll find technicians and wanna-be refurbisher who make a little extra money on the side tinkering around with something they enjoy. And occasionally you’ll find a reputable piano expert that’s been in the business for decades – however these are few and far between.

The Internet doesn’t take into account the musicality of a piano. A photo can never fully tell the real story of the piano. Without interaction between you and the piano, you have no idea the true condition a piano is really in. Even something in “good condition” is subjective depending on the person making the claim.

The only way to purchase a quality Steinway & Sons piano is to visit your local piano dealer where you can physically hear and play a variety of pianos, and have a face to face conversation with an expert that values their reputation in the community, and will offer you the best advice about selecting the right piano for you.

Give us a call today to find the perfect Steinway piano for you.

Filed Under: Buying a Piano, Owning a Piano, Piano Brands Tagged With:
29 August 2015 Common Mistakes About Buying A Piano On Craigslist

Common Mistakes About Buying A Piano On Craigslist

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I was perusing a few websites the other day, and came across a forum filled with people talking about their experiences with buying a piano on Craigslist. It had a variety of questions, and an equal amount of comments.

If you’re in the market for a used piano, I’m sure you’ve come across these sites too as you do your research about the piano industry. And they give you hope about finding a “great deal” with a little bit of searching. You’ll be able to provide your family with great entertainment and make an investment in your child’s music education for very little money. What could be better than that?Common Mistakes About Buying A Piano On Craigslist

So is Craigslist a great place to find a piano?

There may be a “gem” waiting for you to find it, but more than likely, the answer is no. And the reasons are often written by the ones giving the advice.

“We bought a piano off of Craigslist last year. It’s not in great shape, as the owner had painted it. We haven’t gotten it tuned – just can’t afford it right now. Our girls are playing it on their own and I’m happy to have the music in our home. But we’ve paid to had it moved twice – the moving fees have definitely cost us more than the piano is worth.”

Reading between the lines, the piano is nothing more than a big toy. The piano is very low quality, probably doesn’t carry a tune if you attempt to play a song.

“I got an upright, I think it’s from the 1930s. We picked it up ourselves (me and a friend) by renting a trailer from U-haul. It wasn’t hard to move, and we had it across town and up in my apartment in no time. I brought a friend in to tune it and she said it was in perfect tune – it hadn’t been tuned in 20 years. It does need to have a couple of keys glued back into place, and she suggested adding new wool under the keys, which I plan on doing myself very soon.”

Sounds like the perfect deal, right? Yet there is a lot left unsaid in this comment.

If a piano has been neglected enough to have missing and damaged keys, chances are the internal workings of the piano are in even worse shape. A piano is a finely tuned instrument. Strings must be in proper working order in order to create a proper sound. And repairing a piano isn’t as simple as gluing the keys back into place. If you’re using a piano for decoration, glue away. But if you want it available to create beautiful music, there is an art to restoring a piano to it’s proper working condition.

“We got our piano on Craigslist for my daughter to learn. I want to make sure she likes it before we invest in something more. We paid a couple hundred and moved it ourselves. It’s not perfect but it works for us now.”

I like to compare this by giving an example about a child learning soccer. Would you buy a flat ball and expect your child to practice to see if she likes it before investing in a better ball? Would you send her out in flip flops before you invest in great shoes? Of course not. Yet that’s what parents do when they expect their child to learn on a piano that is not up to par. If you can’t produce a sound that is pleasing to the ear, you have very little stamina to want to continue making music. And once the desire is gone, there is little you can do to make them keep practicing.

Filed Under: Buying a Piano Tagged With: ,
26 August 2015 7 Benefits To Playing The Piano

7 Benefits To Playing The Piano

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Plato said it best:

“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.”

What would the world be like without music?7 Benefits To Playing The Piano

Luckily, we can easily bring music into our lives at any point in time. And no matter how young or old you are, there are many benefits to learning how to play the piano at any age.

Increases your memory capacity – research continually shows that learning to play an instrument changes both the shape and the power of the brain. Music is being used in therapy to improve cognitive skills. And  and motor skills in children from a very young age.

Refines time management and organizational skills – good practicing skills won’t just make you a better piano player, they’ll make you a more organized person as well. A good musician quickly picks up that quality practice is more valuable than quantity. And by organizing and using different challenges in each session, music talent can increase rapidly.

Boosts team skills – playing the piano isn’t an individual activity, it can be used in many ways. Lessons are important to give more skills to an individual – how to interact with an instructor and take advice, how to join in with others to create harmony and melody, and how to be both active and a participant in the music playing process.

Betters your math skills – reading music requires counting notes and rhythms, which helps put math skills together in your brain. Studies continually show that students that play an instrument are better prepared in math and achieve higher grades overall.

Improves reading and comprehension – while reading music helps you become better at math, it also helps your reading and comprehension skills. Reading music involves reading and comprehension of both the black and white notes on a page, recognizing the note, translating it to your finger tips in order to create the note on the piano.

Improves your concentration – playing a piece of music requires you to focus on things like pitch, rhythm, tempo, notes, and quality of sound. You must concentrate not only what you’re playing and the sound you are producing, but also be able to listen to all other sounds around you in order to play in harmony with the rest of the group.

It relieves stress – a piano is there for you to play any time you choose. You can play any type of music, and play it with any kind of emotion you choose. It’s a great way of relieving stress, and has been used in all kinds of therapies in treating autism, depression and other cognitive disorders.

Filed Under: Piano Lessons, Piano Playing Tagged With:
22 August 2015 Inspiring Musicians That Play Piano

Inspiring Musicians That Play Piano

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Want to get your kids excited about playing piano? Why not give them incentive by sharing with them the names of some of their favorite musicians that are piano players?

Kids love to emulate their heroes. Yet in some cases, they don’t make the connection with where they are now to how they started. A gentle nudge by showing them possibilities may be just what they need to take interest in something with so many benefits.Inspiring Musicians That Play Piano

Elton John
One of the most beloved musicals, one your kids probably sing a song from on a regular basis, is The Lion King. And while Elton John’s music career spans decades, with over 30 albums to his credit, it’s probably the easiest to use to excite your kids about music. Elton John has been a legend in the music world, and will continue to be for generations. What kid couldn’t get excited about playing something as magical as the Circle Of Life?

Jerry Lee Lewis
While Jerry Lee Lewis may not be a well known name with your kids, not only is today’s music influenced by his music, they probably have heard one of his largest hits “Great Balls Of Fire”. Lewis was an early pioneer in rock and roll, and he invented a style of piano playing that is still distinctive by today’s standards. While many criticized him in the 50s and 60s for his wild behavior, few can argue today that he is a major influence in the music world.

Josh Groban
The Polar Express – every Christmas season brings this storyline to life. You can’t think of the movie without automatically humming Believe. And while it will make Josh Groban’s name and voice recognizable for generations to come, Groban has a wide variety of classical sounds that people of all ages have come to love.

Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys became the best selling new artist and the best selling R&B artist of 2001, selling more than 12 million copies of her debut album. That set her on a course for not only a music career, but also as a songwriter, record producer and an actress.

Lady Gaga
Chances are your kids know Lady Gaga well, and may even be one of her “little monsters”. She took the music scene by storm with hits like Just Dance and Poker Face, and she continues to be in the media’s eye by making statements in her out-of-this-world outfits. If there is anyone that can inspire your kids into wanting to play the piano, Lady Gaga has it all.

Filed Under: Piano Playing Tagged With: ,
19 August 2015 Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Buy A Piano

Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Buy A Piano

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There are many benefits to buying a piano for your home. If you play, you understand the value of having music in your life. And if you have small children, you’ve probably heard about all of the great benefits of having them learn to play the piano.

Yet buying a piano is a challenging process. Do you buy old or new? How do you select the right piano for your home? While it’s important to find the answers to your questions before you finalize your purchase, it’s also important to ask the right questions.Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Buy A Piano

Why am I buying a piano?
It may sound like an obvious question, one you’ve already thought about. But taking the time to determine why you’re buying a piano can help point you towards the right instrument. Will you be using it as a stress reliever? Will your kids be practicing several days of the week? Will it be as much a focal point for your living space as a musical instrument you will play every day? By sharing these answers with a piano dealer, he can point you towards pianos you may have never considered.

How much can I spend?
If you’ve ever searched Craigslist and been excited by the $200 piano listed online, you may need to rethink the value of a piano. It’s easy to find “good deals” on pianos online. However, most “good deals” are rarely good deals. They may have been neglected for years, severely out of tune. They may have internal water damage, which in effect ruins the playability of a piano. And while the outside may look good, you’ll quickly discover why it was such a good deal. If you want you (or your child) to create beautiful music, investing in a quality piano is important. There are many options for purchase, they key is to always choose based on the best quality for your money, not price.

Upright or grand piano?
For many people, this decision is easily made depending on space available. If you place a large piano in a room to small for it, the tone will not resonate properly. Both uprights and grands can produce high quality sounds. Both uprights and grands can be beautiful additions to your room’s décor. Aesthetics is just as important as acoustics in this case.

What about warranties?
Depending on where you buy and what type of piano you purchase, you may receive warranties from the manufacturer, or from the dealer. Make sure you fully understand any options before you buy.

Is brand important?
While some people come in, knowing only a certain brand will do, there are many brands available today that can be a welcome addition to your home. A well known brand, such as a Baldwin or a Yamaha, is always a good choice. Ask to see a variety of brands and learn what the differences are. Make sure you touch and feel the keys, as well as examine the instrument’s cabinet. Can you see this in your home for years? Ultimately that’s what matters most.

What about growth?
While it’s important to meet your needs today, it’s equally important to ensure they will be met for years into the future as well. If your high school son wants to learn to play piano to form his own rock band, it may be worth considering a quality digital piano, something portable he can carry on the road. If you want to ensure quality music is in your life through your retirement years, investing in a grand piano for your family room may be the perfect addition for your home.

As with any investment, research is important. By investing in a quality piano now, and properly maintaining it along the way, your investment will bring a lifetime of enjoyment.

Filed Under: Buying a Piano Tagged With: ,
15 August 2015 How Important Are Foot Pedals On A Piano?

How Important Are Foot Pedals On A Piano?

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When you invest in a piano, you understand quality is important. Notes must play to the best of their ability. The piano must be tuned for proper playing. Sound is important.

But what about the foot pedals on a piano? How important are they? Will a beginner use them anyway?

It’s easy to forget the foot pedals as you make your way through the checklist before you buy. Yet each were created for specific purposes.How Important Are Foot Pedals On A Piano?

The modern foot pedal configuration has been in use since the late nineteenth century with three foot pedals in place: sustain (damper pedal), sostenuto, and una corda (soft pedal).

The una corda was the first mechanism invented to modify the piano’s sound. This function is used by depressing the left pedal on modern pianos. The soft pedal modifies timbre and color of the tone, not just the volume.

The sustaining pedal is the right pedal on the modern piano. The pedal raises all the dampers off the strings so they keep vibrating after a key on the keyboard has been released. It allows the notes to resonate and mix together.

The sostenuto pedal allows pianists to sustain selected notes while keeping other notes unaffected.

With an acoustic piano, pedals are conveniently placed and attached to the frame located centrally underneath the piano. The framework attached to the grand piano often had a symbolic shape of a lyre, and it still carries the name “pedal lyre” today.

With a digital piano, pedals may or may not come standard with your setup. If you look at the back of your synthesizer or digital piano, you may notice input devices labeled “CTRL1 and CTRL2” or “SOSTENUTO” or “DAMPER”. These inputs are for the foot pedals and will enable you to change the timbre and expressiveness of the piano in much the same manner as on an acoustic piano.

If you are purchasing a used piano, it’s important to ensure the pedals function correctly, and provide you with the ability they were intended to perform. If not, it can signify problems with the piano.

Filed Under: Owning a Piano, Piano Playing Tagged With: ,
12 August 2015 Are There Benefits To Learning On A Digital Piano?

Are There Benefits To Learning On A Digital Piano?

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Whether your kids are a little bit country, or a little bit rock and roll, the ability to play the piano has a lot to do with being like their favorite music artist. While they may be willing to play Bach or Beethoven for awhile, what really gets them going is playing like Coldplay or Maroon 5.

And while learning on an acoustic piano gives them the basics, where they start to have fun and really feel the music is when they have all the options available to them on a digital piano.Are There Benefits To Learning On A Digital Piano?

If you are considering investing in a piano, if you focus in on quality, a good digital piano is designed to accurately simulate acoustic pianos. Precision weighted keys recreate the feel of an acoustic keyboard. High level digital sound technology is strategically positioned to produce organic acoustic piano sound.

Then digital pianos offer more. They can be the perfect balance you need to keep your child interested in piano playing for years.

Quiet Practice
Today’s families are busy. One child may be ready to practice the piano while another needs quiet time to finish homework. One parent may be on a conference call while another is fixing dinner. With a digital piano, you can plug in and monitor the sound with headphones. This allows the player to block out outside noises and other distractions, while keeping the surrounding family space quiet for other tasks going on.

Record and Listen
Digital pianos are built using today’s top technology. Start by recording your practice sessions to play back and learn. It can help you become more proficient with trouble spots, and can help you perfect tiny problems you may be having with your playing. It also allows you to transfer your music from piano to computer, giving you access to all kinds of design and editing programs to make original music that much better. This can aid in composition for a budding musician ready to begin creating his own tunes.

Broader Access To Sounds
While digital pianos are designed to mimic acoustic pianos, they also are equipped with a large variety of sounds. They have more traditional organ sounds – strings, harpsichord, church organs, guitar, bass and synthesizers, and go way beyond to add just about any flair and originality as you create. While younger children may love experimenting, older, more experienced kids can use it to grow beyond the standard playability, which can give them more desire to push forward and become even better.

Continue To Grow With Apps
With today’s technology, anything is possible. And by incorporating smart technology either through phones or tablet devices, you can take advantage of many of the apps that liven up practice sessions and make music more fun. They can help a budding artist understand theory, help them develop their own music, or become more proficient with notes and scales. They can provide motivation instead of making it feel like a chore.

If a digital piano sounds like a perfect investment for your budding artist, stop by and see all of your options today.

Filed Under: Buying a Piano, Owning a Piano Tagged With: ,
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