9 October 2013 When Your Child Is Scared About Her Piano Recital

When Your Child Is Scared About Her Piano Recital

posted by Leave a Comment

Does your child have a piano recital coming up?

If she has been playing for a while, now she has a chance to display her progress. She may be excited to show you her new-found talents in a formal setting. But she may also be experiencing something else. Fear.

When Your Child Is Scared About Her Piano RecitalThe recital is less than a month away, and your child is understandably nervous and scared. You are also rather anxious yourself! You want the experience to be an exciting one, not an agonizing one. So how can you prepare your child for a piano recital so that it’s not a nerve-wracking experience?

Here are some tips to prepare your child for their piano recital:

Don’t decide for them. Talk to your child and ask them if they truly want to participate in the recital. If they don’t want to participate, don’t force them. Your child has a mind of her own, and if she began piano lessons so that she can play at home instead of compete, then it’s perfectly fine for her to skip the recital. Respect your child’s decision if they don’t want to compete. Talk to her teacher. Is she really ready for the formality of a recital? Her teacher is also her support system. She may help her overcome her fears as well and choose to move forward once she realizes everyone has fear about the first time.

Give them plenty of encouragement. If they decide to participate in a piano recital, support their decision to do so and offer them encouragement. Tell them how brave they are and help them overcome their anxiety by boosting their self-confidence.

Remind them that practice makes perfect. Your child should ideally practice for at least a half hour every day until the day of the recital. This will help her to perfect the piece. Listen and give helpful suggestions when appropriate. Don’t make her nervous. Leave the true critiquing to her teacher

Assist them in choosing a piano piece. If the teacher doesn’t make this decision with your child, you can go over the pieces and help her choose one that she feels comfortable playing. Her teacher should be open to this suggestion.

Help them relax on recital day. Your child should feel comfortable, so help them to be less nervous. Assure them that they will do fine, and arrive early so as not to rush before the recital.

A piano recital is a very exciting experience that can also be extremely rewarding for your child. After the first recital, the second one should be a piece of cake!

Filed Under: Piano Lessons Tagged With: ,
5 October 2013 Piano Restoration, Rebuilding and Reconditioning: Know What You Are Getting

Piano Restoration, Rebuilding and Reconditioning: Know What You Are Getting

posted by Leave a Comment

Maybe your piano hasn’t been serviced in years. Maybe you’ve inherited your piano from a friend and you simply don’t know what condition its in. Is it worth saving? Is it worth investing the time and money necessary to bring it back to good working condition?

Piano Restoration, Rebuilding and Reconditioning: Know What You Are GettingIn the piano restoration world, the term “restoration” means a lot of things to different people. And just like every industry, “reputable” isn’t always in a persons vocabulary either, even though they are promoting themselves as a piano servicing company.

The best way to get what you paid for is to learn what you can before you hire someone, and ask as many questions along the way to ensure you piano received the treatment it needs.

Reconditioning

The term reconditioning when it comes to a piano means improving what is already there. A piano that has moderate wear or one in the medium price range can almost always benefit from a reconditioning.

With a reconditioning, the piano is cleaned, repaired, and adjusted for best performance, and will only have parts replaced when absolutely necessary. It is not designed to improve the life span of an older piano, and will not improve overall sound quality above what the piano was capable of in the first place.

Rebuilding

With a piano rebuild, the piano will be disassembled, inspected and repaired as necessary. All worn, damaged or deteriorated parts will be replaced. The piano is then rebuilt, tested and adjusted to the same or similar tolerances as a new piano.

A complete rebuild includes the entire piano’s structure, including soundboard, bridges, pinblock and strings, as well as the keyboard, action and case refinishing.

A partial rebuild includes only one or two of these areas: for example, it may include rebuilding the structure and the action, but not the refinishing.

Restoration

Restoration is the catchall phrase many restores use within the industry. In most cases, restoration can include all of the above. Which is why it is important to talk with the person you are considering hiring, and make sure you understand exactly the service you will receive.

A reputable piano dealer and restoration service will welcome your questions and provide you with as much detail as you need to feel comfortable with the process.

Filed Under: Piano Renovation Tagged With: , ,
2 October 2013 Piano Tuning Myths and Facts

Piano Tuning Myths and Facts

posted by Leave a Comment

Does a piano really only stay in top shape if its tuned and serviced several times per year?

What happens if you haven’t tuned your piano in a few years?

Piano Tuning Myths and Facts When it comes to pianos, they are more than a typical instrument you can put away in a case and hide from sight. Instead, a piano becomes a part of the décor in your home; an item that will provide years of entertainment and beauty for years to come if you service it on a regular basis. But what does that mean? Here are a few myths and facts to keep in mind for the piano in your home.

Myth #1: Time played determines how much tuning it requires.

Fact: Its easy to assume the more you play a piano, the more maintenance it will need. Conversely, if you rarely play it, it can survive long periods of time without tuning. However, no matter how often a piano is used and played, it still wears in a similar manner. Therefore all pianos – no matter how much use they receive – should be serviced and tuned on a regular basis.

The purpose of tuning is not to make your piano sound better. Instead, with regular maintenance, a technician can watch for preventative maintenance and determine the viability and integrity of the instrument. If a piano sounds good and works well, the user will enjoy making music more. And if you do decide to sell it in the future, you will have all the records you will need to prove the condition of your investment.

A new piano should be tuned two to four times per year. All pianos should be tuned at least once per year.

Myth #2: Only someone with a good musical ear can tune a piano

Fact: Makes sense, right? Tuning a piano means bringing it back into pitch and giving it good sound quality. But in reality, there is much more to tuning a piano than “listening” to the sound it makes.

A qualified piano tuner has special training to be able to tune temperament, hear beats and to learn effective hammer technique. It involves just as much maintenance to the pieces of the piano itself as it does listening to the music it makes.

Myth #3: Placement of a piano makes little impact on performance and tuning schedule

Fact: Humidity and dryness affect everything differently, and pianos are no exception. If your piano resides in a high humidity area, keeping windows closed around your piano and keeping the temperature at a fairly constant rate will improve the conditions of the piano. Also, if your piano is placed on an outside wall where it is exposed to humidity moving through the walls, or even cold spells in the winter, all will impact the overall sound quality of your piano.

Pianos have a lot of moving parts that are affected by all kinds of things. Weather, climate, even moving a piano can impact the sound quality and the performance of the internal pieces.

If you want to keep your investment in top shape, and keep your piano in top musical condition, set up a maintenance schedule with your local piano tuner on a regular basis.

Filed Under: Owning a Piano Tagged With: ,
29 September 2013 How To Buy An Upright Piano

How To Buy An Upright Piano

posted by Leave a Comment

A piano. That would be the perfect addition to your home. You’ve wanted your kids to learn to play, and you wouldn’t mind picking up on the piano lessons you had long ago. It could be a wonderful addition to your home. Except for one problem; space. Where would you put it in your small home?

How To Buy An Upright PianoWhen many people think “piano”, they tend to think of the grand pianos they see on television or in concerts. But pianos are so much more – there really is a size and style for just about every situation.

What you need is an upright piano. An upright piano takes very little space and can be placed along a wall or in many tight corners of your home. Yes it is possible. And here are a few tips on how to buy one.

  • Look for the name brand on the piano. You can usually find this on the fallboard (the covering for the piano keys) or under the lid of the piano on a metal plate. If you are unable to find a name brand, the piano may have been a simple started piano. The brand will help you determine the overall lasting quality of the piano, so do your best to determine the brand.
  • Measure the piano. A studio upright is normally between 44 inches and 49 inches. A full-size upright is anything in excess of 49 inches. Taller pianos have longer strings and larger soundboards – all factors in creating a better sound.
  • Determine the age of the piano. The seller will usually have an idea of the age of the piano. If not, you can usually find a serial number on the metal plate to help you figure out the age. Age is important because no matter how good of shape an old piano is in, it is still old. If you can’t verify its restoration process, which a quality dealer will be able to provide to you, you are taking a risk with sound quality.
  • Ask questions about the piano. Find out where the piano was stored, when the last time was that it had a tuning, how often it was used, etc. Ask detailed questions to help you determine if the piano was well maintained – or simply left unforgotten in a garage or basement.
  • Test the keys of the piano to make sure that each one works. Find out if and when the piano had any major repairs performed. Finally, discuss the price and warranty. Even if you are buying used, if you buy from a certified dealer, you may still be eligible for a warranty.
Filed Under: Buying a Piano Tagged With: , ,
24 September 2013 What Does Piano Restoration Really Mean?

What Does Piano Restoration Really Mean?

posted by Leave a Comment

Do you have an old piano sitting in your basement untouched? Would you love to bring it out into the open and enjoy it? Is piano restoration something you could easily do and add a whole new dimension to your entertainment area?

If it is an antique piano, chances are good that it could benefit from a restoration. But how do you know for sure? What does piano restoration really mean, anyway?

What Does Piano Restoration Really Mean?Piano restoration involves two things: the rebuilding of the internal parts as well as cosmetically enhancing the outside. The term “restored” refers to professional internal and external restoration and rebuilding. In some cases a previous owner may have taken on the project themselves, cosmetically enhancing the look. This, however, isn’t restoration. Restoration means focusing in on making the inside and outside look and sound its best.

Piano restoration takes a lot of patience and attention to detail. Which is why you won’t find a lot of companies willing to offer piano restoration – and why a true piano restoration company is worth the extra investment.

Good piano restoration shops work to preserve what is there and is working, and will purchase or custom make parts to accommodate a piano’s needs. No attention to detail is too great or too small. In some cases a restored antique piano may increase its value by tenfold – so it can be worth the investment if you are willing to put in the time and energy.

The restoration process involves documentation of the original condition of the piano. Yes, a piano has a history, and the more that is known about its history, the more valuable it becomes. Measurements used in the restoration of a piano include the down and up weight of the keys as well as the string height. Next comes belly repair and restoration. The belly is very important to the piano’s function. This is wear the music happens. Then, it’s time for the refinishing process and keyboard restoration.

Are you ready to move your piano up from out of the basement, and give it the attention it deserves? It all starts with a quote for restoration. Give us a call today and we can help you put the music back into your life.

Filed Under: Piano Renovation Tagged With:

The Best New Pianos On The Market Today

posted by Leave a Comment

What makes a new piano great? How do you know if you are buying a new piano that will fit perfectly into your home AND make the best sound possible?

All new pianos produced today have one thing in common: they are all unique.

Sure, a piano goes through a process just like the piano before it and the piano after it. Yet no two are exactly alike for a variety of reasons.

  • What kind of wood was selected?
  • Where did the tree come from?
  • Did the tree face drought conditions?
  • Did the tree receive lots of sunlight?

No matter where the wood is gathered from or what conditions it grew in, each tree is unique. Which means when the wood is used to put together the piano, it will impact the quality and sound in a different way.

Then we move on to other questions.

  • How were the keys made?
  • How were the keys placed into the final design?
  • How were the strings attached?
  • What environment was the piano produced in?
  • Where did the piano travel from creation to final destination?

Yes, a lot of questions. But more importantly, a lot of answers.

Each answer has the impact of changing the product in its own unique way.

And finally, what about the brand name?

1. Kohler & Campbell

2. Knabe & Company

3. Seiler

4. Pramberger

5. Samick

6. Chickering

7. Conover Cable

8. Niemeyer

9. Remington

10. Wurlitzer

Yes, they are all world class piano makers. Yet Pramberger develops their pianos in a slightly different manner than Wurlitzer. Samick operates facilities in a different location than Chickering.

Which means each piano from each individual company has its own potential.

Is there a “best” or an “ideal”? Everyone has their own opinions.

Yet if you are in the market for a quality new piano, really the choice is yours.

Which new piano is best for you?

Stop by the best pianos in Memphis and find out for yourself.

Filed Under: Buying a Piano Tagged With: ,
18 September 2013 3 Myths about Learning to Play the Piano

3 Myths about Learning to Play the Piano

posted by Leave a Comment

You have the perfect room in mind in your home for a piano. You’ve always dreamed of owning one.

Yet even though you can’t wait for the piano to make its entrance into your home, even more importantly is the thought of actually playing it. Sure, you took a few lessons as a kid. But those quit once you jumped into other extracurricular activities and the homework pile started to grow.

3 Myths about Learning to Play the PianoNow that your dream piano is making its entrance into your home, maybe now is also the perfect time to start up the lessons again so you can learn to play the piano. Yet can you do it as an adult?

Learning how to play the piano can be a challenge for some people. Whether you are a beginner or someone who hasn’t played piano in years, learning can be frustrating.

Sure you hear a lot of reasons why people can’t pick up the piano – the myths are hard to ignore. But do they hold any validity? Are they true?

Here are some of the top myths about learning to play the piano:

Myth #1: You have to learn how to read music first.

Truth: Some people think that they have to learn how to read sheet music before they can even begin playing the piano. The truth is that the best musicians learn without learning the actual keys or notes first. They learn by improvisation and listening. Learn the basic chords. When you know just a few chords and grab on to the rhythm by ear, you can learn to play simple music without ever having to read it.

Myth #2: You play piano with your fingers.

Truth: You actually use the weight of your arms to play the piano. Believe it or not, you can relax and let gravity do all of the work for you. When you use the weight of your arms, you are able to control the loudness and softness of the keys with ease and precision. While your fingers do a lot of the work, they can only strike one note at a time. The key is to play with your upper body, and you will be able to play groups of notes.

Myth #3: Practicing means learning a piece from beginning to end.

Truth: While this is certainly practicing, you are not really doing it in an efficient way. While practicing is all about repetition, playing is about flow. You can express yourself through the music, but this comes after practicing. So you don’t have to learn a song from beginning to end and play it perfectly. By practicing slowly and a little bit at a time, you can graduate to playing in no time.

Filed Under: Piano Lessons Tagged With: ,
13 September 2013 How To Improve Your Piano Playing Skills

How To Improve Your Piano Playing Skills

posted by Leave a Comment

Adults are now the highest group of participants learning how to play the piano. If you’ve always had the desire to make beautiful music, but are frustrated with your current piano playing skills, there is hope. Just like any challenge you’ve faced over your life, piano takes time.

How To Improve Your Piano Playing SkillsPeople typically approach piano playing in one of three ways. They either try and play by ear, use books, DVDs or software for self-help instruction, or rely on using a professional piano teacher to move forward. No matter which method you prefer, take a look at these tips to see if you are doing all you can to improve your piano playing skills.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Remember when your mom made you take swimming lessons and you had to hit the pool week after week at the same time? There is a reason for that. We learn better through repetition. By doing something at the same time, it gives us a sense of commitment. Take out your planner and schedule practice time every week. Then stick with it as much as possible.

Plan and Track Your Practice

As you progress with your training, this will come naturally. But at first, use a journal to plan out exactly what you hope to accomplish each session. It may be to practice scales or to learn and incorporate a new note into a song. By seeing your progression on paper, it will help you stick with your practice.

Improve Your Musical Reading Skills

No matter which way you prefer to learn, in order to progress to more difficult music, you will eventually have to learn music. Spend time on the physical aspects of playing the piano, but don’t forget about the notation side of things. Understand notes, tempo, key, time signatures, clefs, etc. All of it will help you develop a greater appreciation of the art of piano playing.

Improve Your Finger Placement and Speed

A runner doesn’t jump out of bed and take off on a 10 mile run. He stretches, flexes, and makes sure he’s warmed up before he begins. A great piano player approaches his craft in much the same way. Do some finger stretching exercises. Focus in on finger placement and make sure the right fingers connect with the correct keys. Add some scales to your warm up routines. By focusing in on this at the beginning, you’ll be a much better player when you advance into more difficult music.

Memorize The Basics

Once you memorize your addition, subtraction, and multiplication tables as a child, they come naturally. The same applies to musical scales and chords. The more you practice them, the more you learn them, the more natural they become. Each of these will help you as you dig into more complex music choices down the road.

Improve Your Musical Ear

To get a better understanding and appreciation of how a piano adds to overall music composition, do things to listen and learn. Attend your local symphony. Listen to music from some of our greatest piano players. Key in to each individual instrument and how it applies to the overall sound.

Filed Under: Piano Lessons, Piano Music Tagged With: ,
11 September 2013 Planning On Med School? Play The Piano

Planning On Med School? Play The Piano

posted by Leave a Comment

When you have a baby, you start the planning process almost from birth. Did they roll over in a timely manner? Are the talking at an age appropriate level? Are their motor skills developing according to age?

Planning On Med School? Play The PianoWhile its easy to focus in on the little details, behind the scenes you are probably focusing on the big picture as well. What preschool will give him the biggest benefits? What high school will help him get into the best college?

Today’s world focuses in on academics – make sure they get plenty of math and science. Yet there is one underlying “secret” that people have known about for centuries and that still to this day gets very little attention in the school systems. That is:

A musically inclined child will do better in all aspects of education.

When middle school and high school students participated in musical activities, they scored significantly higher than their non-musical friends on the standardized tests.

Starting piano lessons at an early age can help understand difficult concepts in math. Remember fractions? Some children naturally understand them better than others, and its no secret why. When a small child sits through piano lessons, they are exposed to the relationships between eighth, quarter, half and whole notes. And when they see the same concepts in math class in the second or third grade, they will naturally understand them than their non-musical friends.

Repeated surveys have been done on college majors and their likelihood on getting into medical school. Studies show that as many as 66 percent of the music majors who applied to medical school were admitted … the highest of any group that applied.

Want to help your child with retention? Give them piano lessons. Piano lessons take focus, repetition, and determination. When kids sit through piano lessons week after week, month after month dedicating time to learning a new song, they increase the part of the brain used for pattern recognition and also improves self esteem along the way.

Have you ever learned something through patterns and repetition? You would do better with piano lessons in your background. Piano lessons develop rhythm skills, which equate to a wide variety of learning patterns throughout a child’s school career.

Want to improve your child’s SAT scores? Keep the music flowing through high school. Surveys show that musically inclined teenagers will score as much as 57 points higher on the verbal portion of the test and as much as 40 points higher on the math portion, according to The College Board.

Filed Under: Owning a Piano, Piano Lessons Tagged With: ,
6 September 2013 Celebrating National Piano Month

Celebrating National Piano Month

posted by Leave a Comment

September is here and with it comes a celebration of pianos! That’s right – Celebrating National Piano MonthSeptember is National Piano month. It is a time to reflect upon all things that are good about pianos and what their beautiful music has brought to our lives. Here are some interesting facts about music to help you celebrate National Piano month.

  • Music has been proven to help students that struggle in academics. Studies have shown that children exposed to musical programs demonstrated improved test scores after only a few months of regular exposure.
  • Studies have also shown that children involved in instrumental music programs consistently scored higher on standardized tests than their non-musical classmates.
  • Students that create their own music also score higher on standardized testing than non-musical peers.
  • College graduates with a major in music are more likely to be accepted into medical school.
  • Music programs, especially instrumental programs, can help a child score well in math. Learning to read music and play an instrument requires the use of various forms of complex skills, such as ratios and fractions – all learned skills that can be applied in math classes.
  • Helping a young child to learn about rhythm can help her be more successful in learning other skills during early childhood education.
  • The SAT scores of students taking musical courses are, on average, higher in the areas of math and verbal skills.
  • Musical students, especially college students, are healthier on an emotional level than non-musical students. They experience less anxiety and stress and have more confidence in themselves in test-taking scenarios.
  • The value of music throughout education is demonstrated around the world. The most academic countries – Japan, the Netherlands, and Hungary – all consider musical education to be imperative to a child’s overall education.

It is clear that music is an important part of any child’s life, whether in elementary school or college. Music broadens the mind and the horizons, giving children the solid footing they need to reach higher than ever!

Filed Under: Owning a Piano Tagged With:
« Previous Page
Next Page »