Piano Articles

If you’re aiming to learn to play piano here are a few things to consider. Learn with a professional piano teacher or take online lessons? Each choice has its advantages and disadvantages.

1. Learning with a teacher

If you choose to have taught lessons by a trained piano teacher as a beginner you will have the advantages of learning correct hand positions, regular progress reports, maintaining good practice habits, setting attainable goals, and working to your learning strengths. A piano teacher is able to point out easily missed mistakes and provide alternative interpretations of the music, and also suggest useful extended learning materials. You can discuss your areas of concern with your teacher. The cost of private piano tuition bears its fruit in the tutor’s accessibility, sharing his/her expertise, ability to model new and difficult passages, and acting as a good ‘sounding board’.

2. Using modern technology

You may prefer online learning using CDs, DVDs, youtube, or other e-learning resource. Recorded music allows you to progress at your own speed, without feeling pressurised by expected targets set by a teacher. By listening to recorded music you’ll be able to copy and adapt the style of playing to a point. You’ll also be able to correct and replay the section you are currently learning. While these are all methods that may fit in well with your programme, you may enhance your own progress, musicality and confidence by performing with a friend. Most importantly, choose the right method and online learning resource to suit your specific learning needs.

3. How to practice a new piece

Remember: ‘Practice makes perfect’. Initially play though a new piece. You may then need to break down the music into sections, practice the new material in small segments, slowly at first, gradually increasing tempo. If you find playing both hands at the same time too complicated, practice playing one hand first [melody], then the other hand [harmony/chords]. Finally, bring the whole piece together by playing both hands. This sectional learning style should increase your confidence, attainment, and sense of satisfaction in your achievement.
Whatever your learning method, regular practice is most beneficial, 20-30 minutes daily as a guide.

4. Boost your confidence

If you work well to set targets and expectations then your favoured learning style may be with a teacher. Either method will produce encouraging results as long as you are focused and faithful to adapt a regular routine of practice aimed at improving your piano playing skills. Don’t be frightened at the prospect of performing your pieces to a trusted audience, perhaps your friends or family. They will most likely be the best audience to give you positive feedback and a much needed confidence boost!

 

Author – Jackie Samuals

Please note: This article is copyright and protected. You may publish this article on your website providing you leave the article “as is” and retain the author’s biography box. All contents Copyright © 2008-2018. All rights reserved. Graham Howard, author of The Digital Piano Bible (a buyer’s guide) and The Howard Score (piano rating system).

 

Sometimes parents of piano students don’t want their children to play anything except classical music. And sometimes parents only want their children to play popular pieces, because they think classical music stinks and their kids won’t like it. Both of these attitudes create artificial limitations for students that hinder their ability to grow and develop musically.

Piano students need to learn a wide variety of playing styles to know all they can about music. If all they play are popular pieces, they won’t develop the technique necessary to play classical and many other styles of music. If all they play are classical pieces, they won’t learn to read and play rhythms found in Jazz and Modern Music.

Each different style of music gives students an opportunity to stretch and grow in different musical ways. There is so much music out there to enjoy! Personally, I would find it rather boring to limit my playing to, only gospel, or only classics, or only rock music, or only country music. Why would I want to do that? Why would parents expect their children to do that?

Let your child and their piano teacher decide what repertoire to learn. The parent’s job is to make sure students have an adequate instrument to play on, arrive at their lessons on time with their music, come to their child’s piano recitals, and provide financial support for the cost of lessons. In my experience as a piano teacher, parents who try to control their children’s piano lessons the most, also aren’t doing their job. That’s because they’re confused about their role as the parent. Think about it.

If you are the parent of a piano student, what is your role? What’s the teacher’s role? What’s the student’s role? It doesn’t make sense when parents ignore their role, and then compensate by trying to be the teacher and the student! So give your older child in piano lessons some room to grow by getting out of the way.

If you’re the parent of a young piano student, however, they will need your involvement in their early lessons to get the basics down. Just like helping your young child learn to read, parents can teach their children the foundational “music Language” skills for learning to play the piano or keyboard. But remember, even young children need a little space to learn and grow as individuals. So do your part when their young, and then let go!

For great home piano activities parents can use to help children ages 5 to 11 develop their musical talent, visit Piano Adventure Bears Music Education Resources You’ll find a treasure box filled with piano resources to create an exciting musical adventure for your child – right in your own home! Visit their website and subscribe to their free internet newsletter so you can download free piano sheet music and mp3s of original piano compositions.

The best value for money online course I have seen so far is the Rocket Piano. Read more about it here

These exciting stories, games, piano lessons, and inspirational gifts feature the Piano Adventure Bears, Mrs. Treble Beary and her new piano student, Albeart Littlebud. Young students follow along with Albeart to learn what piano lessons are all about in a fun way that kids readily understand appreciate. Click here to visit PianoAdventureBears.com for a wealth of information about piano lessons, visit tallypiano.com.

 

Author’s Biog Box

Article by Cynthia Vanlandingham.
Get free piano lessons for beginners here: www.ukpianos.co.uk/free-online-piano-lessons

 

Please note: This article is copyright and protected. You may publish this article on your website providing you leave the article “as is” and retain the author’s biography box. All contents Copyright © 2008-2018. All rights reserved. Graham Howard, author of The Digital Piano Bible (a buyer’s guide) and The Howard Score (piano rating system).

 

Bohemia pianos are fast becoming one of the most desirable pianos to own. The Bohemia piano’s price point is somewhere in between your typical Chinese piano and the very popular Yamaha pianos. If you get the chance to play a Bohemia and compare it with other brands, you will realise that the sound is really something quite special. The key touch is neither too light or too heavy and the range of different piano sizes, finishes, and styles that Bohemia offer is quite astounding.

 

Graham Howard – Author and Piano Advisor.
Email for piano advice: grahamhoward@ukpianos.co.uk
or Call 01327 300 016

 

Bohemia News

Bohemia has sold the remaining 51% shares of Bohemia Piano s.r.o. to the major shareholder C. Bechstein CZ s.r.o. The respective contract was officially undersigned on April 3, 2007.

The Bohemia Piano s.r.o. is renamed to C. Bechstein Europe s.r.o. with headquarters in Jihlava, Czech Republic. Both production facilities in Jihlava for the Upright Pianos and in Hradec Krailova for the Grand Pianos will continue to produce the full line of Bohemia Pianos as previous.

The company C. Bechstein Europe s.r.o. will honor the current relationships with the Bohemia suppliers and customers in the Czech Republic as well as other countries abroad.

Stanislav Kremenaik and Marcela Schramlova will continue to work in their positions as the Directors for Production and Sales with full responsibility for the Bohemia Piano line and are members of the new board of management together with Mr. Leonard Duricic, Mr. Karl-Heinz Geishecker and Mr. Gunther Streubel.

The cooperation between the C. Bechstein and Bohemia technicians and the expansion of the production in Hradec Krailova will strengthen the presence of the Bohemia brand worldwide in the future.

No changes have occurred regarding Bohemia contact information, such as telephone, fax, mobile phone numbers, e-mail addresses and web sites.

We are looking forward to serving you in the future.

Bohemia Piano, Jihlava, 17th April 2007

 

Types of pianos that Bohemia sell:

Upright pianos
Grand pianos

 

Bohemia Piano History

The production of Bohemia pianos began as early as 1871 in the town of Jihlava when Josef Bělohlávek, a skilled piano maker, opened his small workshop and gave work to several local craftsmen who were to become the first of many generations of piano builders.

Country or origin: Czech Republic.

In 1924, a local entrepreneur named Josef Breitner started producing pianos in a former textile factory. Later on, he expanded the production in collaboration with the Viennese piano manufacturers Hoffman & Czerny, employing some 50 workers. Three years later Breitner established a joint venture, obtained necessary licenses and started producing instruments under the name of “Hofmann & Czerny”.

Factory modernisation and piano selection expansion continued until 1944. In 1945, with its manager and chief clerk escaping to Austria, the factory was placed under so-called state management and a couple of years afterwards finally nationalised and incorporated into the newly established company “Piano and Organ Factories”, with its headquarters situated in Hradec Krailova. Unfortunately, after more than 40 years of this centralisation, all specific construction and sound characteristics of pianos made by different producers were inevitably lost. The Velvet Revolution in 1989 opened new opportunities for private enterprise, allowing the company to escape the giant and find again some of its former individuality. Bohemia Piano, spol. s.r.o. (limited company) was founded in 1993 after purchasing a manufacturing plant in Jihlava from the Czech state. After 45 years, piano-making in Jihlava was in private hands again. The new owners even managed to revive the original specific attributes of individual products.

 

The Bohemia name

The name “Bohemia” is derived from the original term used by the Romans for the territory which many centuries later became the Czech Republic. The town of Jihlava is a colourful place, founded in 13th century close to rich silver mines, and belongs to the oldest mining towns in our country. It is located in a romantic countryside dominated by the hills of Ceskomoravskai vrchovina, on the border of Bohemia and Moravia, not far away from the Austrian border. Jihlava can be rightly proud of its beautifully preserved architectonic monuments, such as its fair-designed square dating back to 1270, to the times of the king Premysl Otakar II, surrounded by old stone houses with arcades. The romanticism of this place seems to be more than suitable for piano makers building instruments destined to express the beauty of musical harmony.

The shortage of legally available trademarks resulted in the introduction of several brands allowing the company to meet specific requirements of different world markets. The following brands are currently manufactured by the Bohemia Piano Company: Bohemia, Schlogl, Rieger-Kloss, and Hofmann & Czerny.

 

The Bohemia Factories

The Bohemia grand piano and digital piano factory in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic .

The Bohemia Piano Company is following up the pre-war tradition and thanks to the outstanding Czech engineer Miroslav Tauchman – succeeding in developing completely new construction models of Bohemia upright pianos in an extremely short time. With some 3,000 instruments produced annually, Bohemia Piano is amongst the largest European piano manufacturers. The number of piano models offered has increased from 5 to 12 since 1993. All Bohemia pianos are produced either in gloss or matt finish using polyester or polyurethane respectively.

The lack of space in the original factory in Jihlava has been solved by moving a part of Bohemia’s production to its new premises. The production of Bohemia concert grand pianos is based on perfect collaboration between the designer and highly skilled piano builders. Their perfect workmanship and the best components used result in unique quality of our instruments sought after by professional pianists, music schools and concert halls alike.

 

Bohemia Piano Models

During the recent years, the Bohemia Piano Company gradually introduced 4 different models of grand pianos, starting at 158 cm in the case of the smallest instrument and including versions 185, 210 and 272 cm long respectively, with the last one intended for professionals performing in concert halls. The quality of Bohemia pianos is monitored on an ongoing basis and individual products are innovated in accordance with specific requirements of Bohemia piano’s customers and new materials or procedures introduced to this otherwise predominantly conventional handicraft.

 

Worldwide Distribution

Instruments manufactured by the company are exported to the whole world, satisfying customers everywhere. Exports represent some 97% of the overall production. Because of different geographical zones, it is necessary to pay extra attention to the protection of pianos from excessive humidity, i.e. to so-called tropicalisation. Thanks to high-quality materials used in the production process, the Bohemia pianos can also resist very dry conditions specific for some areas of Canada or the USA.

 

Bohemia Digital Pianos

In 1998, Bohemia Piano introduced digital pianos, suitable for modern music-making. Our production programme includes even special products, such as for example sound muting devices allowing the player to hear his performance only in headphones, thus not disturbing neighbours, or classical grand or upright piano mechanics electrically amplified (ES-88, FUTURA).

 

Bohemia’s Future plans

The Bohemia Piano Company has plans for the future and shall certainly keep informed both its customers and the public. Its young team of employees (35 years of age in average) is indeed very well suited for the challenging goals. In addition, Bohemia Piano organises and supports training of another generation of piano makers which is to follow the tradition successfully started in 1871.

 

Please note: This article is copyright and protected. You may publish this article on your website providing you leave the article “as is” and retain the author’s biography box. All contents Copyright © 2008-2018. All rights reserved. Graham Howard, author of The Digital Piano Bible (a buyer’s guide) and The Howard Score (piano rating system).

 

Parents want their children to have the best educational resources available. When it comes to piano lessons, however, many parents who don’t play aren’t aware of resources available for home use.

Parent’s who do play the piano, however, are more likely to purchase piano materials for home use in addition to their child’s piano lesson assignments. This gives young kids an additional learning boost at home.

 

Graham Howard – Author and Piano Advisor.
Email for piano advice: grahamhoward@ukpianos.co.uk
or Call 01327 300 016

 

If you don’t play the piano, or if you are a home-school parent, and want to give your children a musical foundation at home, don’t be deterred. Below are 3 Keys for helping your children get a good musical foundation at home that are as easy to use as following a recipe.

1. Look for resources that teach the basic ingredients of piano theory. Ignore unrealistic promises that avoid teaching children the basics they need for a solid musical foundation with “solutions” such as playing by colors or numbering the piano keys with stickers.

Young children need to know their colors and their numbers to learn to play the piano, but not for this reason. Don’t underestimate your child’s intelligence. Avoid resources for home use with fantastical promises that substitute knowledge your children already have instead of teaching valuable, new skills.

2. Look for resources you can use at home as a prequel to enrolling your children in piano lessons or in conjunction with this. Giving your child a musical foundation at home is no different than teaching your children to read at home.

Your children will need pre-skills and then foundational knowledge that builds on these skills. You taught your child the alphabet and their numbers and started teaching them how to read, and then you sent them off to school to learn even more.

You can do the same thing in piano because music theory language is easy to see and hear on the piano keyboard. Since children absorb language so quickly, giving your child a musical foundation at home when they are young will support other learning processes and improve their overall educational progress.

3. Make your values clear to your children by purchasing a keyboard or piano for your home. Musical values are learned just like other good values you share with your children.

Having a piano in your home when your children are young sends a powerful message that has a powerful affect. Children with this advantage grow feeling that “piano is part of our home.”

Add these simple ingredients to your child’s piano experience and you’ll have a recipe for improving your child’s musical success.

The best value for money online course I have seen so far is the Rocket Piano by Ashley Southam. Read more about it here

For a wealth of information about piano lessons, visit tallypiano.com.

 

Author’s Biog Box

Article by Cynthia Vanlandingham.
Get free piano lessons for beginners here: www.ukpianos.co.uk/free-online-piano-lessons

 

Please note: This article is copyright and protected. You may publish this article on your website providing you leave the article “as is” and retain the author’s biography box. All contents Copyright © 2008-2018. All rights reserved. Graham Howard, author of The Digital Piano Bible (a buyer’s guide) and The Howard Score (piano rating system).

 

 

This article tells you how to look after your piano’s keyboard, how to clean the keys and keep them looking new, and what not to do.

I am sure that many of you would be passionate about music and might be having some of the music instrument to enjoy this pleasant joy given to us. There are different sorts of musical instruments that people usually own such as guitar, trumpet, drum, woodwinds, strings or piano. Out of these, pianos is the one that is not easy to play and also to maintain in comparison to the others.

So if you have a badly stained piano and you want to care for it then it does not require any professional cleaner or polisher but all you need is a regular soft buff with a lint free cloth. Any sprays or harsh chemicals will damage the surface of the delicate keys and will also make the instrument look older and worn.

 

Graham Howard – Author and Piano Advisor.
Email for piano advice: grahamhoward@ukpianos.co.uk
or Call 01327 300 016

 

For cleaning the ivory keys you should not:

1. Immerse in water

2. Scrub with a brush or even a scouring pad

3. Use any type of chemicals. Even washing up liquid can damage the previous

5. Use air-freshener anywhere near the keys or piano

Ivory should be gently wiped with a soft clean cloth and for stubborn marks or fingerprints you should first wash your hands and thereafter you can use a mild toothpaste without colour on a damp cloth but ensure that you gently rub and never scrub. Rinse with fresh milk with another lint free cloth and buff well.

You should leave the piano open on sunny days so that the keys stay bleached and don’t turn yellow. Keys that are badly discoloured or stained should be scraped and recovered by a professional piano cleaner.

Do you want to use this article on your website? ukpianos.co.uk gives you permission to copy this article and use it, providing you include this author’s biog box.

For cleaning plastic keys you should not:

1. Use chemicals

2. Leave the piano open for long period of time as this shall cause discoloration of the keys

3. Use furniture polish as this could be very harsh

Dust regularly and wipe occasionally with a soft solution of warm water and vinegar on clean chamois leather. Then buff well for added shine. If you want to clean the casework that usually gets very dusty you can use a vacuum cleaner attachment to get rid of any cobwebs or dust. It can take sometime but it will surely be worth and remember not to use any water or liquid to clean the casework. For stains and marks you can consult a professional piano cleaner or tuner.

 

Author’s Biog Box

Olivia Andrews, writer of music-future.com is a freelance journalist and has written reviews on many subjects.

 

Please note: This article is copyright and protected. You may publish this article on your website providing you leave the article “as is” and retain the author’s biography box. All contents Copyright © 2008-2018. All rights reserved. Graham Howard, author of The Digital Piano Bible (a buyer’s guide) and The Howard Score (piano rating system).

 

Editor’s comments/ This article runs through all the different ways of learning the piano. If you are serious about learning to play, this article is a ‘must read’.

Back before the internet dominated the way in which we find products and services we relied on more conventional means such as; the yellow pages, print advertising and word of mouth. While these are still effective ways to find information, the internet is certainly as effective and in many ways far more efficient.

The major difference between them is; the internet can display hundreds of thousands of search results for a single search. And, although a search engine like Google can give you many relevant results, it makes it hard sometimes to filter through it all and find what you’re looking for.
The choices are often overwhelming.

For example, a Google search for piano lessons reveals a million and a half results. How would you even begin to sift through it all and find yourself a piano course that’s right for you? Try it yourself. Do a search and visit some of these websites, you’ll find thousands of online piano lessons and thousands of different piano methods.

Most of these sites do very well at pitching you why they’re the best method for you. Most focus on the beginning piano player. Why? Because, it’s an audience that know the least and it’s easy to appeal to their emotions. Bold selling statements like, “learn to play by ear” and “impress your friends by playing all your favorite music after only 1 hour” and “the secret piano method that makes the pros jealous!”

I admire these people for their ability to pitch. In fact the internet has made it possible for anyone with an idea and a few copy writing courses to sell just about anything. And, it works. But, what is the aftermath of learning one of these so-called shortcut piano methods. Do they really teach you how to play in and hour? Can you really learn to play by ear overnight? Well, not really.

Certainly, it’s possible to learn how to play by ear and to learn how to play all your favorite songs but for most beginning piano players these are just completely outrageous claims.

What should you look for instead, in order to avoid getting sucked into these “learn to play fast” schemes? First of all, if you’re even considering learning how to play from an online course I would recommend that you do a little research on who is actually giving the course.
Are they professional musicians or just someone with a little knowledge? Do they have backgrounds in music? Do they have recordings that you can listen to? Or, are they offering only shortcuts to amazing playing?

Once you’ve done your research on the teacher then look for anyone else who has taken their courses. What are they saying? Do they give any testimonials as to the effectiveness of the courses? Do other students give any proof of their new piano playing abilities?

What I’m trying to point out is; if you dig deep enough you’ll avoid spending your hard earned money on bogus schemes that simply do not work. Learning to play the piano is a lengthy process and should not be taken lightly. It can be fun, but it still takes practice. Anyone who thinks otherwise simply does not understand or does not have enough experience to know any better.

So, let’s say you do find yourself a true professional; someone with a lot of experience, a great track record and plenty of proof to backup it up.
What’s the number one reason why you should learn online from this person rather than find a local teacher?

For starters, your online teacher will likely have way more experience and credibility that your local teacher. But, the main reason to learn online is price. A local teacher of any credible stature will be charging at least £40 an hour. An hour online video lesson will run you an average of about £15.

There are other benefits such as; you can learn at your own pace, there are no travel expenses, it’s anonymous, it’s stress free and your lesson is always available for review at any time. But, for most people it’s a question of economics. It’s way cheaper to study online than in person.

So, the next time you do a search for “piano lessons” on Google, please use the above information above to help you choose the right piano lesson for you.

The best value for money online course I have seen so far is the Rocket Piano. Read more about it here

 

About the Author

If you are looking for highly motivating and entertaining online piano lessons, Paul Tobey is a certified piano lesson trainer and multi-award winning concert pianist whose piano music is known throughout the world.

 

Please note: This article is copyright and protected. You may publish this article on your website providing you leave the article “as is” and retain the author’s biography box. All contents Copyright © 2008-2018. All rights reserved. Graham Howard, author of The Digital Piano Bible (a buyer’s guide) and The Howard Score (piano rating system).

 

The 10-24-7 Rule

A new mathmatical way of learning to play the piano – without the stress!

As a professional concert pianist I often have people ask me, “I’m in my 50’s is it too late to learn piano?” Well, there is no simple answer to this question since everyone’s capacity to learn and everyone’s passion to learn is different.

But, based on my experience it is never too late. However, it is absolutely imperative that you Start Learning Now! Why? Because, a very wise man once told me, if you’re not learning you’re dying. You see, life is all about learning. It’s what gives us reason to live. Can you think of anything better about life than the new experiences, relationships and wisdom that comes from learning? So, if you have any passion at all for learning to play piano music then I highly recommend that you start right away.

The most important question you should be asking yourself is; “How can I learn faster and retain more information?”

Do you know what most people don’t understand about the learning process? It’s not how much information can you cram into your head at one time but, how much information you can actually retain that causes you to learn faster and more efficiently. What happens is; people inevitably try to tackle all at once the incredible amount of work that it takes to play the piano. Not only is that impossible to do, but it’s not much fun either. And, that’s why most people give up after only trying for a short period of time.

Let’s talk about the way most people were taught to learn. Think back for a moment to when you were in school. Do you remember cramming for an exam? Most people certainly remember the anxiety associated with it. You cram as much information as you can into your head in a very short period of time, hoping to get a good grade on your exam. So, what would happen 2 weeks after taking the exam if you had to take it again? How much would you remember? Not much at all I’m sure! That’s why learning this way is so painful because you’re never able to show consistent long term retention.

Now, imagine for a moment that you applied this technique of learning to the piano. You cram for 2 weeks as much information as you can get into your brain about a piece of piano music. Then, you stop practicing for 2 weeks. Then, you go back and try to play what you learned. How much do you think you could get right? Based on my experience, “Almost Nothing!”

In my line of work I am responsible for not only remembering a minimum of 1.5 hours of piano music for every concert I perform but, I have to perform it flawlessly. Is this possible? Yes it is! But, not by learning the way most people learn. You see, there is a formula that works best for learning to play piano music and it’s the same formula that works for learning anything worthwhile. And, here it is….

 

10-24-7

What does this mean? Well, 10 stands for the amount of energy you put into learning what it is you’re learning. How many things can you learn at once? One! So get rid of that big pile of music sitting on the piano because that just represents stress! You can’t possibly learn all that anyway. So, just learn one thing at a time and do it at a level 10 which is; giving 100% of your energy until you can play it without thinking.

Then, do the same thing again in 24 hours. At a level 10 (100% of your energy), learn the same single thing you just learned the day before. Then, in 7 days do it again and I promise you that your retention rate for that one thing you learned will go up by 85%. Is this possible? Yes! That’s how I’m able to perform as many concerts as I do and never take a sheet of music with me on stage. I learn one thing at a time. But, once I learn it, I don’t forget it…ever!

There’s a term we use for this type of learning and it’s called “accelerated learning techniques” or “advanced learning techniques.” It’s what I teach in my seminars because it’s what works best for me and for the hundreds of people I’ve taught it to. So, if you want to learn piano music, even if it’s for the first time, follow my example. Use the 10-24-7 approach, you won’t regret it.

The best value for money online course I have seen so far is the Rocket Piano by Ashley Southam. Read more about it here

 

About The Author

If piano music is your passion, check out Paul Tobey’s website at paultobey.com. There you will find free downloadable piano music for you enjoyment. Get free piano lessons for beginners here: www.ukpianos.co.uk/free-online-piano-lessons

 

Please note: This article is copyright and protected. You may publish this article on your website providing you leave the article “as is” and retain the author’s biography box. All contents Copyright © 2008-2018. All rights reserved. Graham Howard, author of The Digital Piano Bible (a buyer’s guide) and The Howard Score (piano rating system).

 

New or used second hand pianos – many people rent their first piano, or start practicing on an electric piano.  For others they choose to learn on their own piano. If this is the case then, you need to decide whether to buy a new or second hand piano.  Price is usually the main driving force behind someone buying a second hand piano.

 

Graham Howard – Author and Piano Advisor.
Email for piano advice: grahamhoward@ukpianos.co.uk
or Call 01327 300 016

 

New pianos are expensive and can be a big investment for a player who is only learning and is unsure about how committed they will be to playing. As with anything the cost of a piano drops the second it leaves the showroom. For this reason you can get a good quality piano for a reasonable price if you shop around.  Pianos are long living instruments. For this reason, even pianos that are years old can be quality instruments. However the older and more second hand a piano is, the more likely it is to have potential problems.

In general you should always get a registered piano technician to look over any piano you are seriously planning to buy. Pianos are expensive so you shouldn’t take a chance on buying a lemon.  An old or new your piano should be tuned once it gets to your house. You should let it ‘settle’ for a week and then make an appointment with a piano technician to come to your house and tune it up for you.

You may be surprised that even new pianos need to be tuned. Moving often bumps your instrument around so generally your piano will need to be tuned after a move. The choice between a new or second hand piano is a difficult on to make. I think is generally best to buy the best piano you can reasonably afford. Learning an instrument is hard so you want to have the best piece of equipment you can buy.

Editor’s comment/ If you are thinking of buying a digital piano or an upright piano, then you can buy from us (UK Pianos). You can be sure of getting the best deals on the internet.

 

Article by George Downey

 

Please note: This article is copyright and protected. You may publish this article on your website providing you leave the article “as is” and retain the author’s biography box. All contents Copyright © 2008-2018. All rights reserved. Graham Howard, author of The Digital Piano Bible (a buyer’s guide) and The Howard Score (piano rating system).

 

Being able to play music with other people is one of the most
rewarding and fun parts of playing music.  It is also quite
difficult, because if you are playing with others playing in time
becomes very important.

This is particularly important in group situations.  Having all
instruments in time in a group situation is vital to creating a
quality sound.  If you find it hard to play along in a band to
begin with, don’t worry, it is quite natural, as playing in time
can be quite difficult.  I myself have had quite a lot of trouble
learning how to play with other musicians, this was because for
years I just played solo piano.  When it came time to play with
others I didn’t know where to begin.

It is important to learn techniques and skills that come with
playing along with a band.  A good way to prepare you for playing
with other is to learn how to play along with a metronome.
Learning how to play with a band and a metronome requires you to
play in time so any practice that develops this aspect of your
playing is valuable.

Depending on what kind of band you are playing with, you might have
to read chord charts.  What usually happens is that you get the
chords in the song written out for you in a chord chart.  A lot of
the time the chord chart will show you what chords to play and when
to play them.  In songs that are quite simple the chords might
change every bar or every two bars.  This means you have to be able
to count in time to know when to change to the next chord.

You can run into trouble if you’re counting incorrectly which can
cause you to change chords either too early or too late.  If you do
this while the rest of the band are changing chords in time, your
music will sound bad.

Because the piano is an instrument which can be used to play
melody, harmony and the rhythm of a song it can be played solo.
When playing solo piano it’s very easy to lose track of the timing
and the beat of the song.  So it is also important to learn how to
play in time when you playing solo.  It’s very easy to go out of
time when you are playing by yourself because it isn’t as
noticeable when you are playing alone so you have to be hard on
yourself and practice playing piano with a metronome.  This isn’t
always a very fun part of playing, but it is important if you want
to sound good.

If you want to start a band, the best thing for you too do is go
out and find people who play the kind of music you like listening
to and playing.  Get some songs that you all like and have a listen
to them and then try and play the song.  It’s probably a good idea
to start off with quite a simple song.  It’s important that you
concentrate on the timing of the songs so you get used to playing
strictly in time.  If you can find the chord charts to the songs
you like you can start from there.  Have a listen to the song and
try and follow the chord changes on the charts.

Though it depends on what kind of band you’re looking at playing
in, you will generally find that most bands have at least a drummer
and a bass player (this is called the rhythm section).  From there
you can have as few or as many other instruments you like, but
getting a bass player and a drummer is a good place to start.  Or
you could you might be able to talk your friends into learning, to
play.  Some of the greatest bands were started that way.

When it comes to playing with other people there are several
important things to consider. The first is playing in time; this is
something that can’t be emphasized enough.  No matter where you
want to go with your playing being able to play in time is a
critical skill. Also you should try and find musicians to play
with.  Anyone with a passion for music and a desire to practice
will be perfect. Just keep playing and trying to develop your
skills as a complete musician.

 

Article by George Downey

 

Please note: This article is copyright and protected. You may publish this article on your website providing you leave the article “as is” and retain the author’s biography box. All contents Copyright © 2008-2018. All rights reserved. Graham Howard, author of The Digital Piano Bible (a buyer’s guide) and The Howard Score (piano rating system).

 

Editor’s comments/ Learning how to play with rhythm is so important. Pick up a few tips in the following article.

Learning about rhythm for piano is very important.  The piano is a
rhythmical instrument.  When you push the keys down you do so in a
percussive manner. The nice thing about the piano is that you can
vary the volume and length of the sound. This can add more spice
and variety to the music you play.

When I was first learning the piano I didn’t concentrate enough on
the rhythmical aspect of the piano.  Instead what I was more
interested in was playing the nice sounding melodies and chords.
So I didn’t usually concentrate on the timing of the piece.  I
didn’t concentrate on playing at the right speed and getting the
rhythm of the notes right.

Unfortunately this is not a good idea for learning the piano.  What
happened was I was neglecting the rhythmical aspect of the piano
and later on in my learning I came into difficulty with my rhythm
and ability to play in time.  I had to work twice as hard to get my
rhythm and timing at the level of the rest of my playing.

The best way to practice rhythm is too listen to your favorite song
and try to count along to the rhythm.  Most songs have a count of 4
beats to each bar.  You might have heard people counting to 4
before the song.  This is counting in the song at the right tempo
so the band knows how fast to play.  So if you can count along to
the beat of your favorite song ‘one, two, three, four’. You should
try and do this to the beat of the song.

Sometimes a piano song will be very rhythmically orientated.  This
means that the song is played with a lot of importance placed on
the timing and the rhythmical patterns.  An example of this kind of
playing would be a song like “Great balls of fire” by Jerry Lee
Lewis.  If you’ve heard the song before you’ll hear the percussive
nature of Jerry Lewis’ playing style.  The song itself is heavily
rhythm based.  The beat is quite driving and it has a definite
‘pulse’ to it.  He is playing heavily on the beat, and the chords
in a repeated rhythmical pattern.

When playing with a band, rhythm and timing are very important.
When playing solo the rhythm of a song can vary.  This is because
the rhythm and timing is performed is more open to interpretation
by the pianist.  With no other instruments needing specific
guidelines of timing the piano can vary speed and adopt different
rhythmical patterns at will.

There are a lot of different complicated aspects about rhythm that
are important to learn and understand.  Because the piano is an
instrument that has the ability to play rhythmical patterns, as
pianists we are responsible to allocating time and attention on
learning to be rhythmically proficient.

Try practicing rhythm by tapping and counting aloud, one – two –
three – four.   Make sure you count and tap evenly.  Then try
tapping one – two -three – four with just your left hand.  Then tap
only with your right hand counting one and three.  Your left hand
should be tapping four times and your right hand taps every time
you count one and three.  Remember to keep your counting even so
your counting in a pattern that is regular.  When you get good at
that, try varying it up.  Play the four counts on your right hand
and then play the one and three counts with your left.  You could
also try tapping on two and four, or one and four or any other kind
of combination you can think of.

The best value for money online course I have seen so far is the
Rocket Piano. Read more about it here

 

Please note: This article is copyright and protected. You may publish this article on your website providing you leave the article “as is” and retain the author’s biography box. All contents Copyright © 2008-2018. All rights reserved. Graham Howard, author of The Digital Piano Bible (a buyer’s guide) and The Howard Score (piano rating system).

 

Tips/

This tip was submitted by our regular reader Avril:

“How To Play Difficult Rhythms”

Many moons ago when I was in the sixth form, a friend of mine was doing her Grade 7, for which one piece was the third movement of Beethoven’s ‘pathetique’ sonata – No 8, I think.

At one point there are quavers in the left hand and triplets in the right hand.  What our music teacher made us all do was play the quavers in our left hand until they were second nature.

To test this we had to play the quavers and read a fairy story that she put up on the piano stand, at the same time.  When we could play the quavers and read the story with the proper expression, she took the fairy book away, put the music back, and told us to concentrate on the triplets whilst we played the quavers ‘automatically’.

It certainly worked for us, Avril