Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Learn and Master Piano - Probably the Best Teach Yourself Piano DVD Course in the World

!±8± Learn and Master Piano - Probably the Best Teach Yourself Piano DVD Course in the World

When you want to learn to play the piano, you instinctively want to have the best you can afford and it should also fit within your living conditions so size will be a factor. Also, it needs to match your home furnishings so as not to stick out like a sore thumb and of course it must fit your budget. Fortunately there are many good electric piano models available that will suit all needs.

The next important decision is which piano course to buy. Now there are many people who will go to a teacher which is the traditional way of learning to play, but for many this is not a viable option so a dedicated course that can be used in your own home is the solution.

If you have bought a good quality 88 key piano then you need a course to match and in my opinion, speaking as a music teacher, you want the best course available and that is Learn And Master Piano.

This course comes with 14 DVDs that can be used with any home DVD player. Each DVD contains lessons and practice tips and tricks all presented by Grammy winning pianist Will Barrow. He will take you step by step through the whole process in an easy and friendly manner. The biggest advantage of this system is it's almost like having your very own piano teacher in your home 24 hours a day, always available when you have the time, not the other way round, such as when you go to a teacher normally at the same time every week. Not that there's anything wrong with going to a teacher, its just not going to suit everyone, that's life.

As you might expect with a course of this quality, it's not cheap, but then why would you buy an expensive piano and then buy a cheap course, it doesn't make any sense.

So if you are buying a piano or already have one and want the best course out there, I strongly recommend you take a look at Learn And Master Piano. I think you will be very impressed.


Learn and Master Piano - Probably the Best Teach Yourself Piano DVD Course in the World

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Friday, November 25, 2011

Intro to Buying a Digital Piano

!±8± Intro to Buying a Digital Piano

So you've decided to go with a digital piano instead of an acoustic. Congratulations, you've made the first decision. But this is just the first step. Choosing a digital piano can be overwhelming. There are so many digital pianos on the market today you have to make sure you get the one that is right for you. You don't want to pay for features that you will never use, and you don't want to leave out features that are important to you. This article will help you make the best decision.

What's important to you?

What do you want to do with the digital piano that you couldn't do with an acoustic? Portability may be one important feature. If so, go with a "stage digital piano." These are portable unlike the digital pianos in cabinets, or digital grand pianos which are stationary.

If you are just beginning to play go with a digital piano that feels like an acoustic. This is important so you'll be use to the feel of a "real" piano when playing at your instructor's house or in a public place such as a church. I'd also recommend not spending too much. You may decide that piano playing is not your thing after a while, and you don't want to spend too much money until you're sure you will stick with it. There are affordable (less than 0 or 0) digital pianos that feel like acoustic pianos and sound decent enough for the beginner.

How does it feel?

Most digital piano owners want the feel of an acoustic piano. Many have weighted keys that mimic the hammer striking action of acoustic pianos. But they can feel different from one digital piano to another. So try a few out. There's no sense in going into the details of each way the manufacturers simulate an acoustic feel. The quick and dirty explanation will suffice.

Acoustic pianos use a hammer striking mechanism. You hit the key, it causes a hammer to strike the strings. Some digital keyboards use hammer simulating mechanisms to emulate this feel. These are weighted-hammer action keys. These digital pianos feel the most like acoustic pianos. The next closest is simply weighted-action keys. The keys have a weight in them to simulate the resistance an acoustic piano key would have, but it doesn't include the hammer-striking system. Finally, there are non-weighted keys. These are like your typical synthesizer or church organ. They feel nothing like an acoustic piano.

Play an acoustic to get the feel of it, then you'll have something to compare when finding the right feel for a digital piano.In addition to the feeling of the keys, don't forget the feeling of the pedal. Many digital pianos will come with a cheap pedal that doesn't look or feel like an acoustic piano pedal. The cheap pedals can pose some difficulty and frustration to the player because they will sometimes move as your foot presses them. This can be very annoying. It's worth investing in a pedal that is heavy and will be stationary. Make sure that if your digital piano does not come with one, that the manufacturer sells one that is adaptable with your piano.

Also, some digital pianos will support multiple levels of pedaling to simulate an acoustic piano. On an acoustic, you can get different levels of sustain by pressing the sustain pedal more or by pressing it less. Some digital pianos will mimic this. The cheaper ones may only have on/off sustain pedal, which means you press and it's on. There's no half-way point.

How does it sound?

Digital piano manufacturers use different techniques to sample sounds. The digital piano plays the recording of the sampled sound. Since the manufacturers use different techniques, the pianos all sound slightly different. If you want one that sounds like an acoustic, play an acoustic in the store and immediately compare it to the digital piano you are considering in the same store.

Some questions to keep in mind:

1) How many speakers does it use and what size are they? Typically, the more the better.
2) How strong is the amplifier? Stronger is usually better. Even if you don't need it to play very loud, the quality of sound will be better if the amplifier does not have to strain itself.
3) Listen to the note decay. Hit a note hard and hold it down. Listen to how long it takes for the note to "disappear." Did it disappear similar to how an acoustic piano note would?
4) How does it sound through headphones? If you're going to be playing through headphones to not disturb the neighbors or family members, make sure it sounds good in your headphones.
5) Does it sound like an acoustic piano? You have to hear both an acoustic and digital piano to see how close they sound to each other. If you can't tell much of a difference that's a good thing.

Polyphony

Polyphony is the number of notes that can be played at once on the digital piano. Mine has 32 note polyphony, but some digital pianos go up to 128 and beyond. We only have 10 fingers, but using the sustain pedal, you can hold out numerous notes. Thus, you need more than 10-note polyphony. You don't want to lose notes when holding the sustain pedal because your polyphony is too low.

If you get 32 note polyphony you'll probably be ok. Plus, newer digital piano models use advanced algorithms to determine which notes to drop off if the max polyphony is reached. This means that in the rare event you exceed your polyphony max, the keyboard will determine which notes could be dropped without anyone noticing.

If you are sequencing or doing different voices over recordings on your keyboard you may need more than 32 note polyphony since each new voice will contribute to the maximum amount of notes your keyboard will play at once. Of course, if you are doing more advanced techniques such as this, you are probably already aware of this and would choose a keyboard with higher polyphony.

Design and Display

Design is important if it will function as a furniture piece as well as an instrument. Very important for rooms that get a lot of traffic. If your piano will be in a room that gets little traffic, this probably won't be an issue.

Also, make sure the buttons are set up in a logical fashion. You want it to be easy to use. Make sure none of the buttons could be accidentally hit while playing the keyboard. This could change your settings in the middle of a performance. How embarrassing! Get a good look at the digital piano and the layout. See some videos of digital pianos [http://www.digitalpianoguide.com] Notice which ones have designs and button formats that are appealing to you.

You also want to make sure you have a good LCD display screen. It helps you know which features are being used. My digital piano does not have an LCD read out. This was frustrating at first when setting the metronome to a specific beat. However, a quick look through the instruction manual solved this. Plus, since it is a feature that is used often, I soon memorized it and no longer needed to consult the manual.

The point is, if you want to make sure you get to use all the features you paid for, it's easier to do that with a well organized LCD display. If you want to save money and get one without an LCD (like I did), then read your manual closely to learn how to manipulate the keyboard buttons to achieve the desired result.

Bells and Whistles

What other features are you looking for in a digital piano? Many come with extra bells and whistles, some you may need, some you won't, and some that you'll think are "cool" at first but never use.

Most will have multiple instrument sounds, or voices. You should get over at least 10 different voices with a typical digital piano. You can also get:

Recording capabilities Keyboard splitting ability (half of the keyboard plays one instrument while the other half plays another) Voice layering (plays two instruments at the same time) Metronome Pre-recorded songs Teaching techniques (such as silencing the left-hand part of a pre-recorded song so you can learn it while the recording continues playing the right hand part) And other features...I hope this has helped in your search for the right digital piano.


Intro to Buying a Digital Piano

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Sunday, November 20, 2011

Yamaha YPT-220 61 Key Personal Keyboard with AC Adapter

!±8±Yamaha YPT-220 61 Key Personal Keyboard with AC Adapter

Brand : Yamaha
Rate :
Price : $99.99
Post Date : Nov 20, 2011 21:03:50
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A great choice for beginners on the go, the 61-key Yamaha YPT-220 personal keyboard features 375 natural sounding voices--including Yamaha's world-famous grand piano sound--and the Yamaha Education Suite of learning tools (with 102 built-in songs) that make piano practice fun. Other features include 361 professional sounding XGlite voices, 12 drum kit sounds, 100 accompaniment styles, and rich reverb effect that adds concert-hall ambience to any performance.

This Premium Package also comes with power supply adapter (NOTE: power supply is located in the end caps of the keyboard packaging - be careful to avoid discarding it when unpacking your new keyboard!)



The 61-key Yamaha YPT-220 portable keyboard.

Key Features

  • Voices & Styles: Total of 375 high-quality instrument voices (Stereo Grand Piano, 361 XGlite voices, 12 Drum Kits and Sound Effect Kit) and 100 accompaniment styles.
  • Sound Effect Kit: Try out each key and enjoy the sound of a dog burking, running water, a creaking door and many other unique effects.
  • Yamaha Education Suite (Y.E.S.) is an advanced set of helpful learning tools built into the instrument, letting you teach yourself how to play and perform. Y.E.S. helps you master a song with easy lesson steps. Each lesson can be done in isolation with either your left hand or right hand, or both.
  • Portable Grand Button: Playing piano is fast and easy with Yamaha's Portable Grand function. One dedicated button brings up a great sounding piano, stunningly rich and authentic in its sound and exceptionally responsive to your playing touch, as well as setting up the keyboard to play as a piano.
  • Reverb: Different reverb types let you add rich, concert-hall ambience to your performance.

Specifications

  • Number of keys: 61 (organ style)
  • Number of voices: Stereo Grand Piano + 361 XGlite + 13 Drum/SFX/SE Kits
  • Display: Custom LCD
  • Tone generating technology: AWM Stereo Sampling
  • Reverb: 9 types
  • Number of preset styles: 100
  • Number of preset songs: 102
  • Amplifiers: 2.5W + 2.5W
  • Power: 6 AA batteries or AC adapter
  • Dimensions: 37.2 x 4.6 x 13.7 inches (WxHxD)
  • Weight: 9 pounds, 11 ounces

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Saturday, November 12, 2011

It's Hobby Time - Top 3 Reasons Why a Hobby is Important

!±8± It's Hobby Time - Top 3 Reasons Why a Hobby is Important

Hobbies are one of the most least talked about things today, the reason being children do not have time to pursue hobbies. Hobbies, in the previous generations have been some sort of an imperative, but then now the whole idea of a hobby does not exist in the true sense for all kids and teens today. So kids, here are some reasons why you need to have a hobby and pursue it. These reasons are absolutely measurable, it has not got to do only with the mind and satisfaction and pleasure.

A hobby keeps you going and creating even during boredom and monotony. The main purpose of a hobby is to befriend a person and be by the person during leisure or free time. So make sure that your hobby gives you that satisfaction in terms of keeping you occupied during free time. Of course to have a second hand, apart from strong academics is a must. Psychologists say that, a hobby develops keen interest among children and this in turn reflects in the kind of work they do. To be interested in some incredible hobby only keeps your mind working in the creative way giving your more ideas and also exercising your brain well. Hobbies also make sure that it gives you an option to think about a career in the future. There are a lot of people who make their hobby a career. For this you need to be passionate about your hobby and follow it precisely to see if you can fit in, if it were your career.

Apart from these three basic reasons, there are many reasons why you need to focus on a hobby. These will certainly take you a long way in keeping mentally fit and active and also give you that extra eye for detail and facets. History is witness to the fact that there have been many people who have decided to follow their hobbies and also ensure that they made a little money out of it too. If you have a hobby that you follow passionately, later in life, you can make it your only means of earning and trust me a life of that sort is marvelous. You can work your way through finding some incredible means of income through innovative hobby idea. So here is your learning, never put aside your hobby, nurture it as much as you would do to anything else. Remember that it is a vital component of your overall personality.


It's Hobby Time - Top 3 Reasons Why a Hobby is Important

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Thursday, November 3, 2011

How to Practice Piano With a Metronome

!±8± How to Practice Piano With a Metronome

Why do I need a metronome when I am practicing piano?

Perhaps your piano teacher has told you to buy a so-called metronome, or you have heard of this device somewhere and is wondering whether it would be good for you or not.

What the metronome does is counting the time exactly, giving you a particular number of beats per minute. If you haven't got one, but would like to get the general idea, just think of a watch, which will give you a pulse of 60 beats per minute. Now, the watch can only give you seconds, while the metronome will be happy to divide the minute in almost any other number of beats, especially if you have a digital one.

Some composers have used this possibility to tell performers exactly in which tempo they would like their music to be played. You may find the instruction 'quarter note=72' at the top of your sheet music page. You then set your metronome to 72 and count the quarter notes accordingly.

Problems with metronome markings

This is the most basic way of describing  the use of the metronome, which however has its complications and pitfalls. For example, it is quite evident that it is hardly possible, and certainly not desirable, to play any piece of music with such a mechanical, unchanging pulse as the metronome gives you. The pulse of music should more often than not be flexible, just like the heartbeat of any living thing. Beethoven, for instance, put metronome marks on some of his works, but at the same time gave the instruction that it only ever applied to the very first measure of the piece.

Also, you should be aware that there are a lot of metronome marks around that are rarely or never followed. This can be due to a number of factors. It might not be put there by the composer, but rather by an editor, which of course makes it less authoritative. But even if it originates from the composer, there may be reasons to ignore or at least adjust it. Sometimes it might have been put there rather carelessly, to please a publisher, or it might even have been done with the help of a faulty metronome (which was in fact rather common when the device was newly invented).

Conclusion

So the conclusion should be that metronome marks can be useful indicators, but they should never be followed slavishly. When you practice piano, it comes to good use when you have difficulty keeping the pulse. But don't practice long sections, trying desperately to follow its every beep or click. Rather use it to check now and then if you are still feeling the pulse correctly.

Look over the different sections of your piece, and try to find not an exact metronome number, but rather an acceptable interval where you and your listeners will still have the experience of a constant pulse. In the example above, where the instruction was to play the quarter-note at 72, you might perhaps end up accepting everything between 66 and 76.  


How to Practice Piano With a Metronome

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