1st Piano

Pianos Melbourne is the best way to describe Austral Piano World (www.pianoworld.com.au 03 9497 2616), due to its impressive range of pianos and keyboards on view in the showroom. Since opening its doors in 1972, Austral Piano World has been successfully placing people and pianos together: "A piano not only has to look good in the home, but it also has to sound fabulous too. It is really important that the piano has to fit the player and their expectations," says Hans Heshusius, owner of Austral Piano World, "the two grow together, so it is important to have a range of pianos to try to find the one best for you." Age and experience has a lot to do with the end choice, Hans has many customers across all age groups and experience levels who are all looking for different things from their choice of Piano. "I get a lot of young people who have found a love for the piano and want to move up to a decent piano, it doesn't matter what their experience...

by Dan Goodwin However accomplished and experienced you are in your creative writing, there's always more to learn and discover. There's no such thing as becoming the perfect creative writer. All of us can continue to learn, explore and experiment and give our creative writing more depth, impact and fulfilment, for us as the writer, as well as for our readers. So here are 7 killer tips to help you boost YOUR creative writing even more: 1. Adopt a new identity. Imagine you're someone else, someone completely different from yourself. It could be a character you're familiar with already from a book, film or your daily life, or a completely new creation. Write from their perspective about what they do, who they see, how they live and what it's like to be them. Notice how your creative writing develops to take on this new character. 2. Become an inanimate object. Take on the perspective of an object, like a stone on a river bed, a chair in a cafe or a...

Pianos, for beginning musicians, are one of the essential, first instruments to learn. Just about every type and style of music can be played on a piano. This gives a student a wide variety to choose from and learn from when starting out. For many students, however, purchasing a traditional piano can be a little out of their budget and they can be quite large. This makes it difficult for someone in a small living space to find room for them. There are other alternatives, such as a digital piano. This is one space saving option. A digital piano comes with the feel of a regular piano but takes up considerably less space. There are also smaller versions for those just beginning. Types of Pianos There are a wide variety of digital pianos. Digital pianos range from small keyboards with minimal options like volume and on/off and nothing else to larger digital pianos that can handle remixes and allow synthesized playing, as well as everything in between. There are plenty of diffe...

by Gabriel Adams Electric pianos, also called digital pianos are become increasing popular, due to their many benefits. Quality digital pianos now how a sound and feel very close to an acoustic piano. In fact, some digital pianos can rival the best grand pianos in sound quality. One of the best benefits of digital pianos is their digital output of sound, so it's very easy to record music using just your digital piano and your computer. Most keyboards and electric pianos have a one quarter inch stereo output. Most computers have a one eighth inch stereo input, so you'll need an adapter. You can get the necessary adapter at Radio Shack or a similar store. Once you have your electric piano plugged into the microphone port on your computer, you'll need software to record with. Audacity is about as good as you can get. It's free, and supports multiple tracks, plus has many useful effects. Once you install Audacity, you'll need to adjust your keyboard volu...

By Jerry Greene When meeting with first-time piano owners, I am often asked how often their piano needs to be tuned. In my experience, new pianos should be tuned every 3-9 months for the first 2-4 years. This allows the steel strings to "set", as they are stretching under huge amounts of pressure (approximately 25-30 tons) for the first time. Many people are familiar with putting new strings on a guitar, tuning it up and then strumming it as it goes out of tune almost immediately. Although a piano is usually tuned many times (in the factory, on the showroom floor and upon delivery…sometimes many times in each setting) the strings will still need to have time to set to the proper tension. It will usually take a couple of years before a tuning will "last" a while. During this settling-in period, the piano also has a chance to get used to the climate it will be staying in for some time. It is surprising how much little temperature and/or humidity changes ...

Grand pianos are seen as the pinnacle of all instruments, and are widely associated with the glamorous jazz scene, and classical recitals. But what is it exactly about the grand piano that makes it sound better than other types of piano, and is the fact that grand pianos are considerably more expensive really justifiable? Grand pianos are a relatively modern technology in piano design. Furthermore, they have proven to be the preferable design of choice for most of the world's top pianists and enthusiasts. They differ from the other major classification of upright pianos in a number of ways, largely relating to configuration and size. The grand piano strings horizontally, and benefits from the force of gravity in its mechanism. Additionally, its sprawling structure allows for a fuller sound to resonate through the bridge, giving an impressive tonal distinction between grands and most upright models. Uprights on the other hand strive to be tight and compact, whilst also...

Congratulations, you have just acquired a wonderful new addition for your home! This new addition will not only add beauty to your home, but will also bring musical pleasure to you and your family. Now that you have your new piano, you will want to make sure that you are caring for it properly. Caring for your piano properly will not only ensure that it plays to its maximum potential, but will also ensure that the value is maintained and, in the case of a new piano, that your warranty is maintained. In this article, I will outline some tips on caring for your piano, including how often you should have your piano tuned, how to help maintain your piano's tuning stability, and how to safely clean and care for the exterior of your piano. I will also define piano tuning, and explain why it is necessary for your piano. What is a piano tuning and why is it necessary? There are over 200 strings in your piano, which are stretched at high tension across the frame of your piano...

By Alex Kazaryan A young woman asked her father to help her move a piano. They got a couple of friends to come along and rented a dolly. Suddenly, while she was straining away, somebody said, "Uh, oh." ( when you hear that – it's time to close your eyes and reach for your wallet.). The piano tipped back too far and got away from them. While it was falling, its upper corner dug down through the wall. The trench it made was deep enough to sever an electric conduit, which shorted and began to burn. Fire spread to the floor below… After the fire department was done, there was little left of the two apartments.... and the piano. This is of course an extreme exaggeration of what might happen if you move piano without professional help. So can you do it yourself? Yes, you can-if you don't value your piano-or your stairs-or your walls-or your friends. The fact is that pianos are very heavy. Small Spinet piano or console piano weighs about 300-500 pounds; full s...

Many families are now purchasing digital pianos to learn on. And why not? They're relatively inexpensive, take up very little space, and produce high quality grand piano sound. But there are certain drawbacks to owning one. For example, it's a good idea to play an acoustic instrument before trying a digital one . Why? Because no matter how well the piano sound is sampled, it will never match the pure acoustic sound and richness of a "live" piano. This factor is very important to some because they want to experience that organic sensibility only a true acoustic can give them. When a key is struck on an acoustic instrument, it produces overtones that reverberate around the room creating a sound that no digital instrument can accurately capture. I don't know why this is but I've played on the best digital pianos and have never experienced that "woody" feel an acoustic gives out. If this doesn't concern you, then you've passed the li...

Let's face it. Nothing compares to the beauty and attractiveness of a baby grand piano. The curves, the strings, the way the whole thing looks just makes you want to go over and play. Baby grand pianos give the serious musician with limited funds the ability to own something that one can be proud to play and that will last for years and years. While not as deep and rich sounding as their grand piano counterparts, the baby grand piano is perfect for students who are serious about music and who invest substantial time and energy into playing. Small, yet not small in sound, baby grand pianos offer something the upright and grand does not, affordable elegance. There's something about the way an instrument looks that either makes you want to play it or not. While an upright is fine for beginners and amateur pianists, it just doesn't inspire those who need that certain aesthetic touch a baby grand provides. And let's not forget about the fact that a baby grand...

The piano is a great instrument to learn and an excellent one for the beginning musician. A variety of musical styles can be played on the piano including rock, jazz, show tunes, blues, and classical music. This is a great way to expose your aspiring pianist to a variety of musical styles and also enhance their creativity and musical know-how. Instead of purchasing a bulky traditional piano, why not opt for its space saving counterpart- the digital piano? A digital piano can be purchased to have the feel of a regular piano key but not all of them come this way. You can find full piano size digital pianos or smaller varieties if your aspiring pianist is just a beginner. Here is some additional information that will help you make a digital piano purchase. Why Purchase a Digital Piano? While you can find digital pianos that are quite expensive, most are quite affordable. However, a new acoustic piano can cost thousands of dollars depending on the style. Digital pianos cost ...

By Kent Pinkerton Pianos are referred to by some people as the mother of all instruments, and are amongst the most widely played musical instrument in the world. Every single aspect about the piano such as its tone, melodious sound and indeed even its grand looks is wonderful. For a music lover, piano music is so sweet that it makes their heart listen to it over and over again. Given below are some interesting information about this wonderful musical instrument that has enthralled generations of music lovers. Pianos are musical instruments that can be used for producing percussion, string or keyboard music. Invented by Bartolomeo Cristifori of Florence, Italy, the piano was originally known as pianoforte in Italian. In the initial days of its invention, a piano had 85 keys or 7 octaves from A0 to A7. However, modern versions of the piano have 88 keys or 7 1/3 octaves. An octave is a combination of 5 black keys and 7 white keys. Pianos are generally of four types namely t...

By Thomas Morva You may want your piano moved either for a concert or because you are moving to a new residence. It is not prudent to entrust the job to an ordinary mover. Moving a piano is an expert operation. The supervisor and the workers attending to the task must have experience in similar assignments and a good understanding of pianos. You can easily locate such expert movers in New York who undertake nationwide transfers. They are on call always. Pianos differ in value, quality and age. Different methods may have to be used for each type. Proper packaging and fixing firmly in the transportation vehicle are of critical importance. They should be totally protected from shocks and jerks. For this, apart from air-ride suspension trucks, blanket wrapping and special boards are used. Some instruments have to be dismantled before packing and reassembled at destination. Expertise is essential for this procedure. It would be wise to ask the mover for details of comparable ...

There are several reasons why piano and keyboard players choose digital pianos over their acoustic counterparts. Let's talk about some of the main reasons. 1. There is no need for tuning. Acoustic pianos have to be tuned once or twice a year. However, since the sounds of digital pianos are in digital format, they never go out of tune. Forget about paying a tuner all the time and save. 2. They are portable. A regular upright piano could weigh over 500 lbs. A grand piano weighs a lot more. Compare this to digital pianos that weigh less than 100 lbs. You could easily carry one under your arm from gig to gig. Transportation is easy. The fact that many of them could be disassembled is also a great advantage. 3. They cost much less. Acoustic pianos are very expensive and out of the price range of most people. You can save yourself a lot of money by buying a digital piano. For less than $2000, you can get one that is top of the line. You will even find those that cost onl...

Should I Buy a Digital Piano or an Upright Piano? Digital pianos sound nothing like a real piano. Upright pianos take up too much room. There is a lot of conflicting advice floating around. I will give you the right piano buying advice so you can make your own decision on whether the digital piano or the upright piano is right for your needs. A brief history of the digital piano. Digital pianos were invented about 20 years ago and when they where first introduced they were pretty terrible, the keys were much too light, spongy and nothing like a real piano. The sound was incredibly bright and the sampling was quite dreadful. You couldn't really say that it sounded much like a piano at all. These digital pianos also looked nothing like a real acoustic piano, they had ugly, plastic lookin cases that didn't match any type of furniture in the room. If guests came around it was almost an embarrassment to have this ugly plastic looking machine in the living room. My how...

Do you know what a guitar player has to spend to get a good quality acoustic instrument? Anywhere from $500 to $2000 depending on make and model. Do you know what a piano player looking for a grand piano has to spend to get a similar quality instrument? Anywhere from $5000 to $100,000 and up! Who has this kind of money? Not the average Joe on the street. No. Grand pianos are beautiful and great sounding but are way out of the price range of the average family. What to do? Well there's the baby grand. Here we have a nice instrument that can be bought used for as little as $2000. While the sound won't be as full and resonant as the grand piano sound, still, it's worth looking into. Many baby grand pianos have the look and feel of a grand without the high price tag AND they actually fit in your living room. Grand pianos on the other hand are 6 feet in length or more and require substantial space to house them. If a baby grand piano is too expensive for you, there...

By Edward Weiss Most people choose an upright piano as a necessary evil. If they had the money, they would probably get a grand or baby grand piano. But there are many benefits to owning an upright piano. Economy, lower prices, and decent sound are all factors to consider when purchasing an instrument. In this respect the upright piano wins hands down. You can place it flat against a wall. It saves space and adds it's own special ambiance to a room. In fact, upright pianos are beautiful pieces of furniture in their own right! What about sound? An upright pianos sound comes from the back of the piano. Most uprights have lids that allow the sound to come out and bounce off the walls giving a more expansive acoustic quality. It's a fact that some very good uprights sound as good or better than their baby-grand counterparts! Key action these days is computerized and set at the factory for optimal response. While the touch and feel may never equal a grand piano, the n...

There are so many keyboards and digital pianos on the market today. How does one make a selection? Here are a few tips to help you choose one that meets your needs. 1. How much can you afford? With such a wealth of keyboards available, a working person shouldn't have a problem finding one that fits their budget. Low priced keyboards are all over. But this doesn't mean that you should settle for anything. As the old adage goes, you usually get what you pay for. Usually the more money you invest, the greater the returns. 2. Do you need weighted action or synth action? Weighted action means that the keyboard comes with heavy (weighted) keys and feels like an acoustic piano. You need some muscle to play such keyboards. If you're a trained pianist or you want to develop your piano skills a weighted keyboard would be better suited. Synth action would mean lighter keys. You can usually play faster and easier with a synth action keyboard. Are you gonna be playing s...

By Kristy Annely Pianos are very expensive musical instruments. A simple piano costs around $2000 while a Steinway costs up to $8000. Moving a piano requires the expertise that only experienced movers have. A piano is a work of art and must not be treated like any old piece of furniture. The mover should provide references in the form of former customers. Local moves cost about $50 to $200. Piano repair is costly and time consuming. The original finish and tuning of the piano may never be restored, once damaged. Good piano moving requires good equipment and moving techniques. Even though professional movers may be expensive, they are often worth the cost. Grand pianos are taken apart piece by piece, by experts. The carefully disassembled parts are wrapped in special blankets. These parts are then put on a board and secured with straps. Piano legs are similarly wrapped and strapped. A wooden rail is put on the keys to prevent them from falling. The piano parts are strapp...

By Todd Bridges A piano lamp or piano light is something every piano player should have. Proper lighting is needed to perform or practice playing the piano. Whether you are beginner or amateur pianist just beginning to learn piano, or even if you are a more advanced piano player, lighting is a must. A piano light is of course designed to look nice and classy, but it's primary function is to aid in giving proper illumination to your sheet music and piano keys, thereby improving your performance. It's been proven that having good lighting when performing a task, such as reading, writing, painting, or playing a piano, will greatly improve comprehension levels. There are many styles of piano lights to choose from. Piano lamps are custom designed to the style and shape of a piano. There are piano lights for grand pianos, baby grand pianos, upright pianos, and electronic keyboards. Some piano lamps clamp on to the music sheet holder on the piano, and others sit on the ...

If I have to choose between buying an acoustic piano or a digital piano what is the best choice? let's take a look at the different choices if you want to learn to play piano. Personally I haven't been forced to make the decision between buying a normal upright piano and a digital piano as I have both in my home. I can see advantages in both types of pianos when practicing the art of learning to play piano. A normal upright piano produces sounds with hammers that strikes the strings. A digital piano on the other hand tries to duplicate the feeling of playing an acoustic piano. Most people are familiar with the normal upright piano but what advantages has a digital piano? First let us describe a digital piano. A digital piano consists of a keyboard with weighted key action, sensors that detect the velocity when you play the keys and a set of sounds you can choose from. To make it possible to listen to the piano when you play you have an amplifier and loudspeaker...

A piano is a musical instrument that is classified as a keyboard, percussion, or string instrument, depending on the system of categorization used. Playing the piano is wide-spread in western music for solo performance, chamber music, and accompaniment, and is also trendy as an abet for composing and rehearsal. Materials used for pianos are strings, pin blocks, strings, plates and soundboard.Pianos also have pedals. They are of three types: Damper pedal Soft pedal Sostenuto pedal A digital piano is a modern electronic musical instrument designed to serve primarily as a substitute to a traditional piano, both in the way it feels to play as well as sound produced. Digital pianos are also premeditated to look like an acoustic piano. While digital pianos may plunge short of the genuine article in feel and sound, they nevertheless have many advantages over normal pianos: They are relatively inexpensive and are considerably lighter. They do not necessitate tun...

This piece is written as an aid to training. Amateur movers should regard the information here as reasons not to attempt piano movements. Basic knowledge of lifting techniques may only encourage severe harm to assistants, yourself, and least of all...the piano. The piano is not only heavy and unwieldy, but has polished and vulnerable surfaces to protect. Grand pianos have legs which are designed as stands, and they should be jacked up with proper tools - just to be moved across a room. Even upright pianos, which may be very heavy, typically suffer from failed castors. I wonder what percentage of the pianos moved actually do have a full set of working castors?... not many! Upright Pianos Some are small and light, whilst some, notably older pianos, are like grand pianos sitting upright. The weight and size of upright pianos can vary from less than 200kgs to over 400kgs. Every moving job has hurdles: The easiest are turns, steps, and gradients, but these hurdles can become...