Posts

Showing posts from September, 2007

Piano - A Brief History

A piano, short for Pianoforte is probably one of the finest musical instruments ever created by man. The sound of a piano can create a wonderful melody that stirs hidden emotions, makes us feel euphoric or gloomy and transport us into a private world of dreams and fantasy. A musical instrument that traces its history back to the earliest stringed instruments, the piano has been a symbol of grace and refinement for centuries in the western world. Can you dominate this instrument to make the amazing harmony of sounds you hear played by professional musicians? If you decide to come over and spend some time at the Accademia Europea di Firenze, we can definitely help, the piano lessons are taught by highly qualified teachers and the atmosphere is a friendly one. The precursors of this grand instrument were at best crude attempts to make a stringed keyboard instrument. But the piano as we know it today was created by Bartolomeo Cristofori de Francisco of Padua, Italy in around

Houston Piano Company - the easy way to get the piano of your dreams!

The piano holds a very special place in the hearts of all. The piano is widely used in western music for solo performance, chamber music, and accompaniment. It is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal. Although not portable and often expensive, the piano's versatility and ubiquity has made it among the most familiar of musical instruments. The piano is significant in Western classical music, jazz, film, television, and most other complex western musical genres. It has also found its way into popular music for the masses. Since a large number of composers are proficient pianists -- and because the piano keyboard offers an easy means of complex melodic and harmonic interplay -- the piano is often used as a tool for composition. Modern pianos come in two basic configurations - the grand piano and the upright piano. Both types are popular with piano enthusiasts the world over. Pianos were, and still are, popular instruments for private household ownership,

The Physical Application Of Playing The Piano Keyboard

In examining the use of the hand, it will, for now be enough to say that it will become the end product in a process. It will later, in its relation to the piano keyboard, be considered as an agent. The framework of the arm and hand consists of 30 bones: 1 for the upper arm, 2 for the forearm, 8 for the wrist, 5 for the palm of the hand, and 14 for the fingers and thumb. The hand and wrist are, strictly speaking, attached to only one of the two bones of the forearm. This may easily be proved. Let the right arm be loosely extended, and the hand made to-turn half round and back again without bending at the wrist, the fingers of the left hand during this motion touching lightly the " under" bone of the right arm close to the elbow. As the hand turns, the upper bone alone turns with it, attached to, and "rolling" on the lower one at both elbow and wrist. The terms "under" and "upper" are applied only relatively to the two bones of the

Electone Hearing Aids - High Quality At An Affordable Price

By David Faulkner Electone, Inc, is a hearing aid manufacturer located in Orlando Florida, and is known for both the quality of its Electone hearing aids and its customer service. Electone offers lines both of pre-made BTE hearing devices and to our custom Electone hearing aids with both digital and analog circuitry. Electone's Tango, Aurora, Terra, and Rio lines of hearing aids are all designed to accommodate customers suffering from different degrees and types of hearing loss, for those who are mildly impaired to those whose hearing loss is profound. Electone Hearing Aid Lines Electone haring aids in the Tango line are digital, non-programmable BTE models which have excellent feedback cancellation for improved auditory comfort and clearer speech comprehension. The Tango Electone hearing aids are appropriate for those with moderate to profound hearing impairment. The Aurora 2 and Aurora 4 Electone hearing aids are both programmable digital hearing aids and can be b

Why Should You Learn To Play The Piano? Let's Count The Ways!

By Kathy Ferneau Why should you learn to play the piano? You may wonder that, especially if you are an adult with a busy lifestyle. Is it worth the time and effort? Yes, of course, and there are many reasons. Playing the piano fulfills a childhood dream. Many adults didn't have the opportunity to take piano lessons as a child, but the dream is still there. It's never too late to learn. That tired old saying about teaching an old dog new tricks--just forget that! Other adults took lessons as a child, but didn't appreciate them or didn't put forth any effort to really learn. If you fall into this category, stop beating yourself up. You are wiser than you were as a child and you can still play the piano now. Informal surveys of private piano teachers reveal that in some studios, half of the students are adults. Playing the piano is not as difficult as you might think. Keep in mind that we aren't talking about enterin

A Guide to Violin Shops

By Richard Romando There are a number of violin shops where people can buy a violin. Many shops sell both new and used violins, giving buyers a number of options. Many violin shops also offer violin rentals. New violins can cost between two hundred and twenty thousand dollars. Used violins can cost significantly less, but may be of lesser quality. Beginners and students often choose to rent a violin from a violin shop. There are different types of violin shops. Some sell all kinds of musical instruments and offer violins from several different manufacturers. Other violin shops may make their own violins and many not sell any other brands. Obviously, the larger stores will have a better selection, but they may not have the same type of knowledgeable customer service and sales staff to help shoppers find the right violin to fit their needs. Smaller violin shops that make their own violins can be more expensive, but they often provide the best customer service and help peo

Yamaha Electone Organ Versus Yamaha Arranger Keyboard

By Mike Shaw Over the past ten years or so, electric organ sales have slumped to all time low. Yet the arranger keyboard market continues to flourish, especially with keyboards such as the Yamaha Tyros, Korg PA-1X and the Roland G70. In my opinion, the organ is much more playable as a live instrument, and using bass pedals, you can play the organ without any drum machine or automatic chords and get a fantastic sound. The keyboard on the other hand would sound thin, definitely lacking without auto chord/bass. Of course, arranger keyboards are considerably cheaper than new organs and take up less room. This has created a new generation of keyboard players, some of which could never afford the hefty cost of an organ. So is this the end for the electric organ. So how do organ manufacturers address this problem? Well they were and still are designed to be a piece of furniture. Great big lumps of wood, which appeal to the older generation, which is why they have the reputation

Legal MP3 Downloads

Legal mp3 music downloads are becoming immensely popular these days, and one reason is because they allow many songs or audio to be stored while occupying a very small storage space. Most music files are downloaded from websites on the internet. After these files are downloaded, they can also be copied to cd player or an mp3 player, by using a data transfer cable. There are some websites that offer free unlimited music downloads. If you become a member of one of these sites, you will need to pay a small one-time fee, to download unlimited songs in the mp3 format. You may also find some of the sites that will charge you for each song that you download. If you want to test the quality of the audio, these websites will most usually provide this service. One thing to remember is that just because you puchase a membership with one of these legal music download websites, you still do not have the right to download any copyrighted music. You can legally share music, if you make

The Basics of Selling and Shopping for a Used Steinway

Over the years I've discovered that there can often be quite a bit of confusion on the part of prospective piano owners regarding the price at which to purchase a Steinway Vintage Piano. I have also found that many owners are unclear regarding how much cash they should ask as for when selling their heirloom. Before I proceed, I would first like to conjecture as to the meaning of the term, "vintage" piano. What does the term Vintage imply? For me, the term vintage implies that the piano is not a new piano but that it is a piano (as a special grape would be off the grapevine) that has been attended to and cared for over the years and due to its age and history, has perhaps some additional value beyond that which can be shown or represented, through the standard retail pricing scales. Pianos as a consumer item lend themselves to this kind of colorful "vintage" characterization more that most other consumer items that I can think of except for furnitur

5 Tips To Choosing The Best Online Piano Course

 Tip 1: The course must be reputable.Make sure the course that you're choosing is one that has a good reputation. Do a search on google or your favorite search engine and read reviews, feedback from other users and expert reviewers. You may also want to go to piano forums and post a question about the particular online piano course that you're interested in. Find out how long they've been around and the satisfaction level of its past and current users. Tip 2: The course must go beyond just the basics.Some online piano courses only focus on the basics and leave you hanging. If you wish to continue, then you must order another course in order to progress further. Some authors use this tactic as bait. They might price the course very low and then upsell when the student is done with the initial course. Look for an online course that goes beyond the basic level, at a reasonable price, of course. Tip 3: Is the course well rounded?Ask yourself this question when choo

Is it Time To Get Your Musical Vision Checked?

By Chris Punis Expand your vision or keep your day job. Jazz leaders and pioneers have vision. They think about where they are going and what they want to accomplish. They have BIG plans for their music. They have "long-term perspective." They think in terms of years: 1 year, 5 years, even 10 years or more. If you want to become a monster jazz musician, you already have vision. Now, take it further. Think BIG. Dream. There are no limits to what you can accomplish. How far will you take your music? Start thinking about that now, no matter what your current level. Chops are easy to get. Anyone with a plan, a teacher and some dedication can become a competent musician in a relatively short period of time. A few years, really. But if you want to go for the top and become a "monster," you need vision. Decide to become a visionary leader. All great jazz musicians, and all great men and women for that matter, were and are visionary leaders. The farther backwa

How to Download PSP Music

So you want to know how to get music, movies, software and games onto Sony's PSP? Well it's not too hard to put files onto your PSP. First off; Using Windows Explorer, find the new PSP device and if there isn't already a folder called PHOTO on it, create one as you ordinarily would create a folder in Windows. Now just drop in any JPEG images you'd like to have viewable on your PSP while on the go. And just do the same for MUSIC, MOVIES and SOFTWARE etc. Music wise you'll want the music files to be .mp3 format. Please note music downloaded from ITunes will not work as they're in a different format. Movies; Unlike music and picture files, you can't put your video files in the "PSP" folder. Create a folder called "MP_ROOT" and inside that folder create another folder named "100MNV01." That is the folder to which you need to copy your converted video files. That's it, you should be able to transfer an entire DVD m

Learning to make music with your computer

I'm The head producer for Technica Projections. My music making experience extents beyond 20 years, through trial, error and frustration. Back in the early 90's It was a lot tougher than it is now. At that time the making electronic music with a computer was in its early stages. Now days The software, tutorials and the help of other producers has made the journey a little easier. To get started You will need a sequencer,some vsti's a Midi controller and a decent soundcard.We have experienced many of the sequencers on the market.Cubase, Logic, sonar, Acid Pro, Ableton. We have found that ableton Live best suits our needs.All the sequencers basically do the same thing.Its just a matter of whats most confortble to you. We have found that Ableton Live suits our needs the best. The next thing you need is some vsti's.These are virtualy instruments,which we will play just like a piano with our midi controller.We then open up our chosen sequencer, load a vsti and st

12 Ways Pianists Can Get Better Results with Less Effort

Steve, a high school student, runs track, plays the sax in the band, takes 3 honors classes, works 10 hours a week and still continues to improve his piano playing. How does he do it? He uses the 80/20 principle. Nancy is married, works full time, goes to the gym 5 days a week and maintains a busy social life. Yet she keeps expanding her repertoire as her piano technique develops. What's her secret? She uses the 80/20 principle. Isn't it time you followed the example of these successful piano students? In his best selling book, The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Success by Achieving More with Less, Richard Koch shows that there is a faster and easier way to get great results in all areas of life. Koch is one of many authors who use the theory called the Pareto Principle (discovered by Italian economist Vifredo Pareto in 1897) to demonstrate how 80% of your results come from 20% of your effort. Here are 12 ways you can use the 80/20 principle to achieve better resu

Get G-R-E-A-T Piano Playing Results with this Simple Formula

How many times have you heard someone play the piano and said, "She is really great!"? What would make your piano playing great? ? Playing effortlessly without reading the music? ? Better rhythm? ? Tighter technique and more speed? Here's the good news... It doesn't matter what area needs improvement. There is a simple formula that is guaranteed to help you move your piano playing from good to great. The solution to your piano playing success is contained in the letters G-R-E-A-T. G Set a Goal Start by making a list of all the songs and pieces that you want to learn. Then pick the one that you want to learn first. R Be Realistic Be sure that the piece that you choose is challenging, but still at a level of difficulty that fits with your playing experience. E Enjoy yourself Since you will be spending a lot of time and energy to learn and master your selection, make sure that you really like playing and listening to the piece. A Take Action Make a commitment

How To Select the Right MP3 Player For You

by Clyde Dennis In the last few years mp3 players have almost become as big a part of everyday life as cell phones. It is one of the hottest product markets going. With the introduction of several lines of players from some technology giants, consumers have more choices than ever. So many choices in fact that you could easily become overwhelmed when making your buying decision. Here are a few things to consider when buying an mp3 player. Battery Life It's important to consider your usage pattern when thinking about which player to purchase. How you use your player will directly effect it's battery life. If you will be using your player for short periods, such as exercising then battery life isn't going to be a huge problem or concern for you. On the other hand if you're going to be using your player hours at a time, like while traveling battery life is something you'll want to pay more attention to. Comparing battery life among the mp3 players you'

Toy Pianos For Children Help their Development

by Ron Loeffler Toy pianos for children are great for helping their development, not only musically, but also in their education in general. Playing the piano, even a toy piano, helps to promote creativity and also provides the child with a self confidence that enables him or her to easily interact socially with others. There is a wide range of toy pianos online, from the very small suitable for little toddlers to multi-octave spinets that are not so much toys as genuine musical instruments. But why a piano? What is it about a piano that is specifically effective in promoting these important educational benefits and socially acceptable skills? It is generally accepted that if a child learns how to play the piano, and is able to play in front of others, her or she will also be more able to stand in front of others to make a presentation, present an argument and generally be confident in front of a crowd of people. This is an important social skill that is frequently igno

Looking For Music Without Lyrics? Here's A Short Guide To Different Kinds Of Music Without Lyrics

Who's searching for music without lyrics, and why? Some people are looking for backing music they can sing to, usually of songs that they're familiar with. There are three kinds of music without lyrics that spring to mind, catering for this need. 1.) Karaoke - This usually comes on a CD or DVD, where the backing music is played while the lyrics, along with a video of some arbitrary scenery, are displayed. The lyrics are usually highlighted at the appropriate time for them to be sung. While this form of music without lyrics is great for parties and pubs, it leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to serious vocal performances. Technically speaking, this is actually music with lyrics, but the music and the lyrics have been separated so that you can sing them. 2.) Backing tracks - These are sometimes called "Backtracks". Professional backing tracks are a step up from karaoke tracks, however, they don't display the lyrics on a screen. Professional back

Quantum Mind Power Recordings - The Quantum Mind Power System is Nothing but Noise!

By Haans Ahron "The Quantum Mind Power recording is nothing BUT noise!". That was the first thing my fiancée told me when I let her listen to the 'The Morry Method Brainwave Entrainment System' for the first time. It was challenging to convince anyone that the Quantum Mind Power recordings are able to create a profound effect on your life. Well at least, it was especially difficult for me to persuade my fiancée to give this program a fair try. More so when she gave me that puzzled look when I told her that the Quantum Mind Power system was developed by a certified brainwave entrainment specialist. I can understand that look perfectly as I was in the same position myself when I first heard about the amazing technology of the Quantum Mind Power system. And I am pretty sure even if you have heard of the brainwaves entrainment program remotely before, you would be wondering the same thing too. Alright, let us break it down to simpler words, shall we? What

Shooting Your Own Music Video

Music videos can be expensive items. It hurts spending thirty, fifty or even a hundred grand of your hard-earned money on something you - basically - give away for free! So, it can be very tempting to save some money by shooting your own music video. I mean, video cameras come on cell phones nowadays, and HDTV is becoming less expensive. Cameras are everywhere. They're ubiquitous. And, deep down, everyone really fancies themselves a director - sorry, an auteur, don't they?... So, should you consider going it alone and shooting your own music video? The short answer: NO. Directors, producers, cinematographers and production designers are all artisans. It takes years of study and work experience to become a decent film-maker. You wouldn't leave your cd layout to some guy you passed on the street, would you? So why even consider doing something as important as your first music video all by yourself? It may look like simple work, but believe me, producing and d

Music Education And The Smarter You

by Daniel Friedman Music education makes you smart. Smart people educate themselves with music. Both are true to an extent. What is it about music that increases you brains efficiency? From a teacher's standpoint, the answers are quite obvious. Because music education is such a broad topic, let's condense it to the studying of an instrument... more specifically the piano. Teachers have noticed through the years that students seem to get sharper mentally with every lesson. Even the ones that don't practice a lot seem sharper at the end of a lesson as compared to the beginning... although many teachers can think of a couple of past students who seemed to get more sluggish with every lesson. Thankfully, those types of pupils were the exception rather than the rule. So what aspects of mental capacity are improved by piano playing? Hand eye coordination vastly improves with instrumental training on the piano. You can better judge distances between notes while playi

Zune Music And Video Downloads - 6 Reasons Why You Should Join A Paid Zune Membership Download Site

By Kristin L. Thorne Zune is a recently released media player that allows you to play music, games, videos, music videos, TV shows, and more. If you are a new Zune owner, you are probably busy browsing the search engines for music, videos, software and games, to put to your Zune. Your search will lead you to hundreds of thousands of Zune download sites, leaving you with way too many choices. Instead of looking for a paid, legitimate service, you might instead check if you can find sites that offer free Zune downloads. But please think twice before downloading anything that seems to be free, because you could end up paying a high price for it, in more than one way. Those free Zune download files are not safe, because the websites offering them are usually loaded with spyware, adware, and even malicious Trojans that are very harmful for your computer. Among the benefits of a paid Zune Download memberships are: Unlimited downloads 24/7 Increased download speed C

Has the Music Industry Shifted?

by Ty Cohen What is an artist to do when people no longer pay $19.99 for a compact disc? Driving down the road the other day, while listening to the satellite radio, I wondered, why anyone even purchased over priced CD's from the record store at all? I am assuming that the music industry is shifting or possibly being shoved. The amazing thing is that there are millions of artists out there who aren't even worrying about getting a record deal. They are paving their own path to success with online music promotion . Some recording contracts pay pennies on the dollar for royalties stemming from the sale of CDs. It is true, a recording contract does equal publicity and all that jazz but some artists are tired of waiting. The music promotion resources available on the Internet have me wondering why all independent artists don't stop focusing all their energy on getting signed and focus on what they can do for themselves in the present? Live in the now! Online mus

Stop "Moving Your Own Piano" (You'll Then Attract More Clients While Making More)

Copyright (c) 2007 Fabienne Fredrickson Quote: "Invest three percent of your income in yourself (self-development) in order to guarantee your future." - Brian Tracy Sometimes, the signs that it's time to invest in taking your business to go to the next BIG level show up without notice. Take this past Monday, for example. The second call of my Preview Teleseminar Series for my workshop was scheduled and I was set to interview two inspiring and motivating solopreneurs on how they use the Client Attraction systems daily to make well into the 6-figures. We had close to a thousand entrepreneurs registered for the call and I was excited to host it. Then, the unthinkable happened. As instructed, hundreds of people starting showing up 10 minutes early to make sure they would make it onto the line before it was maxed out. As I was greeting them, I kept asking if my two featured guests were on the line. My heart kept sinking further and further into my stomach as I re

Online Music Promotion for Newbies

by Ty Cohen Are you tired of playing miniscule gig after miniscule gig only to generate pennies? Are you tired or working that second job, just to scrape up enough dough to put gas in the van to get to gigs? Maybe you are one of those people who feel the have exhausted every option there is? Well, if that sounds like you, then you have come to the right place. Have you considered or even explored online music promotion ? If you are a newbie to this concept then hold on because you are in for a ride. Once you discover how many music promotion resources there are online, then you will be amazed at where your career goes. You can be the most talented artist out there, but if no one knows who you are then it won't mean a thing. Independent music promotion is on the rise. Artists and musicians alike are sick of sitting around waiting to get signed. They are ready to reach the masses on their own. And the awesome thing is, they have all the music promotion resources th

Independent Music Promotion Ideas

by Ty Cohen If you are an independent musician, then I know that finding great music promotion resources are one of your main goals. Gone are the days where musicians and artists have to rely solely on record deals to make the big bucks. With the rise of online music promotion on the Internet, the possibilities are literally limitless. One of the most effective ways to market yourself and your music is through a website. But, the trick is driving traffic to that site. Fortunately, through the use of search engine optimization, these are not impossible music promotion resources . Using keywords and title tags throughout your site will definitely help you achieve these results. Get your link out there. Post it on your MySpace page, your friend's pages and exchange with other bands. Another way to achieve this is by placing your music for sale on sites that cater to independent artists trying to maximize their online music promotion exposure. These sites list your CD&#

The Not So Tech Savvy Musician

by Ty Cohen You are a musician, right? Not a computer geek. I know you want to bust on to the online music promotion scene but you don't know where to start. It is tough because you know lyrics and sound, not megabytes and gigabytes. But that is o.k., you still have hopes of succeeding with your Independent music promotion dream. Everyone knows that there is money to be made online, especially musicians and artists. The problem is for most people is that they don't know how to build a site, design a site, maintain a site and most importantly everything else that goes along with online music promotion on the internet. Not to mention placing streaming video, slideshows and MP3s on your website. But there is no need to worry, you are not going to have to spend thousands on hiring someone to do this for you. You can learn how to do it yourself and save yourself tons of money. You don't have to be super technologically savvy to achieve any of the above mentio

What to Include on Your Music Promotion Website

by Ty Cohen One of the powerful tools you can have as when attempting independent music promotion is a website. This is a given. There is absolutely no excuse for a musician, in this day and age, to not have a website. You website is how you will reach the world. This is how you will market yourself to every single person you come in contact with. The internet and your website will be two of the most powerful music promotion resources you will have. If you are sold on the idea of online music promotion and are ready to start your site but don't know what to include, then you have come to the right place. It is crucial that you properly design your site and include all the correct information. You want to be as creative and stylish as possible, all the while staying true to who you are and what your music is about. Other independent artists are making a killer living online selling their music and merchandise and so should you. independent music promotion on your

Which Musical Instrument is Recommended for Beginners?

You have decided to take up a musical instrument but you are not sure which one to choose. When deciding to purchase a musical instrument there are a number of factors that might influence your buying decision: * Will the instrument I choose be affordable? * Which instruments are easy to learn and which are difficult to learn? * Will it be a quiet instrument or a noisy one? * If I don't choose a popular instrument will I be able to find a teacher easily? * Is the musical instrument of my choice popular or is it an instrument that not many people play? * How much will a lesson cost? * I want to choose a musical instrument that I can play in a band. What instruments should I choose? * I want to play a certain type of music. Which musical instruments are suitable for different styles? In the following article I will be answering all of the above. Here is a list of musical instruments to choose from listed in popularity, with the number 1 being the most popular: 1) Guitar