Archive for the 'Piano' Category

Piano Tuning

Piano tuning means that tensions in the strings of the instrument are adjusted. This is what needs to happen to keep your instrument in tune. This service can be provided to you by a registered tuner or technician.

There are a few things to consider when looking into this matter. These are:

How Often Should I Have A Tuning?
As often as possible silly! All joking aside this is the number one question on any piano owner’s mind. Before asking this question there is something to keep in mind. A piano is an investment, think of it as a car.

Piano tuning is much like tuning up a car. For either of them to run at their best, they must be serviced properly by a licensed technician. Secondly, keeping up a maintenance schedule will help you keep your instrument sounding beautifully in tune.

As a general rule, though normal use, a piano should be tuned every six months to a year.

If you play your piano quite a bit, you will need to up the tunings to every few months. Remember that you paid a big chunk of change for that large instrument in your living room, keep it from depreciating too quickly with proper care.

Many people wonder how to tell if their piano is in need of tuning. A simple test is to just listen to the notes. If they start sounding “off” while playing your favorite tunes than its time to get an adjustment.

Newer pianos may need more tuning for the first few years. The strings in a newly purchased piano are tight and stretch quite a bit. Pianos that have been restrung will also need more frequent tunings until the strings have been “seasoned” again.

What Is This Gonna Cost Me?
Obviously the service isn’t going to be free. Just like everybody else, tuners have to pay bills, and things like gas are going to affect their bottom lines. Prices are going to differ quite a bit form region to region and how much experience a tuner is bringing with them.

The type of piano is also going to play a role. A grand piano is going to run higher than a run-of-the-mill upright. The condition of the instrument will also be a factor in the final cost of the tuning as well.

If any repairs need to be done for such as broken strings or worn out hammers, the price of the tuning will reflect this. Some tuners offer a quote to help you gauge costs. On average the cost will be between $75 and $200.

The Piano Tuner Wants Me To Do What?
There are many things that tuning can uncover. At times there can be extra things that need to happen to your piano before it can be restored to its former glory. Aside from restringing and rehammering there are other things that most people write off as “the piano tuner hustle”.

Understand that registered piano tuners are held up to stringent international standards set forth by the Piano Technician’s Guild. These standards dictate what must be done to preserve the piano as an investment and musical instrument.

When a technician tells you that your piano needs regulating, he is not trying to sandbag you into an up-sell. This operation is a set of adjustments that are performed on each note. The adjustments affect the action of the keyboard giving you a more responsive experience.

After frequent use, the keys start to become “slow” or less responsive. Regulation restores the play of the piano and should be performed every five to ten years.

About the author: Claim your Free Piano Lessons eBook! Get ready to add a new dimension to your life. Everything you need to learn piano is right here. And new articles are added each week, so keep coming back for all the free tips, lessons and and helpful advice you can handle!
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com

Piano Lessons

Learn to Play Piano Fast!

If you’ve ever wanted to learn to play piano, you are in good company. Many people list “Learn to play the piano” on their New Year’s Resolution lists, or have it as a goal for their future. However, not many people take the steps necessary to learn how to play.

The sad part is that taking the time to learn to play piano has many advantages. In all actuality, with the right method, learning to play doesn’t take as much time as most people expect.

I believe that everyone can benefit from having some musical ability. The piano is one of the most versatile instruments. With a few simple lessons, you can learn to play:

  • Classical
  • Swing
  • Jazz
  • New Age
  • Rock/Pop

I can guarantee that you will never get bored playing the piano. There is always a new style to try, or a new song to master. Plus, sheet music is most likely available for your favorite songs, which makes the process even more fun.

Playing the piano is seen as a very intelligent skill, and with good reason. The skills you master when you learn to play piano will help increase your hand eye coordination and improve your left and right brain thinking. There is always something new to learn when you learn to play piano.

Just by learning a few songs on the piano, you’ll exercise your brain and gain a reputation as a semi-genius!

One of the fastest and most satisfying ways to learn to play piano is taking a chord-based approach. Most piano teachers will teach from a classical method. This includes those infamous scales, learning to read music, playing Fur Elise again and again…all the (boring) things we typically think of when we picture piano lessons.

The classical method does work, but it takes forever…which is why most teachers focus on this approach. Think about it. If you were a teacher, charging $40 an hour, would you go with a method that will take your students years to master? Or would you choose a method that has them improvising their own music and understanding musicianship within a few months?

I’d personally go with the option that will guarantee me long-term clients who will pay me $40 a week for years on end.

Learning to play by chords, however, is better for the students and not the teachers. If your goal is to learn to play piano, a chord-based approach to learning will give you more satisfaction, more quickly than the classical method. Your time-spent learning will be greatly reduced and, better yet, you’ll actually understand how music is created.

So find a teacher, or website, that focuses on chord-based teaching, and you’ll be able to finally reach your perpetual “learn to play piano” goal.

About the author: Claim your free Piano Lessons eBook! Get ready to add a new dimension to your life. Everything you need to learn piano is right here. And new articles are added each week, so keep coming back for all the free tips, lessons and and helpful advice you can handle!
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com

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