The Music Instrument Store

Yamaha YPT210 61 Full-Size Keyboard Bundle

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Retail Price: $279.88

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by Chris Jensen

Many people believe that learning how to play the piano is extremely difficult and not everyone can learn how to play this classic instrument. However, Robin Hall tries to correct this belief by introducing a Piano For All course available in pianoforall.com.

Piano For All is a complete piano course that lets you learn how to play pop, blues, jazz, ballads, classical, and many other pieces on the piano. It also lets you learn how to play piano faster – you will not need to wait for years to see results, you will start noticing changes in your piano playing skill in months.

Robin Hall’s Piano For All course lets you start with popular chord-based rhythm style piano playing. This playing style is relatively easier to learn than any other style yet it sounds remarkably like real piano playing. This helps you pull off a professional sound almost instantly. Once you believe you sound great while having lots of fun you can take on more advanced chord and rhythm pieces in the blues, ballad, jazz, ragtime, and improvisation styles. How? Because Piano For All integrates learning and fun that encourages to continue learning more. Eventually, you will find yourself progressing to sight-reading classical pieces with Piano For All as a guide.

This piano course has 10 modules: Party Time / Rhythm Piano (basic), Shake.. Rattle ‘n’ Roll.. (blues and rock ‘n’ roll), Chord Magic, Advanced Chords Made Easy, Ballad Style, Jazz Piano Made Easy, Advanced Blues Piano & Fake Stride, Taming the Classics, Speed Learning, and Bumper Resource Book. It also has 200 video lessons to help you in every step of the way. The e-books are also embedded with 500 audio piano lessons to help cut the learning time in half.

Robin Hall gives interested students a plus by having Piano For All available in great payment options. You can choose to order one book at a time or you can choose to have the complete piano course on a CD-ROM. With Piano For All, you will not have to spend money, time, or effort on traditional piano lessons.

Melissa & Doug Learn-To-Play Piano

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Retail Price: $69.99

Amazon Price: $39.50

by Bart Icles

A lot of people have dreamed of being able to play the piano but do not really want to pay a lot for piano lessons. The good news is there is an effective way wherein you will be able to save both time and money and, at the same time, learn the piano properly. It involves a simple principle that is commonly used in practice anywhere.

To be able to learn how to play the piano properly, it is very important to gauge and to analyze what you think will work for you and what you think will not. Once you are able to determine these things, you need to do the necessary adjustments in order to make it work for you, that is, according to your rules, means, and lifestyle. Being able to do this will allow you to teach yourself and save yourself the cost of paying for a piano teacher. You can apply this principle also in all aspects of your life if you come to think of it.

As with all the other aspects of your life, when you make a decision, you should, of course, exert an effort to be able to create the output, otherwise, you will not be going anywhere. It is the same thing that you need to do when you decide to learn how to play the piano.

Once you decide to learn how to play the piano, teach yourself. Exert the effort that you think is required to be able to meet your goal. Given that you analyzed and dissected your options, you will be able to teach yourself from the basics to the most complicated things in terms of piano playing. More often than not, all the effort that you will be exerting in learning how to play the piano will enable you to reach your goal. And once you learn what is important and what is not, you will be able to skip those that you think will not be able to really help you and instead, enable you to concentrate on those things that are really useful and important. This technique also enables you to save precious time.

Remember, all things in life are easy if you are able to analyze it and do away with the unimportant parts accordingly. The same principle is applicable in learning how to play the piano. Teach yourself now and experience the rewards.

Casio PX-800 Privia Digital Piano with Weighted Scaled Hammer Action Keys

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Retail Price: $1,199.99

Amazon Price: $899.00

by Jesse Darnell

How does one move a piano? Very scrupulously.

Okay, I am being a tiny harsh, but moving a piano is a major undertaking.

I’m a gigantic disciple of hiring a professional mover to move a piano. Pianos are heavy and it’s not difficult to damage a piano while moving it. I’m talking from experience. I own a Kimball piano my folks acquired brand new for me when I used to be a child. That piano was a big thing to me after having played on an old “clunker” of a piano for many years. I played that new piano each day.

When I got married it was time to move the piano to my own home. My partner and his siblings moved it themselves. It wasn’t a simple job even with the moving dolly they used (pianos weigh several hundred pounds – grand pianos can weigh 1,500 pounds ). The beginner move of my piano resulted in each of the piano legs being damaged ( a standard occurrence when folks move a piano themselves ) and some unplanned internal work (some pins needed repair and a string broke ). I should have employed a piano mover. Then I wouldn’t have had those problems, but my partner and I thought we might save money by doing it ourselves. It had been a lesson I should have recalled, but I was dumb a second time.

A few years back my hubby and I built a new house. When it came time to move the piano again, my partner was disinclined to hire somebody to move it professionally because our pocketbook was already feeling empty from the expense of building the house ( he called our new house a “money-sucking black hole.” ) In his mind, moving it wasn’t a big score. Our new house was less than 2 miles from our old one ; and he had a dolly, a trailer, and a brother who was willing to help him.

Everything went O.K till my man turned into the driveway of our new home. The sharpness of the turn strained the ropes holding the piano on the trailer and they broke. The piano tipped over and sustained a large amount of damage (the entire “guts” of the piano are ruined and the case is chipped and scratched). I haven’t had it fixed yet, but I have gotten an estimation. It’s going to take a large amount of time and money to mend the piano. It must be completely reconstructed. Due to the labor involved, it would be cheaper to purchase a new piano than have it fixed, but the piano has plenty of sentimental value to me so I will have it fixed. This is why I say, “Hire a professional!”

What does a professional piano mover do to guarantee a safe and successful move? With upright pianos, they nearly always strap the piano on a skid called a piano board. They also cover the piano with blankets to help protect it. The complete bundle is then often put on a dolly and brought to its destination. If steps are involved, the piano is taken off the dolly and slipped up or down the steps on the piano board.

Moving a grand piano is a bit more involved. The lid, lid hinges, pedal lyre, and leg on the straight side of the piano are usually all removed. The piano is then put on the piano board, on its side, with the straight side down. The other legs of the piano are then removed. The piano is then covered with blankets, strapped to the board, and put on a dolly.

Some movers do not like to move a piano up or down stairs. If it’s feasible, they like to hoist it to the acceptable floor via a window that’s big enough to accommodate the piano.

So what do you do if you simply need to move your piano from one part of a room to another? First, decide if it is truly vital to move it because there’s always the risk of damaging a piano even with a short move. Piano legs are the most likely thing to get damaged or broken.

Be really careful to elude putting too much weight on the legs. Get some robust folk to help if the piano is an upright; and get at least 5 people if it is a grand piano. With an upright or spinet, tilt the piano back a little to take the pressure off the front legs, but be careful not to tip it back too far and tip it over. With a grand piano, lift the piano up enough to get the pressure off the legs before you try and move it. It’s not obligatory ( and not recommended) to lift the piano off the floor wholly.

If you are going to move a piano frequently, consider having it fitted with special casters that will allow you to move the piano simply. Or, have the piano placed on a piano wagon.

How you do you find a good piano mover if you’ve decided to not try and move it yourself? My recommendation is that you call your local piano store and ask them for suggestions. They’ll be able to offer you the name or names of credible movers in your area.

Ok, so you’ve decided you are definitely going to move your piano and you have selected a strategy. Now you have to work out where you’re going to put the piano. Where should it go?

Try to put your piano in an area of a room where there are little or no drafts, drafts, where it’s out of direct daylight, and where the temperature and humidity are stable. The reason being because pianos are delicate to humidity and temperature. Plenty of temperature and humidity swings bring about a piano to go out of tune faster than ordinary, can damage the wood case, and if they are severe they even finally cause structural failure.

Don’t place your piano over or next to a heat vent and elude placing it close to a fireplace. Don’t put in front of a window because that’s typically a drafty place as well as one with direct sunlight. Try to discover a room in your home or flat which has consistently stable temperature and humidity. That’s the best room for your piano.

If you can not find a place in your flat or home that is out of direct sunlight, free of drafts, and doesn’t have enormous temperature swings, you may want to consider having a climate control system installed in your piano.

Moving and placing your piano correctly will help ensure you have a beautiful instrument to play for ages instead of having what I now own – an oversized paperweight that needs to be dusted.

Music Ace Deluxe

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Retail Price: $79.99

Amazon Price: $49.00

by Lisa Landon

If you are wondering how difficult it may be to learn to play piano online, here is your answer. Learning piano online can be easy. There are many online courses and software programs that have been created to make learning to play piano fun, and worth while.

All you need to get started is of course a computer, and internet connection. From there you will download your piano software, or for those programs that do not use software, you will receive video tutorials, and guides. Each of these programs to learn to play piano online will vary in technique and price, but with a quality program the lesson and outcome will far out weight the price you will pay for them.

If you are just getting started, the tricky part is knowing which program is right for you, and initially figuring out how to choose one that will give you what you are looking for.

Through out your search you will find an abundance of online piano courses that range from downloading software, viewing videos and e-books, to full on audio courses. There is not one course perfect for everybody, and it is up to you to sift through them to chose one that is perfect for you.

Learning to play the piano online may sound a bit unconventional, however the fact is, learning by this method is easy and extremely cost effective. The best part is, you can do it anywhere.

Review these 3 tips to get you started

Tip #1 Do Your Research

It is important that you figure out what your learning style may be before making a final decision on a program. With the hundreds of programs available to learn to play piano online, there are many that cater specifically to a type of learning style.

If you are a visual learner a program that consists of mainly videos would be one to consider, rather than an audio course with only a couple video supplements.

Tip #2 Choose A Technique

Each program prides itself on their teaching style and technique. There are several different way to learn to play the piano. You may learn by chords, reading sheet music, or playing by ear. Determine for yourself which method you may be most comfortable with.

Tip #3 Support or No Support

Continued support may be an item that is important to some but not to others. In my opinion this will vary based on the individuals level. A beginner pianist may want additional support through out their learning, and should chose a program that offers extended support through the course.

If you feel that you may benefit from having that support while going through the process of learning to play piano, it is recommended to chose a program that will continue to support you via email or forums.

Using these 3 tips will help lead you in the right direction, and make it easier to chose a program perfect for you to begin learning to play piano online.