Piano Buying Guide - Two Tips

Over the years of working on pianos (I have been a registered piano technician and a performing pianist for over 25 years) and in talking with my customers I have seen over and over again that buying a quality piano can be a challenging and daunting task. So I finally decided to put together this information together - to share with you the essential keys I have learned over the years to make sure you buy a quality instrument that will bring you pleasure for a lifetime.

Buying a Piano - You Get What You Pay For

Never get a piano simply because it is cheap or free. In the absence of an accurate appraisal, you may succeed at first with an inexpensive front end acquisition that soon after turns into a rear end headache. I have seen too many people under such circumstances giving up on their excitement and enthusiasm towards playing the piano simply because they made a poor buying choice. You should consider the purchase of your next piano to be a major acquisition that requires careful consideration. As with most major purchases, you do get what you pay for. If you want to buy a piano that will work well and last for many years, you should to expect to pay at minimum $3,500 to 5000 for an entry level console/studio piano and $10,000 to 12,000 or so if you are looking for an entry level grand piano. Of course you can expect to pay a lot more if you are looking to get a more precious brand like Steinway, Bosendorfer or Sauter but this gives you a basic range to start with. If you see a new piano for less than this, chances are that it just won't measure up to your needs over time.

A Piano's Design Is the Blueprint for What a Piano Will Be

Pianos are still essentially an old world technology. Bottom line - the sound quality, playability and durability of a piano begins with the following three factors. It's design, materials and the craftsmanship in assembling it. On the outside pianos can look to be very similar. But there are many intricacies that go into constructing a piano that affects how it plays and sounds. Some of these include scaling, action design, and the tension resonant structure (the soundboard, the pin block, plate, and rim or back of the piano).

I know that this area can get kind of technical, so I want to give you some easy guidelines on picking the right design for the kind of use you intend for your piano. Generally speaking, it is always optimal, if you have the resources, to go for a grand piano. Grand pianos just have a superior design over an upright and the action and sound is just better. But if you do not have the space or want to spend the money for a grand piano, then you should look for a larger upright (a studio to a full size upright). Consoles can be ok if you are a beginner or beginning intermediate player. But if you want an instrument with more sound and resonance a full or studio upright is something you should consider. I would generally recommend staying away from spinet style uprights - they just do not have the action or sound that will measure up to any type of players' needs.

Eben Goresko is a Classical, Ragtime and Stride Pianist. Eben studied classical piano at Temple University as a Piano Performance Major and has studied Jazz Piano with several notable Jazz Musicians. He also has extensive experience tuning and servicing pianos and has been qualified for over 25 years as a Registered Piano Technician of The Piano Technicians Guild.

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The Piano Industry - How Old World Technology Endures in the Twenty First Century

"The Piano Industry" as it exists today consists of numerous segments, sub-businesses and professionals. There are the piano manufactures, such as Yamaha Piano Company, Steinway and Sons Piano Company, Baldwin Piano Company and Kawai and Mason & Hamlin Piano Companies, to name a few. Specialists range from piano engineers who design pianos to piano teachers, tuners, dealers, refinishers, technicians, movers and institutions such as music schools and piano bars. Piano Buyers are always looking for goods and services from these businesses.

The means of manufacturing and servicing pianos has kept pace with the rapid and frequent changes in technology in the 20th and 21st century. Ironically, piano design has hardly changed at all since mid-1880. While there were literally millions of pianos built during the 19th and 20th centuries, the bulk of the global piano industry resulted from U.S. manufacturing prowess during the Industrial Revolution. From the 1880's to the 1930's, the piano was the product that facilitated entertainment, performing arts and supported the joy and sharing of music on a grassroots level from local bars to peoples homes. In the early 20th century, the piano industry was one of the fastest growing and most popular industries in the United States. At present, it is a very tiny but significant industry because at its core, the piano is about making music.

Most recent changes in the U.S. Piano Industry are as follows. Because of globalization trends, more and more companies have moved from the U.S. to Asian countries such as China, Malaysia, etc. Sadly, Yamaha Piano Company, for instance, has moved their American manufacturing plants to these other countries because of cost pressures.

Eben Goresko is a Classical, Ragtime and Stride Pianist. Eben studied classical piano at Temple University as a Piano Performance Major and has studied Jazz Piano with several notable Jazz Musicians. He also has extensive experience tuning and servicing pianos and has been qualified for over 25 years as a Registered Piano Technician of The Piano Technicians Guild.

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Piano Buying Guide

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Roaring Twenties Bridal Shower

Do you want to throw a bridal shower so unbelievably fun that your friends will be talking about it for years? Design your bridal shower party theme around the 1920s, when flappers were dancing the Charleston and you had to whisper a "password" to get into your favorite speakeasy.

Invite your guests to dress in flapper costumes with lots of fringe, feather boas, and long pearl necklaces, as well as beaded shawls tied around the hips. Headdresses were very important in the Roaring Twenties and women were wearing turbans, rhinestone tiaras, headbands and cloche hats. (A cloche hat has a basic bell contour with a bulbous crown.) And every smart flapper had a flask that was tucked in her garter for emergencies!

Have your bridal shower in the evening where you can serve wine, champagne, or non-alcoholic cocktails. Mint Juleps were very popular at that time. Surprise your guests by staging a "midnight raid." Invite husbands and boyfriends to come to the house near the end of the party posing as prohibition agents.

Decorate your party with old silent movie pictures from that era. Any poster from movies with Theda Bara, Charlie Chaplin, Fatty Arbuckle, and especially, Rudolph Valentino, would reflect what everyone was talking about in 1920-1930. Put on the jazz and ragtime music and have a dance contest with dances like the Charleston, the Shimmy and the Black Bottom. Send your flappers home with candy lipstick and fake tattoos and they'll say it was the best bridal shower ever.

Kathleen Mary is the owner of Beautiful Bridal specializing in discount tiaras, veils, bridal and bridesmaid jewelry. Visit our blog for wedding planning tips, advice and information.

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Ballroom Dancing - What Are the Jive and the Samba?

Two of my favourite Ballroom Dances would be The Jive and The Samba.

The Samba is a composition of several different South American dances that were practiced by slaves bought into Portugal in the 16th century, like the Catarete, Embolada and the Batuque. These dances were considered vulgar by the Europeans and one of the dances, the Batuque was so popular that it was outlawed. The Batuque was danced in a circle with steps resembling those of a Charleston with a solo dancer in the center of the circle.

Eventually, carnival steps were added and the dance was modified to use the closed ballroom position and considered a proper dance by the Europeans.

The Samba appears to be a combination of all these dances (and probably others) and is danced to a heavy hitting rhythm and its main moves are walking and side steps and incorporates a lot of hip action. For this reason, it is thought that The Samba a perfect party dance.

In the Samba, Ballroom Dancing Judges look for accuracy and passion in the Volta (crossing in front of the body), the Samba Roll (moving the upper body in a circular motion while going through a six step turn) and the Botafogo (traveling walk that includes a direction change). Judges always look for outstretched arms and the distinctive climax of the Samba where the dancers throw their heads back and their arms are splayed out to the side.

The fastest of the Latin Dances, The Jive is believed to have originated in New York's Harlem area although some believe it originates in the southeast United States.

The Jive is a face paced, rhythmical dance which has been influenced by other styles including Boogie, Rock, African American Swing and the Lindyhop. The Jive is also known as the Cake Walk, because in the late 1800's the Negroes in the south held competitions where the prize for the best Jive was a cake.

Although dancers appear to have their legs and feet flying everywhere when performing The Jive, they're feet are directly under the body with the knees always close together. The woman is twirled a lot and there are a lot of kicks.

The Jive is generally performed to music known as Ragtime. The reason the music is called Ragtime may be because the dancers dressed up in their finest clothes ("rags") or because the syncopation of the music giving it a ragged feel.

Both the Jive and The Samba are wonderful dancers that are a joy to watch.

About the Author

Charly Leetham has an abiding interest in Ballroom Dancing with both of her children undertaking Ballroom Dancing classes and performing exceptionally well.

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PianoForAll Review - Brings Technology to Piano Lessons

Have you ever wanted to learn to play the piano? No matter what your favorite style of music is, the PianoForAll teaching system will give you the tools you need to be able to sit down at any piano and sound like an expert. This incredible comprehensive piano lesson package uses efficient teaching techniques that will quickly help you become acquainted with the keyboard, learn how to hold your hands correctly, then give you some chord progressions that sound impressive in your first few lessons.

1. How Does PianoForAll Work?

The PianoForAll program is easy to learn from and takes you on a logical progression through different piano playing styles. You will begin with simple chords, which are the backbone of any musical style. If you are interested in learning to accompany yourself while you sing, these chords will accomplish that goal in your first set of lessons. Once you have mastered the chord progressions, you will begin to learn specific styles from several different genres, including blues, ragtime, and classical.

2. Several Styles.

Ten different e-books take you through all of the different piano playing styles you could hope for. PianoForAll includes a separate book for each different style, including jazz, blues, rock 'n roll, and classical. You will learn how to increase your learning speed so that you can pick up new pieces more easily. You'll also learn what you can do to make those chord progressions from the first book sound complicated and impressive when some of the other lessons are added in.

3. Audio And Video Lessons.

PianoForAll takes advantage of the latest technology to give you lessons that you can watch and listen to. The videos show you exactly what the lessons are supposed to look like so that you can imitate them. The audio lessons will help you train your ear as well as your fingers so that you will be the best pianist you can be. The e-books include links to sound files that will play your lesson so that you know exactly what it should sound like. Video files are also linked in each e-book for convenience.

Is Pianoforall a scam? Visit http://www.millionsreview.com/pianoforall-review.html to read a FREE report and find out the truth about this Piano Keyboard Lessons before you order!

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How to Plan a Perfect Cocktail Party

Cocktails have seen something of renaissance in recent years, and a cocktail party is one option for entertaining in the early part of the evening. If you want to indulge in the delights of dressing up, a cocktail party provides the perfect excuse for introducing a Twenties or Thirties theme, with the women dressed as flappers and the men in black tie or wearing striped blazers.

Carry the theme through with jazz, swing and ragtime music taped as background for the party. Food should be easy to eat with the fingers and there should be plenty of it to quell the effect of strong cocktails. On the subject of drink, make sure there are plenty of alcohol-free alternatives for those who are driving and for quenching raging thirsts before embarking on a cocktail-sampling session.

Cocktail style

The focal point of a cocktail party is the bar. Although the kitchen is an ideal location for this, it is more fun to locate your bar in the main reception room. Here are a few pointers to bear in mind when hosting a cocktail party.

1) Make sure you have several cocktail shakers. Have a large jug and tall mixing stick for making thirst-quenching cocktails.

2) Lay out different shapes and sizes of glasses on separate trays ready for different strengths of mixes. Offer mineral water, fruit juices and non-alcoholic alternatives on a separate table.

3) Place large bowls of snacks around the room, and make sure there are lots of canapés, or very small sandwiches, and finger food such as mini quiches and rolls pate.

If you are intending to give a morning cocktail party from which your guests may be going on somewhere for lunch or shopping, then your cocktails should be light in flavour and not too alcoholic. Champagne has been a perennial favourite as the ideal morning drink, whether it be served b itself or as part of a delicious concoction.

Essential for your cocktail is ice. If you entertaining on any scale at all then you will have to order ice from a local delivery service. If you are lucky enough to possess a large deep refrigerator then you will be able to store home-made ice in it. Always make sure that you have a good stock of glasses available and that you have at least one person, depending on the size of your party, either to be offering your guests replenishment of their cocktails, clearing away and washing used glasses or serving some form of light refreshment.

At whatever time of the day you are entertaining it is a good idea to serve some form of food. The original idea of the cocktail party was that it was a prelude to a meal and canapés would be served with the cocktails. It is good to offer a smaller selection of well prepared canapés and snacks than to have a mixture of various types. Two or three cold canapés and one hot is usually sufficient for any cocktail party and will probably be quite enough for you to cope with, unless you are fortunate enough to be able to enlist the help of a friend or two to assist you in your efforts. As an alternative to canapés, perhaps you could experiment with some of your own favourite foods. Rolls of smoke salmon stuffed with creamed avocado pear and stilton, broiled scallops en brochette - the list of possibilities is endless and mouth-watering, and many recipes books are available to provide you with ideas.

Visit http://www.allcocktailsrecipes.com to explore more luscious cocktails recipes that you can serve in a cocktail party.

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Piano Playing Secrets Of The Pros

It's no secret that professional piano players use techniques that amateur piano players don't. So what else is new? Professional golfers use techniques that amateur golfers don't use (at least not very well), and pro ball players use techniques that sandlot and weekend athletes don't use -- or again, not very well.

So it's not surprising that professional piano players have some tricks up their sleeves that the rest of us mortals don't have. But that doesn't mean we can't try to emulate the great pianists. We may not pull it off as well as them, but we sure can have a lot of fun trying, and who knows? Maybe a few of us can actually learn these techniques well enough to win some admiration from our friends, join a group, play for our own enjoyment, or whatever.

Here is a list of just a few of the technique the pros use when they play piano. There are more, of course, but this is a pretty good estimate of the most important skills:

Pro Secret 1: Straddles. Leaving one of more notes out of a chord to create an open feeling.

Pro Secret 2: 2/1 & 3/1 Breakups. Breaking a chord up by playing part of the chord & then the rest of the chord.

Pro Secret 3: Waterfall Chords. Broken chords cascading down from the top of the keyboard similar to a waterfall.

Pro Secret 4: Tremolo-Fired Runs. Rapid-fire runs made of chords, but starting with a tremolo.

Pro Secret 5: Half-Step Slides. Approaching the next chord from 1/2 step above or below.

Pro Secret 6: Suspensions. Using the 4th as a "hangover" instead of the 3rd.

Pro Secret 7: Chord Substitutions. Harmonizing songs using different chords than the traditional ones.

Pro Secret 8: Voicing in 4ths. Stacking chords in intervals of 4ths instead of 3rds.

Pro Secret 9: Turn-Arounds. A chord progression that turns you around, like a cul-de-sac.

Pro Secret 10: Introductions. Creating a front door for the song.

Pro Secret 11: Endings. Creating a back door for the song.

Pro Secret 12: Transposing. Playing a song in a key different than it was written in.

Pro Secret 13: Modulating. Getting from key to key smoothly.

Pro Secret 14: Altering a Melody to Create a New Melody. Using neighboring tones to craft a new tune.

Pro Secret 15: Inversions. Instead of always playing chords in root position, using a variety of "upside down" chords.

Pro Secret 16: Creating Original Chord Progressions. Linking chords together creatively.

Pro Secret 17: Echoes - Rhythmic, Melodic, Harmonic. The easiest way to begin the arranging process.

Pro Secret 18: Touch. The difference between a sledge hammer and a pillow.

Pro Secret 19: II7 to V7 Progression. One of the most common chord progressions.

Pro Secret 20: Latin-American Rhythms. Using various rhythm patterns such as Samba, Bossa Nova, Cha Cha, etc.

Pro Secret 21: Locked Hands Style. Playing the melody in both hands with a chord under the right hand melody.

Pro Secret 22: Jazz Styles. Lush, offset beats, comping, color tones, etc.

Pro Secret 23: Two-Handed Arps. The Flowing River Of Sound. Using broken chords in both hands at the same time.

Pro Secret 24: Parallelisms. Parts moving the same direction (such as 10ths, octaves, etc.)

Pro Secret 25: Ragtime Techniques. Barrel-house and early jazz styles.

Pro Secret 26: Polytonality & Superimposition. Playing in two keys at the same time, and playing two different chords at the same time.

Pro Secret 27: Delay-Catch-Up Technique. Falling behind the beat, then catching up.

Pro Secret 28: Slash Chords. Chords over a left-hand counter melody.

Pro Secret 29: Counter-Melodies. Creating a sub-tune that is complimentary to the main tune.

Pro Secret 30: Western Sounds. Wagon-wheel bass styles, etc.

Pro Secret 31: Gospel Sounds. "Get on that church" and "shouting" styles.

Pro Secret 32: 12 Bar Blues. The basis for thousands of songs in all styles.

Pro Secret 33: Passing Tones. Tones that "pass through" the current chord.

Pro Secret 34: Question-Answer Techniques. Repeating a previous musical phrase but in a new way.

Pro Secret 35: Far-Out Harmonies. Extended chords, altered chords.

Pro Secret 36: Syncopation. Playing between the beats.

There are other techniques the pros use, and new techniques are always being invented. But for a list of worthy goals for an aspiring piano player, this list will keep us busy for a long time.

For more info on piano playing secrets of the pros, please go to "Piano Playing Secrets Of The Pros!" In addition, a series of 101 free email lessons on piano playing is available at "Exciting Piano Lessons On Musical Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions!"

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