I would say that a free piano sounded like something you don’t hear very often!
But, in keeping with the Christmas spirit, your friends at Sheargold Music have decided to give away a fantastic digital piano to one lucky winner!
We are giving away 1 of the fantastic Kawai digital pianos; the Kawai CL25.
To enter the competition, simply visit www.winapiano.co.uk and answer a simple question.
All correct entries will be entered into a draw and a winner will be picked at random on 16th December for delivery in time for Christmas.
Buying a new piano can be an overwhelming experience. With so many brands, styles and features, where do you start? Well, at the beginning:
INITIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
Proficiency Level
In general, it’s a good idea to buy a piano of slightly higher quality than you think you deserve, and then grow into it. If there are several pianists in the family, aim your purchase toward the most advanced. A higher quality piano is an excellent investment, and will hold its value much better. So, if piano lessons don’t work out in the family, at least you can re-sell it at a price fairly close to what you paid for it.
Space
- Upright pianos need about a 5 feet wide x 5 feet deep area (including space for the pianist and stool)
- Grand pianos need a space about 5 feet wide. The length required will range from
4 1/2 to 9 1/2 feet, depending on the model, plus another 2 feet for the pianist and stool.
Make sure the piano can be placed away from sources of heat and cold like radiators, heating vents, air conditioners, direct sunlight and fireplaces.
Money
Buy the tallest upright or the longest grand that you can afford. The longer the strings and the bigger the soundboard, the better the tone.
Grand or Upright?
Space, money and proficiency will be the deciding factors here. Grand pianos are generally superior instruments to uprights. The action of a grand piano allows for faster repetition of notes, and for better, more subtle control of expression and tone than upright pianos. The exception to this rule is the “Baby grand”. Any grand piano under 5 feet long should be avoided as a serious instrument. A full sized upright will sound better, at a cheaper cost.
What Brands Are Best?
Today’s piano market is flooded with thousands of pianos coming from countries like the U.S., Austria, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, China and Russia. With so many models and price points offering different features for different segments of the public, it is impossible to generalize the quality of one brand over another. The best thing to do is try as many pianos as you can, and decide for yourselves, or if you feel unqualified to judge, ask a local tuner/technician.
Furniture
Although it is important for you to be happy with a beautiful-looking instrument, don’t let it be the deciding factor in purchasing a fine quality musical instrument. Let the quality of construction, the tone and the feel of the keyboard be the final judge.
Warranty
Make sure the warranty is for both parts and labour. Take a copy of the warranty home and note what servicing is required by you in order to comply with the terms. Post your warranty registration card if required to obtain the warranty extensions.
Have the Piano Inspected By a Technician
It is well worth the money to have the piano inspected by a certified piano technician. Your technician can do the final check of details that you are unaware of, such as the tightness of tuning pins, action regulation, cabinetry defects and other items that you can request the dealer to tweak before you have the instrument delivered to you. New pianos are generally checked by most dealers when they arrive from the manufacturers and some are more careful when inspecting than others.
There was an interesting guitarist on the first episode of the new Later with Jools Holland series last night on BBC2. It featured Kaki King, an instrumentalist musician from Marietta, Georgia, playing an Ovation guitar in a very interesting way.
Her style combines fret-tapping with slap bass techniques, as well as sound layering and looping, which creates a percussive and complex sound. Her playing style has been likened to that of Michael Hedges and Preston Reed, the latter of whom she cites as an influence.
I found it very interesting to watch as I have not really seen a guitar played this way before. Below I have a copy of the video for her song “Playing with Pink Noise”
