The harpsichord played all at one volume level-no soft or loud. So when an instrument was invented that played both soft and loud it was appropriately named the “pianoforte” (which means “soft-loud”-later the name was shorted to just “piano”).

Most instruments are not solo instruments in the sense that they require an accompanianist, but not so with the piano. It can play alone as well as with combos, orchestras, or whatever. It’s unique sound qualities make it the first choice in musical instruments for millions of folks the world over.

Because of that fact, multitudes of people around the world have purchased pianos and continue to purchase pianos in hopes of mastering the “musical monster with 88 ivory teeth”. Some of the dominant manufacturers are Steinway, Yamaha, Baldwin, Kawaii, Bosendorfer and many others. Pianos come in various shapes and sizes, including:

Grand Pianos:

Parlor Grand. Size 4′5″ to 5′5″

Baby Grand. Size 5′0″ to 6′5″

Medium Studio Grand. Size 5′6″ to 6′5″

Semi-Concert Grand. Size 6′6″ to 8′0″.

Concert Grand. Most concert grands are 9′ in length

Upright Pianos:

Spinet. Size 35″ to 39″ tall.

Console. 40″ to 44″ tall.

Studio: 45″ to 47″ tall.

Professional. 48″ to 52″ tall.

Every since the invention of the piano, parents have signed their children up for piano lessons in hope they would become the next Mozart, or a least be able to entertain family and friends. But for every 100 kids that start piano lessons, probably less than 20% or so actually continue with the lessons long enough to play decently. Still, it is a good education in music, and certainly good for developing self-discipline and focus.

To really master piano playing, a beginning student must gradually learn many different disciplines and aspects of music including:

*Sight-reading sheet music (or the score of a classical piece);
*Fingering of scale passages and chord formations; *Keyboard chords, from major chords to minor chords to augmented chords to diminished chords to 7th chords and more;
*Music theory, including major scales, minor scales, whole-tone and chromatic scales, and the “church modes”, plus some specialty scales such as the Mediterranean scale, the blues scale, and so on;
*Key orientation including knowledge of the tonic note or tonic tone, triads, arpeggios, the concept of key (key of C, key of Eb, key of F#, etc.)
*Intervals including unisons, inversions, chords-both primary and secondary:
*Figured bass, chord symbols;
*Dynamics and dynamic markings such as sforzando, presto, largo, allegro, etc,
*Many other aspects including pedaling, body position, ear-training, music appreciation, a study of the great composers such as Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Beethoven, etc., interpretation, arranging, and a host of related subjects in the harmony and music theory areas.

This often involves years of learning at home with a teacher ( sometimes supplemented by online music lessons) and numerous music books, chord charts, fingering diagrams and musical scores. Meanwhile the student learns to play songs and classical pieces galore that contribute to the warmth of the home and the enjoyment of the family.

And if the student fails to become another Brubeck or Garner, he or she has still benefited tremendously in terms of music education, appreciation, the ability to concentrate, and many other qualities that flow out of having taken piano lessons. Plus he or she has brought the sound of music into their parent’s home, and hopefully will continue with it when they form their own family.

Eight-thirty: I have been practicing the tabs of this Rufus Wainwright song – as well as some original compositions – for over two hours now. My band mates haven’t yet called; we are all supposed to meet after lunch to rehearse for the gig tonight at a local bistro called The House of Blues. They’re probably all still asleep, with the exception of Andrew, who is the most diligent harmonica player I’ve ever known.

Ten-twenty: After my Communications Theory class, I pull out my cell phone to read the text message I’ve been waiting for. “Let’s meet at Tony’s house 1 pm. See you later.” Tony is our lead vocalist, he has a really powerful rock star voice, but I don’t think he realizes how good he is. Oh – he also has a neat house and a makeshift recording studio in his basement with a lot of awesome audio equipment and hi-tech effects pedals.

Twelve noon: I have just had lunch (a four-inch BLT sandwich), and before I drive all the way to Tony’s house, I first check in at the library to look up something on the Internet. Andrew had E-mailed me something he saw at the Guitar Center website; it was a combo amp that might work well with my guitar. I find out that if I use coupon codes I can slash down the price from $150 to $100 – a good deal, considering that it’s one of the most popular brands for musicians and audiophiles, Crate. Anyway, I also chat online briefly with my girlfriend Jenny, who I hope will show up to watch us tonight.

One-thirty: We’re feeling it. Tony is in his element, Andrew is showing off some new musical stylings, Richard at the keyboards is striking complicated but breathtakingly pretty chords, and I am plucking and twanging away like Johnny Lang who has drunk too much caffeine. I love making music, and it makes it even all the more worthwhile with a group of friends who are so dedicated to the craft – and who don’t worry too much about talent fees.

Five in the afternoon, and we are all headed to The House of Blues. I like the place not only because they serve some tasty barbecue, but also because they have an addictive pinball machine right by the cocktail bar and the owner lets performers like us play for free. But Jenny’s not yet here, I’m afraid. “Still in Starbucks, having coffee with girlfriends,” her text message reads. Well, that or she’s compulsively scouring the Internet again for Victoria’s Secret coupon codes.

Nine-thirty: Our one-hour set is almost over. For the first time we perform “Teasingly Hazel Eyes” – a song I wrote as a tribute to Jenny. Yes, she did show up, and she clapped louder than the rest of them. As I get off the stage with Tony, Richard, Andrew, and my beloved guitar, I immediately walk up towards my girl and give her a kiss.

But in the last couple years I made a discovery about creating pleasant sounds on the piano that I never would have believed during my earlier piano teaching career.

I recall a physician friend asking me if I had any kind of course he could take that didn’t involve learning to read music or music theory or any of the traditional materials.

He had purchased a beautiful Yamaha grand for his daughter to take lessons on when she was growing up, but now she was married and moved away, so he had this grand piano in his living room with no one to play it. He was much too busy in his career to take traditional piano lessons;he just wanted to “doodle” after work in the evening and relax after a stress-filled day at the hospital.

Unfortunately, I told him “no, I don’t have anything like that available, sorry!” and that was the end of that story.

But a few months later another student had heard a “new age” pianist somewhere, and loved the sounds he produced so much that they wanted to do the same, and asked me how in the world he got those sounds. They weren’t really songs but more like the sounds of nature and running water and nature in bloom.

I have taught piano for 30 years and I’m a firm believer in learning to read music, understand music, and really master the keyboard. I’m no fan of mindless “shortcuts” because I know in the long run they just don’t work because you’ve got to have understanding.

But I also know now that there are many people like my doctor friend that would love to be able to make their own “pleasant sounds” on the piano just for their own satisfaction, relaxation, and amusement. They know full well that they will never be full-blown piano players, but still, they would like to sit down now and then and just make some sounds on the keyboard that sound good, feel good, and give satisfaction to them and/or their family.

I should have understood that earlier, because as I think back to my own youth, I recall my Dad sitting down at our old upright piano for a half-hour on a Saturday night and playing some kind of chording pattern that absolutely delighted my Mom and my big brother and I. I guess you know that if I could call him back from Heaven and have him play that again for me, I wouldn’t trade the entire London Symphony for that half-hour.

There is a style of music that is quite popular these days known as “new age” music. It tries to capture the sounds of nature such as water flowing, birds, wind, and that kind of thing. It is very descriptive music, and very relaxing. It’s fun to play, too, because there are really no “wrong answers”; anything that sounds nice and pleasant is “right”.

After trying for several months to create some of these sounds on the piano, I was delighted to discover that there are some very simple finger patterns that can create some wonderful impressionistic sounds using patterns that can be repeated in various places on the keyboard and in various ways.

And so for those people who just want to make some nice sounds on the piano (or keyboard or synthesizer, it doesn’t matter what kind of keyboard) I discovered some 15 different sound patterns that anyone can duplicate. I named some of them:

Cascading waterfalls
Wind in the forest
Rainbow after storm
Oriental gardens
Stroll in a meadow
Peaceful morning
Playful kittens
Gentle waves
and 7 others.

After I discovered each sound pattern, I then linked those sound patterns together in various ways so that anyone can create their own song, their own creative improvisation that expresses the feelings they want to express.

I guess an old doctor friend who just wanted to make some pleasant sounds on his grand piano can teach and old dog piano teachers like me a few tricks after all!

MIDI compatible instruments send out binary codes that a computer can understand. All notes that a musical instrument is capable of playing are assigned specific MIDI messages according to what the note and octave are. For example, the Middle C note played on any MIDI compatible musical instrument will always transmit the same MIDI message from its ‘MIDI Out’ port. What code will be transmitted when a note is played is defined in the MIDI specification. This comprises the core of the MIDI standard that all instrument makers like Casio and Yamaha follow.

Since All MIDI instruments follow the MIDI specification and thus transmit identical MIDI messages for identical MIDI events such as the playing of a certain note on the musical instrument, all MIDI instruments can communicate with and understand each other, as well as with computers which have been programmed to understand MIDI messages using MIDI-aware software. The MIDI interface, converts the current fluctuations transmitted by a MIDI musical instrument, into binary numbers that the receiving musical instrument or computer can process.

All MIDI enabled instruments have a built-in MIDI interface. In addition, computer sound cards usually have this built-in interface – if not, it can be separately purchased as a card and easily installed.

So what does this MIDI standard contain? The MIDI standard consists of a communications messaging protocol designed for use with musical instruments, as well as a physical interface standard.
The Physical interface consists of a one-way (simplex) digital
current loop serial communications signaling at 31,250 bits per second.

The advantage of MIDI is that it is low bandwidth consuming and hence is good for networks and Internet. Today, MIDI has become the choice for mobile phone service providers to offer their consumers the latest ring tones. Music lovers can also enjoy their productions and edit them directly with MIDI software allowing them to have complete control on their work.

That is not all! This wonderful standard of communication can also be used for show control, theatre lighting, special effects, sound design, recording system synchronization, audio processor control and computer networking. Any device built with a MIDI out port can in theory control a device with a MIDI in port. This can only happen if the maker of both the devices has made provisions for the agreements between the 2.

In conclusion, the MIDI standard of communication has changed a lot of things. The MIDI messages are light weight packages that can be stored and processed with a minimum of fuss and power. This makes MIDI an invaluable format for musicians, game designers and network workers. MIDI is also excellent for show control helping in presentations and other corporate environmental work.

There are 2 basic kinds of synthesizers: analog and digital. Many synthesis methods however exist which apply to both the above types of synthesizers. All these methods tend to be mathematically related for example, frequency modulation and phase modulation.
Some of these types are Subtractive synthesis, Additive synthesis, granular synthesis and wavetable synthesis.

The first true electronic musical synthesizer was invented by Relish Gray in 1876. While working at his telephone invention, Gray discovered that he could control sound from a self vibrating electromagnetic circuit and in doing so invented a basic single note oscillator. After this, synthesizers were controlled by early electronic analog computers and old electronic musical instruments. In 1950, RCA produced experimental devices to synthesize both voice and music. The giant Mark II Music Synthesizer could however synthesize only when it was programmed for a musical or voice performance.

Most modern synthesizers are however digital in nature. They are controlled by what is known as a digital signal processor or DSP. Some digital synthesizers are software that can modify sound using our daily computer machines.

The earliest digital synthesis was performed by software installed on huge main frame computers. Today, various complicated software exist that use the DSP technique to give you a taste of the real thing. They can even reproduce the classical analog synthesizers.

So how are synthesizers used? Well, in many ways. As modern technology evolved, uses have been found for synthesizers. Today synthesis is used to produce high quality music, movies and even voice packages. Groups as early as the Beatles used synthesis techniques in their work. They were followed by the hugely popular Pink Floyd.

Synthesizers are today used also to produce human simulated speech for call centers and multinational companies. People with visual impairments use this technology through a text to speech software that gives them access to modern computers making them independent. Dictation software like the Dragon naturally speaking also uses speech synthesis.

So how do synthesizers reproduce human voice? Voice synthesis is a fascinating topic. A recorded sample of a human voice can be modified so that it is completely different from the original. The sample can be used to generate codes that can be fed into a computer system to give it a voice. In movies, voice modification is done through digital synthesizers to give new and astounding speech to sci fi characters.

Synthesizers are a part of us today. They help us in every aspect of our lives. Starting from your washing machine to the latest robotics every one uses some form of synthesis with the help of digital synthesizing software. Musical instruments can be reproduced on your personal computer allowing you to become the next great artist without even learning to play. They can simulate and reproduce human voice allowing for great software like screen readers, speech recognition and other new and amazing packages.