Yamaha Tyros2 Tyros3 » piano

The Immense Popularity of the Piano Continues To This Day

tyros2 — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:13:59 +0000

Every since about 1709 when Christofori announced that he had invented an instrument to upscale the harpsichord,the piano has been the premier musical instrument in terms of popularity and versatility.

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.

My Piano Room

tyros2 — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:27:48 +0000

My piano room

Excitements always fill my chest as I walk through the glass folding doors with white wooden frames is my piano room. It is not big in size, just like the size of a garage that fits two cars. It is rectangular in shape surrounded by four walls that are light green with bumpy textures. The ceiling of my piano room is reachable if I make a casual leap. There are three windows in the piano room. Two of them tall and skinny on the chimney side of the wall and behind the piano is the big window taking out almost the entire wall space giving a view to my back yard. On a sunny day the windows allow the sunlight to brighten up the entire room splattering shadows of the dogwood’s shaky branch and leaves on the wooden floor. Near the entrance is a dark grey sofa. It is somewhat modern and square looking with four short dark wooden legs and the front two legs anchoring the carpet in front of it. It is a mid-size sofa. Four guests could barely fit on it. This is the room which I fancy the most in the entire house. This is where most of my joys were found and numerous precious memories were stored.

The attention grabber is often times not the shiny black concert grand piano in front of the sofa, but the carpet under the sofa. The carpet has such a unique feel to its texture and look. It has countless little marshmallow-like cotton cylinders on it. They are so marshmallow-like that you could almost taste its sweetness and would want to take a bite out of it if it weren’t on a carpet. On the carpet is a square shaped black wooden desk with four skinny square legs. A book as thick as a dictionary is always available for the guests on top of the table and in between two dark green scented candles, and it is full of different landscape photography taken by a Taiwanese photographer.

The fire place has a mantel made of piled up red bricks that climbs up the wall that forms the chimney which reaches all the way to the ceiling. The fire place is old and it makes the entire piano room smell like burnt wood especially during winter times when the fire place is often lit. The fire place reminds me of Christmas. Perhaps I’ve just seen way too many Hollywood Christmas films that whenever I look at the chimney I feel like playing “The Christmas song” by Mel Tormé for it appreciating all those warmth it had brought to this room.

The piano is the main theme of the room. It is to the far right corner placed at an angle with its back towards the sofa, and it adds a level of graceful atmosphere in this room. It is placed at the corner of the room even though it does not fit at all. I received this piano as a birthday gift on my seventeenth birthday. It is a concert grand piano with a black exterior so shiny that it is mirror like. The keys are made out of wood with snow white finish contrasting the black wooden keys in between them. The keys always appear so calm and graceful, even though they have gone through countless arpeggios and melodies.

I first saw this piano in a piano gallery in northeast Portland. In the piano gallery there were all brands of high end pianos, Steinway & sons, Böesendorfer, Mason and Hamlin. I played on every piano in the showroom like a four-year-old kid who just wants to touch everything he sees. They all sounded like expensive pianos. However, there was only one piano that I immediately felt a connection to after playing just a couple notes on it. It was the YAMAHA grand piano. The piano had a really unique echoic quality to its tone, making the pianist’s playing brighter and clearer, and it is the kind of sound quality that I have always been looking for in a piano. Therefore after a radical debate with the seller about the piano’s price we bought it.

My piano and I have gone through numerous memorable times together, either the good times playing all the Chopin and Mozart or the bad times playing the dull scales. Usually Chopin, Liszt and Rachmaninoff’s solo and concerto pieces are layered over one another on the piano’s music stand, just because I never bother to put them back onto the book shelf after playing them, and even though the shelf, which fits perfectly in the corner, is only two steps away from the piano. The piano lid is usually raised and kept at a thirty five degree angle, making the piano’s sound brighter and crisper when played. It also allows people to see its golden sound board and strings that can create amazing sensations through simply vibrating the air with their unique frequencies.

Due to the fact that my mother and I both absolutely love arts, there are several paintings in the room. The biggest painting is on the wall behind the sofa, hung at the mid-wall height. The theme of the painting is gods from a Chinese folk tale. It was imported from China which my mom paid a celestial price for. It doesn’t quite fit with the western interior design of the house, but it is one of those things that after a while you kind of just get used to looking at it. The other two that hang on each side of the chimney are contemporary oil paintings by this artist who only draw pianos.

The piano room has also been known as the lady bug’s room. By the time spring arrives, lady bugs start showing up in the piano room. No one knows exactly where they come from and why they only appear in the piano room, but they have become some of my most loyal music fans. Whenever I am playing the piano, my dear fans are always here to back me up. They do not criticize my playing but simply appreciate the music which I find to be quite noble. However, every once in a little while there would be an exception where one of them would stand on the staff on the score reminding me that I missed the F sharp back there. To be honest sometimes it really makes me wonder why the lady bugs suck up to me so bad, maybe it’s because they don’t want me to call the bug exterminators on them.

Ever since I’ve moved into the dorms, all I have for practicing piano is in my small studio room and the Yamaha electric keyboard. The piano room back at my house seemed luxurious by comparison. Excitements of playing in my piano room always fill my chest whenever I am heading home once in a little while. When I start playing in my piano room after a long span of separation from it, the room would feel somewhat unfamiliar to me at first. However, the unfamiliar feeling goes away as I play a piece or two on the piano.

Warming up is important before playing. After sitting down on my adjustable piano chair, I usually warn my fingers up by playing Chopin’s Etudes. When I feel like my fingers are ready, I move on to playing whatever piece I am trying to mastering currently. Before I start playing, I like to close my eye and imagine if I am playing on the stage of the Carnegie hall in front of a full house. Doing such usually makes my playing more precise, because I feel the responsibility of performing professionally for my imaginary audiences. And usually what happens after I’m finish playing the song is that I all the sudden realize that I’ve day dreamed again. Nevertheless, it is always fun while it last, even if it seems stupid afterward.

The Piano room brings me joy, is my favorite room in the house. It is here where I can toss all the worries and pressures aside and simply indulge in playing the music that I like. No matter if I am feeling angry like a new born volcano, under pressure like a deep sea submarine, or depressed like the U.S.’s economy, playing a piece on the piano always relieves me like a shot of morphine. The stress, anger and sadness are absorbed by the piano bits by bits every time my fingers contact the keys. The Piano room is my play room and my source of endorphins.

Which Piano Brands Are Best For Beginners?

tyros2 — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:40:51 +0000

Figuring out the best possible brand of piano to purchase for a player that is just beginning can be a pretty difficult task depending on the particular situation. No one can come right out and tell you what piano to buy, it’s a decision that you must work your way to with a good bit of research.
There are a number of questions that you should ask yourself before jumping into a purchase that may be as major as buying a piano.
Has the beginner ever played before?
If the beginner that you are considering buying a piano for has never so much as played the instrument before and there is no one else residing in the house that will play, some serious thought should be put into the decision. In fact, if this is a situation that you are currently facing, it might be advisable, if possible, for the beginner to take a few lessons at a studio or to purchase a less expensive, electronic keyboard to begin with to be sure that the beginner will hold some interest in the endeavor after the initial novelty begins to wear off.
The last thing you want to do is go out and spend more that twenty thousand dollars on a very large instrument that will take up quite a bit of space in your home only to find that there is no real deep interest there. A keyboard is a good, inexpensive and portable learning tool that will help you gage if there is a real interest there, and it will still be of use later down the road after a full size piano is procured.
What fits my situation?
If you are sure that purchasing a piano is the right decision, then you’ve got some serious studying to do.
In all reality, the best brand of piano for your beginner is going to be the one that fits your particular situation, in terms of price, size and sound quality.
There are plenty of excellent manufacturers of pianos available in every imaginable style and price range: Steinway, Wurlitzer, Kawai and Yamaha each have different musical quality and each manufacturer comes with a potentially very different price tag (Steinway produces pianos that are well in excess of six figures, where as Yamaha produces a quality instrument for under twenty thousand dollars.) Each brand will have a style, sound and price that will appeal to different types of players.
Pianos come in two different “body types”, uprights and grand pianos. Grand pianos normally produce a better sound quality, but uprights are often far less expensive and easier to fit into your home.
You’ll want to visit plenty of show rooms, do a lot of testing out different brands and talking to a good deal of sales people, teachers and technicians in order to narrow down the possibilities and begin to select the piano that may be right for you. You want a brand that has good merit, a solid reputation and that offers a good warranty.
Once you’ve got a manufacturer in mind that you feel comfortable with, it’s time to pick the most appropriate model for your situation – if at all possible, try not to buy the manufacturer’s least expensive model. It’s no secret that the cheapest model in terms of cost is probably the manufacturer’s model that is also of the lowest quality, a few hundred to one thousand dollars price difference could mean a world in the difference of quality of the instrument.
Don’t despair that you can’t afford the world’s greatest piano right from the beginning, many reputable manufacturers have a “trade up” option that will allow you to upgrade to a better model when you feel that you may have outgrown your current piano.
When it comes to buying a piano, as with making any other major purchase you want to be armed with information – ask a lot of questions and buy what you can afford. Pick a manufacturer that has a trade up option so you’ll always be able to have the best possible piano for your situation.

The MIDI Controls On An Electronic Piano Keyboard

tyros2 — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:51:43 +0000

Almost all electronic piano keyboard functions have MIDI controls. They use an interface to send data as well as receive data. Now what is this data thats sent or received by these controls. For the simplest type of keyboard, data would be sent at the moment you press a key on a keyboard. These signals would then determine the specific note that has been pressed and the duration of the act or pressing down of the note. The duration has to be acknowledged because the amount of time the key is being pressed down for; has to be the same on the receiver or other keyboard source. Along with this signal there are other factors working which enables the success of the MIDI control. Each key that you touch has a sensor to it. Now, the function of this touch sensor is to sense the amount pressure that is being applied to the key and according the depth of sound produced, that note will vary. For more pressure the sound will be deeper while for less pressure it will be mild. Previously, only professional digital keyboards included MIDI. However, today all the electronic piano keyboards use it for effective sound production. The main purpose of the MIDI on an electronic piano keyboard is actually to produce a variety of sounds rather than just improving the quality of sound. This function is often preferred, as it enables the user to produce a variety of digital effects in the music he or she is playing. You can have effects like delay, reverberation, tremolo and the very common chorus effect. These effects help enhance the sound sensation of your music and therefore create different registers of track in the listener. Also, auto harmony can be used to create complemental notes of each single note at any pitch possible. There are also the modulation and pitch wheels that are added benefits along with the sustain pedals which help hold the notes for as long as necessary.Before MIDI was a common feature, keyboards were quite boring but now, every electronic piano keyboard can be used to produce a wide variety of sounds and effects.

A To Z Information On Digital Keyboards

tyros2 — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:38:33 +0000

Digital keyboards that feature full 88 touch sensitive keys will perhaps be the best choice for you if you wish to capture the feel of an acoustic piano. A damper pedal attached to it would be even better. However, you have to keep in mind that keyboards of this variety will set you back by $1000 more.These kinds of digital keyboards are ideal for beginners or those who are into their 1st year music lessons. The starting price for cheap acoustic pianos is around $2000. So you can naturally guess how much an expensive electric keyboard will cost you. When you purchase a keyboard, you must check to see that it has USB connectivity and PC connectivity. Such features will raise the price bar higher, but ultimately you will be the gainer in the long run. Don’t think of digital keyboards as substitute for an acoustic piano, rather it should complement or be an adjunct to the latter.If you are a complete novice who wants to test the piano learning waters or wants to gift your children a piano to encourage him or her to take up piano lessons or if you are not sure about the student’s interest levels and don’t want to waste a lot of money on something super expensive. Then the cheaper varieties of smaller keyboards will be ideal for you and they cost less than $200 and are therefore, extremely pocket friendly. You can make do with these types of keyboards for quite a few months. These types of digital keyboards have a rudimentary type of damper pedal, the keys might often turn out to be not so touch sensitive and there will be no more than 4/5 octaves. A full keyboard usually features around 8 to 9 octaves. Another feature that you must check while purchasing a digital keyboard is whether the instrument is MIDI compatible or not.Nowadays, you can avail yourself of different models featuring both complex and simple kinds of keyboards, which are sold with piano training software, and the makers nowadays make available different varieties of software and hardware combinations.

10 Things You Might Not Know About the Electric Keyboard

tyros2 — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:12:29 +0000

1. Some of you may think of someone playing the electronic keyboard as a “pianist”. Well you’d be wrong. They would actually be referred to (by someone who knows what they are talking about) as a “keyboardist”. Sounds clumsy, but it’s true.
2. The term “electronic keyboard” is used to mainly describe the cheap end portable home sequencing keyboards, but is also commonly used to include many variants such as the digital piano, the synthesizer, the electric organ and the arranger keyboard.
3. Many electronic keyboards commonly use MIDI signals to send and receive musical data. MIDI is essentially a sequence of instructions that identify the sound used, the note pressed, the duration of that press, although the complexity of the MIDI system will vary with each keyboard. Some cheaper end models of electric keyboard (such as keyboard toys) simply will not output that data.
4. Many keyboards have the ability to add a “foot switch” or “sustain pedal” as it is commonly referred to. The application of the foot switch enables a pressed note to “ring” for longer and better replicate the sounds of many keyboard based instruments including the organ and the piano.
5. Electronic keyboards across the world have been commonly built by instrument manufacturers such as Alesis, Casio, Ensoniq, E-mu, Kawai, Ketron, Korg, Kurzweil Music Systems, M-Audio, Moog Music, Ne-Ko, Roland, Technics, Yamaha and Sonic to name but a few!
6. Features that keyboardists would be interested in when choosing a keyboard include touch response, after touch, polyphony (the number of notes that can be played at the same time), multi-timbre (playing more than one instrument at the same time), tempo, split point (the ability to split the playing area into different instruments), style, synchronisation, auto harmony, wheels and knobs (to control and vary different features on the keyboard) and response (weighted or spring loaded).
7. Synthesizers are actually slightly different from the standard electronic keyboard in that they can produce a variety of sounds by generating, combining and distorting signals of different frequencies. Unlike the keyboard, the synthesizer produces an electric signal (rather than an acoustic signal) which can then be played through an amplifier of some kind. Synthesizers are most commonly controlled by a keyboard device, although this is often integrated into the machinery.
8. Perhaps the most infamous synthesizer is the Moog Synthesizer, famous for its role in many 1970s and 1980s pop hits and popularly used by artists such as Jean Michelle Jarre and Duran Duran.
9. The earliest incarnations of the non-electric keyboard are the pipe organ, the hurdy gurdy and the harpsichord. The organ is the oldest of these from perhaps as early as the third century AD.
10. The first keyboard to be powered by electricity is said to be the “Ondes Martenot” which appeared in the early 20th century (approx. 1928). It is actually still played today in some French conservatoires thanks to some compositions written specifically for the Ondes Martenot. It produces eerie wavering notes and was produced by “varying the frequency of oscillation in thermionic valves”. Whatever than means…

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tyros2 — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:26:52 +0000

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Yamaha YPG-635 88 Key Digital Piano Bundle With Yamaha WB2 Bench & Yamaha SK88 Survival Kit

tyros2 — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:58:14 +0000

Yamaha YPG-635 88 Key Digital Piano.
- 88-key portable keyboard with realistic Graded Hammer Standard action, Touch Response and built-in 12-watt stereo amplifier..
- Graded Hammer Standard technology emulates behavior of lower and upper registers of an acoustic keyboard..
- Built-in 2-way speakers with separate 4.7Inch woofers and 1.2Inch tweeters, bass-reflex ports for improved low end reproduction..
- 500 onboard high-quality AWM sounds, dedicated stereo Grand Piano.
- Built-in digital effects with reverbs, chorusing and harmony, pitch wheel for real-time control.
- 6-track sequencer for composing, 16-part multi-timbral capability.
- Yamaha Education Suite tutorials for personal instruction, 30 internal preset songs plus 70 additional songs on supplied CD-ROM.
- Yamaha Education Suite songs separated into left and right hand parts, with 7 levels of lessons and lesson grading.
- Chord Dictionary displays the notes and chord names on the LCD screen.
- 150 Auto-accompa (more…)

Yamaha P85 Digital Stage Piano (Black)

tyros2 — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:58:07 +0000

The Yamaha P85 Digital Piano features an authentic, natural sound with remarkable expressiveness in a compact, affordable piano.This new Contemporary Piano gives you all the dynamic, high-quality sound and natural piano response you expect from Yamaha, along with a high-quality built-in speaker system – packed into a slim, exceptionally affordable digital piano you can play virtually anywhere. No compromises, full quality.Exceptionally High-quality SoundThe gorgeous piano sounds of the P-85 feature meticulous digital sampling of a full concert grand piano – that change in tone and volume depending on how you play – thanks to Yamaha’s sophisticated AWM Stereo Sampling.Realistic, Acoustic-like Touch ResponseEnjoy authentic, naturally expressive key touch – modeled after an actual acoustic piano, from the low notes to the high – with the Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) keyboard.Ultra-compact, Stylish DesignThe attractive, slim, lightweight design of the instrument – less tha (more…)

Yamaha DGX230 76 Full-Sized Piano Style Keys, 489 Instrument Voices

tyros2 — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:58:02 +0000

If you’re looking for a reasonably priced piano replacement, look no further than the DGX-230. It is the music student or professional musicians answer to I need more keys! and many music teachers encourage new students to get a keyboard that will grow with their needs. It features 76 non-weighted keys that not only look like piano keys but have a Graded Soft Touch (GST) action with different levels of resistance, making it easier for a budding musician to move to an acoustic or digital piano. The DGX-230 delivers on its piano theme with a special mode of fingering called Full Keyboard Mode. This allows the player to play the keyboard like a piano; for example a chord with the right hand and bass notes with the left. When using the accompaniment feature, the virtual band will follow these chords. Traditional portable keyboards normally require you to chord on the left side of the keyboard, in the bass section, which is foreign to most piano players. The DGX-230 is a (more…)