The piano thread.
Discussion
Super Slo Mo said:
Hoofy said:
vournikas said:
robbocop33 said:
Another huge Chopin fan,one of my favourites here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZtBwlxL0Aw
Hopefully that's the link you wanted? The Berceuse is a delicious piece of music.I'm getting back into the piano after a 20 year break, while I'm much more enthusiastic now than when I was 20 (ish
), it's a lot more difficult to learn stuff in my 40's. Mind you, having the internet helps a lot, although I'm also having lessons off a crazy russian up at the local university. I know it's not for everyone, but for me, having lessons is a great motivator, if I was trying on my own I'd have stopped after a couple of weeks. Having a weekly appointment to go and get shouted at
is great. She also drills right down into the detail, to get the expression and interpretation of each piece sorted.I'm busy butchering Rimsky Korsakov, Dvorak and Khachaturian at the moment. All fiendishly tricky for someone of my limited ability, and in the case of the latter, ear splittingly discordant at times, which isn't entirely my fault
.Love it though, I wish I'd kept it up after I left Uni in the mid 90's. At the time it took a back seat due to work commitments.
As for having a teacher, it really can make a difference. I tried to learn this piece but gave up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IlDxUyQVB0 (And forget just bashing the right notes as I couldn't get that far.)
One of my friends can play it but she had a very good teacher.
It doesn't help that the score has things like B flat flat marked. YOU MEAN "A", YOU b
d! (Yes, yes, I know it's technically correct but it doesn't help when you're trying to teach yourself.)Edited by Hoofy on Monday 30th November 17:01
Hoofy said:
Let's work on bashing the right notes, first.
It doesn't help that the score has things like B flat flat marked. YOU MEAN "A", YOU bd! (Yes, yes, I know it's technically correct but it doesn't help when you're trying to teach yourself)
Well yes, getting to the stage where I can hit the right notes will take me a while anyway. It doesn't help that the score has things like B flat flat marked. YOU MEAN "A", YOU b
d! (Yes, yes, I know it's technically correct but it doesn't help when you're trying to teach yourself)I've forgotten so much theory it's embarrassing at times. Today it was 'pesante, not legato'. Not that I ever remember what pesante was in the first place, but that's probably an age thing.
I can't tell you what the piece is called, with my teacher being Russian, most of the titles are in Russian so not only can I not pronounce them, I can't even read them
. Composer is Prokofiev though, it's a famous piece, I know the tune. 
Help - a non pianist needs advice please
The kids play a variety of wind and string instruments and have got to the stage where their music teacher has suggested that we 'need' a piano for accompaniment during lessons. Nobody in the house plays the piano let alone knows anything about them although everyone besides me is fairly musical and would certainly have fun on their own tinkering with it.
The main question I have is how much do you need to spend for something that wouldnt be junk, and specifically are any models worth a look over others?
Nobody will have lessons let alone do grades as they are busy enough with other instruments so VFM is important.
The second hand market obviously appeals but looks a minefield on Ebay, I suspect by the time I have arranged a piano mover and a tune I would probably be better off buying second hand from a dealer - so again help with what is the equivalent of an MX5 but from the piano world would be appreciated.
I will ask the music teacher on her next visit but she has a connection to the local music shop so would like a little knowledge beforehand!
Cheers
Not really, wasn't clear whether you were just buying one for the kids to mess about with. If the teacher is expected to use it to teach multiple hours per week then I'd definitely defer to their advice.
A decent electronic keyboard may be worth considering - they don't use up quite as much space as an upright, no tuning, and if you get one you can link up to a PC it will add much more interest for the kids if they want to do more than just play their instruments - plus they hold their value pretty well. But ask the teacher's opinion as the features are very important; 61/88 keys,touch sensitivity/weighting,polyphony etc.
Don't forget to buy a stool too.
A decent electronic keyboard may be worth considering - they don't use up quite as much space as an upright, no tuning, and if you get one you can link up to a PC it will add much more interest for the kids if they want to do more than just play their instruments - plus they hold their value pretty well. But ask the teacher's opinion as the features are very important; 61/88 keys,touch sensitivity/weighting,polyphony etc.
Don't forget to buy a stool too.
I've recommended the Yamaha P105 before, although I think it's been superseded by the 115 now.
I bought one in January last year, in terms of keyboard feel, it's not dissimilar to a proper strung piano, and the main piano tone is sampled from the concert grand CFIII model, so is mellow and quite pleasant. There's certainly no need to run it through a computer to get a reasonable piano tone out of it, not for practice purposes anyway.
On the down side, the main piano tone is a little insensitive when playing loudly (fortissimo and above), and a little too sensitive when playing quietly (i.e. Pianissimo or quieter). That makes it a little tricky to transition between this and a real piano. It's better with the other grand piano tone, although that doesn't sound so nice. It's really only something a fairly advanced player would be bothered by, and would be fine for accompanying another instrument.
Another thing I've found is that it can be difficult to play with clarity, again especially with the main grand piano tone. However, this has a real benefit in that it forces you to be more disciplined and clearer with your playing, which really does translate well if you move over to a proper piano.
However, mine has developed a fault in that at least one of the keys is rattling. It doesn't affect the playability, but it's annoying and will be going back soon for repair. I don't know if it's because it's a cheap piano, or if I've been too heavy handed with it. If it's just your kids' teacher playing it once a week though, I doubt it will become an issue.
Mine came with a wooden stand and a 3 pedal unit, which is better than the cheap 'X' type stands also available and the loose single pedal which never stays put for long.
It all depends on your budget of course, if you prefer a real piano, and I would given half a chance, then it probably won't do. The Yamaha U3 is good, apparently, but they're £2,500 upwards for a decent used example.
It's probably massively overkill if it's just for the teacher to accompany your kids anyway, something like a Knight or a Kemble would be more than adequate. They're the 'school type' piano, tough and robust little things, that sound reasonably good for what they are.
There is a lot of dross out there now, badly made far eastern stuff, some of it with German sounding names. There's loads of info about on the web if you have time for a spot of Googling.
I bought one in January last year, in terms of keyboard feel, it's not dissimilar to a proper strung piano, and the main piano tone is sampled from the concert grand CFIII model, so is mellow and quite pleasant. There's certainly no need to run it through a computer to get a reasonable piano tone out of it, not for practice purposes anyway.
On the down side, the main piano tone is a little insensitive when playing loudly (fortissimo and above), and a little too sensitive when playing quietly (i.e. Pianissimo or quieter). That makes it a little tricky to transition between this and a real piano. It's better with the other grand piano tone, although that doesn't sound so nice. It's really only something a fairly advanced player would be bothered by, and would be fine for accompanying another instrument.
Another thing I've found is that it can be difficult to play with clarity, again especially with the main grand piano tone. However, this has a real benefit in that it forces you to be more disciplined and clearer with your playing, which really does translate well if you move over to a proper piano.
However, mine has developed a fault in that at least one of the keys is rattling. It doesn't affect the playability, but it's annoying and will be going back soon for repair. I don't know if it's because it's a cheap piano, or if I've been too heavy handed with it. If it's just your kids' teacher playing it once a week though, I doubt it will become an issue.
Mine came with a wooden stand and a 3 pedal unit, which is better than the cheap 'X' type stands also available and the loose single pedal which never stays put for long.
It all depends on your budget of course, if you prefer a real piano, and I would given half a chance, then it probably won't do. The Yamaha U3 is good, apparently, but they're £2,500 upwards for a decent used example.
It's probably massively overkill if it's just for the teacher to accompany your kids anyway, something like a Knight or a Kemble would be more than adequate. They're the 'school type' piano, tough and robust little things, that sound reasonably good for what they are.
There is a lot of dross out there now, badly made far eastern stuff, some of it with German sounding names. There's loads of info about on the web if you have time for a spot of Googling.
I'd go for a second hand Clavinova type piano - compact, cheap, sound OK for occasional use in lessons. A few hundred will set you up OK and you can sell it on OK.
An upright piano is a nice thing to have but they need expensive moving, tuning a couple of times a year even if you don't use them (and that's not cheap), and what might look OK in your living room might be awful inside, and vice versa! But reasonable uprights can be cheap. You need somebody who knows their stuff to help pick one out though.
I would agree with Knight/Kemble - my dad sold his lovely old Knight a few years back, one of the nicest uprights I've ever played. We have a Kemble at home and it's not bad.
An upright piano is a nice thing to have but they need expensive moving, tuning a couple of times a year even if you don't use them (and that's not cheap), and what might look OK in your living room might be awful inside, and vice versa! But reasonable uprights can be cheap. You need somebody who knows their stuff to help pick one out though.
I would agree with Knight/Kemble - my dad sold his lovely old Knight a few years back, one of the nicest uprights I've ever played. We have a Kemble at home and it's not bad.
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