Jahan Raymond has been compared to Mozart. At 9 years old, his original compositions are astounding audiences.
All posts by Robert Estrin
Under $1000 Piano: Which is better, acoustic or digital?
Buying a piano in the under $1000 price point presents tremendous challenges. Years ago the only choice was to buy an old upright. Today there are digital pianos that can offer an alternative. Which is a better choice?
While there are many digital pianos on the market for well under $1000, plan on spending $800 in order to get a good weighted action and sound. Yamaha in particular has many models at that price point that are quite good. In fact, spending more offers more features but not necessarily a superior instrument. The exception is the quality of the built in sound system which makes a huge difference in the more expensive models. If you invest in a good stand for stability and utilize a decent quality home stereo system or good computer sound system with sub woofer, you can get very good results without investing thousands of dollars for a high end Clavinova or other digital piano.
No digital piano has the nuance of expression and refinement of touch of a fine acoustic piano. However, most pianos under $1000 require extensive work in order to achieve a high level of playing. However, you may find a high quality console piano that has been sitting in a living room for a long time without being played much. These instruments have fallen out of fashion so sometimes you can find a fine used piano like a Baldwin for a few hundred dollars. Plan on investing at least $100-$300 for regulation, voicing and tuning.
Which offers a better practice instrument? There are advantages to both. A new digital piano will be precise. It also offers the option of practicing with headphones. You can also connect it to your computer for all kinds of applications from music notation to sequencing of compositions with orchestrations utilizing different instrument sounds. It is also portable so you can take your music with you.
The acoustic piano has the benefit of an almost infinite range of expression. While digitals keep getting better, the complex action, interaction of harmonics, pedal subtleties and expression can be invaluable to an aspiring pianist. If you are taking lessons or are considering taking lessons, it is important to invest enough to achieve a minimum level of performance. Otherwise, I suggest you are better off with a decent piano and no lessons rather than an inferior instrument and lessons. Practicing on a bad piano or inadequate digital piano can make lessons unproductive and become a frustrating experience. We are fortunate at this time in history to have a choice of acoustic or digital pianos.
How to Buy a Piano – Spotting Good Action.
There are many things to consider when purchasing a piano. The action is certainly important. The complexity of all of the parts working together in precision is awe inspiring. Interestingly, the action is the one part of a piano that can be restored to like-new condition to the vast majority of pianos. Of course, the level of performance is relative to the quality of the original design and manufacture. Many companies produce first-rate actions.
It is rare to replace an action. When you hear of people utilizing Renner action in a rebuilt piano, they are not putting in a new action, they are replacing all the worn parts. This accomplishes exactly the same results, but rarely do keys, keyframe and the basic structure deteriorate at all. (However, it could be possible with water or fire damage.)
The action is comprised of different elements that wear at different rates.
Bushings: The keys pivot on rails in the front and back of each key. Around the rods are felt bushings. In time the felt becomes compacted and there is play in the keys. The front rails can be turned to achieve tighter tolerance since the rails are not round. Eventually the key bushings need to be replaced when there is too much play.
Hammers become worn from hitting the strings. The felt becomes compacted at the point of impact with the strings. They also become somewhat flattened out in time. They can be reshaped with filing and voiced by needling to get uniform tone. Eventually after many filings there is no more felt to work with and the hammers must be replaced.
Hammer shanks and knuckles: Sometimes the joint that the hammer pivots on (the knuckle) becomes worn to the point that the hammer doesn’t hit the strings in exactly the same point each blow. That is when it becomes necessary to replace the knuckles and shanks.
Dampers: Above the strings are the dampers. When the felt becomes hard, noises and inconsistencies in the termination of notes results. Often these problems can be regulated, but there comes a time when optimum results aren’t possible without replacing the felt.
Back check: There is a leather piece that engages the hammer after the key is pressed. If the felt becomes hard, it can be roughed up to avoid excessive noise. If the leather is too hard it must be replaced too avoid action noise.
Felt action rail and key punchings can harden and replacing is desirable.
Whippen: Now here is where it gets interesting! There are around 100 parts to the action and all the rest of them come pre-assembled in a piece called the whippen. So when rebuilding an action to new condition, there is nothing more to do than what I have listed.
First-rate parts are available from a variety of companies. The important thing is using the right parts that match the original specifications. When this is done, the performance of the action is indistinguishable from a new piano. When you hear of a “New Renner Action”, they don’t actually put in a whole new action, they are using Renner parts to rebuild the action.
Are the newer composite materials utilized in many Asian pianos superior to the traditional wood parts? Here is one clue to the answer to that question. Both Yamaha and Kawai use synthetic materials in their actions. However, their best pianos, Yamaha S series and Shigeru Kawai have all wood actions. In fact, other than Mason & Hamlin which is utilizing the questionable practice of sourcing pre-assembled composite actions and plates from China, no handmade piano uses synthetic materials in their actions!
The fact is, there are aspects to a piano that is fundamental to the quality of the instrument. Even the best action will wear out and need attention over time. But the soundboard, scale design, rim materials, bridge composition, string tension, and plate manufacturing process are intrinsic to the quality of the instrument. These things cannot be improved. So, when looking for a piano as a long-term investment, this is what is most important. That is why a hand-built piano cost more and are more valuable over time. It is also why it is not advisable to rebuild Asian production pianos. There is limited potential for what results are possible. Over time the basic structure of these instruments deteriorates because of the design and materials utilized in manufacturing allowing for the right price for mass marketing.
Robert Estrin
949-244-3729
How to Practice the Piano Part 2 – Sight Read Almost Anything
How To Practice the Piano
3 Part Series
There are 3 separate skills in learning to play the piano:
• Memorizing
• Sight Reading
• Improvising
You can become quite proficient in one or two of these skills and be completely deficient in others. It is necessary to take a unique approach to develop each of these skills. The biggest mistake you can make is to not be clear as to which skill you are working on!
- How To Sight Read Almost Anything
The piano presents tremendous challenges in sight reading. While basic tone production on the piano is easier than almost any instrument, (Just try to get a sound out of a flute!) composers make up for it by writing incredibly complex scores.
The secret is to keep your eyes on the music no matter what. If you look down at your hands, you will stop reading. You must count and keep your eyes moving to each measure without ever correcting mistakes. This is very unnatural since practice requires exactly the opposite approach.
If you count and keep moving, your hands will hit many right notes. The more reading you do, the more right notes you will get!
Should you rent a piano?
You want to think long term when embarking upon piano lessons. Given a choice, most kids might not always brush their teeth, clean their rooms or do their homework. Practicing the piano is no different. If your child asked you, “Do I have to do my math homework? I don’t like math”. If you’re like most parents you would tell them that math is an important part of their education and it’s necessary that they do the work. Practicing the piano is no different. Families who value music education are successful with their children’s piano lessons. The vast majority of piano students go through slumps when they just don’t practice as much as they should. If you are waiting to stop the lessons when that occurs, you are setting up your child for failure. You are better off not starting piano lessons at all and finding something else that you can commit yourself to. The best you can do as a parent is provide the finest instrument and teacher you can afford and encourage your children to practice and reward them with opportunities to play for family and friends. Practicing is hard work if done correctly. I have met countless people who have expressed great regret for having given up on piano as children. It is a delicate balance getting your children to practice. They must practice in order to grow but if forced can end up hating it which defeats the whole purpose! But if you can work with your children positively, the rewards are a lifetime enjoyment of music.
A piano investment is not like buying other things. Unlike a car, refrigerator, TV, or countless other purchases, the piano you buy can last a lifetime. The higher the quality of the instrument you invest in, the higher the resale value because cheaper Asian pianos depreciate much more quickly than hand-made American and European pianos. That is why buying a used, higher end piano in good condition makes a lot of sense for many people. With the current market, it is a phenomenal time to get exceptional value in many things including pianos.
How to Play Piano – Part 3 – Arms Equal Power and Depth
HOW TO UTILIZE PARTS OF THE BODY: Power Versus Speed
In playing the piano, different parts of the body are utilized according to the requirements of power and speed. The more power required, the more mass of the body is utilized. The more speed, the less mass is needed.
– Finger technique: When the utmost in speed is required, only the fingers will do.
– Arm technique: When massive strength is called for as in big chords, only the arms can provide enough power.
– Wrist technique: While not as powerful as the arms, the wrists are faster than the arms and more powerful than the fingers.
