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Choosing the right way to learn the piano

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Piano

If you’re considering learning the piano, you might be wondering what the best way to go about it is - for you.   Is it possible to teach yourself? Can you learn from an app?  Or is it best to go to a private teacher?  Let’s look at the options and narrow down the best choice for you.

How to Teach Yourself?

If you ever had piano lessons at some point in your life, then it might be a viable option to teach yourself the piano.  You might find it all comes flooding back to you as you get started with minimal help.  However, if you have never had any lessons at all in your life, you might struggle.

 

In order to teach yourself anything you need to be quite disciplined and have quite a bit of spare time as it’s likely to take longer than if you had a teacher.  The good news is that there are many types of support online. 

Modern Way of Learning – by Apps or Videos

There are quite a few good apps on the market that take you from the very beginning to quite advanced.  Several connect directly to electronic pianos and keyboards to deliver lessons from a device.  You could certainly get started this way, as you could with YouTube - or using a combination of both to reinforce concepts. 

The drawback of these options is that you haven’t got any personal feedback, which is critical.  There are many elements that come into playing the piano and an app or YouTube can’t get into the complexity of it like a live teacher can.

An intelligent app, such as Skoove or Yousician uses AI to listen to you play and gives you real-time feedback, which amounts to did you play the correct note and did you play it at the right time.  This can certainly do to begin with, but more for complex music this just isn’t enough - at least not if you want to play the piano well. 

Online Piano Courses

The method of learning the piano by online piano courses appeared not so long ago. It has some benefits, and the most obvious of them is the course price. It is much cheaper than taking private lessons because the whole course is prerecorded and many people buy it. Usually if you choose good online piano course you will notice that it is well structured and goes from easy to difficult topics. Course developers are good in piano and have teaching experience, and sometimes they can even consult you by e-mail if you are stuck on some lesson. But as in offline learning, you may sometimes not like the course just because the manner of teaching of this specific teacher is not suitable for you. Luckily most online piano courses provide money back guarantee if you are not satisfied for any reason.

Old School Way – Private Teacher

A private teacher either comes to your home, you go to theirs or you might want to give online lessons a try. Online lessons give you far more scope to find a teacher you really click with as they can be located anywhere in the world. 

Although online lessons seem on the surface to be less practical, they can actually be very effective and there are even some benefits over in-person lessons.  For instance, time you would spend travelling to a teacher’s house could be spent practicing. 

Another benefit of online lessons is that students who have an electronic piano or keyboard in their home seem to feel more comfortable at their own piano than on their teacher’s acoustic, and feeling more comfortable enables them to do better.

The biggest plus of taking piano lessons with a teacher - whether in person or online - is the personal interaction and feedback on how you’re getting on.  A teacher inspires and motivates, while teaching yourself, learning from an app or YouTube just can’t give you that.

There are several ways to track down teachers in your area, including local and online adverts, sites specifically to find teachers of all kinds of subjects, and word of mouth.  

Once you have decided whether you’d prefer in-person or online lessons and narrowed down your potentials, it’s time to start contacting your potential teachers to find out availability of days and times and fees. 

If you can narrow possible teachers down to two or three, it’s a good idea to have a trial lesson with at least two.  What you’re looking for is a teacher who makes you feel relaxed and comfortable.  They should also be experienced in teaching your level and the style of music you’re interested in studying.  After a lesson you should feel uplifted and inspired.

After you’ve had a trial lesson with a couple of teachers, you’ll probably know instinctively which teacher is right for you and you can start your journey towards learning to play the piano. 

Factors to Consider When Purchasing a Digital Piano

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In recent years, digital pianos have made huge advances in terms of relatively low cost and high –quality making them a great substitute to acoustic pianos. Unfortunately, with over 50 plus brands in the market, finding the right instrument that matches your purpose can be a daunting task. You need to figure out whether you are looking for fully-fledged digital piano. Would you like something that resembles the look of an acoustic piano? Should it be portable?

Therefore, it is essential to make a checklist of what you are looking for in terms of experiences, features, and needs. We have compiled a list of factors to consider before purchasing a digital piano. Although the list is not exhaustive, it will give an idea of what to look for before spending your hard-earned money.

Sound

It is no brainer that you need to pay close attention to the sound and tone of your piano. Usually, digital pianos produce sound by playing pre-recorded sounds of acoustic pianos. A good digital piano should sound less digital, warmer and closely mimicking an acoustic piano. For a high-quality sound, you need to pay attention to the speakers and internal sound library.

In addition, listen to the articulation and decay-from start to the end-of-the sound. A great digital piano should have high control over articulation and decay that closely resembles an acoustic piano. This feature makes it sounds more natural.

Polyphony

Polyphony is the maximum number of notes or sounds that a piano can create at any time. Usually, a basic digital piano starts with polyphony of 32 notes while the best models can have more than 200 notes. So why do we need so many notes? This is because the use of sustain pedal enables the piano to create and produce many notes at ago. Polyphony allows the pianist to be able to express themselves without the limitation of certain notes being cut off early. For instance, if you are playing a long string of notes using sustain pedal, the piano can produce more than 80 notes at the same point. A good digital piano should have at least 64 notes for beginners and 128-notes polyphony for more advanced pianists.

Connections

MIDI connectivity enables an easy connection between a digital piano and digital audio workstations. This allows you can to record yourself playing, as well as make good use of the readily available plug-ins. You can also link keys to the drum machine, create your own beats and drum loops. MIDI connectivity opens up to a whole new world of creativity and it is a must-have for all digital pianos.

All digital pianos have at least a single output whiles others have multiple connections for transferring MIDI information such as 5-pin connection and USB. The latest innovation features Bluetooth for wireless transmission of MIDI data.

Keyboard

The number of keys in a piano determines the number of octaves the pianist can access without having to hit the transpose buttons. Different Digital Piano has different keyboards varying from 25-key, 37 key, 49-key and 88-key. Usually, the more keys your piano has, the heavier it will be and it has the ability to produce a dynamic range. For instance, a 49-key s piano has 4 octaves that don’t really replicate the feel of an acoustic piano because it is either unweighted or semi-weighted. Most digital pianos come with a fully weighted hammer-action keyboard that resembles an actual acoustic piano. If your goal is to perform classical music, then choose a piano with a weighted key. An 88-key piano is the best for beginners.

Portability

Depending on your intended use it is essential to think about portability. For instance, if you need to purchase a piano for home use, it is okay to buy a heavyweight digital piano. On the other hand, if you are a gigging musician who intends to move around, consider getting a lightweight piano that is easy to compact. There are different styles of digital pianos to choose from. Including, portable, stage, contemporary and vertical. It is essentials to consider your needs before investing in any one of them.

Final Verdict

Any digital piano that you pick will depend on your own reasons: preference, goal, budget and experience. However, ensure you consider all this things before making an investment. This will make you want to stick with this instrument for a long time. Fortunately, we have compiled a list of best digital pianos in 2020. Check it out right now!

How to Buy the Best Concert Ukulele? | Beginners Guide to Buy the Right Ukulele

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Image Source:https://www.flickr.com

The concert ukulele is the immediate junior of the Soprano ukulele and is very popular for some reasons. They are louder and deeper, plus, concert ukuleles little bit sounds like guitar and that’s why most people prefer getting with concert ukuleles. However, if you do not have any prior knowledge about ukuleles then choosing the best concert ukulele would be really daunting for you.

Even people who are in the ukulele thing for a while now, they also get stressed when choosing the best one. It is too easy to get confused and pick the wrong one in the market where there are more than hundreds of ukuleles are displayed.

If you don’t want to end up making a mess out of your hard-earned money, then we urge you to go through our guide. It is just five minutes read, you will thank us later!

So shall we begin?

Things to Consider Before Buying the Right Ukulele

From woods to construction, there is a lot to think about before buying a ukulele. And if you are a newcomer then there is a high chance that you don’t know about any of them. And that is exactly why you should definitely go through this guide that will surely lead you to the right ukulele for you.

But right before you get into the buying guide, we think it is highly important to let you know about the different parts of a ukulele which will help you in every way.

What are the Parts of ukuleles?

Doesn’t matter how expensive or cheap the ukulele is, it definitely consists of these following parts. Have a look,

Headstock: This is the top part of the ukulele where tuning pegs are placed. It is attached to the neck and is used for tuning. Plus, this is the part where one end of strings will be attached.

Tuning pegs: These are screws which are placed on the headstock. Tuning pegs are also called as tuning keys which comes in to play when adjusting the tension of the strings.

Neck: This is the middle section of the ukulele. The neck is what attaches the headstock to the main body of the ukulele. Neck holds the fretboard.

Fretboard: This is the section where you are supposed to hold the chords. The narrow section under the neck, strings are drawn over it.

Body: It is the bigger part of the guitar. It is normally used to turn the vibration comes from the strings to music.

Bridge: This is the last section of any guitar or ukulele. The bridge is where all the strings are knotted down.

 

Factors that Should Be Considered

 Ukulele Kit

Due to the grown popularity of the ukulele among the youngster’s different manufacturers are selling ukuleles as a kit. And that kit includes not only the ukulele but some extra stuff as well which are necessary such as picks, tuner, cleaning brush, guitar bag, extra set of strings, etc.

For beginners, these kits should be enough to get started with. But that being said, it is still necessary to take a deeper look at the ukulele since that is the most important thing. However, we are going to show exactly how you can separate a good ukulele from the crowd but if you are in a hurry let us give you a quick tip.

If you are going to buy a ukulele for the very first time, go with the leading brands. You will get quality and warranty as well. Yes, they could be a little expensive but that is the safest way available for the beginner.

Now you might be wondering which are the leading brands, is it? We got you covered dude, have a look at the following list.

 

  • Kala.
  • Donner.
  • Fender.
  • Lohanu.
  • Hricane.
  • Pomaikai.
  • Hricane.
  • Lanikai.

These are brands which have always stuck to their words and have been serving the industry with top-notch musical instruments for quite a long time. Go with one of them, you should not face any trouble.

Let’s move on to the main section now!

Size

When it comes down to ukulele or guitar, the size matters a lot. Too big or small will cause you to sacrifice your comfort while playing it. There are basically four sizes, Soprano, Concert, baritone, Tenor. And there is nothing that will help you to get the perfect size except your comfort.

When you are on store try to hold all the ukuleles, and pick that one with which you are highly comfortable. If you are choosing a ukulele for a child then Soprano ukulele would be the best suit since they are small, so the child will be able to hold that better.

Wood

Another highly important part of any guitar or ukulele is the wood which has been used in the construction. Why wood is so important is because wrong wood won’t give you the perfect sound. Plus, the ukulele won’t be durable.

Always try to go for ukuleles that are made of KOA wood, these woods give the best sound and they are durable as well. Having that said, they are a little expensive but it worth every penny. If you don’t have the budget, then do not worry there is another option which is Mahogany.

You will get beautiful sound with this too but you won’t get high durability. The price is lower so that anyone can afford. We thing Mahogany wood would be the best option for newcomers.

Budget

Budget is always an issue for most youngster’s. but do not go for the low-quality ukuleles, you will end up spending more in the long run. To get a good ukulele you don’t have to break the bank, 75 dollars should be enough to get you a nice one.

And another thing, if you have any specific model in your mind check the feedbacks first. Try to reach the users who have been using it for a while. Know their opinion about that ukulele and then make a purchase decision.

Conclusion

Choosing the best concert ukulele is not so hard if you know the right trick. If you have gone through the guide, you should be able to pick a nice ukulele for yourself. That being said, wrapping it up and good luck buddy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why it’s easy to learn piano first than guitar

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Introduction:

As a beginner, the common question is “what is the best choice of learning Guitar or Piano at the beginning “. In the entire session, we will try to clear up your mind about this question. Hopefully, it will help you to understand you better. Now, the thing is at the first glance, it seems easier to learn guitar than piano at the beginning. As an acoustic guitar has only six strings and it seems quite fun playing them. In reality, playing guitar is lot more fun. On the other hand, a piano has 88 keys to play. Bigger keyboard than the guitar’s fretboard. But, the thing is playing the piano is a lot easier than playing guitar. Why did I say this? The answer to the question will gradually understand by you. We will try to cover the facts that make the learning of the piano easier than learning guitar. Hope this session will help you a lot. So, why wasting time! Let’s start our journey.

Some common facts about guitar and piano: When a guitarist comes to learn piano and vice versa, he or she will find some similarities among the two instruments. The major similarities in the notes of them. As both the guitar and the piano follow the octave. The most significant fact is that a string of the guitar is like a mini piano. Getting confused? Let me clear it. Each string of the guitar can play different note where each key in a piano can play only one note. So, the six strings of the guitar seem like a six-miniature piano. This is one of the reasons why a beginner should learn a piano first.

Playing differences among the two: Here we are going to discuss about some playing differences of the two instruments. It’s easy to guess the reason that why these are different in playing. Because, a guitar is a string instrument and a piano is a chordophone with keyboard which is sounded by hammers. When we play guitar we have to strumming, fingerpicking the strings of the guitar. On the other hand, we simply need to press the keys to play the piano. Here are some other differences on playing style are given below.

  1. Fingering Blueprint: The fingering blueprints are different in two musical instruments. For an example, in the guitar, the first finger is considered as the index finger. Where the first finger in the piano is considered as the thumb. So, if a guitarist will come to learn piano, then he will put his index finger on the keyboard to follow the blueprint for a piano music. The alternative may occur, when a pianist will go to play guitar.
  2. Using both hand: In the piano, you have to use both of your hand to play different notes. If you learn a guitar first, then it will seem quite difficult for you to adapt. In the guitar, the fretting hand and the strumming hand both are used to play the single chord. But in the piano, two hands are used to play different keys.
  3. Playing a single note: Piano is a lot easier to play than the guitar. Playing the notes in piano follow the linear fashion. In the guitar, it seems quite difficult. In order to play a single note, you need to simply press one key. On the other-hand there are several positions in the guitar where you can play the same notes. This makes the guitar the complex one than the piano. This is another reason why a beginner should learn the piano first than the guitar.
  4. Limitations in playing notes: Using the piano, one can play maximum 8 to 10 notes at a time. But, on the guitar, one can play at most 6 notes at a time. In this fact, guitar has some limitations playing the music than the piano.

Visual differences: In the piano, it seems quite easy to see all the notes at a time. It has more visual clearance than the guitar notes. For a beginner, it seems quite difficult to learn all the notes of the strings. But, it in the piano the keys open in front of you. You have to just memorize them by seeing the position of them. The other thing is in the piano the notes are side by side. But, in the guitar, the notes are sometimes far from each other. So, it will take a lot more time to learn to play all the notes.

Giving the picture of a song: As you know, on the piano you can only play maximum six notes at a time. On the other hand, piano gives you some advantages over this. In the piano, you can play different supporting chords and melody to give the complete picture of a song. In the guitar, it seems quite difficult to give the complete picture of the song with its limited notes.

Different techniques of playing: It has to be said that the guitar has a lot of technique to play. Some of the awesome techniques are bending, fingerpicking, vibrating, strumming etc. With this technique, you can play the music a different rhythm. You can also see different guitar techniques. It may help you to learn guitar also. In piano, there is a simple variation than the guitar.

Portability: The final and most important thing is portability. You can easily bring your guitar with you anywhere. You can play your guitar in the friend zone. Which makes you popular among your friends. On the other hand, piano is not as portable as a guitar. You have to sit in front of the piano to play it. It will require a lot more place too.

Final Words: Both the guitar and the piano have their different world. When you try to learn one of them, you can see the depth of them. But, something you have to know is whatever instrument you are going to learn, the basics of a piano you have to learn first. It will help you to understand musical scales, musical timing, chord progressions, musical notations, time signatures etc. The most important thing is it will help you to understand the musical theory. On the other hand, learning a guitar gives a lot of fun while playing. So, now it’s your decision to learn a guitar first or the piano. Hope this article will help you to decide what to learn. The guitar or the piano.

Best speakers for Digital Piano-A Complete Buying Guide & Reviews

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Introduction:

Digital pianos are one of the newest innovations that have brought about revolutionary changes in the world of music. When such a device is purchased, the product is seen to come with built-in speakers. This seems to be highly confusing for a starter. It is not mandatory that the Digital Pianos be heard through speakers. Silent playing is also possible by use of earphones. Due to this, companies also build pianos that have no built-in speakers. But, any legible and diligent player will always want his piano that has better and leading quality of sound. Then the situation will demand use of Best speakers for Digital Piano.

Best speakers for Digital Piano

This appears unrealistic at the initial stage and disadvantageous if the segment of space and cost is taken into account. Therefore, the ball is in the court of the user. They will determine the loudness of the device and quality of instrument that is to be used. It is obvious that a compact, amplified loudspeaker system designed for portable sound reinforcement applications will require portability. Such a system seems perfect for anyone who plays digital keyboard and this speaker is usable at a variety of places.

 

Electro-Voice ZXA1-90 Powered PA Speaker Black w/ Pig Hog PHM25 Xlr to XLR 25ft

The innovative product is a compact and amplified loudspeaker system. It is designed for portable sound reinforcement applications that require maximum portability. This Electro-voice speaker uses the EV8L for bringing out an optimum compression. This also helps to induce high output, low distortion etc. The compression driver is coupled with a rotatable waveguide for smooth response. This is rendered to 20 kHz and facilitates an excellent pattern control. This beautiful device is powered by an integrated 800W amplifier module with 2 modified channels. The amplifier again has XLR microphone and line level inputs and an XLR line level output. It works in flowery chaining thus connecting several amplified speakers or a subwoofer. The design also is featured with steep crossover slopes and woofer excursion protection for utmost output and reliability.

 

 

Pros

  1. Lightweight device that allows easy portability
  2. The inbuilt compactness works for bringing good and amplified quality of sound
  3. The sound emitted by the speaker is highly sweet and efficiently loud
  4. The product can take boast of high durability
  5. Made from top quality material

Cons

  1. The signaling of speaker with ¼ phone jacks seems problematic to many users.

Line 6 StageSource L3m Powered Speaker Cabinet

It is a product that forms a beautiful combination of multi-function design, powerful DSP and precision components. Thus, it is able to deliver a perfect blend of high-powered performance and true scalability. This unique speaker is designed to expand the capabilities of any Stage Source L3t-based or third-party PA system. The system thus features a balanced combined jack input, stereo auxiliary inputs and L6 LINK connection that work for fast incorporation. This product is known for delivering Smart Speaker modes and multi-band feedback suppression. This product is featured with a 1,400-watt, three-way, tri-amped speaker system. There is an on-board accelerometer and pole-mount sensors that brings about an optimization in sound in horizontal, vertical or pole-mount applications.

 

Pros

  1. There is a beautiful Audio facility within this product
  2. The product has gained popularity for the excellent material and sustainability
  3. The mandate for use of this product is easy and accessible for all the users
  4. Being light-weight, this product can be carried to any destination with ease
  5. The sound is one of excellent quality
  6. top quality material is used

Cons

  1. The price of this product is a bit dearer

 

QSC K12 2-Way Powered Speaker – 1000 Watts, 1×12″

We found a new innovation among the lightweight powered loudspeaker systems. A team of qualified amplifier engineers can take boast for creating this new standard in Class D power modules. All the full-range models including K8, K10 and K1 are fitted to achieve unique performances irrespective of the size of the speaker. An embraced DSP processing is employed throughout. This acts in bringing clarity in sound. All the materials used are of premium quality. The manufacturer can take pride for the deployment of the updated construction procedures. These procedures are entangled with multiple mounting and suspension options. All these allow for a wide range of speaker applications.

 

Pros

  1. The Audio facility is able to bring out beautiful clarity of sound
  2. Huge popularity has gained by the product for the excellent material
  3. It is also popular for its perceived durability
  4. The mandate for use of this product is easy and accessible for all the users
  5. Being light-weight, this product can be carried to any destination with ease
  6. Best sound quality from finest material.

Cons

  1. Price of the product is bit higher than the contemporary products

Yamaha DXR 10 Powered Speaker Cabinet, 10″

The product range from DXR 10 Series is comprised of four full-range models. All of these models are perfectly suited to bring in amplified quality of sound, beautiful monitors, no-hassle amplification and rigged applications. This new product is able to rich the user with versatility of control over sound emitted. This is portable, but capable of producing an astonishing 131 dB SPL. The impeccable functional design has made it ideal for a wide range of applications. It comprises a compact SR system that provides simple amplification of voice and instrument applications.

 

Pros

  1. Advanced digital technology is used to develop this instrument includes detailed management of crossover.
  2. The other features used include EQ and time alignment to the limiter settings.
  3. There are Protection capacities and dynamic control of the sound.
  4. Use Ultra-precise 48-bit DSP processing that could develop a high-definition sound quality.
  5. Its extensive DSP protection function seduces maximum output.
  6. Each channel of this beautiful device has use a mix of three discrete audio sources that has high usability for configuring a compact SR system with another DXR.

Cons

  1. Price of the product is bit higher than contemporary products.

Conclusion

While considering the purchase of Piano in its digital version, people will think of the versatility of the product. All the products mentioned above have ample resource of adaptability in them. All of these products have imbibed an advanced level of technological aspects in upgrading the quality of sound. Among them, the product from Yamaha seems to provide the Best Speaker for Digital Piano.  This brings about the value of brand too besides offering best quality inputs and materials. The clarity of sound has been classified as best due to the presence 48-bit processing. Nevertheless, it has offered with branded DSP protection function that secures an optimum output. All the products are portable and easily transportable.

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