“Play the Piano. Hands Down, It Is The Best Thing You Can Do!”
Music Is Portable! Not the piano, the player. It is something that goes with you your entire lifetime. (more…)
Pro’s and Con’s of Pre-Owned Pianos
Pro's and Con's of Pre-Owned Pianos First in a series of articles with helpful information on buying a piano For most households the purchase of an acoustic piano represents one of the largest investments one will ever make for the home. Because of the variety of options available it is difficult and confusing to determine what is best for each individual buyer. Some of the common questions are … Should the piano be new or is a pre-owned piano okay? Should I buy a digital or acoustic piano? How much should I spend? What are the best brands? What brands hold their value the best? What size piano? What are...
A Few Good Pianos … Part 1
ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Joel Fan - pianist/composer, joelfanmusic.com/ THE PIANO OUTLET DEAL OF THE WEEK: Steinway Rosewood Model A 1902 S/N 105619 $35,000 Contact Terry, pianos390@yahoo.com or 805-340-0608 * * * Note: Consider this a consolidated overview of the past and present American piano manufacturers ... a two-part series. I. A Few Good Pianos ... II. Pro's and Con's of Pre-Owned Pianos I. A FEW GOOD PIANOS ... SHORT HISTORY About 125 years ago 25,000 pianos were being built each year in the United States. The end of the Civil War marked the beginning of the boom in piano manufacturing. The public loved their piano music. By the late...
Great Masters at the Keyboard: Beethoven
This article is reprinted from our publication “The Piano Times,” in honor of Beethoven, who died on March 26, 1827. Are musical audiences more exacting today than they used to be? In some respects, it would seem that the answer is in the affirmative. At all events, the master pianists of today who make the grand tour are so worn out with the sheer physical stress of travel at the end of the season that they are obliged to spend the greater part of their summer vacation in recuperating. Nevertheless, we do not today expect pianists to improvise on a given theme, as both Beethoven and Mozart were expected to...
Kawai Spring Instant Rebate
Each spring, Kawai offers instant rebates of up to $1,000, on selected models of new acoustic or digital pianos, so now is a good time to buy a Kawai. This rebate program runs through March 31st. Come in now and see why Kawai is the choice of so many musicians and instrumental artists around the world. Thank you for visiting us at www.thePianoOutletCo.com, your source for Kawai and other new and good used acoustic pianos and new digital pianos for sale in Southern California and the Central Coast, and throughout San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County, Ventura County, Los Angeles County, and beyond!
A Philosophy of Music
From Guest Blogger Lucas Denzer: An amazingly talented professional piano player once told me, "There is no such thing as wrong notes, only notes that sound wrong." At the heart of what he is saying, I believe he understands something about the true purpose and essence of music. Though music contains many similarities to mathematics, and many like to make the obvious comparisons, music serves a much more eloquent purpose. Music is arguably the deepest language we have, for it can communicate with great feeling, emotion, depth, and fervor where words can too often fail. It does not have to have a right or wrong answer. Music to me will...
Free Seminar on Introduction to Music Fundamentals, Reading, and Standard Notation
Musician Lucas Denzer will be conducting a FREE seminar at the Piano Outlet in Nipomo, 485 N. Frontage Road (off the 101 at the Tefft St. exit), this Thursday, April 5th, 2012, from 6:00 until 7:00 p.m., on "Introduction to Music Fundamentals, Reading, and Standard Notation." This informative session will be repeated on April 19th, May 3rd, and May 17th. Lucas has 17 years of musical experience in teaching, performance and composition. He studied at University of Oregon and graduated with a degree in Music Technology. His experience and unique style is an asset to the Central Coast region and The Piano Outlet of Nipomo, CA, welcomes his talents. To...
Creativity, Music, and Pianos
NPR’s “Fresh Aire” program recently had an interview with Jonah Lehrer, a science writer whose new book, Imagine: How Creativity Works, looks at where creativity and innovative thoughts come from and what some companies are doing to create an environment that fosters that creativity. One company he mentions is 3M, where “every engineer has an hour a day to do whatever they want: whether that’s work on a side project or simply tinker with a hobby.” Lehrer told interviewer Dave Davies that creative insight has two aspects – that the insight comes “out of the blue” (a “flash” of insight) and that the person feels sure that the insight is...
The Twelve Days of Christmas
Merry Christmas! You may have seen this information in an email or learned it elsewhere, but we thought it was interesting and worth sharing: There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas? This week, I found out. From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning...
Exercise Your Brain
A recent study, reviewed by online service Faculty of 1000 Biology and Medicine, concluded that “practicing a musical instrument connects and develops the motor systems of the brain, refining the entire neurological system in ways that can't be done through any other activity.” Imagine that! Learning to play the piano can help your brain think better! Many studies through the years have found similar data, that playing a musical instrument helps you in so many ways, including using your brain. Dr. Richard Haier, a University of California Irvine professor of pediatric neurology, said, “In some ways, the brain is like a muscle.” Well, you know what happens when you go...
The Monster in the Living Room
It’s funny how, when reflecting on childhood memories, some adults recall the piano as a monstrous creature sitting in a corner of the living room. The piano (or, more likely, the teacher) may have become a symbol to us of anxiety and fear, especially on piano lesson days. Even at an early age, we may have vowed never to subject anyone else to this form of “punishment.” Today, as parents, we look at our children and wonder if those little hands of theirs aren’t just the right size to take the world by storm. “Maybe this kid’s going to feel the need to play the blues someday. Or maybe Brahms!” ...