Purchasing a Keyboard or Piano (Part 2 of 2) - Volume 19
April 5, 2022
New session of Crescendo Kids Online begins Tuesday, April 12!
Purchasing a Piano
This Memo includes
Feature Article: Purchasing a Keyboard or Piano (Part 2 of 2)
New Feature - Practice Tips!
Student Achievements - Recognizing the hard work and accomplishments from our students in the last month.
Upcoming MOM events includes next Crescendo Kids start date of April 12, 2022,
Parents Ask Pam - I’m not sure how my child will do with an online lesson. Can we do a trial lesson first?
Feature Article - Purchasing a Keyboard or Piano (Part 2 of 2)
Last month I gave features to look for when making your keyboard purchase. However, if you have a choice, I would ALWAYS choose the piano over the keyboard. Number one reason? It sounds better!
Keyboards get their sound by recording someone playing a concert grand. Nicer digital pianos will have several recordings for each key, while the more inexpensive keyboards will have much less. Each key on a piano has at least 35 points of adjustment, meaning an accomplished pianist can create multiple sounds from each key just by the way it is touched and played. A simple example would be by playing staccato. A keyboard has a certain amount of reverb programmed into each key, making it impossible to play a true, quick staccato. On a piano, there are various degrees of staccato depending on how crisp and short the note should be played. Students that learn solely on a keyboard are at a huge disadvantage in their technique and quality of sound.
Aside from this, here are some other pros of the piano versus a keyboard.
Pianos can last for generations vs. keyboards which will wear out after several years.
Pianos tend to maintain their value vs. keyboards which depreciate very quickly.
Pianos provide a better quality of sound, increasing the motivation and enjoyment of the learner.
Pianos are more difficult to master. This means there will always be more the piano student can learn and improve on. This challenge and the pride that comes with each new accomplishment can keep your student interested for years to come. The piano is never boring!
If you are interested in purchasing a piano, here are some tips and things to consider.
Always check the serial number on the piano. It is usually located inside near the top corner. I had heard of a group of Yamaha pianos a local piano store was trying to sell at a very low price. When I played them, they all seemed out of tune. I asked the sales person about them and she didn’t know, but was sure they would be tuned before being delivered. Later she informed me that all their pianos had already been tuned! They clearly sounded terrible! After checking with my piano tuner, we found that these were actually factory rejects! They could never be tuned properly! The serial number helped discover the back story about these pianos.
If you are buying used, look at the felt and soft material on the hammers and dampers. These should be soft. If the dampers are hard, there probably has been water damage. If the hammers are hard or have deep ridges, this is an indication of lots of use and hard playing. They may need to be filed down or replaced. This is typically the issue with old practice pianos at colleges and universities. By contrast, I’ve had my current piano for almost 45 years. It has endured a lot of practice from multiple people. My hammers have ridges, but they are not yet needing to be filed or replaced.
Is the piano in tune? An easy way to tell is to play octaves and listen to how they sound. If someone is selling a piano that is not in tune, be careful! It may not be able to be tuned. If a piano has been sitting for a long time without being in tune, it can be hard to get it to stay in tune. Also, if a piano has recently been re-stringed, it will take several tunings over a couple of years before the strings will start holding their tune. Pianos tend to lose their tuning when they are stored in a place with large temperature changes.
Most importantly, how does the piano feel and sound when played? This is more of a personal preference. Some people prefer brighter sounds, mellow sounds, fast action-lighter keys, or heavier keys with a more muted sound. Each piano, even by the same brand, will sound and feel a little different.
If you are planning to purchase a used piano, I would recommend having a trusted piano tuner check out the piano before purchasing. This is quite similar to having a mechanic check out your car before purchasing. You will want to know what the problems are and what can be expected for long-term results.
If you are looking to purchase a piano, here are a couple of options.
A Kirkland home is selling their baby grand piano, a Young Chang, 5’ 2”, glossy ebony and only owned by one owner. Purchased new in the 1980’s from a Seattle piano store. Includes original matching bench, original dust cloths and pedal booties. It has had very light usage and was recently tuned by Jerry Chambers. (He is available to comment on its condition and answer any questions. tunerjc@gmail.com) At $3500, this is an amazing deal! If you are interested, please contact Sharon at 206-399-2996 or email at sharonlehwalder@comcast.net
Chuck Telford is a Kirkland local that refurbishes used pianos. “I almost always have several good freshly reconditioned pianos available here in our home in Kirkland. My web site is telfordpianos.com. This is a neat retirement hobby/job for me, and it's always fun to help local musicians of all levels find a good piano. I welcome phone calls (425 822 7110); consulting is always free and people seem to find it helpful.” His prices are also amazing!
If you are looking for a new piano, I highly recommend Classic Pianos in Bellevue. Their staff is friendly and straight-forward. They have a variety of pianos, upright and grand, as well as the nicer digital pianos and ensembles. They sell new as well as used pianos. They also have this amazing deal. If you purchase a piano from them, say for $2000. Then several years later want to upgrade, you can trade in your previously purchased piano for $2000 toward your new piano! Here is their website: seattle.classicpianos.net
Of course, if you have further questions about the purchase of a keyboard or piano, I’m happy to help in any way I can.
Student Achievements
Our students are making great progress! These students have accomplished new goals this last month.
Welcome to our new students! Gracie G
5X5 - play the piano for 5 minutes, 5 days in a week, for 5 weeks in a row -Iris H, Jitesh S (1st time!), Lillian R, and Sara M
5X5 Advanced - play the piano for 25 minutes, 5 days in a week, for 5 weeks in a row - Clive L and Jacob S
Completed their current lesson book - Abhay A, Akshay A, Liba S, Lora E, Serena L, and Vivian C
Listened to Classical music at least an hour per week for 4 weeks in a row - Avi N, Lee W and Sara M
Advanced to the next music level - Katsu K and Molly M
Practice Tip
An important part of piano practice is enjoyment. When one enjoys something, they tend to want to continue doing it. Making piano time fun is vitally important of learning to play. Start and end the practice time by playing something already learned or that is fun to play. Having a list of fun songs is helpful. Making up your own music can also be fun. Sightreading easier music or easy popular music can be fun. Starting and ending with something fun makes the whole practice session more enjoyable.
Upcoming MOM Events
Want to see all upcoming events? Check out our calendar. It includes when the next Crescendo Kids class begins, school closure dates, piano parties, and recital dates.
FREE Online Piano Party! Students share their own music as well as participate in musical games, creating music and learning some music history. Each party is a little different with a theme and a special guest instrument. Come, meet our piano teachers, play some music, and have fun! All ages and musical levels are welcome. Parties are available to non-students, former students as well as current students. Click the link to sign up. Piano Party Sign Up
Saturday, April 30, at 11:00 am. RSVP required.
Parent Information Meetings - Have questions about our online piano class program? Want a tour of our practicing app? Click the link to schedule your meeting with Miss Pam. Parent Info Meeting
Crescendo Kids CLASSES - Tuesdays or Thursdays at North Kirkland Community Center -
Summer Registration begins March 17 - visit kirklandparks.net
Tuesdays or Thursdays, June 21 - August 25
30 - Minute Private Online Piano Lessons - Did you know that many of our teachers also teach privately? Now you can continue your child’s musical education, or your own, with Move Over Mozart. Click here for more information. Private Lessons
New Crescendo Kids Online begins Tuesday, April 12. Start the new year with music! Our piano classes are fun and easy to do! Now is a great time to join. Students are put into one of 4 classes depending on their age and musical ability.
Crescendo Kids Online Sign Up
Pre-Reading - Ages 3 - 5 years, or students not yet reading,
We use a color-coded method for the students to match their five fingers to five keys on the piano. New songs using only those 5 notes are given each week.
Primary - Ages 5 -7 years or older and brand new to music,
This group is for the very basics of piano playing. Students learn to play simple rhythms, correct hand position, and the names of the white keys on the piano.
Beginning Elementary - Ages 7-12 years or younger and reading notes,
This is for students just starting to read notes on the staff. Students are taught how the staff relates to the piano and how to translate the notes to making music. Also, having the students memorize a few key notes on the staff will help greatly with their ability to read music.
Advanced Elementary - Ages 7 - 12 years with previous piano lessons
This group already reads notes on the staff and can immediately identify many of the notes by name. They will learn more advanced technique and music theory beyond the initial basics of learning to play.
Parents Ask Pam
Have a question for Miss Pam? You can email, text message, or message on Facebook your questions. She will respond immediately to you, and your question might be featured in future newsletters.
Q: I’m not sure how my child will do with an online lesson. Can we do a trial lesson first?
A: Depending on the age of your child and their musical background, we may need to do an assessment lesson first! If your child is older (9 years or older) or has had previous piano/music lessons, we will want to meet them and find out where they are starting with us. Some students are great candidates for our beginning piano program, Crescendo Kids. Some are ready to jump right into private lessons. Having an intro lesson before beginning your “real” lesson is a great way to make the decision of which program would best fit your child. It is also a good way for your child to meet their teacher and decide if they would be comfortable with that instructor. Rapport is so important with one-on-one lessons!
On the other hand, if your child is younger, it will take a few lessons for them to figure out how online lessons work, what the boundaries are and what is expected from them. This is true of any type of lesson, but online lessons seem to take a little longer because they are so unique and different for the child. In any situation, when there are two authority figures, like a teacher and a parent, the young child is not always sure which person is really in charge. They will want to test this just to find out who is really in control. With an online lesson for a younger child, we need the parent to be present and assist. It will take a few weeks for all parties - parent, teacher and child - to figure out how to work together and what each person’s roll will be in the lesson. What we offer in this situation is a free parent introductory meeting. The child can be present and have a mini-lesson if needed, but also so the parent can see the technology and understand how everything works together for a successful online lesson. Then, our online classes are month to month, meaning you can start and stop at any time. For preschool-aged students, we recommend giving at least two months to decide if this program will work for you and your family. I remember one child would get up and run around the room just to see how his teacher on a screen would respond. He was testing the boundaries. Once he understood what his teacher expected and how the structure of the class would go, he was a fabulous online student!
Your Comments And Questions
We want to hear from you! What are some ways that you have included music education in your children’s lives these last couple of years? Please leave your questions and comments below or email Pam directly at misspam@moveovermozart.net