How to Connect Your Disklavier to the Internet (video #tips)
One common question Yamaha Disklavier owners have is, “How do I connect my Yamaha Disklavier piano to the Internet?” Fortunately Yamaha has provided this step-by-step video on their YouTube channel. Hope this helps!
The Yamaha Disklavier Piano
Imagine the possibility of having a world-class Yamaha piano that can play any time, day or night, by a ‘live’ performer or by itself. This wish has become a reality with the creation of the Yamaha Disklavier player piano. Factory-installed, each Disklavier is made with the same quality and craftsmanship of a Yamaha acoustic piano without affecting the piano’s performance, tone or touch.
The original Yamaha Disklavier, which made its debut back in 1986, introduced the world to the wonder of traditional pianos equipped with integrated digital electronics for recording, auto playback and more. Since that time, these computer-age ‘player’ pianos have evolved into instruments of truly remarkable capabilities. They can reproduce not only ‘live’ acoustic piano concerts, but ensemble music with instrumental and vocal tracks as well. They allow you to record and play back your own performance, create complex multi-track arrangements, and connect to the world of musical opportunities offered by MIDI devices, personal computers and the Internet. Their unique combination of acoustic excellence and digital versatility has made them an increasingly popular choice of pianists, educators and music-lovers worldwide.
Today’s Disklavier is available in nearly every model of acoustic piano that Yamaha makes and in a variety of finishes.
If you are in the market for buying a new or perhaps even a used Yamaha piano please come and visit our friendly staff at Pianos Plus. The Bay Area’s largest private Yamaha piano dealer.
Referral links:
The Yamaha Silent Piano {Video}
Silent piano. The shift of a lever keeps hammers from striking the strings, while a small control unit activates digital piano tones.
Many Yamaha piano models are also available in versatile digital/acoustic versions. Pioneered by Yamaha, these innovative hybrids offer the uncompromising enjoyment of an acoustic grand with a wide range of digital music capabilities.
The silent piano from Yamaha gives you the ability to not only play a beautiful acoustic piano but gives you the benefits of a digital piano as well. With just a few seconds you can go from playing acoustic piano to slipping on your head phones and play digitally while maintaining the feel of acoustic pianos keys. You can even change sounds, record & play back, hook up a USB thumb drive, and/or connect to your computer.
If you would like to learn more about Yamaha silent pianos or more about the different pianos Yamaha offers please connect with our friendly professional team at Pianos Plus. The Bay Area’s largest non-chain Yamaha Piano dealer.
1558 A Street
Castro Valley, California
Mon. thru Sat. -
10AM to 5:30PM
Sun. Noon to 4PM
Phone: 510-581-1660
Fax: 510-581-1760
Email: pianospls@aol.com
Benefits of Buying a Used Piano
Maybe your darling daughter (and budding prodigy) has finally pushed you hard enough, and you want to buy her the piano of her dreams, so she can light up your home with beautiful music. Or maybe you’re looking for an instrument to sharpen your concert skills in preparation for a recital or recording effort.
Irrespective of your purpose, you face an urgent decision: Should you buy a new or used piano.
There are lots of good reasons to buy new. And we will delve into those in separate blog posts.
But reasons to consider the “oldie but goodie” option also abound. Consider:
1. Aesthetic Appeal.
Some “old school” pianos – particularly those engineered and built by master craftsmen – look absolutely gorgeous. If you plan to practice in a private studio – where no one typically visits – this design factor might not mean as much. But if you’re buying a piano for your living room (e.g. to use entertain guests), aesthetics matter.
2. Affordable.
In today’s strapped economy, musicians (in particular) are desperate to save where they can. If you are a sharp bargain hunter, you can find a very solid, extremely reasonably priced used piano – provided you do due diligence.
3. Easy.
You need not go to piano tuner school to learn how to choose the best instrument for your needs.
By following a few, easy to remember heuristics (rules of thumb), you can make your piano shopping far easier. For instance, memorize this one: “bigger is better.” Bigger pianos last longer and yield up more depth of sound. Small pianos can create a tinny sound, due to the high harmonics created when the shorter strings get hit.
Testing the Piano
To test a used piano, start with the bass section, since the bass is the first to wear out in old pianos. But just because a piano is three decades older (or even older) doesn’t mean that the bass sections will disappoint.
You should also examine: hammers (to make sure they are not too worn) tuning pins overall condition of the piano.
Getting Help
Perhaps the most important element is a good guide. At Pianos Plus, we sell both used pianos and new pianos – so we have no intrinsic bias either way.
We can help you find the right instrument for your needs, budget, and other values you hold.
We’ve been an East Bay Area piano leader for nearly four decades, and our knowledgeable and professional staff can walk you through your questions and concerns – call us now at 510-581-1660 or visit www.pianosplus.com.
Best Piano Tuning Practices
Best Piano Tuning Practices
Perhaps you have “perfect pitch” and you relish the challenge of tuning your own piano to make sure it sounds “just right” for a recording session or concert performance. Or maybe you have just simply noticed that your old baby grand is not sounding quite right when your daughter plays her scales, and you crave a solution that’s not going to cost you an arm and a leg.
Piano tuning best practices depend on the kind of piano you own, the quality of sound and intonation you expect from the instrument, the amount of use and abuse you subject the piano to, the quality and craftsmanship of the instrument, environmental factors that impact the sound, and how often you tune and retune.
Some do-it-yourself piano tuners can get the job done using electronic tuners, tuning levers, and mutes. One expert at www.piano.detwiler.us suggests a three step process:
1. “Tune a single string from a single note in the middle octave.”
2. “Match the remaining strings and the note to the one first tuned.”
3. “Tune remaining notes by octaves.”
You can follow that link to read more about what this simple online guide suggests. It’s not the only guide out there. If you’re really diligent and excited about learning piano tuning, you can enroll in the American School of Piano Tuning. Find out more about them at www.piano-tuning.com. The school claims to have trained piano tuners since 1958, and it offers a course that costs $1,290 (as of September 2011).
No doubt you can find other powerful resources on the web and elsewhere to help you understand the tools, supplies, and practices and procedures to keep your piano sounding perfect. But for most piano owners, teachers, and even instrument enthusiasts, the whole do-it-yourself route is impractical, expensive and time consuming.
So What Are Some Alternatives?
For more information about what you might be able to do, get help by connecting with the experts here at Pianos Plus. Call us at 510-581-1660, or visit us on the web at www.pianosplus.com.
We have been an Bay Area piano leader for 40 years, and we are the most respected authorized Yamaha piano dealer in the Bay area.
The Piano Placement Dilemma:
The Piano Placement Dilemma:
Where on Earth Are You Supposed to Put This Thing?
Pianos can weigh upwards of 1,200 pounds. Whether you just purchased a new baby grand for your daughter to practice her scales, or you’re setting up a serious home music studio, you are overwhelmed by the prospect of finding the “perfect spot” for the instrument. Here are some factors to consider:
Relative heat and humidity.
Radiating heat from a fireplace or humidity from an air-conditioning vent may warp the instrument, damage the sound, and even cause yucky problems like mold and mildew;
Direct sunlight can be a problem.
Sunlight on the sound board can actually change your piano’s tuning. This might not be that important if you’re just practicing basic scales. But if you’re looking to practice concert-ready performances, small alterations caused by sunlight may hurt.
Aim for a level surface.
Most homes are pretty level – it would be hard to live in a living room with a 20-degree slope, for instance. But almost all floors in our homes have slight warps, woofs and other structural inconsistencies. These might be minor or irrelevant to your piano playing. Or they might have long-term, sustained impact.
Other factors include:
Whether the piano is against an exterior wall or interior wall; the floor in the room where the piano will be (whether it’s carpeted or hardwood); the room acoustics; whether the space around the piano will be ergonomically fit for you (or not); and whether the piano can be subjected to any changes in temperature, humidity, light, excessive vibration (e.g. is there a drum set nearby that your little brother will be playing constantly?).
Which of these factors matter; which can be ignored? The answer always depends on context.
If you are just getting a piano to bang out some scales and abuse while you and your high school friends practice your punk rock fusion band, then who cares if the piano gets dinged up, warped, or degraded? If, on the other hand, you want to prepare for a recital or record, then all these little factors – the humidity, the sunlight, variations in temperature, variations in the level of the piano, ergonomics, etc. – can all come into play.
Your best bet is to connect with a team that has the resources, experience and knowledge to help you maximize your piano playing. Call Pianos Plus at 510-581-1660 to explore solutions that meet your needs, budget, and aesthetic and musical preferences.
Tips on Moving Your Piano
Obvious (And Not So Obvious!) Tips on Moving Your Piano
Whether you are moving across the Bay to a new loft apartment, or you are relocating your music studio, you may confront a serious and annoying challenge: How on Earth can you move your valuable, extremely heavy piano?
This article will help you do the job right – without hurting yourself, destroying your instrument, or just abandoning the quest all together and leaving your piano for the next tenant or owner because you simply cannot deal anymore.
The Do It Yourself Approach
Obviously, unless you are a hulking superhero, you cannot lift the instrument by yourself. You will need helpers. Lock down your lid and plan the moving route. Have a rolling dolly ready. Ideally, the piano should be rolling on the dolly almost the whole time. If you don’t have a dolly, avoid making major herky-jerky movements. Avoid going sideways; instead, move it end ways.
Wrap the piano in protective material before you move it – especially if you are going outside in bad weather. It goes without saying that you should look for shortcuts before you get into the nitty-gritty lifting and heaving of the instrument. If you have an elevator in your building,
reserve the elevator for the piano move. If you have to take the piano downstairs, you can jerry rig the stairs with body boards and other protective materials. Talk to your landlord to make sure that the stairs can support the weight of the piano.
The sensitive internal parts of the piano may need to be secured, and you may need special tools, like a heavy-duty hand cart and other tools to prevent nicks, abrasions, scuffs and other damage.
Anyone who helps should have a healthy back; everyone should wear gloves. Even a standard piano is very heavy, and if you get a piano caster square on your foot, it can break your bones. Also, pay attention to any special instructions from the piano’s manufacturer.
A Better Way?
Rather than put yourself through all this hassle and potentially ruin or warp the instrument that provides such wonderful music to you and your family, hire a professional piano moving service.
Bay Area Yamaha Pianos
Monster Concert
MONSTER CONCERT
October 29th 2011
Music Teachers’ Association of Southern Alameda County present:
Waltzing Flowers Flashing Swords
Boogies Sambas Can Cans
Secret Agents
Champagne Bubbles
Phantom will appear just in time for Halloween!
Over 240 students on stage, performing piano, flute and violin pieces.
See 36 musicians playing 12 new Yamaha grand pianos at once! Students range in age from 5 -18.
Ashley Lo ( CVHS,2004) will conduct this spectacular concert.
All proceeds go towards student scholarships.
Come and enjoy a fun musical afternoon for the whole family.
Pianos graciously donated for the afternoon by Pianos plus.
Following the concert, pianos will be available for purchase.
Sale continues on Sunday- noon to 4 pm.
Tickets $10 on sale August 25th –Castro Valley Center for the Arts
Rehearsals will be on Oct. 8,9,15,16 (small groups), 22,23 (larger groups) at:
PIANOS plus 1446 “A” Street Castro Valley, CA 94546
6-9 pm.
For more information contact:
Jeanne Fisher
jeannelfisher@gmail.com
510-889-6062
When and What to Look for in a Grand Piano?
When and What to Look for in a Grand Piano?
Whether you are the proud parent of an eight-year-old future (or even current) piano prodigy; or you are a professional musician setting up a recording studio, you may be gearing up to make your first major purchase of a grand piano. When is it time to “pull the trigger” and actually purchase an instrument, and what should you look for in the piano.
First, let’s address the “when” question.
The answer is always a matter of choice. Literally hundreds of factors can influence your buying decision, including: your budget, your musical needs, whether you can use another piano temporarily to practice (e.g. at a school or at a piano teacher’s house), the seriousness with which you want to pursue piano studies, the amount of space available for the piano, your need for a “grand” piano versus a smaller instrument, such as a studio piano or other vertical, and so forth.
Bringing all of those factors in mind, if you still decide that a grand is the right way to go, here are some
rules of thumb to consider when shopping for your ideal instrument:
- The bigger the piano (in general), the more rich and nuanced the tone will be;
- Well-maintained pianos can have a lot of staying power. A used grand from the 1960s that has been properly maintained and tuned can be considered awesome and state-of-the-art. It’s not like you’re buying a couch or a car – items that do significantly depreciate over time and fall “out of style.” A great grand is a great grand, even if it’s older than you are;
- Get an instrument that you can “grow into” – your proficiency (or your students’ proficiency) will undoubtedly improve over the years;
- The instrument should look right in your home or studio. If you purchase an Elton John like bright red modern piano, and your home has a stately, classical aesthetic, the furniture will clash. So bear in mind that the instrument will exist as part of your overall interior décor.
To simplify and streamline your search, connect with the Yamaha Piano experts at Pianos Plus.
We’ve been serving East Bay Area piano customers for almost four decades. Our sales staff is professional, enthusiastic, and deeply knowledgeable about grand pianos. We provide significant value over our competitors because we own our buildings (and thus we don’t have nearly as much overhead).
We carry a diverse and exciting array of quality grand pianos, digital pianos, hybrid pianos, and other instruments. Learn more about our services at www.pianosplus.com, or give us a call to discuss your needs and musical goals at 510-581-1660.
True or False? You are Way, Way Too Old to Learn to Play the Piano.
True or False? You are Way, Way Too Old to Learn to Play the Piano.
Completely false of course!
Perhaps you had a few years of piano lessons as a kid, but then you gave up the instrument because you wanted to play sports and pal around with friends. Or maybe you always desperately wanted to play the piano, but you never had the opportunity, the encouragement, or the proper instruction. Now you are a “grown up” – a young professional, parent of young children, or retiree – and you are reflecting wistfully on your lost opportunity to cultivate musicianship.
Know this: it is never – repeat never – too late to learn to play the piano.
In fact, adults have many advantages over children when it comes to learning instruments. First of all, adults who are truly intrinsically motivated will find the time, energy, and resources to practice diligently. Children – particularly those who are forced to practice and play – are at a disadvantage here.
Adults can leverage their critical-thinking skills, planning acumen, and sense of “logic” to learn music quickly, develop a harmonic vocabulary, and communicate their needs, frustrations, and discoveries with their teachers more specifically and accurately than children.
You may already have developed and cultivated musicianship. Perhaps it’s dormant. Perhaps you have mastered another instrument (or your voice). In any case, you can plumb the depths of your musical experience to enrich and enlighten your time learning the piano.
Adults – at least adults who haven’t had their attention spans decimated by the internet or by watching too much television – also have an attention span advantage over children. Mastering any musical instrument – the piano, violin, ukulele, whatever – requires discipline and concentration. If you have developed any concentration skills, you can deploy them to maximize your time at the piano. In a nice feedback leap, practicing piano will also help cultivate your overall ability to concentrate. So it’s a classic “win win.”
Adults also have a physical advantage because they have the muscular strength, coordination, flexibility, and stamina to practice longer and make complete use of the whole instrument.
Lastly, adults have far more brain plasticity than they realize. Contrary to the old adage, it is possible to teach old dogs new tricks. New advanced neurological research suggests that our brains are highly plastic – even as we age into our 50s, 60s and beyond. Indeed, some researchers believe that just pushing ourselves to learn new skills – or by honing old, dormant ones – can lead to emotional growth and perhaps even physical and neurological benefits.
If you would like to boot up (or reboot) your piano career, the professionals at Pianos Plus will be more than happy to help you.
We are the San Francisco Bay Area’s most respected authorized Yamaha piano dealer, and our staff is knowledgeable and passionate about the piano.
Learn more about our services at www.pianosplus.com, or connect with us at 510-581-1660.
Beginners tip: Record yourself playing the piano.
Why Is Recording Your Piano Playing So Valuable?
Probably you have already recorded your own piano playing. Recording can be used as a valuable tool to learn to know yourself and your playing much better than just by practicing. When you listen to your playing from aside you can remove weaknesses that can be surprising and are later easily noticeable while practicing normally. Take the note sheet, listen to your recording and be your own tutor.
For a new or used Yamaha piano for yourself or to begin your own professional piano lessons conact us at Pianos Plus. 510-581-1660 or visit our website www.pianosplus.com