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Archive for November, 2009

Piano Practice Tips For Adults

November 28th, 2009

Adults often come to the point in their lives when they want to explore new hobbies. One of the most common hobbies adults pursue is learning to play the piano. It may be the first time they play or a return to a childhood pleasure. Whether you’re an adult sitting down to learn the instrument for the first time or you want to brush up on your skills, keep in mind some basic rules of piano practice.

Posture is very important. Make sure that the piano bench is high enough. Your shoulders should hang freely, while your forearms are parallel to the floor. This allows the greatest freedom of movement and keeps your body from feeling constricted. While your hands are directly in front of you on the keyboard, your elbows should be just slightly forward of the center of your body. Sit forward on the bench so that your body is relaxed.

Create a regular piano practice schedule. Start with short sessions of 15 minutes. Increase the time as your skill progresses and your hands start to feel more limber. You may not have time for piano practices longer than half an hour, but that’s enough to increase your skill and flexibility. Just try not to miss too many days in a row. Time of day is important. Pick a time when you’ll be least distracted by the worries of life.

Practice books are extremely helpful for both beginners and experienced players. These contain exercises and tips that improve your technique. Many also teach musical theory, providing detailed explanations of scales, chords, modes and relative tonality. This is great for expanding your musical palette and understanding how melodies and harmonies work in the context of a piece.

Piano practice books also contain musical pieces adjusted to your skill level. At the end of each chapter you’ll often find a piece that demonstrates techniques that you learned in the preceding pages. It may take a while to coordinate both of your hands, so don’t expect to play at full speed right away. Practice each hand separately, at a moderate speed, before combining the two parts. You’ll be less discouraged and find that your playing is more accurate.

Remember, piano practice isn’t a competition. Even if you are a highly driven individual, take your time and be patient when learning the piano. You’ll avoid frustration and possible injury if you avoid pushing yourself too hard. It’s supposed to be enjoyable.

A metronome is an invaluable tool for piano practice. A metronome is a device that keeps perfect time, providing an audible beat set to an exacting tempo. Metronomes are adjustable from very slow to very fast, well within the limits of pieces you’ll be practicing. Even if you feel that you have a great sense of timing, invest in this handy little tool for your piano practice sessions. You’ll be amazed how often you change tempos slightly while running through exercises.

Whatever amount of time and dedication you are able to invest in the piano, it’s a great instrument for adults to learn. The piano is a few hundred years old, and people are still exploring its musical possibilities. Join their ranks and make music that you’ll love for the rest of your life.

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Moving Your Piano - Some Important Tips

November 16th, 2009

Whether you are undertaking a local furniture removal, or an interstate furniture removal or interstate backloading, the process can undoubtedly be a difficult one; packing up everything you own and unpacking it again in a different location is not only long and arduous, but it can also be both mentally and physically draining.

When you have a piano to move, however, the stress level shoots up a little bit higher; after all, such instruments are extremely difficult to move in the first place, but finding someone who knows how to deal with them to help with your furniture removal also becomes a bit of a problem.

What follows is a bit of advice on how to find your ideal movers. After all, they are out there; you just have to track them down!

Investigate the Furniture Removalist

Before you even begin your preliminary investigations, it is important to discover whether or not the furniture removal company or interstate backload company specializes in handling luxury instruments such as pianos.

Some homeowners even decide to hire a company that specifically moves only pianos to transport their treasured possession, but if this is not in your budget, make sure to find a local or interstate removal company that has a good amount of experience transporting pianos. After all, you do not want to leave the fate of your instrument in the hands of inexperienced movers. You should also check the company’s standing with the Better Business Bureau to make sure that their past clients were satisfied with the service.

Ensure Only Experienced Piano Movers Will Move Your Piano

After you have selected your preferred removalist, check to see that the employees assigned to the job are particularly experienced, as well. If they have been moving pianos together for a while, you should have nothing to worry about. If they’re not too experienced, you may consider asking for more experienced moving employees to help on this job. The sake of your piano rests on these removalists, so don’t be afraid to ask.

Also, do not be afraid to ask to see the vehicle in which your piano will be transported. Any truck carrying a piano for either a local furniture removal or for an interstate backload process, should be climate-controlled and contain the necessary supports and suspensions to protect the instrument during transit. You may even ask for someone to accompany the piano during the move to help prevent any unwanted accidents.

Get Insurance

Even with the best of intentions, however, these accidents sometimes occur. Make sure that the company you hire has up to date licenses and that your instrument is properly insured to prevent the brunt of the monetary damage that could occur if the piano were to be harmed during transport. The removalist company should have transit insurance to cover this.

While specialty piano movers may be more expensive than general furniture removalist companies that help with local moves and interstate back loading, it goes without saying that they will be much more experienced-and therefore, less likely to harm your piano-than their more common counterparts.

You should seriously consider your options before entrusting your valuable instrument or any other valuable item to any one company; shopping around never hurts, especially when something so precious is involved. And as common courtesy, always try to give a good tip or at least refreshments to the removalists so that they keep up the good work.

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