Aside from having only five keys to work with, there is another major problem. The piano no longer have strings and it’s not making a sound at all. This piano stands at 3 ft 9 in and less than a foot wide. Therefore, even if it was working, one would be required to remain standing while playing it. However, since it is no longer functioning, it makes a good sculpture instead.

In fact, this miniature grand was created by sculptor Bjorn Perborg. After he retrieved the full-size piano that was being thrown away, he chopped it into three separate sections and threw the middle one away. After which, he stick the two other parts together. In order for the separation to be made, the strings had to be taken out. This is why one can still tickle the ivories, but no sound would be produced.

Eventually, the sculpture was displayed at an exhibition and sold to a museum for £2,400. “I made this piece for a gallery show. I showed an installation about the Collyer brothers, two hoarders who lived like hermits in Manhattan during the first half of the 20th century. One of the brothers used to be a concert pianist and I thought a crippled piano could go well with their story. There were people giving away pianos for free, so I took one and cut it into three pieces, threw away the middle section and reassembled the other two parts. The lid and the music stand had to be cut separately as well. I didn’t have the proper tools to cut the heavy casted metal frame that holds the strings inside the piano, the harp, so I decided not to use it. It is not a functioning piano and I consider it to be a sculpture,” explained Mr Perborg, the full-time sculptor from Paris, France. For images and more, check it out here.

Thankfully at Awesome Piano, we provide piano lessons on full-size working pianos. Even if you do not have a piano at home, you can head on to one of the teacher’s place to learn. Alternatively, you may go for our piano rental instead.

Approximately a hundred and seventy years ago, Musee Musical started up in Madras where a Portuguese tuner, Misquith & Co started importing pianos to India. Hence, it only seems to be fitting that after a couple of decades later, this body of musical heritage launched an exquisite piano salon along with Yamaha Music India in the city. This 1200 square feet area designed with classy contemporary interiors had music director Harris Jayaraj pretty impressed when he took a tour of the place on Monday afternoon. “It’s good to inaugurate a piano salon in a city where only hair salons are popular,” he joked.

At the centre of the place holds a sleek grand piano, which is priced at a steep Rs 22.28 lakh. Aside from this expensive priced piece, there are also other acoustic and digital varieties available. “We’ve been wanting to start up an exclusive space for four to five years now, and here we are finally. What is different about this salon is that it is not just a place for piano purchases, but we give customers a chance to touch and feel the instrument, understand how it was made and then make a decision,” stated Kishore Das, CEO of Musee Musical.

Piano exponents Anil Srinivasan and Madhav Chari were also present during the launch and both helped to set the mood with a tune or two. “We all know why the piano is called the ‘Queen of All Instruments’. With 88 keys, that’s more musical combinations than you can do with any other instrument,” reasoned Anil. For more of the story, do check it out here.

In Singapore, there currently isn’t really a piano salon around. However, there are many piano shops that do allow customers to play a tune or two to test out the piano. At Awesome Piano, we go a step further than that. We allow our customers to rent a piano. This truly allows them to test it out at least for a month. If they decide to keep it, all they have to do is to top up the additional amount. Aside from piano rental, we also provide piano lessons.

Inside Michael Stinnett’s Antique Piano Shop, there are over hundreds of pianos in various stages of disrepair, including those that were damaged due to time, neglect or disasters. Under his own roof, there is a range of grand, baby grand, square grand, upright all the way to player piano. The collection that he currently has would be quite a big challenge to find just about anywhere else in the world. The price range for his pianos are between anywhere from $10,000 to $200,000 and above. Michael’s list of customers come from many various countries and they range from the very wealthy, such as a sheik in Dubai, to a mother who simply wishes to preserve the family heirloom. ”She’s restoring grandma’s piano and these kids will learn to play on the same ivory keys that grandma played and hopefully hand it down to their kids,” he stated.

As he discovered his love for music and pianos at a very young age, he went on to learn about his talent in fixing them when he was only in his teens. ”When I was 14, my parents had just built a small shop in the backyard for me. I was doing pianos one at a time, on a very small scale. Buy them for 100. Sell them for 500,” he explained. Over the years, this has change as Michael’s works nowadays fetches much higher prices and more expensive pianos. ”This piano right here is probably one of the most expensive pianos on the East Coast, valued at over half a million dollars, built in 1918,” he said.

He mentioned that at the end of the day, it came down to his passion for music. Presently, he works alongside a talented group of woodcarvers and artisans, who return usually priceless, but damaged heirlooms to their original luster. ”There is a demand for this. Very few are doing it. Most of the technicians I’ve known have passed away. And there are not many people learning the art of piano restoration. So it’s a dying art,” Michael mentioned. For the story, click here.

If you are looking for a piano teacher in Singapore, Awesome Piano has a pool of certified teachers available. For more information as well as our rates, please refer to our website.

“I like to make noise,” stated Russell Rand, a resident of Fort Lauderdale in the United States. He was one of those individuals who took the opportunity to spin out a fine version of “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” on the piano that was placed just outside a law office on Northwest Andrews Avenue. Also, just a distance away, Michelle Paris was playing on a second piano. ”I came down to see a friend’s artwork. I discovered a piano sitting on the corner,” she said as her hands move effortlessly on the keys.

When Lee returned from Denver, he thought to himself if others are putting out pianos for the public, why couldn’t they do the same. This question eventually passed on to the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation before reaching the local design firm Cadence. ”We needed to make a big deal out of it,” said Cadence principal Rebecca Bradley. They managed to find five pianos that were no longer in used and passed them over to local artists, who decorated them in styles. The city also assisted in providing the truck and the manpower.

According to Lee, this weekend of public pianos, ”is all about creating activity, showing that not everything has to be done by the city. Sometimes you can let stuff happen by itself. The whole point of a successful community is creating places for people to gather. And reasons for people to gather. I think we as a city are maturing to the point where these gathering places and activities are becoming more commonplace.” After the weekend debut, these pianos will be set down in various parts of the city. From there, residents will then vote on their permanent places somewhere in the town area. For the full story, you can read it over here.

If you are looking for piano lessons in Singapore, why not check out Awesome Piano? We have a pool of certified teachers available to assist you or your child in learning from the very basics. Do check our website for more details.

The first step is to figure out the fit. You can do this by approaching the piano dealer for a piece of paper or felt pattern to unfold on the floor. If you still have any doubts as to whether the piano can navigate a tight turn, then seek the aid of an expert piano mover to take a look at the situation. For your own information, vertical pianos should be a minimum of four inches from a wall, so that it can reflect the music back to the room. As grand pianos have horizontal soundboards, the music would be able to bounce off the floor. If you realise that opening a grand’s lid bounces sound against a wall nearby, then keep it closed instead.

Another thing you should be aware of is that hot air can dry out a piano. Hence, do not put it next to a heating vent, a fireplace or a wood stove. Pianos perform better in steady humidity, so many owners buy machines to keep humidity constant. Alternatively, keep the piano away from poorly insulated exterior walls. Aside from hot air, direct sunlight can also damage a piano. If the piano has to be placed next to a window, try using curtains or coat the glass to block ultraviolet rays.

For those who didn’t know, the larger the piano is, the stronger the sound will be. However, with the help of a technician, the sound can be adjusted to the size of the room. Some people advise that a large grand piano should be placed on a carpet for the best sound quality. For those individuals who lack either the space or the finance for an acoustic piano, digital pianos can be a solution. Furthermore, headphones allow one to play without disturbing others.

If you are looking for piano lessons in Singapore, do check out what Awesome Piano has to offer. You can learn more about us at our website.

Schroeder’s fundraising efforts started out back in January. During that point of time, he referred his series as his “pilot” performances. In April, he went on another four part series, where he estimated raising nearly $600 from the performances. This is far from the last of it as he has high hopes of beginning another series in June. For Schroeder, he is both a seasoned performer as well as a music teacher. For more than a decade, he has been sharing his talents with the community. Through the years, he managed to develop the skills and concept for the Piano Bar.

The main difference between his Piano Bar Series and an average piano performance is that it involves the active participation of audience members. Each of them are provided with a “menu”, which lists out the songs that Schroeder will play on request. “My thought was, if I can make a list of my repertoire, then we have a formula for a fun night out that’s different every time, because the crowd calls most of the shots,” stated Schroeder.

This was extremely clear during his final performance, where the audience called out their requests, sang along, snapped, clapped, and bantered with him. “The piano bar atmosphere appeals to me more than a regular piano performance because the approach is anything but serious. I’m there to have fun so that everyone in the room has fun. It’s important to me that everyone feels at ease and light-hearted,” he explained. Schroeder also mentioned that he decided to do four performances in a series rather than just one because “it takes time for word of mouth to spread”. He noticed that his April performances also drew in more people as compared to the one in January and this is probably due to word of mouth. For more of the story, do read it from here.

If you are looking for piano lessons in Singapore for either yourself or your child, do visit Awesome Piano. We offer a variety of lessons to individuals of varying needs.

The strange part is that Ron Hansford, the man who has owned it over the past four decades, was absolutely clueless that it was worth that much until recently. Back in 1971, he bought the piano and stored it at his mother’s house. After he had it restored, he shifted it to his own home in Harlem. “I figured it was poetic justice to have it relocated to Harlem, the home of one of the greatest musical periods in our country’s history, and to the block named for one of the most creative and important artistic minds of a generation. I don’t know much about the piano’s life before it came into my life, but I know that this location is a good, almost spiritual home for it,” he explained.

Back in the summer of 1971, 17-year-old high school senior Ron had just picked up the hobby of collecting vinyl records, which led him to the home of another record collector to purchase music. It was there that he came across the piano. “I saw they were into collecting pianos too, mostly player pianos. But then I saw this one. I was smitten. It was beautiful and I had to have it, never mind that I didn’t play piano. I’d had a small electrical organ as a child, but that was it,” recalled Ron, who ended up paying $700 for it and had it delivered to his mother’s place across town.

“I wanted to do something special with it. And I’ve said that ever since — the entire 42 years. But it was only a couple years ago that I finally decided to have it looked at and find out what this piano’s story was,” he said. After he retire, he began looking for someone to restore the piano. Every expert he met seemed to direct him over to Michael Stinnett, proprietor of the Antique Piano Shop. Through Michael’s 18 months of hard work, the piano was restored and valued at $100,000. For more of the story, do check it here.

If you are looking for piano lessons in Singapore, check out Awesome Piano. We offer piano lessons for kids as well as adults and for a variety of levels. Remember to check our website for more details!

His typical Monday begins at 8am in the morning. He starts with students from Asia before moving on to Britain and Europe. By afternoon time, he will be assisting students from his homeland. He does all his lessons from his studio in Barrington, Ill. Although he still teaches some students in person, majority of them are long distance. He makes full use of both his phone as well as the Internet (Skype). In fact, he has even taught lessons while he was driving before.

Perhaps the best part of it all is that Mark is able to tailor classes based on every individual student’s pace. “I see it as teaching someone to fish by comparison to giving someone a fish,” stated. His structure is to begin with chords and chord structure of the songs his students want to play. This helps to take the emphasis off from memorisation and encourages  playing by ear as well as looking for alternative ways  to play well-known songs. It is through such means that offers students the foundation to compose their own songs. “This is how the approach to teaching jazz and classical differ, and why guitar is so popular,” he explained his theory-driven, chord-focused teaching style.

Through the use of the phone and Skype, Mark also attracted more students with challenged mobility, who sought his one-handed teaching style. “I can’t think of a more meaningful job than to bring music into the lives of someone who didn’t think it possible to play piano,” he said. He also mentioned that his aim for now is to spread the word about using just one hand to play the piano, so that others who thought it wasn’t possible will get a chance to learn. He also hopes that by learning to play the piano with one hand, it will be able to help these students expand what they believe they are capable of achieving. If you would like to read the full story, you can do so here.

For those residing in Singapore who prefer a more traditional face-to-face lesson, do check us out at http://www.pianolesson.com.sg/. Awesome Piano offers you quality lessons only by certified teachers.

The interesting part of it all is that the event he participated was actually for vocalists. ”I’m an accompanist for the Weeki Wachee High School choir, and there is a competition for singers, but (also) those who play instruments with choirs,” explained Cameron, who has been playing the piano for 13 years, beginning at a very tender age of just 4 years old. In fact, the reason he picked up piano was because his extracurricular options were limited due to health reasons.

It all started one fine day when he was out together with his mother,  Christina Tretter, when he noticed and began experimenting with a piano. ”From that moment on, he was hooked,” she stated. After that, his parents decided to purchase a used piano at $75 to see how far his interest would take him. Obviously, it took him to rather great heights as he is still hooked on it. The only difference is that he has a much better piano now.

For approximately seven years, he has been attending private lessons at the Porto School of Music in Spring Hill with Joe Porto. ”He’s met and actually gone beyond my expectations. If he pursues and does what I want him to do, he should be able to walk into any university,” said a very impressed Joe. As of now, Cameron is set on going to college. However, the issue he has right now is deciding between piano and aeronautical engineering. Obviously, these are two very different choices at extreme ends. It also means that a different school would be involved. If he decides to go ahead with music, then he would like to attend the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. However, if he chooses to head over for engineering, he intends to go to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which, he pointed out, also has a good music program. Regardless of his future, he mentioned that he will always play the piano. ”I’d be the most depressed person without it,” he added. For the story, check it out here.

For those who are looking for piano lessons in Singapore, check out Awesome Piano today! We strongly believe that it is never too late to pick up a new skill. Hence, we have specially designed piano lessons for adults.

“As a keyboard player, I love the piano and think it’s the most logical instrument. But I was always interested in extending its power. I’d play gigs and be slightly envious of the musicians who could bend the pitch and volume and timbre of the notes – guitar players can be very expressive with just a few notes. You can’t do that with a piano,” he explained. According to him, the Seaboard is ”a new instrument that gets you one step closer to the experience of touching sound.”

The 34-year-old, who is also a graduate of the Royal College of Art, initially thought about a mechanical solution. Eventually, he didn’t feel that ”it would be intuitive enough — it had to build on the skills and muscle memory a piano player has.” He also rejected the idea of touch screens as they didn’t offer sufficient tactile feedback. He finally got his solution during a literary festival in Jaipur, India. ”Over the piano keyboard I started to draw sine waves that showed the keyboard becoming a wave. And then it just made sense. By striking the wave, you could play it discretely, like a percussive instrument. By moving over the waves, and gliding, it can become a continuous sound. And once I had that I could hear the music,” stated Roland.

Finalising the Seaboard was an extremely tedious process. In all, it took about 50 prototypes of the Seaboard, and 58 versions of its software and notation system before finally arriving at the production-ready Seaboard. In fact, it was also showcased in public for the first time last month. The Seaboard is only the start of an entire new range of musical products for Roland. His team of employees are currently working on other spin-off projects such as Seatara, a guitar that enables players to sustain notes by bending the instrument instead of using a pedal, and a handheld, modular drum machine. For more of the story, do check it out here.

Awesome Piano offers affordable piano lessons for everyone in Singapore. Remember to check our website for more information.