If you’re new to playing the piano and are looking to purchase one, you might be confused about the differences between an upright and a grand, and therefore don’t know which piano would be the better suited for your lifestyle. And, aside from the pure aesthetics of the piano, there are other essential differences between a grand and an upright.

Grand Pianos

Most professional pianists play a grand piano because typically the sound quality is better. Although a grand piano is a large instrument, there’s a reason for its size that isn’t just about visual appeal. Because the frame extends horizontally, there’s room to place the strings in the same direction. The longer strings are the reason for the improved sound in a grand piano. Shorter, thicker strings (such as those in an upright or a baby grand piano) produce more inharmonicity in their sound.

When any instrument is played, the single notes created have a distinct pitch. But, these pitches can contain partial tones apart from the played note, which are known as inharmonicity. A grand piano has more elasticity in its strings (as there is more room in the piano’s frame for them), and thus has a lower degree of inharmonicity and therefore produces a purer sound.

Baby grand pianos have the same horizontal layout as a grand piano, but are smaller in scale, (they’re often shorter than they are wide). While the sound of a baby grand is not equal to a grand piano, if you have space constraints they can be a good choice.

In addition, all grand pianos (including baby grands) have repetition levers in each of their keys. The repetition levers enable pianists to play staccato, trills and repeated notes with greater control and speed. Unfortunately, upright pianos do not have these repetition levers, so you won’t be able to achieve the same playing versatility that you can on a grand piano.

Uprights

Completely opposite from the grand piano, an upright piano’s frame and strings sit vertically. For people with limited space available, an upright piano might be the better choice as it takes up a lot less room than a grand piano.

Unlike a grand piano, where the sound is produced from the top, an upright piano’s sound comes from the back of the piano. Because the strings are placed vertically, an upright piano depends on the use of springs to make the strokes when playing. Since a grand piano has the benefit of gravity, one is less likely to get irregular responses from the piano while playing, and notes can be played faster. The springs on an upright can wear out over time and thus produce a less reliable sound. However, if the piano is looked after, they keys should continue to produce the music properly that you’re playing.

It can be hard to choose between an upright and a grand piano. Although the sound is better on a grand piano, sometimes there just isn’t enough space for one in your home, and an upright is the better choice.

On October 20, Nintendo will be releasing the latest game for their hit console Wii. The leader in interactive games, Wii is following in the steps of hit games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero and releasing Wii Music, a game that simulates playing musical instruments.

Playing the game is sort of like playing a musical instrument. Users will have to move their Wiimotes and nunchuks in the same motions as they would if they were actually playing the instrument. Like all games, it will take a lot of practice to become skilled at playing, which equals a significant time investment. Of course, will all this advancement in video game technology, I’m curious as to why we don’t spend that time learning the thing we’re simulating doing. For example, learning to play an actual instrument is also an investment of time, but at the end of the process, you know how to play an instrument, and you’ll have that knowledge forever. When you’re finished playing Wii Music, you’ll know how to move your hands like you’re playing an instrument, and eventually the game will become obsolete.

Proponents of Wii Music will argue that there is more immediate satisfaction than when learning to play an instrument. In addition, when playing Wii Music, you have the option of playing several different instruments, so you get to experience many different spectrums of music playing.

While it is true that taking music lessons doesn’t lend the same sense of immediate gratification that playing Wii Music will give, the long term benefits far outweigh the short-term gain. Music lessons have developmental benefits (including cognitive and spatial-temporal reasoning) that may enhance intelligence and improve academic scores. Both self esteem and self-discipline will experience a boost as well. And, after a while, you’ll be able to play actual songs with your instrument, and you’ll have the choice of what songs you want to play. (Unlike Wii Music which picks the songs for you.)

While Wii Music lets you experience the motions of playing many different instruments, and taking music lessons usually only lets you play your chosen instrument, picking up a second or a third instrument is pretty easy once you’ve mastered the basics in your first instrument. Sure, there are different components and parts, but if you’ve already learned to read music, it’ll be an easier process to pick up a second or third instrument.

Although Wii Music is one of the latest additions to the world of advanced gaming technology, taking music lessons and learning to play an instrument has far greater rewards. No longer will you be tied to your television and going through the motions of playing music, instead you can take your instrument wherever you’d like and actually play the songs you’d like to hear.

There is a great amount of value in learning to play a musical instrument, including better performance in school and greater problem solving skills. Because of this, a lot of parents want their children to take music lessons so that they can get a better start at life. Unfortunately though, sometimes children don’t want to cooperate and don’t bother practicing their instrument. As frustrating as this is, learning to play an instrument is like anything else, so therefore it can be a natural response to taking up a new challenge. So, in order to get your kids to practice their music lesson teachings, you as a parent have to find a way to inspire your children to play. The following are a list of things that might just help your children find enthusiasm for their musical instrument.

1.) Don’t Compare

Comparing your children to the progress of how others are doing never works. It can be disheartening and will often have the opposite effect of inspiring them to practice. When your children were little, comparing the speed of when they learned to walk to other kids did not get them to walk any faster and it’s the same thing with learning to play an instrument. Instead encourage them on the progress they have made, and I’m sure you’ll see a less frustrated child.

2.) Inspire by Listening

Have music playing at your house, and choose recordings of musicians who play the same instrument as your child. Don’t compare them to the recording, but just listen to it. Hearing an instrument played very well can be an inspiring experience and it may just encourage your child to want to take more of an interest in their music lessons.

3.) Play Music as it’s Meant to be Heard

A big mistake when teaching your child to play a musical instrument is to play the bars of a song note by note. Sound penetrates the brain, so intellect doesn’t get in the way. Unlike sight, which needs to be processed by the brain (we need to process what we’re looking at) sight is a more sensory function. Babies develop their auditory functions in utero even! So, play the song as it’s meant to be play and it won’t seem so boring to your child which could motivate them to learn what you’re playing.

4.) Use Building Blocks

Just like a lot of other skills that we develop, the ability to play music is one that we need a foundation to build on. Don’t expect your child to automatically start playing songs that are at a higher level than the skill that they’ve already developed. Instead, praise the notes that they do know how to play (even if it’s just a few scales), and the encouragement from that might bolster them to want to keep playing and learning.

One of the greatest ways to get your child to practice their instrument is to make the experience a fun one. If your child considers it to be a chore, than it will be a fight every day trying to get them to practice, which, in turn will make them resent their instrument even more. Encourage them as they play and reward them for their hard work. Make games out of it and your child will soon start to practice on their own accord.

It can be difficult to make a child do something that they don’t want to do, so instead of fighting against the stream make the music playing experience something that they love to do. Forcing your child to practice will only perpetuate the cycle; finding a way to encourage them will help them develop an enthusiasm for playing.

In recent years, video games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band have entered the marketplace, ensuring everyone that if they spent enough time playing; they too would know what it’s like to be a rock star. The game allows you to practice your skills and experience increasingly harder levels, which ensures that you don’t get bored too quickly. It really does feel like you’re playing the guitar and rocking out.

But, what if you were to actually learn how to play the guitar and rock out. Would taking guitar lessons still make you feel like a rock star? Below we’ll debate the pros and cons on how to spend your time: Guitar Lessons or Guitar Hero?

Guitar Hero

When you play Guitar Hero, you can start playing with bands like Pearl Jam and The Who right away. The game gives the user immediate satisfaction and that great rock star feeling. But only on the easy level. To get to each successive level requires a lot of time and practice.

Admittedly, the songs on Guitar Hero are pretty fantastic, and depending on what video game system you have, you can always download more songs to suit your taste. But, you can’t just play whatever you want; you have to wait for the song to be developed for Guitar Hero. So, if you are a big Peter Frampton fan, and want to play an entire retrospective, you might just be waiting for awhile.

When you’ve made it to the expert level, it is quite impressive. Your fingers will have to move very fast to hit all of the notes, and you will get the feeling of sliding your hand up and down the arm of the guitar and hitting the whammy bar and strumming. But at the end of the day, all you’re really doing is hitting a bunch of buttons, and the hours you’ve spend practicing aren’t really translatable into an actual skill.

Guitar Lessons

When you first start to take guitar lessons, you definitely won’t be rocking out to any of your favourite bands. You’ll have to learn things like finger placement, chord structures and how to read music. It will be a while before you even get to play a full song, and like Guitar Hero, learning to play the guitar will take a lot of time and practice.

When you take guitar lessons, you aren’t boxed in by a certain set of songs that you’re able to play. The only thing you might be hampered by is your ability to play the song in question. But, if there is a certain song you want to be able to play, and you practice hard enough, there is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to play that song eventually.

As you successively move through levels with your guitar lessons, your playing abilities will continually be getting better. And, after some serious schooling (admittedly, it will probably take more time to get really good than it would at Guitar Hero), you will walk away with the ability to play the guitar. Which means, that you can take a guitar anywhere, start playing, and NOT have to be hooked up to a video game console. And, if you’re good enough and lucky enough, your guitar lessons might lead you to eventually being one of the bands on the game, and all those video gamers will be rocking out to your music.

When asking the average person what the benefits are to taking music lessons, they would probably reply, “learning to play an instrument.” And, while playing an instrument is the main goal and purpose of taking lessons, they also provide supplemental perks that many people might not realize.

Early Success

To be successful with music lessons, it usually takes a lot of discipline, and that discipline can transfer to the skills necessary to be successful academically. Things like study skills, cognitive skills and communication skills can all be improved with the addition of music lessons. In addition, studies have shown that involvement in instrumental music throughout the middle and high school years show a significantly higher proficiency in higher levels of math by grade twelve. Furthermore, students with experience with music lessons (both performance and appreciation) receive higher scores on their SATs.

And, with more and more pressures being put on our kids from outside sources, more and more teenagers are experimenting with illicit substances which can have an adverse effect on their academic careers. Fortunately, a study from the Texas Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse found that secondary students who participated in music (via band or music lessons) have the lowest lifetime use of substances including alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs.

Future Success

Music lessons don’t necessarily mean that a person is destined to have a career in music, however taking music instruction will help further goals in whatever career path chosen. Many colleges and universities view music education highly when considering college applications and many of the world’s best engineers and technicians are gifted musicians.

Although there are many benefits to taking music lessons when you’re young (including developing better spatial reasoning, pattern recognition and patience), music lessons continue to have educational benefits throughout one’s entire life. It’s been found that music lessons can improve the health of the elderly. In one study, (originally reported in AMC Music News) it was shown that there were significant decreases in anxiety, depression and loneliness following piano lessons. These decreases can help lead to improved health by helping the elderly cope better with stress, can stimulate the immune system and can show significant increases in human growth hormones. (These hormones (or lack thereof) are linked to what causes aches and pains.)

Music lessons have educational benefits that have an expanding effect beyond just learning how to play an instrument. They facilitate brain development and cognitive skills from young to old and can really play a factor in becoming a success.

Today’s world is full of parents that are determined to give their children the best start possible in life. And that means that in our increasingly competitive society it’s no longer limited to simply providing a university education. With some preschools insisting on tests and interviews to determine entry, the competition for placement at a good preschool is fierce. Children need to be better, brighter, and have a more well-rounded education in order to just get in to the school of their choice. And the competition will continue throughout their lives. Post-secondary education is no longer seen as a luxury for the very privileged, instead it as seen as a necessity. This has had a direct effect on enrollment numbers, and today’s youth are finding themselves competing for fewer spots among the nation’s best universities and colleges.

Needless to say, it can be very stressful. Parents want to maximize their children’s chances of success, but don’t want to turn their kids into nervous neurotics. And, although it isn’t an obvious answer, enrolling your children in music lessons can help you achieve this balance.

The obvious benefits of music lessons are clear: Achieving the knowledge and skill necessary to play a musical instrument. But, there are other perks to putting your kids in lessons that aren’t as obvious. These include the following:

• Self confidence- Music lessons give children a feeling of accomplishment which boosts their sense of pride. This pride allows them to feel confident in themselves and their decisions which contributes to their overall feelings of self worth.

• Discipline – Learning to play an instrument is not an easy task, and it takes years of commitment and hard work to become somewhat skilled at it. The effort needed to become successful will help build discipline in your child, which will only help with all other future endeavors.

• Academic Achievement – A Rockefeller Foundation Study found that music majors have the highest rate of acceptance into medical school. The same studies also found that people who had studied music had higher scores on average on standardized tests. In addition, children who take music lessons have a better initial understanding of mathematics as they’ve been learning fractions from an early age (music is written in fractions).

• The Mozart Effect - A study out of Harvard University found evidence that spatial-temporal reasoning improves when kids take music lessons (it also improves temporarily when adults listen to certain types of music – which is why it’s called The Mozart Effect). They found that spatial reasoning and music are related psychologically and possibly even neurologically as well.

Providing the best opportunities possible for their children is the goal of most parents. And these days, many parents look to today’s gadgets and technologies as the best route possible for advancing their children. But it’s been proven that music lessons are a great way to achieve these results – and as a bonus, kids learn how to play an instrument!

For many decades, the piano to have was a Steinway. Established in 1853, and known for being the favourite choice of most concert pianists, Steinway had a stranglehold on the upscale piano market. To become part of the Steinway Artist list, concert pianists had to agree to only use Steinway pianos in both their professional and personal lives, and in exchange were guaranteed that a piano would be made available to them for both recital and practice sessions. Until recently, this wasn’t really considered a burden for pianists as Steinway was making some of the best pianos in the world. However, in the early 1980’s the world of classical pianists started seeing a shift in both high-end piano manufacturing and in the brand exclusivity concept.

In contrast with Steinway’s exclusivity contracts with its roster of over 1,200 classical artists; Fazioli has been quoted saying that he doesn’t believe in imposing artistic limitations on pianists. Fazioli believes in making his pianos available to artists who favor using them but allowing them the freedom to shift to other manufacturers if they wish to do so with no cost to their relationship with the Italian piano manufacturer. In essence, the responsive artistic quality of the Fazioli piano is what holds artists’ exclusivity commitment, as opposed to Steinway’s contract-based concept.

The beginnings of the up and coming Fazioli brand took place in the late 1970’s when Paolo Fazioli decided to try his hand at manufacturing a piano. He revealed his first prototype in 1981 at an international trade fair for musical instruments. The rest, as they say, is history.

A Fazioli piano

Fazioli’s pianos are handcrafted instruments made from wood from the Val di Fiemme region of Italy (this is the same area where the spruces that make up Stradivarius violins can be found). Fazioli is also credited with crafting the world’s largest concert grand piano, the Pianoforti, measuring 10 feet, 2 inches. This piano boasts an exclusive feature - a fourth pedal (which allows the volume to be turned down without affecting the timbre); an option not offered by any other piano manufacturer in the world. This feature is wildly successful amongst the world’s most prominent concert pianists who strive to achieve the best possible sound and clarity in their most dramatic musical transitions.

The Fazioli piano though, is still a rarity. This year, the company forecasts the production of only 120 pianos, (each piano takes two years to manufacture on average), so playing / buying one should be considered an entrance to a exceptionally exclusive club. (In comparison, Steinway manufactures around 3000 pianos annually).

The price of Fazioli pianos range from $75,000 to over $400,000, (with the higher end model being made of materials consisting of mother of pearl, semi-precious stones and sequoia burr wood). In comparison, Steinway grand pianos start at just under $50,000.

While it does seem extremely pricey, converts to the Fazioli piano say that there is nothing like it. Classical pianists have been quoted saying that they take comfort in knowing that there is now someone in the world who cares about making an exquisite piano. It’s because of that sentiment that Fazioli is becoming the preferred choice for artists who care most about sound quality and the overall responsiveness of their instrument. Now boasting their adoration for the Fazioli brand, a growing number of professional pianists, like Herbie Hancock, will now accept nothing less than the best – a Fazioli.