Why You Should Practice Piano as a Second Instrument
You've probably heard some teachers or musician friends say that you should practice piano as second instrument, but you may never have really heard why. If you ask them why, they may not know the answer, only that it's "helpful".
It's true, playing piano as a secondary instrument is VERY helpful for your musical ability regardless of what instrument you play. Some colleges require you to take piano as well as lessons for your primary instrument when you are studying for your B.A. or your B.M.
But why is it really helpful? Let's back up and talk about your primary instrument first, let's say it's the viola. The viola has 4 strings, each strung an equal fifth apart (A, D, G, and C, top to bottom). By keeping the fundamental tones of the strings exactly a fifth apart, this determines what kind of finger patterns will be necessary to produce music, and the range of the instrument.
For another example, let's use the guitar. The strings on the guitar (E, B, G, D, A and E) are fourths apart, save second and third strings which rest at thirds. This determines the finger patterns and "shapes" necessary to produce chords and find specific individual notes on the instrument.
In both of these examples, there is a non-linear, unequal way of looking at theory and technical because you have to think it specific sets of intervals when moving from one string to another. For example, as a violist I would know that first finger on the C string is the note D, while first finger on the G string is A. The same applies to guitarists. You have to move not only left and right, but also up and down with your fingers.
To sum up, you can't visually "see" the patterns in a linear way, but rather in shapes or stretches. However, this is not true on a piano. Scales, chords, and patterns are all VERY linear on a piano. In fact, there is no way to not be linear about it. Each note ascends or descends left to right, where as on a guitar or viola not only can notes be left or right of each other, but also up or down from another. In same cases, this left, right, up, and down motion can be very confusing when trying to learn the theory and mechanics behind music, chords, pattern, progressions, etc.
However, on the piano, you can only move in a straight line left or right. This helps the brain process more effectively the theory and mechanics you are trying to learn by putting it an logical, straightforward sort of way that requires less brain power to process.
This allows you to think about the specific notes you are playing. For example, I know on a piano a C chord consists of C, E, and G. I can play any combination of those notes and still get a C chord. I can literally see this on a piano, where as on the viola I would more probably think something along the lines of, "first string, third finger first string, second string". Do I know what those notes are? Certainly, but I can't think about it to linearly, because I have to shift across and up strings. On the piano, all I have to do is play C and move up a third, and a third again. I know what notes I am playing, and will always know that those are C, E, and G. I will always see in my head my fingers playing a C chord on the piano when I hear someone say "C chord."
Is this really necessary? Well, most would argue no. But it has been an invaluable tool for me to be able to take a rhythm, a note progression, or anything strange I find in my music to my piano, plunk it out, and then play it out on the cello with the linear vision of the music in my head.
Does this work for everyone? Probably not. Does it work for most? Yes, most people think in a straight line better than they do on a roller-coaster pathway, even if they are used to thinking like a roller-coaster. This is why we make lists, charts, graphs, so we don't have to just have pages and pages of information. We organize it, we process it, we arrange it into a MORE understandable fashion. This is what the piano will help you to do when learning music theory and mechanics.
Monday, July 27, 2015
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Searching, Trying, and Buying a Used Piano (or any instrument really)
Searching, Trying, and Buying a Used Piano (or any instrument really)
One of the most difficult things about picking out an instrument is not always finding a good one, but deciding which one you can live with the longest! I have a very recent, practical example for you later on in the article. First, let's talk about where to find an instrument, what to look for when trying it out, and finally buying the instrument.
The first thing you should do when looking for a new instrument is deciding what your budget is, and how much room you have for a piano. This will help you determine what kind of piano to buy. If you have a larger budget say ($3,000 to $5,000) and a moderate amount of space, it's best to go with a medium grand piano. If you don't have a lot of space but the same budget, you want to buy the tallest upright you can find, or perhaps a baby grand. But if you have a smaller budget (say between $800 and $2,000) you'll want to buy the tallest upright you can find.
In summary, an excellent general rule to follow: always buy the biggest piano you have room for (that fits within your budget and proves to be a quality instrument).
Now, the best place to begin looking for quality used instruments is in the local newspaper ads or places like Craigslist and Ebay, with the search set locally. If you can't find any that fit your size or financial budget, consider reducing size prerequisite or increasing budget if at all possible. If you can't find a quality instrument this way, look to the local piano store that sells used and or restored instruments. They usually have something that will suit your needs.
Now that you've found an instrument (or two or three) that meet your criteria, it's time to try them out and give them a test run. If you found the piano by way of ad, be sure to ask when the best time to try it out is. Most piano stores have regular hours, but in some cases you'll have to make an appointment.
These are some basic things to look for before playing the instrument:
As a warning: NEVER, I repeat, NEVER crawl underneath a grand piano to look at the underside unless you are 100% sure that it is structurally sound and won't collapse underneath you. I've heard stories of people who crawl underneath old pianos to take a look, and seconds after they crawl back out the piano collapses.
If the instrument passes your external examination, see if you can get a look inside. If it's a grand, this shouldn't be a problem, just look down between the strings at the soundboard, the action, etc. If you are inspecting an upright piano, I strongly recommend you hire a technician to come out with you to help you inspect the inside of an upright piano. This is good advice anyway: have a technician with you. But it's not necessarily necessary, and so often goes neglected. A professional eye can help you avoid a down-the-road disaster that could cost you thousands of dollars to fix. Most technicians can assist you for very little to no cost at all in something like this.
As far as the tonal quality, here are things you want to listen for.
Now, assuming you find more than one instrument that passes all your examinations and that you believe are a quality instrument. How do you choose one?
The last time I went to buy a new cello, I was faced with a serious dilemma. I found two, that were of equal tonal and structural quality. The both played fairly well, and were cosmetically pleasing. But they had exactly opposite personalities! One was very dark and warm (but not muddy), and had a intimate and friendly sound to it. The other had a bright sound (but not to bright) and boasted a proud and arrogant tone that was extremely powerful and rich.
The question for me was, "which of these personalities can I live with?" Not all music is suited for one kind of instrument. There is no "one size fits all" instrument. If you know your instrument well, you can make a dark and warm instrument sound brighter, and conversely as well. I had the hardest time picking which cello I wanted to have, they were both so nice!
After much debate, and hours upon hours of playing them, I came to a few conclusions. The one that was easier to play would serve me better, and a warmer tone fits in with more music types that a brighter tone. It's easier to fit in with an ensemble, chamber orchestra, or for performing duets or even solos with warmer instrument than a brighter one.
And so, even though I liked both cellos so much, I went with the darker, warmer one because it was easier to play, and could blend in with more types of music and groups of musicians than the brighter one could.
However, this conclusion does not work well with everyone. Some people prefer the brighter of warmer tone, and thus a brighter instrument is better for you. The best route to go is to find the middle ground, as it can usually be persuaded into sounding like either when you need it to. This can be accomplished by playing regularly on your instrument and knowing it inside and out, all of its little secrets and personality quirks.
One of the most difficult things about picking out an instrument is not always finding a good one, but deciding which one you can live with the longest! I have a very recent, practical example for you later on in the article. First, let's talk about where to find an instrument, what to look for when trying it out, and finally buying the instrument.
The first thing you should do when looking for a new instrument is deciding what your budget is, and how much room you have for a piano. This will help you determine what kind of piano to buy. If you have a larger budget say ($3,000 to $5,000) and a moderate amount of space, it's best to go with a medium grand piano. If you don't have a lot of space but the same budget, you want to buy the tallest upright you can find, or perhaps a baby grand. But if you have a smaller budget (say between $800 and $2,000) you'll want to buy the tallest upright you can find.
In summary, an excellent general rule to follow: always buy the biggest piano you have room for (that fits within your budget and proves to be a quality instrument).
Now, the best place to begin looking for quality used instruments is in the local newspaper ads or places like Craigslist and Ebay, with the search set locally. If you can't find any that fit your size or financial budget, consider reducing size prerequisite or increasing budget if at all possible. If you can't find a quality instrument this way, look to the local piano store that sells used and or restored instruments. They usually have something that will suit your needs.
Now that you've found an instrument (or two or three) that meet your criteria, it's time to try them out and give them a test run. If you found the piano by way of ad, be sure to ask when the best time to try it out is. Most piano stores have regular hours, but in some cases you'll have to make an appointment.
These are some basic things to look for before playing the instrument:
- Does the cabinet (also referred to as the "case" or the "body") have major scuffs, scratches, blemishes or other indicators of abuse or poor care of the instrument?
- Does the finish look like it's sun faded, indicating the piano was in direct sunlight every day over the years?
- Is it structurally sound? Give it a little push with your hands and see if it wobbles at all. A structurally sound piano should yield little to no movement when bumped or pushed upon lightly.
- Are there any stains that look like they could be from a beverage or spilled food? This can turn out to be or make serious problems down the road.
As a warning: NEVER, I repeat, NEVER crawl underneath a grand piano to look at the underside unless you are 100% sure that it is structurally sound and won't collapse underneath you. I've heard stories of people who crawl underneath old pianos to take a look, and seconds after they crawl back out the piano collapses.
If the instrument passes your external examination, see if you can get a look inside. If it's a grand, this shouldn't be a problem, just look down between the strings at the soundboard, the action, etc. If you are inspecting an upright piano, I strongly recommend you hire a technician to come out with you to help you inspect the inside of an upright piano. This is good advice anyway: have a technician with you. But it's not necessarily necessary, and so often goes neglected. A professional eye can help you avoid a down-the-road disaster that could cost you thousands of dollars to fix. Most technicians can assist you for very little to no cost at all in something like this.
As far as the tonal quality, here are things you want to listen for.
- Does the tone seem bright or warm? Is it too bright or to muddy? It should be right about in the middle, not to bright, but warm enough to produce a pleasant tone. To warm (also described as dark) and the tone becomes "muddy" sounding and unpleasant.
- Is the volume appropriate? Is the instrument far to loud or far to soft for normal playing?
- Do all the tones come out evenly? Does the tone jump wildly from warm, to bright, to somewhere in the middle as you play up and down the piano? A little shift in tone like this is normal and desirable, however, unpleasant and rapid changes are annoying, distracting, and generally indicate a problem. In most pianos, the tone in the bass is a warm and pleasant, and becomes smoothly and evenly brighter as you go up the scale, until you reach the top that has a sharp, crisp, but still pleasant tone.
- Is one note weaker than the ones around it? This could indicate a missing string or broken action part.
- Do all the keys work?
- Do all the keys work correctly?
- Are any obviously mistreated and damaged?
- Are the keytops in good condition?
Now, assuming you find more than one instrument that passes all your examinations and that you believe are a quality instrument. How do you choose one?
The last time I went to buy a new cello, I was faced with a serious dilemma. I found two, that were of equal tonal and structural quality. The both played fairly well, and were cosmetically pleasing. But they had exactly opposite personalities! One was very dark and warm (but not muddy), and had a intimate and friendly sound to it. The other had a bright sound (but not to bright) and boasted a proud and arrogant tone that was extremely powerful and rich.
The question for me was, "which of these personalities can I live with?" Not all music is suited for one kind of instrument. There is no "one size fits all" instrument. If you know your instrument well, you can make a dark and warm instrument sound brighter, and conversely as well. I had the hardest time picking which cello I wanted to have, they were both so nice!
After much debate, and hours upon hours of playing them, I came to a few conclusions. The one that was easier to play would serve me better, and a warmer tone fits in with more music types that a brighter tone. It's easier to fit in with an ensemble, chamber orchestra, or for performing duets or even solos with warmer instrument than a brighter one.
And so, even though I liked both cellos so much, I went with the darker, warmer one because it was easier to play, and could blend in with more types of music and groups of musicians than the brighter one could.
However, this conclusion does not work well with everyone. Some people prefer the brighter of warmer tone, and thus a brighter instrument is better for you. The best route to go is to find the middle ground, as it can usually be persuaded into sounding like either when you need it to. This can be accomplished by playing regularly on your instrument and knowing it inside and out, all of its little secrets and personality quirks.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Humidity and Temperature, and How They Affect Your Instrument
Humidity and Temperature, and How They Affect Your Instrument
You may be aware of this, then again you may not, but temperature and humidity directly affect the performance and structural integrity of your instrument in a few ways.
Let's deal with the temperature first, assuming humidity is low or at least average for the instruments location. A high temperature will cause the instrument to dry out: the moisture content in the instrument will be reduced. On the surface, this might seem like a positive thing, however, it's not always.
When the wood in your instrument begins to dry out, it begins to move and contract in strange ways. In an extreme, this can cause the wood to crack, split, or become separated from a once stable glue joint. Instruments produce music by sound waves caused by vibrations. If the wood is cracked, the wood on either side of the crack runs the risk of knocking against each other, creating a buzzing, humming, or ringing sound that is distracting and unpleasant to listen to.
There is little chance of your instrument being exposed to extremely low temperatures. But even if it is, chances are it won't affect your instrument at all, but the humidity that often comes with cooler temperatures will.
Humidity is the moisture content in the air. When the humidity goes up, the air tends to feel thick, sticky, and has even been defined as "swampy." A majority of any instrument is made up of wood, which is directly affected by it's moisture content. When the humidity goes up, the moisture content of the wood goes up. When the humidity goes down, the moisture content of the wood goes down.
When the wood in your instrument has a higher than average moisture content, the wood will swell, or become enlarged. Most obviously this causes stress between any joints in the wood, weather it be by glue or a small nail. If the high moisture content is maintained over a period of time, it can cause the wood to swell to the point that the joint breaks, damaging the structural integrity of your instrument and usually affecting the tonal quality by adding the same buzzing, jangling, or ringing sound discussed earlier.
So what is ideal for an instrument? Where can it be perfectly comfortable? It's very simple. Instruments are like people. They like to be cool, but not to cool, and they don't want the air around them to be thick or "swampy" due to high humidity. Most instruments like to sit between 73 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit, and with a 45% to 50% local humidity. A few more or less degrees in temperature or humidity won't really affect your instrument.
This is why you should never leave your instrument in your car. It gets hot, the case it's in causes the temperature in the case to be slightly higher than the interior of the car, and depending on the humidity that day the instrument will begin to swell or shrink, risking breakage of your instrument.
Now, how can all of this affect the instruments performance. Picture this scenario. You're on a concert stage in front of 800 people, with a 60 piece orchestra behind you. It rained yesterday so the humidity is high but you don't need to worry about it because the concert hall is air conditioned. You're the cello soloist for Dvorak's concerto, and are about half way through the 40 minute piece of music.
The air conditioner, which has been in need of service for some time, gives out. Within minutes, all of the bodies, people breathing, etc. cause the temperature and the humidity in the room to rise rapidly. This in turn causes your instrument to swell. The body of your cello is pushing up on the bridge, which in turn is also swelling and pushing up on the strings. Your strings were sitting at a tension of 50.21 pounds, and was perfectly in tune. With the added and somewhat uneven swelling of your instrument pushing up on the strings and adding tension, the total tension in weight is now 52.87 pounds. Your cello is now noticeably out of tune and above standard concert pitch of A440.
The rest of the orchestra suffers the same problem, and now your music sounds discordant, disjointed, and generally...well...very bad. Not to mention your body is dripping with sweat. The director waves every to a stop, and dismisses the orchestra, apologizing to his audience for the uncomfortable room, and promises them another concert the following evening.
Not so fun, is it? Now, this example was slightly exaggerated. However, under an extreme like this it could happen very similarly to what is described.
You may be aware of this, then again you may not, but temperature and humidity directly affect the performance and structural integrity of your instrument in a few ways.
Let's deal with the temperature first, assuming humidity is low or at least average for the instruments location. A high temperature will cause the instrument to dry out: the moisture content in the instrument will be reduced. On the surface, this might seem like a positive thing, however, it's not always.
When the wood in your instrument begins to dry out, it begins to move and contract in strange ways. In an extreme, this can cause the wood to crack, split, or become separated from a once stable glue joint. Instruments produce music by sound waves caused by vibrations. If the wood is cracked, the wood on either side of the crack runs the risk of knocking against each other, creating a buzzing, humming, or ringing sound that is distracting and unpleasant to listen to.
There is little chance of your instrument being exposed to extremely low temperatures. But even if it is, chances are it won't affect your instrument at all, but the humidity that often comes with cooler temperatures will.
Humidity is the moisture content in the air. When the humidity goes up, the air tends to feel thick, sticky, and has even been defined as "swampy." A majority of any instrument is made up of wood, which is directly affected by it's moisture content. When the humidity goes up, the moisture content of the wood goes up. When the humidity goes down, the moisture content of the wood goes down.
When the wood in your instrument has a higher than average moisture content, the wood will swell, or become enlarged. Most obviously this causes stress between any joints in the wood, weather it be by glue or a small nail. If the high moisture content is maintained over a period of time, it can cause the wood to swell to the point that the joint breaks, damaging the structural integrity of your instrument and usually affecting the tonal quality by adding the same buzzing, jangling, or ringing sound discussed earlier.
So what is ideal for an instrument? Where can it be perfectly comfortable? It's very simple. Instruments are like people. They like to be cool, but not to cool, and they don't want the air around them to be thick or "swampy" due to high humidity. Most instruments like to sit between 73 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit, and with a 45% to 50% local humidity. A few more or less degrees in temperature or humidity won't really affect your instrument.
This is why you should never leave your instrument in your car. It gets hot, the case it's in causes the temperature in the case to be slightly higher than the interior of the car, and depending on the humidity that day the instrument will begin to swell or shrink, risking breakage of your instrument.
Now, how can all of this affect the instruments performance. Picture this scenario. You're on a concert stage in front of 800 people, with a 60 piece orchestra behind you. It rained yesterday so the humidity is high but you don't need to worry about it because the concert hall is air conditioned. You're the cello soloist for Dvorak's concerto, and are about half way through the 40 minute piece of music.
The air conditioner, which has been in need of service for some time, gives out. Within minutes, all of the bodies, people breathing, etc. cause the temperature and the humidity in the room to rise rapidly. This in turn causes your instrument to swell. The body of your cello is pushing up on the bridge, which in turn is also swelling and pushing up on the strings. Your strings were sitting at a tension of 50.21 pounds, and was perfectly in tune. With the added and somewhat uneven swelling of your instrument pushing up on the strings and adding tension, the total tension in weight is now 52.87 pounds. Your cello is now noticeably out of tune and above standard concert pitch of A440.
The rest of the orchestra suffers the same problem, and now your music sounds discordant, disjointed, and generally...well...very bad. Not to mention your body is dripping with sweat. The director waves every to a stop, and dismisses the orchestra, apologizing to his audience for the uncomfortable room, and promises them another concert the following evening.
Not so fun, is it? Now, this example was slightly exaggerated. However, under an extreme like this it could happen very similarly to what is described.
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