Any trip to the local music shop or even a quick online search will show you the vast array of instruments in this niche available to you -but which one is right for your needs? When you have the huge choice of keyboards and digital pianos that is available today, it can seem a little overwhelming. Which one will best suit you? Here are a few tips that you should be considering before you go out and buy your keyboard:

1)  Affordability. No matter how conservative your budget, it really shouldn’t be too difficult to find one that will fit. Set yourself a top level that you would pay and don’t go over that. Because the selection is so large, take the time to look around and get the best deal you can.

2)   Weighted action versus synth action. The weight of the keys will be directly affected by the style of play that you are intending to buy the keyboard for. The more weighted keys lend themselves more to the trained pianist or those who are looking to develop their piano skills. The synth action, on the other hand, is more suited to those who play a more synthy or techno style, as the keys can be played a lot faster. Synth action simply means that the keys are a little lighter.

3) Consider the number of keys. . It may seem that you have as much of a choice when it comes to the number of keys as you did in looking for them in the first place! The number of keys can range across the board, from as little as 20 right up to 88. . If you’re looking to play about with sound development, then you want to make sure that you have as many keys as possible. If you are purchasing your keyboard for things that only require a small range like samples, you only need a few keys. As ever, the choice on this remains squarely with the needs of the customer, i.e.: you.

4) Is an onboard sequencer worth it? If you’re working without a computer, then yes. If you’re working with a computer, then it probably won’t be necessary. This comes down to a very simple factor.

5) Do I need a workstation? This should be weighed against the fact that the workstation is an incredible tool to use. . The workstation on your keyboard will perform a myriad of functions, from sequencing to effects. . If you are already using a computer which handles all of that, paying extra for a workstation may not be the most economical vantage point.

6) After touch and velocity features. Put simply, the velocity relates directly to the sound produced relative to the amount of the pressure applied to the keys, like how quickly they are pressed. The after touch, on the other hand, refers to the sound that is produced after the keys have been pressed, whilst they are resting on the keybed. Whatever you have in mind as the use of your keyboard, you should seriously look into the velocity and after touch features.

7) Can I take this to a gig? It may seem obvious to say, but do you really want to be lugging some huge keyboard around from one gig to another? If one of the reasons you are buying the keyboard is to take it to gigs, then this should definitely be considered. You might want to think about a hard case to protect it, and obviously manoeuvrability is going to be a factor.

When you take the time to find the best keyboard, one that will suit your needs and your goals, then you are much more likely to develop the long-term relationship with your instrument. Think about what is available online -this is often the best way to buy a new keyboard -with the added advantage that they will deliver straight to your door!

Copyright 2009 Lauren Paltrow (Stage Pianist)

Lots of people today are making use of the high availability of online sites that promise to help you learn to play the guitar. The internet has given us a whole new media when it comes to learning to play the guitar, whether you are an absolute beginner or a seasoned pro.

Streaming videos now allow people to learn in the comfort o their own living room, at any time, whenever they like. Online guitar tutorials are now a huge industry - there are a massive amount of sites, and a lot of them will teach you how to play the guitar to very high standard. Here, we have explored some of the advantages of these sites for you, and taken a closer look at what they can offer you.

1)    The convenience
We are lucky to live in a time when convenience and easy availability of goods and services is part of our social make-up, and when it comes to learning to play the guitar, this is no different. As we stated earlier, by learning to play the guitar online you can learn wherever and whenever you want. More and more everyday activities are becoming more and more convenient (like shopping, for example).

Nowadays, you can learn at your pace - a few minutes here and there if you so desire. You can even fit learning to play the guitar around other activities. In the past, guitar students would have to travel to the instructor’s studio for a lesson. This involved often inconvenient travel times, and more often than not involved setting aside a whole afternoon or evening for a lesson.

2) Choose your own instructor
The majority of online tutorial sites give you the advantage of being able to choose from a wide variety of instructors. This means that instead of just finding someone who is close to your home, you can browse through a number of biographies and see sample lessons before you decide. The biggest advantage of this, of course, is that you can find someone who is specific to your needs.

Taking lessons from two or three instructors will give you a good sense of balance and you may even learn better doing it this way - don’t have to stick to just one instructor. Some of them are more hands on, whilst others favor a more visual approach, it’s worth trying out different instructors to find one that best suits your learning style.

3) Its flexible
The courses are completely flexible in that you can choose what you want - in a more one-on-one situation you will often fin that you are learning only what the instructor wants (or is able to) teach you. When you choose an online program, you are in the driving seat, and you get to learn what you want to learn!

4) Its affordable
For the online tutorial, the business premise is relatively simple: they can provide more lessons for less money. You probably don’t want to spend a great deal of money in order to learn to play the guitar, and in this you are not alone. If you look at the math its simple: if 100 members of a particular site pay $10 each, then the site generates $1000. This revenue can then be used to film and produce even more lessons.
A lot of the websites offer membership for around $40, which represents great value for money when you consider how many lessons are open to you when you join up. With a one-on-one instructor you will be looking to pay something between $30 and $60 per half hour lesson. So the value of the online training is clear.

It can seem a little frustrating at times when you come across something that you don’t understand. The only significant downfall when it comes to online learning, is that there is no-one there to ask a question to when you get stuck. This, however, is a pretty small disadvantage when you consider all the benefits of learning to play the guitar online.

Copyright 2009 Liam Gibson

Care and maintenance can sometimes seem secondary to playing, but if you want to continue playing for a long time, then it’s absolutely vital. We have assembled some of the best tips to keep your guitar in tip-top condition. By following these steps, you will find that the guitar will last as long as you want it to! Keeping your guitar in the best possible condition is paramount to enjoying the full life and playability of your instrument.

·    After Practicing
If the strings start to rust, then they become very rough and have a higher propensity of cutting into your fingers. The deterioration of the strings is a common problem amongst guitarists. A guitarist with cut fingers is not going to play as well, so it is important to make sure that the strings of your guitar do not get to this stage. To prevent this, make sure that as soon as you have finished practicing take a soft cloth and clean the strings.

Another good idea is, before you case your guitar, to apply a layer of conditioner. You can pick these up for less than ten dollars, so they are relatively cheap and are great for preventing the oxidization of the strings which causes them to rust. This very simple action will rid your strings of all the dirt, oil and sweat that accumulates.

·    The fretboard
There can often be an accumulation of dirt and grease around the fretboards, just as there is on the strings. If this is left unclean, it can lead to serious damage for your guitar, compromising the integrity of the instrument. When you next change your strings, simply clean the fretboards with a damp cloth.

·    Polishing
By paying attention to the body of your guitar, you are more likely to sustain the overall life of the instrument. The body of the guitar can often be neglected, as people tend to focus on the strings and the fretboard. Polish it regularly with a lint-free cloth, using only guitar-specific polishes. Some more widely available household polishes arte too abrasive, and can cause damage.

·    Storage
Wood is a porous substance, which means it can absorb moisture. Whilst most guitars are tolerant to a range of temperatures, excessive moisture will cause swelling which in turn causes the wood to warp and affects the overall sound. Your guitar is a very sensitive instrument, and is extremely sensitive to the environment in which it is stored. For ideal conditions, you should be looking at storing your guitar at around 50% humidity and a temperature of around 25 degrees C.

·    Scratches
It may sound obvious, but you’d be amazed at how many people have made this mistake! The obvious things are things like bracelets and rings, but I have also seen expensive guitars scratched badly by something as simple as a belt buckle! Before you even start to play, make sure you have removed all your jewellery and other accoutrements that may damage your guitar.

Guitar maintenance is not rocket science, and by treating your guitar with the respect that it deserves, you will get better rewards out of playing it. For the majority of the time, simply by applying common sense you will prolong the lifespan of your guitar.

Copyright 2009 Liam Gibson

The human ear really is a marvellous organ - you can train it just like any other muscle in the human body. Also, the more you train it, the stronger and more efficient it gets, just like all your other muscles.

It’s much like training a dog - you continue to give the dog the same order over and over again, until it recognises the sound and knows what it must do. Similarly, if you hear the same piece of music over and over again, you will recognise it. This is why playing the piano by ear comes so naturally to some people - when they hear a certain chord or selection of notes, they can immediately identify how those notes were played and the position of those notes on the keyboard.

If you got a (very patient) friend to sit at your piano for two days straight and play nothing but major thirds (for example C and E or F and A, etc), your ear would be trained for the sound. Then, the next time you are walking down the street and you hear a car horn, I bet you would immediately identify that sound as a major third (this is because the vast majority of car horns are “factory-tuned” to a major third).

You’ll be amazed at how often you’ll recognise sounds as they occur in everyday life all around you. Imagine if you walking down the street and were able to identify that train whistle as producing a tritone portamento descending! And not just train whistles – car horns and even tannoy announcements will sound completely different when your ear is trained to recognise those sounds.

First of all - you have to listen to the sounds. It can be difficult to find a friend who doesn’t mind playing the same chords over and over again whilst you listen, so the best solution to this that we have found is get hold of a tape recorder, and record the music. If you can find a recorder with a numerical counter on it, all the better, as you are then able to rewind to any specific spot you like.

A reasonable place for you to start is with melodic intervals such as skips of a major third or a perfect sixth. This is where most piano teachers start, so it’s a reasonable place for you to begin as well. Another good place to start is with chord progressions - they can often be a bit more engaging than the relatively simple melodic intervals, and a bit more fun to play.

Training your ear to recognize specific sounds and thus transferring them onto the piano is a time-honored tradition that has served many people well in the past. It can be done, and it can be done relatively simply. There’s no reason that you cannot do it yourself - learning to play the piano could not be simpler!

Copyright 2008 Lauren Paltrow

If you have no friends who can play to ask for advice, or, like I was, you are not all that clued up about the genre, then buying your first guitar can be a difficult task. Probably the first obstacle you will have to face when you decide to learn to play the guitar is buying one to start with.

A lot of people take the advice of the shop assistant, which can often turn out to be a little misguided and driven by his desire to make a sale rather than getting the best deal for yourself. Many people, me included, make the mistake of buying a nice economical purchase to start learning on, and find that it does not even come close to meeting their needs.

The following are all questions that you really need to know the answers to before you step foot into a guitar shop. If you are in this situation, and are looking seriously into the possibility of buying a guitar in order to learn, then there are a few things that you should be considering before you depart with your hard-earned cash.

1. What style of music do you want to play?

You will know what you want to play, and what you want to learn. Make sure you keep this in mind so that you don’t get pressured into buying something that will not be suitable for your needs. It may sound quite obvious to say that an electric guitar is more suited to rock music whereas an acoustic guitar is better for strumming and singing along. However, many people make this mistake.

2. What sort of budget do you have?

If you have never played guitar before, then spending thousands of dollars on a top quality instrument is probably not the way to go. Realistically, to begin with, you should be looking at paying somewhere in the region of $250-$300 (US) for a decent electric guitar, and around $150 (US) for an acoustic. What you are doing when you buy your first guitar is investing – you are investing in yourself and your own musical development. This should be considered as you set about finalizing exactly how much you want to spend.

When you decided on the style of music that you want to play, and the budget that you can afford, then it’s time to make the decision on which guitar you buy. Bear in mind your answers to the questions above, and consider the following. This is often a fraught step, and will take a little time to get it right, but the time is well invested to make sure that you get the right instrument.

Try before you buy. At this stage, it is even a good idea to try some guitars that are outside of your budget – that way you will get a sense of the differences in sound and playability that exist. If you were buying a new car, you wouldn’t buy it without first taking it for a test drive, right? Buying a guitar is no different – try as many guitars as you want. You will soon see the differences that exist from one guitar to the next.

Pay special attention to the playability of the frets. Look at the condition of the frets – are they worn out? Do they show signs of excessive usage? Take a look at each fret, and play a note on each. If you listen to the sound that this produces, you may find that there is a small buzzing sound – if this is the case, then it means that the action of the guitar is not set properly. It could even point to a case of poor workmanship on the instrument.

Many people buy guitars online, and it can be a quick and easy way to purchase your first guitar. If this is a road you wish to go down, then make sure that you fully check out the reviews of that particular guitar, and look at the user reviews as well to get a better idea of whether this guitar is right for you. The advantages of this are that it can be cheaper than a high street store, and it will often arrive straight to your door.

Be comfortable! If you find one that fits you like a glove and makes a sound that you genuinely enjoy, then there is a much higher chance that that guitar will stay with you for a much longer time. Make sure you select a guitar that you like, and that you feel comfortable with.

Playing the guitar can be a wonderful pastime, full of reward and great fun. Don’t get pressured into spending more than you can afford, as this will only produce resentment on your part, and you are therefore much less likely to continue. If you are a beginner, and are trying to learn to play a guitar for the first time, then you should seriously consider all of the above before you even start.

Copyright 2009 Liam Gibson

The piano is a marvelous musical instrument – there’s no-one who doesn’t appreciate the incredible sound that can come from those ivories! Also, it’s one of the best things that you can do for yourself- it can make you feel great, and it’s not as difficult as you might think! If you have even the slightest inclination towards learning, then there’s no reason not to. Here we have put together just 10 of the many reasons to learn to play.

1)    Right now, learning to play the piano is incredibly easy! With the advancements in communication and the easy availability of multi-media, there really are no obstacles in your way. Consider professional teachers, online tutorials, or you can even learn now by watching a DVD!

2)    Cost. The cost of learning to play has also gone down considerably over recent years. For the cost of a good meal in a restaurant, you can buy a really good standard instruction DVD or a tutorial book. Personally, I prefer the DVD route, as you can learn to play at your own leisure – you can pause to make a cup of tea whenever you want, and you can learn at your own pace. Think of the DVD as your own private teacher at your beck and call 24 hours a day! Also, you’ll find that the vast majority of the good standard course books are these days accompanied with their own audio cd, which is always a help.

3)    Sharing. It’s a real treat to be able to share music with those around you – loved ones such as grandchildren, children or that very special someone. It’s a wonderful gift to give someone.

4)    The music! Got a favorite song? Play the piano and you can hear it any time you want! How many times have you listened to a song you particularly liked and then thought to yourself – I wish I could play that? What, exactly is it that is stopping you from doing so? A quick visit to your local library will present you with sheet music for all levels of expertise. You can even go online and print off sheet music – some websites even let you listen to the music online as you play, so you can get a real feel for the song.

5)    Entertainment! For hundreds of years the music of the piano has brought people together – imagine if you could initiate a sing-song with your family! There’s really nothing better for that bonding experience. To take it a level further, get them to join in – there is a great deal of music that can be played by two people at once – believe me when I say it really is a special experience for all the family.

6)    Lifetime guarantee! It’s like riding a bike – when you know, you know. And even better than riding a bike – you never need to stop! When you’re ninety years of age, a ride around the block on a bicycle may present a bit of a challenge – not so the piano. Also, the longer you play, the more you are able to learn.

7)    Versatility. The piano itself is a massively versatile instrument – one of the few instruments that you can play simultaneous notes on without to much difficulty. This is often why the piano is chosen as the instrument of choice for composers – it’s like having your own mini-orchestra.

8)    Appreciation. When you play an instrument such as the piano, you will find you have a much better understanding of the music you hear every day. You will find yourself understanding how the music was put together, and this in itself will give you a much better idea of what exactly the composer was trying to get across. You may even surprise yourself by thinking up better ways to play, or even to improve it!

9)    Physicality. It’s physically easy! Like we mentioned earlier, people play the piano expertly well into their nineties – they can because the physical toll on the body is absolutely minimal. Other instruments (such as the violin or the guitar) take a degree of flexibility and exertion. The piano, however, requires none of these.

10)    The tradition! Since it first appeared on the musical scene over 250 years ago, the piano has influenced just about every genre and style of music, and has even prompted the rise of many. Any musical concert you go to, of practically any genre, has a keyboard somewhere on the stage.
These, of course, are just a few of the reasons to learn the piano. We could go on forever, and I’m sure you can think of some that we haven’t mentioned. Even if you are only slightly convinced, or even if there is a little voice somewhere in the back of your mind, I urge you to do it. I promise you that learning the piano will be one of the best things you ever do for yourself. You won’t regret it!

Copyright Lauren Paltrow