Piano Guidance
Piano Guidance
Photo: Toni Cuenca
It's a versatile device in a lot of ways—approachable to beginners and robust enough for experienced producers. But that also puts it in a kind of limbo. If you want to create custom beep-boops, you can snag a small, simple midi controller for around $70. A really nice full-sized keyboard can go for just over $200.
fortississimo ff, standing for fortissimo and meaning "very loud". ppp ("triple piano"), standing for pianississimo and meaning "very very quiet"....
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For a student that is 6-8 years old, well, they can start putting in a little more time and start practicing regularly for 10-15 minutes per day....
Read More »Musically, I am a walking Dunning-Kruger effect. I’ve learned just enough to act like I know what I’m doing but not enough to, you know, play an instrument. The long isolation of pandemic life has inspired a plethora of new hobbies, and a few months ago, I thought, maybe music could be mine. Enter Lumi Keys. Lumi Keys from Roli is a keyboard contained in a foot-long block, with translucent keys that light up in various colors depending on which note is played. It’s primarily marketed towards beginners, and it wirelessly pairs with a companion app loaded with virtual music lessons. The app tells the keys to light up in time to the music, so you know which ones to press to play along. These flashy lights and bright colors seemed like just the thing to hold the attention of my easily distracted idiot brain. Months of on-and-off usage of two different versions of the Lumi Keys did not make me a musical prodigy. (Not that I expected it to.) I enjoyed my time with the device more as an gadget or instrument than an instructional tool. It’s a solid midi controller and the lessons are straightforward and easy to grasp, even if the cover versions of popular songs can feel a little uninspiring. Lumi Keys started as a Kickstarter project back in 2019. After reaching its fundraising goal on the first day, Roli started production and released a limited run to its Kickstarter backers. The company was then blindsided by pandemic-induced manufacturing woes. In the meantime, Roli has made some small tweaks to improve build quality and has re-released a new version of the keyboard. For preorder, anyway. It costs $299, and an optional subscription to the app is $79 per year. I happen to have both the “Kickstarter version” of the product and the new version. The latter is the one I mostly used. The Lumi Keys fits right on my dinky desk, where it takes up less space than my typing keyboard. It has 24 keys total, making it just over a fourth the size of a standard full keyboard. Size constraints mean that the keys are narrower than on a normal piano, which can take some adjustment if you’re used to regular-sized keys. Lumi Keys is part of Roli’s Blocks line, which means there are little magnetic connectors on the side that let you sync up two blocks side-by-side. Pair two of them and you’ve doubled your octave range. Lined up, the seam between two Lumi Keys is barely noticeable, though the connectors can disconnect easily if you’re really jamming out or you bonk one of the devices at the wrong angle. Rubber strips on the bottom keep it from sliding around too much on a flat surface.
Many 45 rpm singles in the 1950s and early 1960s were around three minutes in length. This was a historical hangover, but it was also down to two...
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The “Golden Age” of Steinway is dated back to year 1920's-1930's. Piano at this time is a sole entertainment device for the family. In fact, the...
Read More »It made sense to keep the bell on the right side, facing backwards. This allowed the hornist to play a variety of chromatic notes on the horn using this technique. Eventually valves were added in the early nineteenth century, but the general shape and design of the horn remained close to the original early instruments.
The reason the French horn is played with the bell facing backwards lies in the rich history and development of the instrument. The horn was originally used as a signaling instrument, primarily employed in fox hunting expeditions. Hunting parties would assemble together on horseback at the beginning of the hunt, the leader being a hunt master. The hunt master would ride in front with a horn around his shoulder, bell facing backward. When he spied a fox or other prey he would blow a signal to let everyone else behind him know that an animal had been spotted. There were even specific horn calls for the different animals (ie. fox, boar, deer) and these early traditional hunting calls have been passed down through generations. When the horn finally emerged from the world of hunting expeditions and entered the concert stage, instrument makers added more tubing, but the shape of the horn stayed basically the same. Also, by that time, players had begun to insert their right hand into the bell in order to alter the notes, a technique known as “hand-horn”. It made sense to keep the bell on the right side, facing backwards. This allowed the hornist to play a variety of chromatic notes on the horn using this technique. Eventually valves were added in the early nineteenth century, but the general shape and design of the horn remained close to the original early instruments.
Ahoy – A pirate greeting or a way to get someone's attention, similar to “Hello” or “hey!”. Arrr, Arrgh, Yarr, Gar – Pirates slang used to...
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It is also a good idea to cover the piano when moving it between rooms or homes. Remember, it is a heavy instrument—but it is also delicate. It can...
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Dimple locks are basically pin-cylinders that use the flat side of the key's blade as the biting area. So rather than cutting into the edge of the...
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"Toxic" is a classic dance-pop and techno-pop song, featuring elements of bhangra music. It features varied instrumentation, such as drums,...
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