Just How Good Will A Player System Make My Piano Sound?

We're asked this on a regular basis. First, you have to ask yourself a couple of questions:

"Oh! Is that a piano sitting over there in the corner?"

"How long has it been since the Piano Tuner was here?"

If you don't know the answer to either of these basic questions, we need to have a talk. In other words, if your piano is not in optimum shape as a musical instrument, the piano player system will not make it sound better or play like a new piano.

Does this mean that player system you've been considering isn't an option? Goodness, No! Read On!

In a nutshell, for the piano player system to effectively translate the musical data into beautiful melodies, your piano's action must be regulated, the hammers in good shape and last but not least, the piano needs to be in tune.

What is piano action regulation and why is it so important? Pianos are mechanical beasts and mechanical components change with wear and use. This is normal and to be expected. Action regulation brings your piano's action back to, or as close as possible, to factory specifications. Each piano's specifications are a bit different based on the geometric design of the piano's action, and how each component of the action works in relation to the action as a whole.

A piano with an action that is poorly regulated or not regulated at all will result in poor touch and tone, compromising the ability of the instrument to express musical notes expressively and dynamically, whether the piano is played by a piano player system or by human touch.

Before custom installing a player system on your piano, your certified technician will evaluate your piano's overall mechanical condition and make recommendations if any maintenance is needed.

For a more in depth understanding of piano action regulation, watch for posts on our new "Technical Tuesdays".

What Do A Piano & An iPad2 Have In Common?

The ability to seamlessly integrate beautiful music and entertain you! We recently installed Piano Disc's newest piano player system (Wow! Say that 10 times really fast!) - the iQ Air - on one of the Hämburg & Bach grands here in the Gallery.

Now, being an Apple newbie, I'm thinking to myself, "Oh, dear. One more thing for me to learn how to operate." The Piano Disc CD player systems were easy, pop in a CD & away you go. How hard is this going to be?

As it turns out, the answer is a four letter word - EASY. The iPad2 controls the entire system via a wifi connection to the Piano Disc iQ player system. If you are familiar with how to use iTunes (and even if you're not), it is super easy with a very short learning curve! No longer do you have to see any unsightly black box hanging on the front of your piano. You can be anywhere in your house & if you have the iPad2 with you, it's easy to change the music just by a couple of taps on the screen.

Music Videos? Oh, yes. We have 'em - even Bugs Bunny! Want to learn to play the piano? Educational software is available as well.

For you techies - you can integrate the player system to communicate with wifi throughout your home sound system. Turn on the piano & go jump in the pool - what a way to relax.

Apps? Oh, my goodness yes! My very favorite is "ForScore" which is available through iTunes for free. Download it with a few clicks of your computer mouse & you have an instant library of classical sheet music for piano on your iPad2. Want some of your own sheet music? Simply scan to your computer, save as a PDF document & download into ForScore. If you have your iPad2 with you in your travels, your sheet music is always with you in a nice tidy, organized way. Recording? You bet. Garage Band works beautifully.

We preload the iPad2 with music albums, videos and the ForScore app for our clients, and that's just for starters. If you have wifi at home for your computers, you can hook into Piano Disc's Streaming Radio, and enjoy beautiful music 24/7.

Now, really, why was I so worried about learning how to use the new system? The old CD player systems were easy, but all they did was play the piano. The iQ Air is a total entertainment system with the added bonus of an Apple iPad2 I can use for all sorts of things!

Would you like to come over and play? Stop by & see how easy it is...you might become an iPad lover, too! Especially since it will now play the piano!