Category: <span>Informational</span>

11 May

Top 3 Keyboards for Beginners 2020
Posted in Best of All, Informational by DG Test on May 11, 2020 @ 6:33 pm
Top 3 Keyboards for Beginners 2020

Buying a new keyboard is surely an exciting decision for many of us and especially for the beginners. But before you begin with your musical journey it is very neccessary to buy a right keyboard as a beginner. And if you have confusion regarding the instruments Piano & Keyboard, then you must definitely read our previous article – Piano vs Keyboard

In this article, we present the Top 3 Keyboards for Beginners. We have done careful analysis of all the 3 keyboards to suit your needs and match your budget.

1.Yamaha PSR-E363

The Yamaha PSR E363 is a 61-Key Touch Sensitive Portable Keyboard for beginners. It has onboard lessons that makes learning to play the piano fast and easy and is affordable in a budget under ₹15,000. It’s also packed with digital capabilities and advanced functions that enables a beginner to create various songs and sounds which makes it better from other beginner keyboards. It’s an excellent keyboard for the next generation of digital musicians as it supports dual mode which allows two users to use it at the same time. But it produces lot of knocking sounds and the function buttons are not properly placed and sized.The USB TO HOST terminal allows us to connect to your mobile or computer and record good quality audio without the need for an additional interface.

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2.Yamaha PSR-E463

The Yamaha PSR E463 is an ideal budget keyboard for beginners. It can be explored for creating and playing all kinds of music. It has 61 keys with 758 sounds covering a wide range of instruments and 235 different rhythms. It provides great features in an affordable, portable package of a budget under ₹20,000 and one can surely consider it as great as a starter instrument but it is also perfect for more experienced players. Groove Creator is fully playable with Intro, Section change and Musical Climax and a Quick Sampling function that allows you to store your own customised samples on USB or in internal memory for instant usage as per your need. The keyboard lacks user-friendly compatibilitily as it takes time for one to understand all it’s features  This keyboard has powerful built-in speakers and several live-ready features along with the Live Control Knob that will allow beginners to have a helping hand to accompany them. It has the recording capability of upto 80 minutes and it also features connectivity with audio and midi capabilities.

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Another ALTERNATIVE!!

You can also refer to Yamaha PSR-EW300 which is slightly cheaper than Yamaha PSR-E436. But it would be rather beneficial to spend a bit more and opt for PSR-E436 which comes in with a few interesting features that are not available in PSR-EW300.

3.Yamaha PSR-I500

The Yamaha PSR-I500 is an ideal portable keyboard which is perfect for playing Indian music stuff for a stage show or in a cafe or restaurant. It has the Voices of 801 instruments out of which 40 are indian instruments on board. In addition to the enormous collection of preset instruments we can also add our own sample context like vocal phases,SFX,etc. It can also vary the pitch of the sampled sound you have added to match the key played. It has powerful amplifiers with bass reflex speakers. A new feature added on the request of some Indian music producers Riyaaz function too has been added which comes with 30 taals. It also comes with a split function for 2 different sounds to be produced at the same time and also has a pitch bend wheel.

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The Yamaha PSR-I500 is an upgraded form of Yamaha PSR-I455 and is also considered as  the combination of Yamaha PSR-E463 and Yamaha PSR-I455.

Buy E363
Buy E463
Buy i500
       Features E363 E463  I500
       Keys 61 61 61
      No.of Voices 574 758 801
      No.of Preset Styles 165 235 282
      No.of Preset Songs 154 30 60
      No.of songs (user recorded) 5 10 10
      No.of Registration Banks 9 4×8 4×8
      Internal memory 1.3mb 1.7mb 1.7m
      MIDI connectivity ✔ ✔ ✔
Metronome ✔ ✔ ✔
Sustain Pedal ✔ ✔ ✔
Sound Quality ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Key Cushioning ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
User Compatibility ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Buy E363
Buy E463
Buy i500

Based on the above chart and as per your budget, you can be sure before buying any of these models. These are the top 3 Keyboards for beginners in their price ranges that provide you the best performance. Purchasing any one of them would prove to be value for money and clearly satisfy your decision.

04 May

Types of Pianos
Posted in Informational by Janvi Gupta on May 4, 2020 @ 5:21 pm

TYPES OF PIANOS

The piano comes in many different designs, styles, shapes and sizes But there are two main types of pianos:

 

  • Acoustic piano
  • Digital piano

Acoustic piano

This produces sound because when the keys are pressed, the hammer moves which strikes the wires and produces vibrations. An acoustic piano has the hammer and steel wires enclosed by a wooden exterior.

Acoustic pianos are further divided into two categories

  • Horizontal pianos
  • Vertical pianos

HORIZONTAL PIANO 

The horizontal piano consists of a damper closer to the hammer and at the top of the string, the soundboard is inside a supportable opening platform.

Types of Horizontal Pianos:

  • The Petite Grand, 
  • The Baby Grand,
  • The Medium Grand,   
  • The Parlor Grand, 
  • The Ballroom Grand.

VERTICAL PIANOS 

Piano in which the soundboard and plane of strings are vertical and perpendicular to Keyboard. this type of pianos is the vertical piano. It takes less floor space than a horizontal piano. They are ideal for achieving concert-quality sound.

Types of Vertical Pianos:

  • The Upright,
  • The Spinet,
  • The Console, 
  • The Studio.

Acoustic piano

The pros and cons 

Pros:

If you want a piano that will support you for a long time, then the acoustic piano is a good option. You can use it comfortably for 30 to 40 years, with the same feel. Longevity is a great advantage of this piano.

Cons-

Acoustic pianos require tuning at least once a year and twice a year if overused. A sudden change in the humidity can cause problems with all wooden parts of the piano. This is why it is very essential to monitor the humidity and keep it stable. The main disadvantage of an acoustic piano is its careful and costly maintenance.

 DIGITAL PIANO

The digital piano is designed as an alternative to the acoustic piano.

A digital piano is a type of electric keyboard.

Its keys are weighted, the sound produced from which equates the digital piano to the acoustic piano, and it produces an acoustic piano-like sound.

Types of Digital Pianos:

  • Home or Upright Piano,
  • Portable or Stage Piano,
  • Grand (Digital) Piano.

Digital upright piano

Digital portable piano

Digital baby grand piano

DIGITAL PIANO

THE PROS AND CONS

Pros –

The 2 main advantages of digital piano are maintenance and price. Unlike an acoustic piano, digital pianos do not require timely maintenance. At most, you have to pay for the electricity bill. If we talk about the price, the digital piano provides a similar tone, experience, and action with new technology and quality as the relatively expensive acoustic piano.

Cons-

Digital piano is great for beginners. However, if you are a serious piano learner and want to master your art, then an acoustic piano is recommended. The acoustic piano provides in-depth dynamics and feels that the preliminary level digital piano fails to provide.

Acoustic piano vs Digital piano

Acoustic Piano Digital Piano
 Price  expensive    less expensive 
Space requirement large space required less space required
Portability bulky in weight, at least two people and special equipment are required to move from one place to another. Light in weight, only one person, is enough to carry it from one place to another.
Power source not needed needed
Pedals 2 or 3 pedals,
including the sustain pedal		 Some models come with pedals, not all models
Tuning 1-2 times yearly not needed
Technology Not equipped Can connect to PC/Laptop using MIDI or USB connector

Top Brands

Acoustic Pianos

Steinway, Bösendorfer, Kawai, Boston, Hoffmann

Digital Pianos

Yamaha, Casio, Roland, Korg, Kawai

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04 May

Top 7 Gears for Piano Beginners
Posted in Best of All, Informational by DG Test on May 4, 2020 @ 2:52 pm

A powerful message for all the followers of this blog, or rather the optimistic piano beginners, I would like to state that music is such an enthralling tool to humanity that it mesmerizes even those devoid of senses. Here I have collated a list of Top 7 Gears essential for Piano beginners to start your journey into the vast ocean of learning piano.

1.Metronome

Metronomes are very important to maintain the beat; for many times, a pianist loses the tempo while he is playing. It is rather simpler and includes an LED light for a visual in time with the beat. They are needed separately only in acoustic pianos while digital pianos have them built-in. The pulse is measured in BPM (beats-per-minute). A tempo marking of 60 BPM is equal to one beat per second, while 120 BPM equals two beats per second.

A metronome is a tool that helps one in maintaining a steady tempo essential for learning. It can also be used in live performances and in recording studios to maintain an accurate tempo throughout the performance.

2. USB/MIDI Interface

A MIDI is a device that provides MIDI input/output to a computer and from a computer or equipment equipped with MIDI through standard 5-pin MIDI sockets. One can use a MIDI interface along with other USB devices to connect with USB devices. A MIDI link can carry 16 independent channels of information. By far, keyboards are the most commonly used MIDI controllers. And nowadays, some MIDI-equipped keyboard controllers come with USB jacks that can be plugged into computers that run music software.

midi-4277580_960_720

3. Piano Headphones

Musicians usually put a lot of time, energy, and efforts to practice their lessons and improve their performance for a better experience by the audience. Headphones are convenient and, rather, the best gear for a high-quality audio experience with a 3D effect and surround sound. One would love the practice sessions with such efficient sound quality that the headphones provide.

piano-4481072_960_720

To avoid disturbing others near you while practicing, for sure it is definitely a good option to buy a good pair of headphones for your digital piano or keyboard. Headphones give you a more precise and consistent sound. They make the sound more realistic and helps provide a fantabulous experience while playing your keyboard.

4. Speakers

black-subwoofer-speaker-beside-brown-wooden-pianoa

Speakers are generally used when performing for a larger audience or when you want to present your music in a better format. A Roland RD700-series piano would be perfect for home use.  And one would need to get some kind of amplification/speaker system for it. Many speakers these days have built-in amplifiers and are called “active” speakers. It’s a matter of simplicity and personal choice. One nice thing about active speakers is that the amps and speakers are designed to work together. So we do not need to worry about matching power, resistance, etc.

5. Digit and Manual Sheet Handling

Keeping a laptop at your piano can get very hectic to be managed(as in being space consuming), as there isn’t a lot of room for the device. Having an iPad or tablet would comparitively be a better option for handling digital sheet music.

FreeHand_MusicPad_Pro_+_Roland_Fantom_G8_(clipped)

A music sheet can be managed while playing using the sheet stand and can help one to manage his/her music notes. It is very important as it will be height adjustable enabling you to maintain the correct posture while playing. It becomes necessary as it might be a problem for the artist to read the music sheet and play the piano at the same time.

6. Piano Stool

An important thing about a piano stool is that its height needs to be adjusted correctly to sit comfortably. This ensures good posture and a comfy zone where one feels relaxed while playing or practicing his lessons. When sitting at the piano, one must ensure that the arms are parallel to the floor, and your wrists placed slightly above the keyboard. Sitting at the wrong height might result in a back or shoulder ache.
There are two types of stools – a box stool and an adjustable stool. A box stool is cheaper. However, we recommend going for a quality adjustable stool to achieve the aptest height for you. Moreover, you can change the height of the stool if other members of the family play it too.

7. Pedals

Yamaha_CLP-130_piano_pedals

For reliable piano emulation one needs pedals and out of the two/three pedals the most commonly used pedal in modern pianos and keyboard is the sustain pedal which is the rightmost of two or three pedals because it is operated with the right foot . A sustain pedal connects to the piano via the ¼ socket on the back. In the electronic keyboards, the sustain pedal is a separate attachment. It can be plugged into the socket provided on the back of the keyboard. The basic use of the sustain pedal makes it possible to keep a note or chord sounding or sustaining. This is essential when the hands move to a new position to prevent gaps in music while changing chords or lifting of hands.

03 May

‘Best 5 songs’ to Play on the Piano
Posted in Best of All, Informational by DG Test on May 3, 2020 @ 6:45 pm

The piano is an incredible instrument, and there are many wonderful people that devote their time and energy to exploring it. From classical pianists to piano teachers, there are dozens and dozens of channels dedicated to helping and teaching the piano lovers. In Bollywood, PIANO was an important Instrument to create a song situation especially in the Golden Era of Bollywood. Most leading Actors would be seen playing the piano and singing a song. Nowadays this situation is missing in our movies. It used to be a clever plot of the film director to introduce a song even when the situation didn’t demand it. Sometimes a song starts with a piano and later on switch to dance or some other scenes.

Even in 2020 people prefer to play the top hit songs that are easy and sound really cool on the piano.

1. Pehla Nasha

Pehla Nasha from the film “Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar” is the song which is a super hit and is still remembered for its entire picturization which looked so natural and for its good smoothing music and lyrics. It is one of the best evergreen youthful and romantic songs from Bollywood. The iconic intro music composed by Jatin Lalit on the piano still steals many hearts of the people and it is hard for anyone to miss this special song on Valentine’s Day!

2. Tum Hi Ho

A Bollywood hit of all time for all ages and the most preferred song to be played on the piano is Tum Hi Ho from Aashiqui 2. The magical song is soulful and always touches our hearts, a masterpiece of Arijit Singh which will always be remembered by the Bollywood industry and the jacket scene makes it more memorable. The amazing iconic intro on the piano is hard to miss. Moreover, the main theme of the movie is also composed on the piano which sounds very melodious and forms one of the finest romantic tunes. The overall song is relatively simple and can be played even by beginners.

3. Janam Janam

All SRK fans must be in love with Janam Janam from Dilwale(2015) which fills the atmosphere with complete romance. The song starts off differently if you pay close attention to it. The tempo is completely different. The music beats by Pritam are more refined and smoother. The hook also feels different along with the song being portrayed as a retro scene. The intro sounds really musical on the keyboard and is loved by many as it brings in the emotion of love. The piano also makes a good accompaniment while someone singing along or with another melody instrument.

               

4. Kal Ho Na Ho

Kal Ho Na Ho another great work of SRK which connects to our way of life. The song sung by Sonu Nigam and composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy is quite relaxing and portrays how one can promote the thought of living to the fullest. Listening to the intro music on the piano alone still melts hearts and brings in a lot of emotions, either related to the movie or personal life experiences. The overall song played as a solo on the piano also sounds comforting and complete.

5. Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

Last but not the least, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, a song that can be best described as the perfect blend of rock and soulful music. Once again Arijit Singh and Pritam Duo turn out to be unparalleled as they put so much soulfulness to do justice to the song and the movie.  The high and lows of the song make it very enjoyable to try various left-hand patterns on the piano. The soft-sounding fast intro on the piano is something difficult in the beginning but easily achievable with practice.

27 Apr

What is the difference Between Piano and Keyboard?
Posted in Informational by Janvi Gupta on April 27, 2020 @ 4:52 am

Piano

Image: Piano.
Image: Piano.

Keyboard

Image: A synthesizer with keyboard.
Image: A synthesizer with keyboard.

 Before we move on to the difference between piano and keyboard, let us deep dive and understand more about the two instruments.

Know about piano and keyboard

Piano

A piano has 88 keys giving you the full range of notes and sounds. The keys are weighted which means you will feel like you’re playing an acoustic piano, one of those big beautiful instruments you might hear a pianist playing in a concert.

Keyboard 

Keyboards have a veriety of looks, sounds , rhythms, connectivity to computers and more. This can make music, a lot of fun for beginner of any age. In either case, to get things right, the trick is to try a wide selection of instruments.

Particular Difference between piano and keyboard

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KEYS 

piano keyboard 
  • It covers the complete range of 88 keys, 52 white, and 36 black.
  • In other words, the piano has 7 and a half octaves.
  • A standard sized keyboard consists of 61 keys, making it shorter than a piano.
  • In other words, a standard-sized keyboard has 5 octaves.

WEIGHT OF KEYS 

piano  keyboard
  • The keys are weighted which generally makes it difficult to play the piano.
  • A pianist requires a lot of control on fingers to play the piano.
  • Keyboard keys are usually not as heavy as piano keys.
  • This makes it much easier to play.

TOUCH FEEL AND SOUND 

Piano Keyboard
  • Piano keys are heavy and have a load of hammers behind them.
  • The heavy hammer gives the feeling of playing an authentic instrument.
  • Digital Piano today comes with technologies known as graded hammer keys action. 
  • The keyboard are generally light in weight making them lesser authentic as compared to a piano.
  • Many keyboards today are  touch sensitive, but still it is difficult to match the feel of a piano. 

SPACE AND PORTABILITY

Piano Keyboard
  • Earlier there were constraints in purchasing acoustic pianos for home use due to its humongous size.
  • But now due to the availability of digital pianos, the sizes have become compact and convenient for home use.
  • The keyboard is an instrument that you can use even in confined spaces.
  • And you can take it anywhere with you conveniently. 

PRICE 

Piano Keyboard
  • Acoustic Pianos are expensive than most instruments starting above Rs. 2 lacs.
  • Digital pianos are cost-effective giving you an authentic feel of the piano.
  • The keyboards come at very reasonable prices starting at Rs. 10,000.
  • This makes it affordable for beginners who want to learn music and explore the instrument.

IDEAL FOR?

Piano Keyboard
  • Grand Pianos are generally observed in Hotels, Concerts, Movies, etc. 
  • Acoustic Pianos are preferred by full-time tutors to maintain the instrument authenticity.
  • Digital Pianos are now gaining popularity among beginners and musicians.
  • Keyboard makes an ideal instrument for learner of any level due to its wide variety in terms of features and pricing.
  • Professionals also prefer Keyboards for stage performance due to portability.

TOP BRANDS 

Piano Brands Keyboard Brands 
  • Yamaha
  • Steinway
  • Kawai
  • Bosendorfer
  • Yamaha
  • Casio
  • Roland
  • Korg
Sheet & MIDI