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Greene Music News
Issue #23
February, 2012
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We're on YouTube! 
Click to see this amazing footage from the Steinway factory in 1929! It is remarkable to see how much of their manufacturing process is still the same today! Watch our newsletter for the next
Secrets of Steinway seminar coming soon!
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 How to Keep Your Child Interested in Piano.
Parents tell us every day...
"We don't know if she'll stay with it"
"I hated my lessons when I was their age"
"I don't know anything about music, so I don't know how to get them started"
"We don't want to make a big investment only to have them give up piano."
After years of interviews, internet surveys, and one-on-one time with the students themselves, we've prepared this workshop for parents who want their child to stay with music and be able to play for enjoyment as adults. Join us for an hour of insights, tips, tricks, and strategies from teachers who make music fun as well as challenging!
Complimentary seating is limited! Call to reserve your seats
at (858)586-7000 or |
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In the Spotlight:
A well-loved San Diego native piano starts a new life This 6'10" Steinway & Sons model "B" drew admiring crowds for years at the La Jolla Nordstrom's, and was then donated to the La Jolla Playhouse at UCSD.
The piano has had a complete restoration with all genuine Steinway parts by master technician and rebuilder, Russell Berkley. This magnificent 'B' would be a wonderful addition to any home, studio, chuch or performance venue.
Call (858)586-7000 or send us a note
if you'd like more information about this piano!
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 In Concert
Saturday March 31 4pm
Karen Davis
Plays your classical
favorites on the mighty 9-foot Steinway!
Seating is limited - call (858)586-7000
or click to RSVP
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"I heard that Yamaha pianos sound brighter than other brands..."
We've heard this too, but not for many years, and not from musicians, teachers, or industry experts!
Is there an objective standard? Absolutely not! Every pianist's ears are different; one player might call a piano "bright" and another would say "clear" or "crisp", and yet another person might say "thin" or "tinny"! One visitor recently called a Steinway grand piano "mushy", and later that day, another visitor called the same piano "deep and rich". Our personal taste generally favors the tone of the pianos we've gotten most accustomed to playing.What makes a piano sound "bright"?
Three things:
1. (Most common) The piano is out of tune. At any given time, most pianos, which are designed to be tuned twice a year, haven't been, and are out of tune. This gives the piano a brighter, harsher, and definitely annoying sound.
2. The piano has been played a lot. Every time the hammer strikes the string, it is compressing the fibers in the felt a small amount. The more a piano is played, the harder the hammers become, and the louder and brighter the initial "attack" sound becomes. We took a piano in trade recently that had been played so much in just six years, the owner had become disgusted with it. A lovely sounding piano had been rendered unplayable. If you love to play your piano, and play it enough, it is going to become brighter.
3. Room acoustics. If the piano is in a room with numerous hard reflective surfaces, like tile, stone, plaster, and glass, this can be a problem. We've placed pianos in very elegant homes with a marble floor and a vaulted ceiling where a dropped ping-pong ball sounds like an explosion - and the piano sounds much too loud and bright.
What can be done? Tune and service your piano every six months! If you and your technician agree that the piano is ready, have the hammers voiced. Voicing means reconditioning the hammer by inserting a special needling tool and loosening up the fibers in the felt. If the strings have worn grooves into the hammer, they can be shaved, resurfaced, or refaced as well. (There are also techniques to harden hammers that are too soft or muffled-sounding) A very small percentage of piano owners ever do any voicing whatsoever, so many, many pianos are just becoming brighter and brighter over time. Area rugs, string covers, and acoustic baffles can all improve a piano's tone in an acoustically harsh room.  | | Voicing Tool |
 So what about Yamaha's pianos?
Yamaha has built the most pianos since the invention of the piano in 1700, having sold about 6.5 million in the last hundred years. Since the odds are in favor that many are either out of tune and neglected, or conversely, well-loved and often-played, it is likely that you've played or heard a bright-sounding Yamaha! You are also likely to find a bright Steinway, Kawai, Bosendorfer...etc. We just returned from one of the world's largest music industry trade shows, where we sampled pianos from all over the world, and while the factory voicing varied from brand to brand and piano to piano, Yamaha definitely did not stand out as brighter than any others. |
Do you own a Disklavier or Clavinova?
Curious about new music and software?
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What is your favorite music?
Mozart? Billy Joel...? Les Miserables...?
Lessons are starting for all ages!
Click to visit our music school
Call Judy at (858)586-7000 or Send us a note!
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Some Useful Links
We hope that these links can help you find the information and services you're looking for!
Call us any time for help with your piano, lessons, moving, cleaning,
concerts, or even just some inspiration!
Find a teacher: this database from the San Diego Music Teachers
Association of California web site is searchable by city and zip code.
http://www.sandiegomtac.com/teachers.php
This list is just for North County teachers:
http://www.nsdmtac.com/teachers.php
This next list from the California Association of Professional Music Teachers is also searchable by zip code. Just click "Find a Teacher":
http://www.capmt.org General piano information: the Piano Technicians Guild web site is a goldmine of unbiased advice about piano buying, and professional tips on piano care.
http://ptg.org/resources.php
Sheet music and music books:
Online: http://www.sheetmusicdirect.us/?affiliate=46071.
http://www.halleonard.com/index.jsp?subsiteid=3
La Jolla: http://www.lajollamusic.com/sheet.htm
Poway: http://www.ozziesmusic.com/
Penasquitos/Carmel Valley: http://www.bertrandsmusic.com/information.php?pID=22
Chula Vista: http://www.harpersmusicstore.com
La Mesa: http://www.alansmusiccenter.com/
Piano moving: Call or write to us for a quote! (858)586-7000
http://greenemusic.com/contact.html
Concerts in San Diego:
http://sandiego.about.com/od/entertainmentthearts/a/concerts.htm
http://thingstodo.signonsandiego.com/san-diego-ca/events/concerts+in+san+diego
Family events and concerts for kids:
http://eventful.com/sandiego/events/categories/family_fun_kids
A website for amateur pianists and enthusiasts in San Diego:
http://www.apsandiego.org
The San Diego Symphony:
http://www.sandiegosymphony.org/
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We would love to hear your ideas for this newsletter. What would you like to know about pianos, lessons, new technology, or just how to get started?
Just click and send us a note or call (858)586-7000 seven days a week.
Sincerely,
Michael Greene, Owner
Greene Music |
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