Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as the New Year are holidays that many of us look forward to very much. My family normally celebrates Thanksgiving and Christmas by inviting our relatives and friends to enjoy the day with us. During my Christmas dinner parties, I would either play the piano or activate the player piano to serenade my guests with some of the well-known pianists of all times. Four of the best piano players that embraced the holidays are mentioned hereafter:

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The festive holidays are what so many look forward to every year, because it’s filled with love, joy, wonder, and cheer. Whether it is celebrated as a religious or secular Christmas, it is always filled with happiness and of course, Hoilday songs! Every year, I list some of my favorite songs that I can play using the piano. The songs are played for my family and guests, and more often than not, the evening will be filled with lots of dancing, singing, and laughter. (more…)

Recently, I have had a few clients come into my shop to view pianos that they want to buy for their businesses. One of them had inherited a restaurant and was refurbishing the entire place to open for business soon. He asked if it would be a great idea to purchase a piano, so that a pianist can entertain his patrons. I told him that it was a brilliant idea, as there are many benefits of instrumental music, even in a business-setting.

Another client was a doctor who had plans to open his own nursing home. I told both of them that for businesses such as day care centers, cafés, hospitals, old folks home, and many others, the presence of a piano can assist patients and patrons tremendously. Then, one of my clients expressed his concern in finding a pianist, and wanted to know if it would cost him a lot of money to hire one. It was then that I offered him a good piece of advice – purchase a player piano!

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Pianos are exquisite musical instruments and depending on which brand and model you purchase, you can easily spend a small fortune. When it comes to a huge purchase, such as a piano, it is important to know the different warranties on offer with your investment. There are typically two types of warranties – manufacturer and distributor.

Manufacturer and Distributor’s Warranty

Each piano comes with its own warranty, but each warranty is designed differently. When you shop for a piano, you should find out what business entity is warranting the instrument. The manufacturer or distributor issues piano warranties to you. Given that most pianos are manufactured offshore, it is normally easier to deal with a distributor than with the manufacturer. (more…)

Grand pianos are temperamental musical instruments – subject to variations in humidity and heat. Placing them in less-than-ideal surroundings that are extremely damp, hot, cold, or merely unprotected can lead to unfailing tuning issues and maintenance expenditure down the road. Before you buy a grand piano, ensure that you have sufficient space to accommodate it.

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 One of my friends who is a piano teacher teaches autistic students. He confided in me that throughout his many years as a teacher, he only had to deal with a student who threw violent tantrums once. He said typically, most teachers would give up at this point, but with his sufficient training and experience, he handled the tantrums. I thought it would be great to share this story and show readers that piano can assist autism.

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Did you know that multiple studies have indicated a real correlation between music appreciation and test scores?  Sure, correlation may not  prove causation, but when multiple studies show that musical students outperform non-musical students, it’s hard to argue that the two aren’t somehow related.

One of the most telling statistics found, in fact, was that among Texas All-State musical performers, SAT scores were an average of twenty percent higher than those of students without a musical background.

Another study showed that simply being exposed to a musical program at all would boost student’s SAT scores up to 100 points.  In fact, one website took this so far as to correlate favorite bands on Facebook among college students alongside the SAT scores from their colleges to create a list of musicians ranked by the test scores of their listeners.

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I always remind my customers that the piano is constructed to last a long time, and chances are it can and will last for several decades. This is especially true if the instrument is taken well care of and for this to be possible, a number of things have to happen, especially where the piano is placed.

If you plan to purchase an acoustic piano – new or used – it is imperative that you know the right room temperatures or conditions in which you will keep the piano. The following guidelines can help you create the right piano room:

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