Blog Archives - Page 3 of 16

The Kawai Double

November 21, 2016 By Julian Leave a Comment

Hello Everyone,

I am going to start with a confession. Generally I find it difficult to buy used Kawai pianos. I love them when they are new, but finding a really good used Kawai piano feels less easy. My theory is that people hold on to them longer than other brands of piano and therefore the instruments coming through to the used market tends to be the less well cared for pianos.

When I find a good Kawai that I am happy for Pianolobby to stock I become pretty excited. Imagine my excitement when I find 2! The Kawai Double as the title suggests that, yes we have 2 Kawai pianos in stock. Added to that is that they are both the same model, the HA20. This model is slightly compact at 53cm deep and 150cm long but fortunately keeps a decent 120cm height. Height is always good, it makes for longer strings and larger soundboard for a better sound.

As you may well know, Kawai is the smaller and slightly lesser known of the two famous Japanese piano builders. We are all aware of the excellent Yamaha company but sadly it does overshadow the superb piano builder, Kawai. However this disadvantage for Kawai as a company is actually an advantage for those seeking a very good used piano. Their used instruments are significantly cheaper than similar Yamaha pianos of the same year.

What’s the catch? There really isn’t one. I am even going to be brave here and say that the entry level Kawai pianos are of better quality than that of entry level Yamaha pianos. We have 2 such Kawai pianos in stock. These HA20 models are really very good, well built, feel good to the touch, lovely sound and keep the tradition look as well. Their slightly square shape and simpler, cleaner design adds a modernity to their look and would look just as good in a modern home as well as older homes.

Our Kawai pianos were built in Japan in 1993 and 1996. They are in superb condition, lovely casework and mechanically all works as it should. Pianists from complete beginners to very accomplished musicians will feel very much at home on this piano. We are sure that this piano will keep every member of the family happy!

We are offering this piano for sale at £2450 which does include free local delivery to a ground floor room, free adjustable stool, free first tuning and a 5 year warranty.

If you are interested to try out this piano or indeed any of our other pianos please feel free to call us up on 020 3645 3930 or send an email to julian@pianolobby.co.uk

Thank you for reading.

PIANO HIRE

October 31, 2016 By Julian Leave a Comment

Hello everyone.

Over the last few years we have been working hard to offer good pianos for rental. This has helped many people have a piano who wouldn’t have otherwise been able to have a real piano in their home.

Please avoid!

Pianos being complicated tools are expensive and that can be off putting. Renting a piano is a very cost effective way to have a decent piano in your home. We have often come across people who have a strong desire to own a piano but cannot afford such a large commitment. Another scenario we have come across is people who have bought a ‘bargain antique’ piano or a cheap piano from their local paper only to find that it doesn’t work properly. These pianos inevitably become expensive from trying to keep things working, from fixing sticking notes or trying to keep it in tune. The distractions these problems bring inevitably serve to put children off from playing and sadly and understandably they just give up.

The main advantage of hiring a piano over outright purchase is cost, buying a piano just to see if your child is interested in playing piano is an expensive experiment. Hiring a good piano will serve as an incentive to practice because it feels and sounds good to play. When piano lessons and practice has been established and it is clear that your child is making progress and enjoys playing, then that may be the time to purchase your piano.

Our Piano Hire scheme is very flexible and we want to offer the best advice we can and help as much as possible.

HERE’S THE DEAL

We want to keep it as simple as possible.

COST. Piano hire is £35 per month payable by standing order for that amount each month. There is no need for a deposit, we just ask for the transport charges of £130.

CONTRACT. The contract is initially 6 months. At the end of the contract you have 3 choices.

Keep renting the piano at the same monthly cost.
Return the piano.
Purchase the piano. All of the rental payments and the delivery charge comes off the price of the piano, it is just a matter of paying the balance. The maximum rebate is 6 months.
OK, I did say 3 choices and that is true. However at Pianolobby we are flexible and are open to other suggestions, if at the end of 6 months you have another idea as to what you would like to do that we hadn’t previously considered, we are willing to listen!

WHAT DO YOU GET WITH THE PIANO?

Each piano comes with a stool and is tuned. You also get peace of mind that you have a good piano that the whole family can enjoy.

WHAT SORT OF PIANO WILL I GET?

Hupfeld

Danemann

Here are 2 examples of our pianos. A Hupfeld piano which is quite compact and easy to play and is a reliable piano. This is £35 per month and has a purchase price of £900. The next example is a Danemann piano. This is a lovely piano to play with a sweet sound. It is £40 per month and has a purchase price of £1400. The pianos we have available changes all the time, so it is worth giving us a call.

I hope all of this is of help to you. If you have any questions or would like to book a visit please give Pianolobby a call on 020 3645 3930. We read our emails too. Send that to julian@pianolobby.co.uk

Thank you for reading.

PLAYING PIANO IS GOOD FOR YOU!

September 5, 2016 By Julian 1 Comment

It is that time of year again! The new academic year is upon us and I thought I would post something positive about music lessons!

Students and probably teachers are looking forward to the start of the new academic year with perhaps a little bit of dread as the summer starts to fade into the past. But wait! Learning piano and indeed other instruments is a fun part of education AND it is good for you. There is scientific proof!

Ok, I agree that scales, technical exercises and sight-reading are not necessarily the most fun. However these scales etc and learning lots of pieces of music actually benefits the maturing of a child’s emotions and behaviour. There has been a study by the University of Vermont College of Medicine which showed that there were significant developmental benefits from even playing an instrument at the most basic level.

It might be that children who have access to good quality musical education will have a more effective path to success in life.

Dr James Hudziak scanned the brain of 232 children aged 6-18 and were looking for relationships between cortical thickness and musical training. The cortex is the outer layer of neural tissue and plays a key role in memory, attention, perception, thought, language and consciousness. Previous studies showed that changes in cortical thickness affected anxiety, depression, attention problems and aggression.

Rather than prescribing drugs to address the problems Dr Hudziak and his colleagues were trying to find out whether an activity such as musical training could reverse the effects of depression for example. It does seem that the more a child works at a musical instrument their attention gets better, lower anxiety and better emotional control. Music actually also helped memory, attention and organisational skills. The result seems to be that children do become more rounded.

It strikes me as a tragedy that so many children do not have access to instrumental music lessons. They miss out on the pleasure of learning an instrument and all that involves and we learn that it also deprives them of the mental health benefits. It has been demonstrated that learning a musical instrument helps the brain to be better able to solve complex mathematical problems and help improve reading comprehension.

Pupils with a practical engagement in music tend to concentrate better in class, are better able to problem solve, work better with others and generally perform better in exams.

Learning a musical instrument is good for you. It has many benefits and I will be discussing these again at a later date.

Here is a non-scientific list that comes to mind. To learn an instrument you learn time management, develop better concentration and discipline, perseverance, it helps coordination, boosts memory, team skills, listening skills, exposes students to cultural history and so much more.

Financial cuts in music education is a false economy, every child should have equal opportunity to play a musical instrument, it will enhance their life for their whole life.

I hope the academic year gets off to a flying start for everyone.

Call us on

020 3645 3930

The Kawai Double

PIANO HIRE

PLAYING PIANO IS GOOD FOR YOU!

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