How is a piano considered as a good piano?

     

  How is a piano considered as a good piano?

It is not about the good or bad piano, but it is the good or poor material used in making the piano. There is handmade piano (handmade pianos are usually imported from Europe) in which the most basic upright piano costs at least RM10000 and above.

Another type of piano is half handmade piano with the market price below RM10000 normally. There are more than thousands of this piano manufacture factory in China, but the proficiency and skill of the master workers should be taken into consideration.

Another type of pianos are made from high technology. The cost of investment of the machines in the piano manufacture factory is up to ten thousands and above, while the master workers are trained overseas. The quality of these pianos are more consistent and the sales covers the whole world, including developed countries like Europe.

Besides the appearance of the piano, the emphasis should be put on the consistency in quality and the quality of the material used in making the piano. The sound of the piano should be more gentle and euphonious along the times of playing it. The touch of the keys should be appropriate and suitable for the strength of the children’s finger (so that it would not hurt their fingers growth).

Is it good to buy a second hand piano?

    Is it good to buy a second hand piano?

Recent year, the second hand piano in Malaysia is very different as compare to 5 years back because the Japan-made second hand pianos, which have the highest sales and best selling price, have been bought by China piano company. Therefore, the quality and price of second hand piano in Malaysia market now is not as good as 5 years ago.

Most of the second hand pianos in current market are older than 30 years and the quality is at average but the selling price is few times higher than the selling price in 5 years ago.

To get a better quality Japan-made second hand piano nowadays, the price is above RM8000 while the current market price for a good quality new piano is around ten thousands, with better materials and technology as compare to second hand piano.

I would like to get my child a keyboard that costs a few hundreds, is this advisable?

    

            I would like to get my child a keyboard that costs a few hundreds, is this advisable?

The range of current market price for a keyboard is from RM200 to thousands. Which keyboard is more suitable? Different keyboard model has different quality in sound and touch. Normally, a keyboard that costs RM2000 and below has ‘electric sound’ and soft touch. If the child is 6 years old and below, please consider the importance of hearing development. For children age 3 to 6 years old, this is the golden period for hearing. Inaccurate pitch will influence the child’s future development of different musical instruments. In this case, if the price of the violin is too low, the pitch will not be as accurate, hence, influence the development of hearing directly. Moreover, the touch of the keys is too soft and lack of rebound ability.

If I am buying a RM400 violin, which types of strings should I get?

        

                   If I am buying a RM400 violin, which types of strings should I get?

The range of current market price for violin is from RM100 up to ten thousands. A normal violin for beginner learner, teachers and parents would consider average price. If you bought a RM400 violin (but make sure the quality up to the price), then we normally use the basic strings which cost about RM250 and below because good strings is softer and easier to be pressed when one is playing the violin.

                                                        

Product: How to choose a piano?

In current market, pianos are categorised into new piano, old piano and electric piano. 

Basic considerations in choosing a piano are:

a.            The age of the student

b.            The grade of piano of the student

c.            The student’s budget of investment

a.            If the student is below 6 years old whose body size is average, we recommend choosing electric piano (the quality of the sound of the electric piano must not be too low, the touch of the electric piano has to be similar to a piano)

b.            If the student is a beginner in learning piano and above 6 years old, we recommend choosing upright piano as the interest of the student at this moment may be shaky. Normal upright piano is sufficient for beginner and intermediate level. When the student is 5 grade and above, then we recommend using a grand piano as the songs required lots of variations, rapid rebound and heavy keyboard touch.

c.            Personal preference for the quality of the piano and the budget of investment.

Xaphone "country road"

Xaphone "country road"

外婆的澎湖湾

外婆的澎湖湾

Guzheng "小城故事“

Guzheng "小城故事“

Jingle Bell

Jingle Bell 

Jingle Bell play by recorder ensemble

Jingle Bell play by recorder ensemble

Euphony Students Camp at Sekinchan

Euphony Students Camp at Sekinchan

4 hands play in Helicon UP125 Black and White Keys

4 hands play in Helicon UP125 Black and White Keys

Helicon Grand Piano GP 145 River Flow In You

Helicon Grand Piano GP 145 River Flow In You

ukulele player

ukulele player

Drum

Drum

Euphony Ensemble during Chinese New Year at 2016

Euphony Ensemble during Chinese New Year at 2016

Harmonica With Rasa Sayang

Harmonica With Rasa Sayang

Harmonica Malay Songs

Euphony Musical Guitar Student

Euphony Musical Guitar Student

Euphony Musical @ HeliconHGW203 14thAug2016

Euphony Musical @ HeliconHGW203 14thAug2016

Helicon Acoustic Guitar with Pick up

                                          2016 Halloween at Euphony Musical 

Euphony Student Sekinchan  Trip

Engineer of the child’s soul

There was once a little boy who followed his sister to the art class during his kindergarten years. One day when he was in primary one, he refused to join the art class. His mother asked him the reason why and found out that the art teacher in primary school punished him and requested him to redraw his art, just because he coloured the chicken in black. 

The teacher scolded him, “Where can you find a black chicken?” Due to the scolding of the teacher, this little boy refused to take out the colour pencils and started to cry when his mother brought him to the class. 

I was very upset and angry at that moment and told the little boy, “I will take a photo of black chicken to your teacher and show your teacher that how ignorant he is.” I comforted him and ensuring that there is black chicken. After a few months of encouragement and advice, the little boy slowly walked out from the bad experience. 

Slowly, he began to regain his confidence and started to colour and draw. Dear primary school teachers, you are either the engineers of the children’s soul, or sadly, the executioners of their innocent soul. Respect life, respect yourself!

2 Years Old Play Piano?

That year when you were just two years old, granddad brought you to my office everyday from grandma house. Every time when you were here, you would play the piano every where. However, your fingers were too soft that the piano did not make a single sound. Sometimes, you cried because you played it too hard and your fingers ached.

When you were four years old, your fingers began to be stronger to hit on the keys. I recommended you to practice single keys on the piano. When you were at five, your fingers were strong enough and you could finally play a simple nursery rhymes. At this moment, you played the piano and sang happily and confidently.

                                                                  Classical guitar

If one day, we carry a six-string guitar, ride on a horse and travel around the world. We play this nylon stringed wooden instrument while admiring the environment around us. How amazing will it be?

Playing on the strings and singing in the nature, the musical notes fly with the maple leaves. Look at the six years old children, dance with the music, hug our guitars and play with their pure voice and laughter.

“Piano teacher as best friend”

There was a customer who came and look for a piano. I explained to her a lot of information about the structure of the piano. At the end, just like most of the parents, she visited again with her most trusted “teacher” and “friend” to look at the chosen piano.

This ten years friend of hers is also her child’s tuition and piano teacher. Once they came, she acted like a professional quality control expert, started to criticize the customer’s choice. Fortunately, we are well-trained in the product quality and have almost 30 years of experience in this industry, if not, we would be frightened. 

Then, she asked how much commission would she get. I explained to her that it is the same as the market. At the end, she mentioned that the previous dealers offered her the minimum price and let her fix the price herself.

Then, she requested for discount and demanded for free gifts, if not, she would feel uneasy. I told her, “It is already the lowest price that we can offer, we cannot afford to sell the piano at a loss, I rather wait for another buyer to come. Or else, you give your commission rebate to your friend.” She answered, “No, I’m here to take what I should get.”

In the end, she threatened me, “If you don’t give more free gift, once I walked outside, there will be more sellers for me to choose, what is your final decision?”

I stood on my ground and said, “I’m sorry, I can’t do business at a loss. If you are willing to help me then please convince your friend.”

Listen. What is the “child’s drawing” talking about?

That day, there were over hundreds children above 4 years old came to take part in yearly children’s art competition. Some of them accompanied by their parents, while some came with their teachers.

When the competition started, everyone was nervous. Once they got the art paper from the organiser, they were eager to pick up the pencil and start drawing.

Among the people, I saw a five-year-old child drawing attentively. She drew a big head girl with braid. There was a smaller girl beside this girl, and at the most left of these two girls, there was a boy who was only half of the size of the big girl. In the middle of these three people, there was a more than slightly distorted ten storeys building with a lot of windows. There were two cotton clouds above the building, an air plane and a bird in between the two clouds.

The colouring of this little girl is just average, not too bright and not too dull.

At that moment, I asked her curiously, “Who is this big girl?” She said that the big one is her mother while the small girl is her. Then I asked her about the little boy. She said that it is her father. I asked again curiously, “Why is your father smaller?” The girl answered me naively, “It is because I love my mother more and my father always not at home.” They stayed in a tall building that enables them to see the flight of air planes.

From this drawing, I can see that the girl came from a well-off family. The girl has strong relationship with her mother. Relatively, the dependency on father is less important than the mother because the father is not always around. This girl has a happy family.

A brief history of flute

Seven thousand years of history

Before Han Dynasty> More to vertical whistle. Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, flute=vertical  Bamboo flute and horizontal flute

Bei Dynasty>Flute is popular, with bigger changes in shapes, length and width.

Bei Zhou and Sui-Tang Dynasty> Has the name of “horizontal flute”.

Tang Dynasty> There are difference in large and small cross-blowing. Vertical blowing flute is called “Xiao”, horizontal blowing flute is called “Di”.

Made from bamboo stick, inner joints are removed, there are one blowing hole, one film hole and six key holes.

Advantages for parents nowadays

In the current market, there are a lot of choices of piano and hence provide advantages to the parents. Parents can understand the product better through introduction and recommendation from experts from different factory. Meanwhile, the experienced staff possesses good knowledge of choosing piano, whereby the development of the children and the psychological issue of the children should be taken into consideration. As long as the seller is trustworthy, possesses comprehensive knowledge, honest and willing to share information, choosing piano is not a difficult task. Importantly, we must not fall into the trap and buy something worthless.

However, one needs at least 5 years of experience of working with imported piano branding, truly engages with not less than 500 pianos with different brands and understands the psychology of adults and children learners in order to provide professional answers to the questions of customers.

Is the value of branded piano good for the money

Beside first-tier world renowned piano, we can normally get quite good second-tier piano for children to practice. Japan piano normally made in China, Indonesia, Vietnam and other third world countries, while the earliest piano that we see in developing Asia countries is the Japan piano. In the early stage, Japan piano came from Japan. Japan is famous of its quality control in product, therefore, we can enjoy good quality of piano from Japan. For example, the quality of Japan imported new piano in Malaysia 25 years ago is very good, but then due to the competition in the market, a lot of second-tier piano factories shifted out from Japan. The people of the third world countries do not control the quality of the product as strict as the Japanese, therefore, in 5 years ago, there is a case in Malaysia that the wood of one of the Japan piano from a factory is damped and moulded. At the end, some of the customers managed to get a replacement, while the others did not. Some even negotiated with the dealer for months to get a replacement.

Most of the teachers only know two or three choices of piano in the early stage. However, with the advancement of the technology nowadays, good skills have spread due to computerization, maturity of skills, globalisation and the upsurge of wages in Europe and America. Special skills during industrial period have also been popularized. Only with high expectations of the president, who demands for strict quality control, that the perfect piano can be produced with the technology and skills from Europe and America.

At the same time, due to the maturity of skills, a lot of unbranded piano in the early stage has equivalence sound, quality and control as compare to branded piano. More often, these unbranded pianos are better in market demands and the price of these pianos is more reasonable.

Lost in piano brands

Do the piano teachers fully understand the structure of piano?

Most parents have common doubt and helplessness and thought that the piano, which is used by the teacher, is the best piano while the piano teacher is professional and possesses rich and accurate knowledge about piano.

Pitiful parents who know nothing about instrument and music have to depend on the teachers’ recommendation. More often, in this materialistic society, we have been in this industry for more than 30 years and it is most common to see teachers who are realistic.

                                                                    Guzheng

Guzheng is also named as Qinzheng. Since Qin and Han Dynasty, Guzheng spreads all over the country starting from the north-west region and is rich in local specialities.

Guzheng is also called “Chinese Harp”. Guzheng has soft and charming sound and is easy to play because it has only five key range of sound while the music score is indicated with numbers. Normally, guzheng attracts people to fulfil their dreams of learning music. Therefore, guzheng has become the most favourite instrument among the people in Malaysia recently. Guzheng is easy to learn, yet it is not expensive, hence, it is popular.

  So, learning drums is easier than what I have thought

Although I have been long working in an environment filled with music and talents, I have always busy working. When I notice that playing drums required the movements and coordination of hands and legs, I always hesitate and doubt my ability to do so even though I love drums.

Last month, I had finally built up my courage and taken out some spare time to learn how to play drum, only then that I realize that learning drums is easier than what I have ever thought.

Actually, it is alike with learning electronic organ, first with the right hand, then with the left hand and from right leg to the left leg. Lastly, with the combinations of hands and legs, hit the drums together while counting the beats in my heart.

As a result, it only takes 15 minutes to learn how to hit the first 8 key scale in a 30 minutes class.

Distinguish between classical guitar and Acoustic guitar

The easiest way to distinguish the differences between a classical guitar and a Acoustic guitar is through observing the differences in their strings. However, people may ask, “If I install steel strings on a classical guitar, do I call it a Acoustic guitar? Identically, if the Acoustic guitar is installed with nylon strings, will it be called as a classical guitar?”This is a very interesting question.

Let’s put it this way. “The type of guitar”actually indicates “the combinations of the hardware”, including every parts of the guitars, such as the width of the fretboard, the type of strings used, the design of the body and others. Due to these combinations, the guitar produces its unique sound, allowing the user to compose the most suitable song with this unique sound. Moreover, the design of guitars are different and unique based on the usage of the guitars. For instance, classical guitars are mainly used for play, in which require the fingers to be moving frequently, hence, the fretboard is wider to prevent touching other strings when moving along the scale. Whereas for folk pop guitar, it is mainly used for playing and sing along, the focus is not only on the play but also to be used with singing, whereby the playing mostly acts as an accompaniment with certain main chords. Due to the changes in pressing the strings are not as frequent as classical guitar, the fretboard of an acoustic guitar is narrower to prevent tiredness of the fingers when pressing chords. Besides that, the neck of acoustic guitar is normally longer than the neck of classical guitar. One of the reason for this is that the acoustic  guitar is mainly used to sing along that everyone has different range in sound, the user will always use a capo to change key easily. Therefore, if the neck of acoustic guitar is short, the higher key the capo is fixed at, the lesser the guitar can be played, hence, it causes inconvenience during play. Therefore, different design of the guitars has different theory in it!

Let’s go back to the first question. The type of strings is the main factors that causes the differences between the sound of the guitars. If we change the classical guitar with steel strings, will the sound be more like a acoustic guitar? A lot of beginners might have this idea and thought that if the guitar is installed with steel strings, then it is acoustic guitar. This is a wrong concept. The tension of six steel strings is a lot greater than the tension of six nylon strings. Classical guitar is designed to bear with the tension of nylon strings. If we install steel strings on the classical guitar, not only that the sound will not be alike as folk pop guitar, it will even cause deformation and damage to the guitar due to overly high tension of the strings. It is not a joke!