Posts Tagged ‘Many People’

When ordering a piano bench I have noticed that many people do not care about the type of piano bench leg that goes on the bench. Most of them are not aware of the many choices that they have in front of them when they are ordering. I like to tell people that they should always order a piano bench that will match the legs of their piano so that the look of their set can be continuous and beautiful.

Much like the wood finish of a piano bench, the legs should also match the leg style of the piano. The legs come in many styles: straight, fluted, brass ferruled, round, spade, straight tapered, square tapered, antique looking Louis XV, Queen Anne, Early American, round reeded and even octagonal. You can see a picture of each of the leg types by looking at the piano benches section of a popular web site.

To be sure to order the right type of leg, simply look at the pictures of legs provided on the piano bench supplier site and then compare it to the leg of your piano. Be sure to look at whether the leg is square or rounded, if it has a brass ferrule on the bottom of it and whether or not the leg has a series of decorations at the bottom of it. Asking yourself these questions prior to ordering a matching bench will make the job or selection much easier because it will limit your choices somewhat through the ordering process.

Some people have told me they feel that limiting their choices is a bad thing and I always respond the same way and tell them that is much better to have selected the right piano bench, leg, upholstery and wood finish to match your piano than to have everyone who looks at your piano set and stop and wonder for a moment or two what is wrong with the look and why it does not all appear to fit together in the right way.

I once went to a cocktail party and the host played a game asking people to identify the pieces of furniture that did not go together. I must admit that I was not very good at the game and did not enjoy playing the game all that much (my wife, however, enjoyed the game quite a bit) but it did bring to mind some of the pieces that should go together in a house. His piano and bench did not go together. It turned out that he had owned two pianos and had switched benches. Both were black pianos but one was a grand and the other an upright. The size of the benches and the legs to each one did not fit the piano they were sitting in front of. I admit also that I did not notice until after it was brought to my attention but after it was I realized how the pieces simply did not go together and that I would have stared at the piano and bench combination not liking the tandem had the mismatch not been corrected.

My last piece of advice is to not find yourself as an embarrassed host by getting a piano bench that matches your piano.

Guitar playing is like many other endeavors. You can be really
enthusiastic about it–but it can soon seem very overwhelming. This
is why so many people quit the guitar after working at it for a
month or two. Here are some steps to help you keep playing your
guitar.

1. Check the action on your guitar. The height of the strings above
the fingerboard should be low enough that your guitar is not
uncomfortable to play. Press the strings down behind the frets to
see how much tension there is. If the strings are very difficult to
press down, have your guitar set up by a qualified guitar
technician.

2. Use light gauge strings (or even silk & steel). Light gauge
strings are recommended by most guitar manufacturers because they
put less stress on the instrument. Light gauge strings are also
easier to play, because there is less tension when you press them
down on the fingerboard. On many of my guitars, I prefer silk &
steel strings, because of really low tension and the fact that that
they are really sensitive, providing great dynamics for guitar
picking.

3. Keep your fingernails trimmed! This is kind of a “no-brainer,”
yet many beginning guitarists do not understand how important this
is. Long fingernails on the hand you use on the fingerboard make
the fingers work much too hard to press the strings down. Keeping
your fingernails well trimmed is one very easy step toward better
guitar playing.

4. Commit to a realistic practice schedule. An hour a day is great.
But if you cannot allot that much time, how about an hour four
times a week? Whatever you decide is reasonable for you, COMMIT TO
IT! Determine that you will discipline yourself to a regular
practice schedule.

5. Sit properly and consistently during your practice schedule.
During the time that you have committed for your practice schedule,
sit in an upright, armless chair (such as a folding chair or a
dining room chair) when playing your guitar. Find the position that
is the most comfortable and efficient to play in, and do it the
same way every session of your practice schedule.

6. Practice with a metronome during your practice schedule. If you
want to be a fast and clean flatpicker, one of the smartest things
you can do is to practice using a metronome.

7. Keep your guitar (or one of your guitars, if you have more than
one) handy, so that you can pick it up and play a few licks
whenever you feel the urge. If humidity conditions (and traffic
conditions) in your home permit it, keep a guitar on a guitar
stand, ready to be picked up and played. However, don’t take any chances with
humidity. You can keep your guitar in its case (with an in-case humidifier) in the
corner of a room for easy access. This way when you are relaxing,
maybe checking out what’s on T.V., you can work on a few licks
while sitting back on that comfy sofa. But didn’t I just say you
should always sit in an upright chair when you play? Yes, during
your practice schedule–but this is your relaxation time!

8. Have your library of tablature books and instructional CD’s and
videos, etc. together in one place and handy to refer to. If you
have a spare room you can dedicate as a guitar studio, great!

9. Whenever you get a chance, listen to music that inspires you!

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