A Philosophy of Music

From Guest Blogger Lucas Denzer:

An amazingly talented professional piano player once told me, “There is no such thing as wrong notes, only notes that sound wrong.” At the heart of what he is saying, I believe he understands something about the true purpose and essence of music. Though music contains many similarities to mathematics, and many like to make the obvious comparisons, music serves a much more eloquent purpose. Music is arguably the deepest language we have, for it can communicate with great feeling, emotion, depth, and fervor where words can too often fail. It does not have to have a right or wrong answer.

Music to me will always be a time-based art; it is fleeting by nature. It is something that is experienced over time, and ever-changing, which makes it more powerful and more precious. Perhaps the most important aspect of music is that it does not mean the same thing to everyone. People have differing opinions about it, everyone is affected by it differently, and most importantly, justifiably so. Music is so big, that it can accommodate the whims and desires of the most deserving as well as the most careless, and yet retains an inexhaustible source of influence in almost any capacity imaginable.

As Stravinsky once said:

 “I know that the twelve notes in each octave and the variety of rhythm offer me opportunities that all of human genius will never exhaust.”

The Piano Outlet thanks today’s blog contributor Lucas Denzer, a pianist, educator, and composer with 17 years of experience in teaching, performing, and composing music. He has a degree in Music Technology from the University of Oregon, and his talents and style are a welcome addition to the Central Coast region.

Thank you for visiting us at www.thePianoOutletCo.com, your source for music with good new and used acoustic pianos and new digital keyboards for sale in Oxnard, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Nipomo, Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo, Southern California and the Central Coast, and throughout San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County, Ventura County, Los Angeles County, and beyond!

Free Seminar on Introduction to Music Fundamentals, Reading, and Standard Notation

Musician Lucas Denzer will be conducting a FREE seminar at the Piano Outlet in Nipomo, 485 N. Frontage Road (off the 101 at the Tefft St. exit), this Thursday, April 5th, 2012, from 6:00 until 7:00 p.m., on “Introduction to Music Fundamentals, Reading, and Standard Notation.”

This informative session will be repeated on April 19th, May 3rd, and May 17th.

Lucas has 17 years of musical experience in teaching, performance and composition. He studied at University of Oregon and graduated with a degree in Music Technology. His experience and unique style is an asset to the Central Coast region and The Piano Outlet of Nipomo, CA, welcomes his talents.

To plan appropriately, RSVP’s are requested; call the store at (805) 929-8901.

Thank you for visiting us at www.thePianoOutletCo.com, your source for learning piano with good new and used acoustic pianos and new digital keyboards for sale in Oxnard, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Nipomo, Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo, Southern California and the Central Coast, and throughout San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County, Ventura County, Los Angeles County, and beyond!

Creativity, Music, and Pianos

NPR’s “Fresh Aire” program recently had an interview with Jonah Lehrer, a science writer whose new book, Imagine: How Creativity Works, looks at where creativity and innovative thoughts come from and what some companies are doing to create an environment that fosters that creativity.   One company he mentions is 3M, where “every engineer has an hour a day to do whatever they want: whether that’s work on a side project or simply tinker with a hobby.”

Lehrer told interviewer Dave Davies that creative insight has two aspects – that the insight comes “out of the blue” (a “flash” of insight) and that the person feels sure that the insight is correct or valid.  Musicians often spend hours being creative, and the “Fresh Aire” story illustrates two examples of composers / songwriters capturing musical magic:

Beethoven would try as many as 70 different versions of a musical phrase before settling on the right one. But other great ideas seem to come out of the blue. Bob Dylan, for example, came up with the lyrics to the chorus for “Like a Rolling Stone” soon after telling his manager that he was creatively exhausted and ready to bail from the music industry. After going to an isolated cabin, Dylan got an uncontrollable urge to write and spilled out his thoughts in dozens of pages — including the lyrics to the iconic song.

Mr. Lehrer also talked about the brilliant cellist Yo-Yo Ma:

“For Yo-Yo, it’s about learning how to relax. He told me this great story where before he goes out on stage, he often thinks about Julia Child. And at first, I was like, ‘Why Julia Child?’ And he tells this great story about Julia Child making a roast chicken and it looked beautiful and she was talking to the camera and the chicken would just fall off the plate, onto the floor. And he said, ‘Did she make this look of horror? Did she scream? No, the smile never left her face. She picked up the chicken, dusted it off and just went on with the show.’ And he said that’s an inspiring story to think about when you’re in the middle of performance, because you’re going to make a mistake and your attitude has to be, ‘I welcome that first mistake because now I’m free.’”

Can you imagine how wonderful it would be for companies to have beautiful grand or upright pianos available for their employees to use to relax and let their minds be free to create?  3M, are you listening?

Check out the “Fresh Aire” story online at npr.org:

http://www.npr.org/2012/03/21/148607182/fostering-creativity-and-imagination-in-the-workplace

Thank you for visiting us at www.thePianoOutletCo.com, your source for creativity with good new and used acoustic pianos and new digital keyboards for sale in Oxnard, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Nipomo, Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo, Southern California and the Central Coast, and throughout San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County, Ventura County, Los Angeles County, and beyond!

 

Brodmann Pianos

Have you heard of Brodmann pianos?  Maybe not.  Although not as well known as some brands, these are fine instruments with a long history of excellent design and performance.

Founder Joseph Brodmann, born in 1763, in what is now Germany, went to Vienna, Austria, as a young man, to apprentice with an established piano builder of the time, Frederick Hoffman.  At that time, in the late 18th century, Vienna was the center of the musical world, and Joseph Brodmann, influenced by the Viennese environment and such great composers as Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert, quickly became a first-rate piano designer and craftsman, and was the best-known piano maker of his time.  His factory was touted as “the most innovative and modern piano factory in Europe and therefore the world.”

One of Brodmann’s major contributions to piano building was his soundboards.  He has been credited with strengthening and improving them, making the soundboards stiffer, to withstand increased string tensions and to prevent splits or tears.  His innovative cabinet in designs made Brodmann pianos very popular with musicians, as well as the Viennese high society folks.  Both the Vienna Arts and Berlin Museums have Brodmann pianos in their collections which are still in working order today.  The case of one model from 1815 is completely hand-carved and has bronze fittings.

Many famous pianists, composers, and conductors of the time, including Carl Maria Friedrich Ernest von Weber, enthusiastically endorsed Brodmann’s instruments.  Weber said that his new Brodmann piano was “the best piano he had ever played.”
If you haven’t heard of Joseph Brodmann, you’ve probably heard of his most famous pupil – Ignaz Bösendorfer.  Today, Bösendorfer pianos are often mentioned as the best in the world.  Some early Bösendorfer instruments show “Ignaz Bösendorfer pupil of Joseph Brodmann” or “Ignaz Bösendorfer made in the workshops of Joseph Brodmann” on the nameboard.

Brodmann pianos are handcrafted with the finest materials, including German hand-selected spruce Strunz soundboards, top quality Abel hammers, and German Röslau strings. The action is crafted with all wooden parts, made by Langer, an upgraded version of famous Schwander action.

If you’re looking for a beautiful instrument, we currently have a new Brodmann Model 187 6’2” grand in stock.

Come in and experience the beautiful instrument that is Joseph Brodmann’s legacy as a piano maker!

Thank you for visiting us at www.thePianoOutletCo.com, your source for good new and used acoustic pianos and new digital keyboards for sale in Southern California and the Central Coast, and throughout San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County, Ventura County, Los Angeles County, and beyond!

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Merry Christmas!  You may have seen this information in an email or learned it elsewhere, but we thought it was interesting and worth sharing:

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won’t come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?  This week, I found out.

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

• The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
• Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
• Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
• The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
• The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
• The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
• Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit–Prophecy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.
• The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
• Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit–Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.
• The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.
• The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
• The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles’ Creed.

So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol…so pass it on if you wish.

Here at the Piano Outlet, we have lots of great new and used pianos and new digital keyboards if you need help coming up with a gift for anyone in your home (or even for yourself!).

We hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

Thank you for visiting us at www.thePianoOutletCo.com, your source for new and good used acoustic pianos and new digital pianos and keyboards for sale in Southern California and the Central Coast, and throughout San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County, Ventura County, Los Angeles County, and beyond!

Yamaha Keyboards and Digital Pianos Now Available at The Piano Outlet

Yamaha is known the world over for quality and reliability.  Did you know that Yamaha is the world’s largest manufacturer of a full line of musical instruments?  One in four musical instruments built has the Yamaha name on it.  Yamaha is seven times larger than its next closest competitor (currently Roland).

We’re very excited to join the ranks of Yamaha dealers for their keyboards and digital pianos.  Several models are currently in stock, including new ARIUS and Piaggero instruments.

Here’s some basic information about the ARIUS series of digital pianos:

Perfect for beginning students and experienced players alike, the ARIUS/YDP series provides true piano sound and feel. The Graded Hammer keyboards of the YDP-160 and the Graded Hammer Standard keyboard of the YDP-140/S31 make it a true joy to play, both in practice and in performance. The AWM Stereo Sampling voices deliver remarkably authentic sound. Moreover, the damper pedal includes a half-damper effect, giving you nuanced expressive control over the sustained sound. Dual voice capability lets you play two different instrument sounds at the same time, while a 1-track song recorder allows you to capture your original musical ideas and performances.

At the moment, we have the YDP-135 and YDP-181 ARIUS models on the floor.  We also have the popular P-95 digital piano from the Yamaha “P” series.

The Piaggero series is another great option:

In both design and playability, Yamaha Piaggero embodies the almost lyrical combination of “piano” and “leggero” – Italian for “light” – that constitutes its name. Piaggero provides go-anywhere portability and style while also delivering Yamaha’s legendary piano touch & tone. Whether you’re taking up piano for the first time or recapturing your musical passion, the Piaggero offers easy-going piano fun.

These keyboards are truly portable, running on battery power, or you can add a “Survival Kit” (an $800 value for a nominal cost) to get an AC adapter, stereo headphones, foot pedal, a DVD of learn-to-play software, extended warranty, and rebate coupons. We have the NP-V80, NP-31, and NP-11 models currently in stock.

With lots of features and great sounds, you can have the sound of a 9-foot Yamaha concert grand piano in your living room for a very affordable price!  Come in and see for yourself!

Thank you for visiting us at www.thePianoOutletCo.com, your source for Yamaha digital pianos and keyboards and new and good used acoustic pianos for sale in Southern California and the Central Coast, and throughout San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County, Ventura County, Los Angeles County, and beyond!

 

Exercise Your Brain

A recent study, reviewed by online service Faculty of 1000 Biology and Medicine, concluded that “practicing a musical instrument connects and develops the motor systems of the brain, refining the entire neurological system in ways that can’t be done through any other activity.”  Imagine that!  Learning to play the piano can help your brain think better!

Many studies through the years have found similar data, that playing a musical instrument helps you in so many ways, including using your brain.  Dr. Richard Haier, a University of California Irvine professor of pediatric neurology, said, “In some ways, the brain is like a muscle.” Well, you know what happens when you go to the gym and work out.  Your muscles get stronger and work better, and you can do more.  Your brain needs a workout too.  Have you exercised your mind today?  Practice the piano!

Thank you for visiting us at www.thePianoOutletCo.com, your source for new and good used acoustic upright and grand pianos, new digital pianos, and piano benches for sale in Oxnard (and greater Southern California), Nipomo (and the Central Coast), and throughout San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County, Ventura County, Los Angeles County, and beyond!