Yearly Archives: 2012

Angels From The Realms Of Glory: Mastering Christmas Carols on ...

Sunday 9th December, 2012 in Features tagged angels from the realms of glory / carol / chords / christmas / manuscript / notes / tutorial by Andy

Christmas Carols & Songs Sheet Music Free Downloads Check out our complete series on mastering Christmas Carols on Piano and Keyboard. Click on any of the music scores to view/print higher resolution versions View a range of Christmas Carols Music Books at Amazon. Silent Night: An Introduction Silent Night is […]

Silent Night (A Major): Mastering Christmas Carols on the Piano ...

Thursday 22nd November, 2012 in Features tagged carol / chords / christmas / manuscript / music / notes / silent night / Technique / tutorial by Andy

See Amid the Winter’s Snow: Mastering Christmas Carols on the ...

Tuesday 20th November, 2012 in Features tagged carol / christmas / manuscript / score / see amid the winter's snow / tutorial by Andy

While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night: Mastering Christmas Carols ...

Saturday 17th November, 2012 in Features tagged carol / christmas / manuscript / music / score / tutorial / while shepherds watched by Andy

We Three Kings of Orient Are: Mastering Christmas Carols on ...

Sunday 11th November, 2012 in Features tagged carols / chords / christmas / manuscript / score / sheet music / tutorial / we three kings of orient are by Andy

The 13 album cover — Appropriately enough for Friday 13th, we’re pleased to promote Oleg Prodeus’s album “The 13”. Although the album sits in the alternative pop/rock genre, it goes far deeper than that. It oozes class and depth, and so it should as it took the multi-instrumentalist Oleg three intensive years to complete. Listen […]

Review: Oleg Prodeus: The 13

Friday 13th April, 2012 in Musicians / Reviews tagged album / Oleg Prodeus / rock / the 13 by Andy

Review: Francis Bowie EP

Friday 13th April, 2012 in Musicians / Reviews tagged album / danish / electronica / EP / francis bowie / synth by Andy

Alex Nackman studio — New York City based Alex Nackman is no musical novice, having five albums under his belt as well as being a proficient writer and producer, and his work takes a further turn in his latest album “This Revolution“. Taking influence from a plethora of ’90s sounds including Duran Duran, New […]

Preview: Alex Nackman – This Revolution

Thursday 22nd March, 2012 in Musicians tagged album / alesis / Alex Nackman / grand piano / NYC / preview / This Revolution by Andy

We’ve already looked at improving piano playing strength and dexterity using the keyboard alone, but what if you want to take things a step further, plus perform finger strengthening, hand strengthening, and wrist strengthening exercises when away from a piano? There are a number of gadgets and gizmos available but […]

Best hand strengthening equipment for pianists

Tuesday 20th March, 2012 in Reviews tagged exercise / gripmaster / recommended / strength / tool by Andy

Casio XW-P1 Professional Synthesizer

Tuesday 20th March, 2012 in Reviews / Synth, Electronic & Audio tagged Casio / review / xw-p1 by Andy

Apple new iPad — This article was written in 2012 about the 4th-generation iPad. For the latest iPad Air and iPad mini go here. It’s hard to avoid an Apple product announcement, so by now you’ve probably already heard about the “new iPad” (third generation). There are plenty of places to get an overview […]

Apple’s new iPad: What’s in it for musicians?

Thursday 8th March, 2012 in Synth, Electronic & Audio tagged apple / Features / ipad / musician / new by Andy

Nord C2D banner — Two-and-a-half years after Clavia introduced its Nord C2 combo organ, it has announced the C2D. We have very sparse information about the C2D at present, with Clavia simply writing the following: “Complete with 2 sets of physical drawbars per manual the Nord C2D is the ultimate portable organ for musicians […]

Nord C2D dual manual organ announced, arriving March

Friday 24th February, 2012 in LDS / News / Synth, Electronic & Audio tagged c2d / clavia / nord / Organ by Andy

Nord Drum unboxing - box — Clavia provided a teaser announcement at this year’s NAMM show that its new Nord Drum Virtual Analog Drum Synth will be available this coming March. Although we don’t have full specs, we’ve now seen a taster video demo, and today pictures emerged of the first review model of the Nord […]

Nord Drum Virtual Analog Drum Synthesizer coming March

Friday 24th February, 2012 in LDS / News / Synth, Electronic & Audio tagged clavia / module / nord / Nord Drum by Andy

Have you ever wondered exactly what makes up good piano playing technique? What sets apart the virtuoso pianist from the mere mortal? Or why some pianists develop injuries? Researchers from the University of Southampton are hoping to answer some of those questions as they set to discover the mechanics of […]

Science of piano playing to be revealed with 3D mapping ...

Thursday 23rd February, 2012 in Piano tagged 3d / HAWK / injury / pianist / science / southampton / study / Technique / university by Andy

Alesis Cadenza angled view — Alesis has shown off the latest addition to its line of digital pianos. The Cadenza features 88 hammer-action graded weight keys and a range of simple controls designed to allow the pianist to concentrate on the performance. The Cadenza features eight stereo voices, and although Alesis doesn’t seem to want […]

Alesis Cadenza digital piano unveiled

Thursday 23rd February, 2012 in LDP / Piano tagged alesis / Cadenza by Andy

Alesis Vortex Keytar angled view — Alesis has introduced its Vortex USB/MIDI Keytar controller complete with an onboard accelerometer. Bearing similarities to the Roland AX-Synth, the Vortex gives keyboard performers the freedom to move around during a performance while still being able to control a host of other equipment. Alesis Vortex Key Features Dynamic, shoulder-worn performance […]

Alesis Vortex USB/MIDI Keytar with Accelerometer unveiled

Thursday 23rd February, 2012 in LDS / Synth, Electronic & Audio tagged alesis / keytar / MIDI / usb / Vortex by Andy

Alesis QX61 Advanced MIDI controller keyboard angled view — Alesis has unveiled a bigger brother to the QX49 launched last year. The QX61 is an advanced five-octave MIDI controller keyboard capable of controlling a wide number of parameters on an attached module, keyboard or PC running compatible software. As well as the 61 touch sensitive keys there are four […]

Alesis QX61 Advanced MIDI Controller Keyboard unveiled

Wednesday 22nd February, 2012 in LDS / Synth, Electronic & Audio tagged alesis / controller / MIDI / qx61 / usb by Andy

Alesis QX25 Advanced MIDI controller keyboard angled view — Alesis has unveiled a smaller brother to the QX49 launched last year. The QX25 is an advanced MIDI controller keyboard capable of controlling a wide number of parameters on an attached module, keyboard or PC running compatible software. As well as the 25 touch sensitive keys there are four pads […]

Alesis QX25 Advanced MIDI Controller Keyboard unveiled

Wednesday 22nd February, 2012 in LDS / Synth, Electronic & Audio tagged alesis / controller / MIDI / qx25 / usb by Andy

Excelsior concert symphony organ piano — A rare find is this half-century old Excelsior Concert Symphony vintage piano organ from the 1950s/1960s. It even comes with a collection of music books which can be paired with the numbers above the keys, making it easier for beginners to play. Available from this auction.

Excelsior Concert Symphony vintage piano organ [eBay]

Wednesday 22nd February, 2012 in eBay Finds tagged 1950 / 1960 / ebay / excelsior / Organ / Vintage by Andy

Alesis Q61 controller keyboard side view — Alesis has launched the Q61, a five-octave MIDI/USB controller keyboard capable of sending the basic MIDI control messages most musicians need. This makes it an ideal keyboard for those wanting to control other keyboards, sound modules and virtual instruments on a PC or Mac. It doesn’t have all the bells, […]

Alesis Q61 USB/MIDI Keyboard Controller unveiled

Wednesday 22nd February, 2012 in LDS / Synth, Electronic & Audio tagged alesis / controller / MIDI / q61 / usb by Andy

ADE-10 Reactive Shaper from Abstract Data

Wednesday 22nd February, 2012 in Synth, Electronic & Audio tagged abstract data / ade-10 / audio / module by Andy

Alesis HR-16 circuit bent — The Alesis HR-16, launched in the late 1980s with a fairly rudimentary set of sounds, gets the circuit bending treatment and is available at this auction. Check out this short video demo: No doubt there’s plenty more sounds to be got out of this modded kit.

Circuit bent Alesis HR-16 [eBay]

Wednesday 22nd February, 2012 in eBay Finds tagged alesis / circuit bending / drum machine / ebay / hr-16 by Andy

The Muson Synthesizer [Vintage]

Tuesday 21st February, 2012 in Synth, Electronic & Audio tagged 1978 / muson / toy / Vintage by Andy

1956 Blonde Cable-Nelson spinet piano [eBay]

Tuesday 21st February, 2012 in eBay Finds tagged 1956 / acoustic / cable-nelson / ebay / Piano / upright / Vintage by Andy

Casio CK-1 circuit bent diabolical — A perfect candidate for circuit bending, the Casio SK-1 is available on this auction with the Diabolical sk1 glitch. “Diabolical modified Casio SK-1 MIDI glitch synth with custom paint by Matt Ralph. Features 20pt banana jack circuit bending patch bay (cables included) and CLK/Pitch mod with bypass switch. This was […]

Circuit-bent Casio SK-1 MIDI Diabolical sk1 glitch [eBay]

Tuesday 21st February, 2012 in eBay Finds tagged Casio / circuit bending / ck-1 / ebay / mods by Andy

Modulation Orgy Model 2260 launches from Synthetic Sound Labs

Tuesday 21st February, 2012 in Synth, Electronic & Audio tagged lfo / modulation orgy / ssl by Andy

Korg X3 Synthesizer [eBay]

Tuesday 21st February, 2012 in eBay Finds tagged 1990s / ebay / Korg / MIDI / synth / x3 by Andy

Hohner Bass 2 Keyboard [eBay]

Tuesday 21st February, 2012 in eBay Finds tagged bass 2 / ebay / hohmer / keyboard by Andy

Piano Keys Treble Clef Coasters [eBay]

Tuesday 21st February, 2012 in eBay Finds tagged coasters / decor / mats / piano keys / treble clef by Andy

Yamaha PSS-30 circuit bent — Check out the latest blog post over at noystoise. It details the process of circuit bending a Yamaha PSS-30 (which by all accounts is notoriously difficult to do) and building a pretty incredible piece of kit. Read about the whole experience (frustrations and all) from start to finish then check […]

Circuit bending Yamaha PSS-30

Tuesday 21st February, 2012 in Synth, Electronic & Audio tagged circuit bending / pss-30 / Yamaha by Andy

Panasonic R-1088 AM radio mini organ — We love digging up cool/bizarre little instruments and the Panasonic R-1088 is just such a find. Sorry, Panasonic? Since when did they make musical instruments? Well, they may not be in the same league as Yamaha, Roland or Korg, but that doesn’t mean they can’t produce a product you only […]

Panasonic R-1088 AM Portable Radio / Mini Organ [Vintage]

Monday 20th February, 2012 in Synth, Electronic & Audio tagged 1974 / japan / miniature / Organ / panasonic / r-1088 / radio / Vintage by Andy

Piano Keyboard Wall Clock [eBay]

Monday 20th February, 2012 in eBay Finds tagged clock / decor / ebay / home / Piano / time / wall by Andy

Here’s a cool little video with great sound, with a hat tip to Daft Punk’s Aerodynamic. A different take (and visual) to Myleene Klass’s version. “My buddy Colin posted a video of his band playing Aerodynamic by Daft Punk and it inspired me to fire up the old Triton and […]

Improv Synth Solo with a dash of Daft Punk’s Aerodynamic ...

Monday 20th February, 2012 in Videos tagged Aerodynamic / Daft Punk / synth / Video by Andy

Toy Piano by H Jean Diestelhorst sheet music 1960 for the Piano — If you liked our ten toy pianos and want something in print to match the theme, check out this auction for the Toy Piano by H Jean Diestelhorst circa 1960. It’s only four pages long but is a genuine piece of ’60s music. It’s published by Shattinger Publications Inc.

Toy Piano H Jean Diestelhorst sheet music 1960 [eBay]

Monday 20th February, 2012 in eBay Finds tagged 1960 / book / ebay / toy piano / Vintage by Andy

J. Lawrence Cook player piano roll [eBay]

Monday 20th February, 2012 in eBay Finds tagged ebay / piano player / roll by Andy

Learning to play any new instrument can be daunting, particularly if you’ve never tried it before, but the benefits are worth the effort. The piano is a wonderful instrument and fits nicely into a wide variety of musical styles. Here are our recommendations for the beginner wanting to learn how […]