This year’s NAMM Show runs from January 23-26 in Anaheim, California. We’ll cover all the news from the show on this page. Apps Casio Chordana Tap and Viewer iOS Apps Korg Gadget: 15 synths and drum machines on iPad Audio Korg DS-DAC-100 1-bit USB digital/analog converter Korg DS-DAC-100m mobile digital/analog […]
News
At first glance it may seem like an unlikely pairing – a virtuoso Chinese pianist and an iconic metal band teaming up to perform together. Yet that’s exactly what Metallica and Lang Lang are going to do at this year’s Grammy awards, being held on 26th January. “This performance will […]
Metallica and Lang Lang to perform together at Grammys
Leave aside the fact that I’m a bit peckish as I write this, and so these high design shelves remind me a little of Kit-Kat bars, Sebastian Errazuriz’s 1997 work has just come before my eyes. The installation is of four shelves of perhaps eighty blocks of wood on each, […]
Piano Shelf from Sebastian Errazuriz
Jazz pianist Scott Tucker is set to release his self-titled debut in February, launching it online for free as a series of MP3 audio tracks from his own website and via torrents (a mechanism for sharing files between Internet-connected computers). Jazz pianist Scott Tucker announces that his debut album caters […]
Scott Tucker debut jazz piano album to be free release
Anyone looking for something to motivate them to creating music should head over to WeeklyBeats, a site dedicated to publishing original musical creations each and every week. “Weeklybeats is a 52 week long music project in which artists compose and publicly release 1 song a week for the entire year. […]
WeeklyBeats: Create and share new music each week in 2014
Visit our dedicated Tyros5 microsite for the latest information. We’ve been building to this moment for months, and now Yamaha has finally announced the successor to its Tyros 4 arranger workstation. Isn’t it just the way that a major announcement was made the day I went on holiday? Hmmm. Still, […]
Yamaha Tyros 5 61 and 76-key models announced
The US National Chopin Foundation has announced it has raised the top prize for the 2015 National Chopin Competition to $75,000, in a bid to encourage the best American pianists to apply. The winner of the National Chopin Competition will advance to the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland, […]
National Chopin Competition ups 2015 top prize to $75,000
We’ve seen our fair share of expensively decorated grand pianos, including the world’s most expensive jewel-encrusted Kuhn-Bosendorfer and Baldwin’s Exotic Collection of acoustic pianos. Now, a one-of-a-kind 24-carat gold leaf Fazioli grand piano is being displayed at Aberdeen Centre’s Showcase Pianos, and was last week played by visiting pianist Evgenia […]
24K gold leaf Fazioli piano displayed in Aberdeen, MD; played ...
A baby grand piano with every one of the 52 white keys containing the signature of a well-known musician is due to be auctioned at this year’s Musicfest. Whoever places the winning bid on this Young Chang piano will take it away, but they’ll be hard pressed to play it. […]
Multi-autographed grand piano to be auctioned at Musikfest
Steinway has announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2013, and it shows a healthy overall balance sheet for sales of its wholesale pianos, with Europe and America being particularly strong markets. Second quarter revenue increased to $56.8 million, or 12.7%, over the prior-year quarter due to strong […]
Steinway sees healthy piano sales 2Q 2013
Pianos For Peace is an initiative which sees eleven street locations in the City of Rochester, NY, outfitted with pianos painted with peace-themed art by local youth, artists and community members. From Monday 5th August and for the duration of the month, residents and visitors will be able to see […]
Pianos For Peace sees 11 pianos on the streets of ...
Jurors selecting finalists for this year’s Cleveland International Piano Competition have selected the four semi-finalists who will advance to the final round and perform a piano concerto with the Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall. They are: Francois Dumont, of France; Arseny Tarasevich-Nikolaev, of Russia; Jiayan Sun, of China; Stanislav Khristenko, […]
Cleveland International Piano Competition 2013 finalists selected
Do you remember the jewel-encrusted Kuhn-Bosendorfer grand piano we featured four years ago, with the speculation that it was the world’s most expensive? This exclusive limited edition grand piano has now concluded a round of limited concerts and showings and is being put on the open market. That is, the […]
Kuhn-Bosendorfer art case piano now available to buy… for just ...
With horror stories like this £45,000 piano falling off a lorry, it’s not surprising that people are wary about entrusting their beloved piano to a removals company. Even if you can find a regular company who’ll take on the challenge (many will refuse anyway due to the risks involved) you […]
Professional piano moving service launched by US removal company
Native Instruments has announced an updated TRAKTOR KONTROL X1 is now available, offering a compact decks/effects controller and an ideal partner for the TRAKTOR PRO. The unit offers direct control over playback, browse, cue, sync and loop functionality, and now introduces a button for dedicated Flux mode access. 7-segment displays, […]
Native Instruments TRAKTOR KONTROL X1 MK2 launched
Sad to announce that we’ve read confirmation that jazz/R&B/fusion/funk keyboardist legend George Duke has passed away, aged 67. Duke was being treated for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia but lost the battle yesterday (5th August), his record label Concord-Telarc confirmed. It follows a difficult year in which his wife Corine died. His […]
George Duke, jazz keyboard legend, dies aged 67
Casio has announced that the UK market will gain a new limited edition model in its Celviano line of digital pianos, arriving in the Autumn and so available for the busy Christmas period. The Celviano AP-245 will feature much of the same technology as found in Casio’s other Celvianos, including […]
Casio Celviano AP-245 limited edition digital piano coming to UK ...
Italian footballer, Mario Balotelli, has supposedly been captured playing the Italian National Anthem (Il Canto degli Italiani) on a grand piano, while national team-mate Andrea Pirlo looks on. It’s a pretty ruse, but take a look at the video below and you’ll quickly see that it’s fake. While the guy […]
Mario Balotelli in fake piano-playing video
Fans of Neo-Soul Keys, from the Gospel Musicians, will be pleased to hear they’ve just launched two new electric pianos for the app. Neo-Soul EX5 uses the synthesis technology from the Yamaha EX5 synth, sampled through the FDSP engine of the EX5 to simulate the modelled expression of an EP […]
Neo-Soul Keys gets two new electric pianos [iOS App]
There are an increasing number of ways for musicians and other creatives to sell or receive donations for their digital creations, from crowdfunding sites to music sharing portals and the big online players such as iTunes. Now, a service called Sellbox wants to integrate Dropbox and PayPal and create a […]
Dropbox may offer musicians another way to monetize their media
Seems there’s only such a thing as a free lunch — or in this case, a free music magazine — if you are deemed a worthy fan. Billboard Brasil magazine — which follows the basic format of the American Billboard, featuring both Brasil Hot 100 and Billboard 200 charts, articles […]
Music mag vending machine gives free copies to deserving fans ...
Yamaha has announced a number of pianists who will perform at its sixth International Piano Series to be held at The Malvern Theatres in Worcestershire, England. The series commences on 18th October with John Lill performing works by Haydn, Chopin, Beethoven and Brahms. The Malvern recital is to form a […]
Sixth Yamaha International Piano Series lineup confirmed
TASCAM has announced the launch of its DA-3000 unit, an upgrade to the DV-RA1000HD. Key DA-3000 features include: Supports various media such as SDHC/CF(UDMA) and USB memory (*USB: for playback only) High sampling rates up to PCM 192kHz, DSD 5.6MHz High-quality OP-Amp (NE5532) Optimum condensers for quality audio and high-spec […]
TASCAM DA-3000 high definition master recorder and AD/DA converter announced
Quach Hoang Nhi, aged 9, beat 21 other candidates aged between 7 and 9 in Group D of the Mozart International Piano Competition 2013, held in Bangkok, Thailand yesterday. They were marked on their ability to play a sonata piece judged to be difficult for their age. Quach Hoang Nhi […]
Quach Hoang Nhi, 9, wins Thailand international piano concert
Daniela Liebman will make her Carnegie Hall debut this coming October, aged just 11 years. Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, she began to learn the piano at age 5, and by seven she was named a winner in the eight to ten year old category at the Parnassos National Piano Competition […]
Daniela Liebman, 11, to debut at Carnegie Hall this October
Playing any acoustic instrument can be a problem in confined spaces and the piano is no exception. Unless you’ve invested in a silent piano or are happy to practice at home with a digital piano, you are almost certain to disturb your neighbours at some point when you play. Now, […]
Apartment feud over pianist who never gets any better
Utah-based band The Piano Guys have just released their latest self-made music video “Don’t You Worry Child (Khushnuma)”, featuring Indian vocalist Shweta Subram. It was filmed in “Little Sahara”, a desert sand dune in central Utah known for its soft white sand and beautiful Indian temple. The Piano Guys are […]
The Piano Guys “Don’t You Worry Child” sees most challenging ...
Yamaha has announced its new summer programme allowing both individual pianists and educational institutions the ability to either part-exchange or restore existing Yamaha acoustic and digital pianos, allowing them to get hold of new models or add value to current ones. The Upgrade Bonus programme runs from August 2013 to […]
Yamaha offers Upgrade Bonus PartEx programme for pianists and institutions
Yamaha has announced new models in its line of Disklavier E3 and E3PRO Series performance reproducing digital/acoustic grand pianos. These models combine the unrivalled touch, tone, elegance and style of traditional Yamaha acoustic pianos with cutting edge digital piano features that enable the instruments to play themselves – with exact […]
Yamaha expands Disklavier E3 digital acoustic performance reproducing pianos [NAMM13]
Cables and connectors aren’t particularly exciting, but they are essential particularly in the evolving world of music making using tablet PCs such as the Apple iPad. To this end, Yamaha has introduced its i-UX1 MIDI interface cable that enables quick, easy, seamless connection between the iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch and MIDI instruments. […]
Yamaha i-UX1 iOS to MIDI instrument connector [NAMM13]
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
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
It may not be the most exciting news around, but it’s no surprise that Casio wants to show off a couple of its existing Celviano digital pianos in matte black. The AP-220 and AP-420 have been given the makeover to demonstrate Casio’s “commitment to dealers and the music enthusiast”. The […]
Casio AP-220 and AP-420 now available in matte black [NAMM12]
Casio’s musical instrument department enters a new era as it announces the launch of two new professional music synthesisers. First up is the XW-G1 Groove Synthesiser, targeted specifically at DJs and club performers with its interactive step sequencer and sample looper. Key features of the 61-key XW-G1 synth are: 6 […]
Casio XW-G1 groove synthesiser and XW-P1 launched [NAMM12]
Korg has updated its hugely popular Kaossilator with the arrival of the Kaossilator 2. Still sporting a vibrant yellow body (whether it comes in pink is another matter) it boasts a range of features including: Simple control with finger taps/slides on the integrated X-Y touchpad 150 built-in sounds cover every […]
Korg Kaossilator 2 bursts into life [NAMM12]
Korg has announced a new addition to its KAOSS family of DJ-friendly audio products with the arrival of the Mini KAOSS PAD 2. Highlights include: Control effects in real time using the intuitive touchpad interface MP3 player with microSD card slot for data storage/exchange; Perform on the Mini Kaoss Pad […]
Korg Mini KAOSS PAD 2 hits [NAMM12]
Korg has updated its popular SV-1 vintage stage pianos with two new models. The SV-1BK Black has an elegant matte black finish, while the limited edition SV-1RV features a bold red body and vintage reverse-colour keys that call to mind the classic combo organs of the 1960s and ‘70s. Here’s […]
Korg updates SV-1 with black and retro look models [NAMM12]
Bösendorfer has announced its Model 200 SPGK “Klimt”, the first in a new line of “Artist Series” acoustic grand pianos. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Austrian painter Gustav Klimt. This new model features: The Klimt model will be limited to a maximum of 25 units […]
Bösendorfer creates first “Artist Series” piano [NAMM12]
Those wanting the amazing acoustic grand piano experience but in a smaller frame size will be interested to here that renowned piano maker Bösendorfer (owned by Yamaha) has revealed its Model 155 SP. As model numbers reflect the length of the piano in centimetres, it doesn’t take a genius to […]
Bösendorfer Model 155 SP compact grand piano introduced [NAMM12]
Yamaha has updated its EZ-200 lighted keyboard with the introduction of the EZ-220. Compare EZ-200 and EZ-220. It includes 100 preset songs designed to help beginners learn to play the keyboard. It features 392 built-in voices including realistic acoustic instruments including drums, plus synths and sound effects. There are 100 […]