Casio PX110 Privia 88-key Digital Piano Kit with Stand and AC Adapter Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The weighted keyboard feels a lot like a real piano. It is nice to be able to play pipe organ sounds and experiment with combinations of sounds. You can use any two instruments at the same time...Grand piano and strings is wonderful as is Grand piano 2 and electric piano 2. The recorded library is very nice as well. The sound is pretty full on all of them. Not exactly like playing a pipe organ or a piano, but that is not expected on a keyboard.
The pedal plug ins are great. You can plug in to sustain or soft. You can also adjust the tone, loudness, and a host of other things by pressing function and a combination of keys. They have thought of most everything I needed. Also you can use a headset so you can play while others are sleeping!

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For those who put up their noses at digital pianos, the Casio Privia just might convince you how remarkable they are. The Privia is the revolutionary digital piano that makes it possible for just about anyone to experience the joys of playing the piano. Stylish, compact, and priced for affordability, the Privia provides authentic piano sound and feel in your room or just about anywhere else. The new PX-110 also incorporates a Bass Reflex System that improves low frequency sounds. Lower notes play relatively heavier than higher notes, just like the keys on a grand piano. Selectable touch sensitivity lets you configure the keyboard for a light touch that makes it possible for your fingers to really fly when they need to.Stereo Sampled Piano20 RhythmsSplit/Layer8 Digital Effects Auto Accompaniment60 Tunes built-in 2 track 1 Song Memory Transpose controlHeadphone Jack 2 Pedal inputs MIDI In/Out2 Speakers built-in for stereo sound SP-3 Sustain Pedal (Included) AD-12 AC Adapter (Included)

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Native Instruments Alicia's Keys Virtual Piano Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I am a pianist and a guitarist and I record on my PC as a hobby. I have been looking for a great piano sound plug-in for my PC MIDI sequencer for a long time. The last time I heard a good MIDI piano sound was from perhaps 10 years ago and it was bundled with the Soundblaster AWE 32 sound card. I happened to see an ad for Alicia's Keys in a keyboard magazine, and decided to give it a try.
I am very impressed. I really found what I was looking for. Now this is the signature Alicia Keys sound. Soulful, subdue, velvety, and is great for accompaniment. This is more a "recorded sound" rather than a sound that you get as if the piano were right in front of you. For those of you who are guitarists and are familiar with the Line 6 POD line of guitar amp modeler, that is what I am talking about. If you are looking for the traditional "in your face" piano sound that you get from a typical digital piano I would recommend the New York Concert Piano also by Native Instruments. Again if you were a guitarist, the sound of Alicia's Keys is like that of a Gibson ES-335, while the NY Concert Piano (which really is a Steinway even though it is not officially referred to as such) is like that of a Les Paul.
In any case, I got both and I couldn't be happier.

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With ALICIA'S KEYS, Native Instruments has unlocked the door to the R&B chanteuse's studio. The rich piano samples included in this sound library were created from her own playing, recorded in her personal studio in collaboration with her trusted engineer, Ann Mincieli. Together with Mincieli, Danish sample specialist Thomas Skarbye (also known by his company name Scarbee) and impulse response expert Ernest Cholakis, Alicia Keys has created a virtual piano that embodies the soulful, passionate sound that's become her trademark. Add this virtual piano to your studio and Alicia's distinguished playing will grace your next composition.ALICIA's KEYS' instrument samples come from the artist's very own Yamaha C3 Neo grand piano. This unique and hallowed instrument was built to celebrate Yamaha's 100th anniversary in 2002 and represents the very top of the Conservatory Collection line. The exquisite and unique sound of the C3 Neo were painstakingly captured by Thomas Skarbye, KONTAKT script wizard Nils Liberg, and Grammy-award winning engineer Ann Mincieli—making these exclusive Yamaha piano samples available to everyone. Using vintage microphones and preamps and through detailed analysis of Alicia's playing, the team succeeded in capturing the warm, soulful, and inspiring sound of the Yamaha C3 Neo piano all the way down to the finest nuances. Great effort was put into making the ALICIA'S KEYS virtual piano as authentic as possible. Designed with incredible precision, and incorporating subtle details such as mechanical release noises, a specially developed sympathetic resonance and release system, and even the sound of fingers hitting keys (optional), this unique virtual instrument software delivers plenty of lively realism. So much in fact, that Alicia Keys herself used it exclusively on her latest album "The Element of Freedom."

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USB MIDI Cable Converter PC to Music Keyboar Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is, by far, the cheapest option right now for a comparable length USB MIDI interface cable: a measly $6. For those who want a straight answer: yes, it works. For me. If yours doesn't, HDE has a great return policy.
PROS:
- Very easy setup, driver installs automatically within seconds
- Windows XP, Vista 32 and 64-bit compatible
- Very cheap, while offering an authentic USB MIDI interface
CONS:
- Cord is a little too short for me--about 5 feet
- High latency. Latency is the time it takes for input from your keyboard to reach your computer, and in my experience the latency for this interface is really high--around a quarter to three quarters of a second. This makes it very hard to play live accompaniment to background music you've created. However, if you disable MIDI playback in your sequencing program and just listen to the notes as they're played on your keyboard, you can shift all of the notes in your program after you've finished and it works just fine. It's a couple extra steps per song, or a couple dozen more dollars for a faster cord :3
- Those lights on the converter are annoying!
NOTES
- When setting up, if you are getting no sound, try switching the MIDI IN/OUT ports on your input device. On Yamaha products, "MIDI IN" goes into the keyboard's "MIDI OUT" port, etc. so you can't just match them up!


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This MIDI interface cable is self-powered and can be conveniently attached to your computer's USB port, without the need for tools or computer disassembly. This MIDI interface cable is the simplest and most convenient way to connect a keyboard or controller to a computer via a USB port. There's no need for additional cables - this interface comes with integral USB and MIDI cables as part of its sturdy construction. This interface provides one MIDI input port and one MIDI output port, with each MIDI port supporting 16 MIDI channels. This USB MIDI cable easily turns your computer into a music studio and gives you the power to play songs on your keyboard or other controller, then mix and edit them on your home computer or laptop with any sequencing or recording software you have installed them play them back on the built-in synth or an any out-board synth.

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Nord Stage EX Compact Soft Case Gig Bag for the Stage EX Compact Piano and Electro 73 Piano/Organ (AMS-GB73) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was hesitant to buy this at first due to the price. There are many other cases out there that are much less expensive, but I've learned from bitter experience that paying a little extra for a case is worth it.
This fits the Electro 73 perfectly, if a little tightly. The case fit is very snug and took some effort to get the Electro 3 in - hopefully it will stretch a bit with use. Construction is robust, with strong stitching, heavy padding, and a plush velour interior. This thing just screams quality! The front pouch is large enough to hold the power cable, two audio cables, and a sustain pedal (Yamaha FC4).
If your needs extend only transporting to local gigs or back and forth to practice this case will do the job. Anything more will require an hard sided case.

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Nord gig bags are high quality custom-fit carry cases that are practical, lightweight, and suited for gigging.Clavia's newly designed lightweight soft cases for the Stage EX Compact, and Electro 73 series are made out of textile with a plushly padded interior and reinforced cover to protect the synth's knobs and provide form fitting-protection. They come with an exterior pocket for pedals and cables, handles, a shoulder strap, and convenient backpack straps for easy carrying.In distinctive Nord Red with black trim.

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The Piano Improvisation Handbook - Book and DVD Package Review

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(More customer reviews)The Piano Improvisation Handbook, represented as:Product Features
* Book and CD Package
* Arranged for Piano
* Standard Notation
* Publisher: Backbeat Books
* 488 Pages
...in fact is for Trombone and has only 16 pages. It is not for piano. Sold by two companies as The Piano Imp. Handbook. This needs to be fixed by someone. Don't buy if you think this book is as described in the product review. Bass clef for Trombone.

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The Piano Improvisation Handbook offers a comprehensive overview of the practical skills and theoretical issues involved in mastering all forms of piano improvisation, including classical, jazz, rock and blues. Whereas most books offer little more than models for imitation and exercises for practicing, this one adopts an approach specifically designed to encourage and enable independent creative exploration. The book contains a series of graded tutorial sections with musical examples on CD, as well as an appendix listing useful scales, chords, voicings, and progressions across all keys, a bibliography, and a discography. In addition to sections outlining how melody, harmony, rhythm, texture, and form work in improvised piano music, giving distinctive emphasis to the interconnectedness of classical and jazz improvisation, there are sections devoted to explaining how ideas can be developed into continuous music and to exploring the process of finding a personal style.

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Spectrum Digital Music Studio Electric Keyboard Package Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I am learning piano better, I can download to my garage band program and work with the big studio from my home. It is easy to assemble. The quality of the mike is not truly performance quality but is good for initial recording. The sound quality is great. Amazon has many keyboard options and the prices vary and are reasonalble in comparison to other electronic products.

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Spectrum 61 Note Silver & Black Electric Keyboard Pack. Computer Friendly with Stereo USB Input for Audio Digital Device & Computer Connection. 160 Tones, 200 Rhythms, Vibrato, Sustain and Pitch Bend Functions. Includes Music Book Holder, AC Adapter, Sustain Pedal, Keyboard Stand with Adjustable Mic Boom & USB Cable & Bonus Cakewalk Software. For Customer Support call 877-914-1800 or email customerservice@ashleyintl.com

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Thompson's Modern Course for Piano Second Grade Review

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(More customer reviews)Musically good, if you can get your students into it before they're old enough to roll their eyes at "the bee and the clover" - for example. If they need something this level, and they're that age already, try Alfred's. By book three this [Thompson's] course is back to excellent.

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The Modern Course series provides a clear and complete foundation in the study of the piano that enables the student to think and feel musically. It may be preceded by the Teaching Little Fingers to Play series. Follows uninterruptedly and in progressive sequence the musical foundation developed in Book 1.

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