Casio PX130 Digital Piano Keyboard BUNDLE including Stand, Sustain Pedal, and Case Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I thought I reviewed this already. Besides it was a gift, so I can't be specific. The recipient says it's great, and I hope he's not just being polite.

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The new Casio Privia PX130 redefines the digital piano category with unprecedented sound quality and performance in a sleek package that is supremely portable. Featuring all new grand piano samples and a new Tri-Sensor 88-note scaled hammer action keyboard and weighing less than 25 lbs., the Casio Privia PX130 is versatile enough for home, church, school or on stage.Realism, Expression and DynamicsThe grand piano sounds in the PX130 delivers an unprecedented level of realism and expression. Four dynamic layers of stereo piano samples are integrated with Casio's proprietary Linear Morphing System, resulting in a grand piano sound with seamless transitions and a superior dynamic range. For added realism, the PX130 simulates the sound of the open strings when the dampers are raised by the pedal using Acoustic Resonance DSP. The PX130 also has 128-note polyphony, enough horsepower for the most demanding musical passages and the ability to layer sounds and use the damper pedal without worry of dropped notes. The result is a grand piano experience that is unmatched at any price.

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Yamaha P155S Contemporary Piano with Cherry Top Board, Silver Review

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(More customer reviews)We got this piano for our daughter.
it sounds great and it looks good too.

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Whether you're practicing at home, playing with the band, or doing alive solo performance, the P155 series offers professional quality sound with our legendary touch. Thanks to top-shelf Yamaha digital piano technologies, musicians don't have to choose between portability and piano quality- the quality you expect from a company that's been building world-class acoustic pianos for over a century.

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Adventus Incorporated Piano Suite Basic Review

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(More customer reviews)No program is ever going to suddenly give you knowlege... Regardless of what program you pick you are going to have to practice practice practice. This program is a little dated and looks like it was designed for the Win 95 platform. Still though it gets the job done and I largly enjoy it. Even though it is geared towards kids, as an adult, I followed allong nicely.

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Learn to play the Piano

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Kurzweil SP2 76 Note Digital Stage Piano and Midi Controller, Semi Weighted Action Keys, 64 Programs, Polyphony Split Layer, DSP FX, Gray Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)[With increased use, I'm becoming increasingly disenchanted with this machine. The manual spends more time on USB/MIDI/computer talk than the practical needs of the performing musician (as opposed to the "programmer"). The 16 set-ups are absurd as are the 64 programs--every spacey effect in the book but no engineer thought to include a simple piano/bass split + layered ride cymbal? The Autosplit feature (in "Program mode") is useless because, unlike the PC2, it doesn't raise the left-hand pitches by an octave while simultaneously lowering the right-hand pitches by same so that both hands will be playing in the appropriate register. Consequently, the user can transpose one hand but then discovers that the non-split notes are now in the wrong octave and can't be transposed separately. The only solution is to wipe the slate clean, start with a blank set-up, and construct each program from scratch. It's laborious work, best begun well in advance of any gig, and done on a program-per-day basis. So many musicians may as well forget about "Program" mode altogether and concentrate exclusively on constructing their own "Set-Ups." Finally, in the last couple of years Kurzweil has released or re-deployed the few specialists who knew anything specific about their complex computer-instruments. Whereas the company used to be responsive to befuddled users' questions, their customer support is now virtually non-existent. Kurzweil seems to be going out of their way, even with the PC3, to limit their instruments to advanced computer specialists or to musicians who simply push the buttons and play whatever programs are available at the highest surface level.]
Until the SP2 appeared comparatively recently, I had claimed the Kurzweil SP76 as the least expensive keyboard that a self-respecting professional performer might be able to "get away with" on the job. Now I can revise that claim, bestowing the same on the SP2. The main advantage of the SP2? There are actually two: first, it doubles the number of voices (programs, patches, objects, or sounds, if you prefer), providing 64 instead of a mere 32 (the SP76 did not even have a vibes program); 2nd, it permits you to split the keyboard, assigning different internal sounds to the various zones created by the split.
The SP2 costs about 33% more than it's predecessor, but the above features make the hike worthwhile. Formerly, I was importing bass or vibes sounds from a module velcroed to the keyboard and spending tedious hours with the MIDI set-up. No longer. And for "popular" music, 76 keys is all you need; 88 weighted keys will add at least 20 pounds to the package. I would have purchased a PC1se, a PC2, or a PC3 with 76 keys except for all of the gratuitous add-ons and complications (these are "programmers'" hobby kits) plus the extra weight. With the SP2, I can still, as was the case with the SP76, toss the instrument in a gig bag and set up in no time (I've grown out of the need to haul monstrous, heavy keyboards, sometimes just to play Basie fills in a big band!). If I'm ever awarded a roadie, I'll pick up a Roland RD700 or Kurz PC3x or Korg M50 (the fully weighted 88-key version) or the comparable Yamaha fully-weighted 88-key monster. But for now, safety, sanity and common sense all point to the SP2(76).
If you want more voices (time-consuming, complicated) and onboard speakers (like weighted keys, requiring dollies, helpers and hernias), get an SP3x. But now you've entered a nebulous territory that I've found even Kurzweil reps have no good answers for: when you get down to it, what's the difference between an SP3 and a PC3? (I find the SP, with its protruding knobs, a "gaudier" instrument than the PC design).
Back to the SP, Kurzweil shows its lack of understanding of a musicians' needs when the company doesn't provide a dedicated button permitting "layering" a ride cymbal on to the left-hand bass sounds walking 4/4 lines (the basis of ALL "swing," for Pete's sake). Instead the company throws in an automated drum machine (!) or trumpets its "Take 6" voices (a great vocal group, but I prefer to play them on my iPod or CD player. When I once played them in public on a Kurzweil PC2, the other musicians merely laughed at me--very dismissively). Until companies like Kurzweil take the music and the musician seriously, no real musician is going to record an album on any of their hundreds of Triple Strike "acoustic" pianos. Hundreds of great pianists have had the opportunity--from Oscar Peterson and Bill Evans to Keith Jarrett and Brad Mehldau, though none has lowered himself to that degree. (Even Stevie stuck to a concert grand piano (and nothing more) at the Michael Jackson memorial.)
Electric pianos are still the realm of techno-engineers and gear-heads. These companies have got all they can handle to recreate the sound of an analog synth or Rhodes, let alone come up with a respectable piano. But at least they could listen to, say, Ahmad or Monty Alexander or Benny Green and try to service an actual musician's needs. That'll change if consumers are more demanding, and if musicians are allowed to advise the designers and manufacturers.
[Warning: What ever keyboard you decide on, make sure there's a return/exchange policy you can live with. I've frequently been impressed by keyboards in the store, only to realize after the first job that this infatuation was no more than a single-night honeymoon. The keyboard will always sound different in a different room, with a different amp, with more time to allow your ears to be bombarded by what you thought sounded like a "real" piano. (If you plan to test at the store, bring your best headphones to plug into each piano.) Kurzweil wants its keyboards to be perceived as "performer's" rather than "programmer's" instruments. If so, consumers need to keep the pressure on their engineer / designers, demanding instruments suited less for an engineer than a musician.]
[P.S. The SP2 is not, technically speaking, "weighted." See the Young Chang / Kurzweil site.]

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The SP2 delivers the legendary Kurzweil sound, with all of its detail and refinement, in a digital stage piano which is both professional and easy to use. Using the next generation of Kurzweil technology, the SP2 provides some of our best sounds: pianos, EPs, strings, pads, mallets and voices, all available at the touch of a button. Endless hours of engineering and sample editing went into the Triple Strike Grand Piano sound, and it shows. Behind the scenes, the SP2's powerful synthesizer engine brings these samples to life and makes them sing. The result is an instrument which not only sounds like, but feels like a real piano.64 note polyphony ensures that notes will continue sounding even under high demand performance situations. Ideal for both practice and songwriting, the SP2 comes equipped with 64 pre-recorded drum grooves, rhythms and adjustable metronome. A USB interface allows the SP2 to connect to a computer (Mac or PC) for complete MIDI performance and OS updates. The SP2 features Kurzweil's renowned effects processing technology, the same leading-edge technology found in all of our professional products. The SP2's effects can put the right finish on any sound whether it's crystal clear or warm and organic. Nothing else in the industry even comes close in this department.

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Piano Wizard PREMIER Piano Instruction Software - USB/MIDI Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)a little background, i am a 22 year old woman with learning disabilities. i have a lot of difficulty reading and writing so when i wanted to learn piano i was worried because i couldnt afford lessons and learning from a book required a ton of reading.. im very easily distracted, just like a child.. i learn best with color.
first off:
piano wizard=awesome
second.. um, well.. its fun..
third.. everyone should have piano wizard
forth.. piano wizard company is evil for requiring registration on the internet for the product to be usable.. what if a person doesnt even have internet in their house? well i guess its not evil, but its annoying.. ive never seen another software that did that, not even my expensive rosetta stone japanese.. its especially a pain in the butt when the computer only has one bar of wireless internet.. really irritating.. but whatever i guess they are scared that people, um, im not sure what they are scared of.. but im sure its something..
5th.. no matter how excited you are your dog will never care that you got a 100% at the right tempo for a new song you have just learned.. he will sit there and stare at you as you dance around in your seat your victory dance..
6th.. start out in step 2.. its easier to learn the sideways layout faster if your brain doesnt have to turn.. well, start out there once you make it past old mcdonald..
7th.. boy im just going on and on with this numbering thing.. the dinosaur layout has the easiest to see flying thing shape, an egg, this is the best one because when fingering is activated you can clearly see the number without blocking the color while you still need color.. a lot of the others just become hard to read if you have poor eyes like me
8th.. songs make way more sense when you get up to level 3 and they show how some notes are supposed to be for longer (because during levels 1-2 you are learning fingering but in level 3 you can see real notes and so if you have even a tiny bit of knowledge about how the circle ones are longer your song will sound waaaay better)
9th.. well if you read 8th you might be under the impression that you cant see how long the notes are until level 3.. well if you choose to you can select the long flying thing and see them in level 1-2.. it will get longer for how long the notes are but i dont use it because it makes it a lot harder to see when there are multiple notes back to back for the same key..
10th.. songs in easy mode are lame, but they are truly the best for for each skill level.. any downloaded songs should wait until you have mastered the 100 songs at the proper tempo
11th thing to say about PW is that stretchy gloves with the tips cut off make it a lot easier to play in a 50 degree house..
12th.. well i wish there was sheet music for each song.. but i suppose if i really wanted to i could look it up
13th thing to say.. I AM A PIANO,,,, um WITCH!.. i dont think i can be a wizard since im a woman..
14th,, this is definitely not a stand alone product.. i think a book that teaches about the different notes and maybe some youtube lessons work well with it..
15th, i wish it could play through my keyboard speakers instead of my laptop.. meh
16th.. not everything is set up like it is in the how to videos but the real way its set up is easier anyway so whatever right?
17th.. the stickers do not impede the functionality of my lighted keyboard when not connected to the computer.. they are see through enough that the light shines through enough.. the black key stickers are not bright enough so be sure to practice in a well lit room.. one lamp may not be enough but its not a big deal because after a while when you are learning a song you stop looking at the keys all together..special note, the height of your regular computer desk may be too high for proper posture playing.. its harder to keep the wrists up when the desk is much higher than your elbows..now one thing i hate that i havent figured out how to turn off, is that line that connects the musical note to the piano key.. this makes it hard to see which line the note is on on the staff.. its really really annoying and it hurts the learning process for learning to read the music when everything is black and white.. honestly at that point i think i would rather they get rid of the keyboard for an even more challenging level where you are just playing the notes as they hit a line instead of keys.. maybe one day they will put a new level in that does that.. maybe they wont.. ((ETA: i have figured out how to turn off that weird line))
one more bad thing, it doesnt take off if you hit the keys out of order if they are close together.. and you can totally mash keys for a perfect score if you get frustrated enough.. sort of like in tekken 2, you could win any fight my mashing keys..
one more bad thing, the sound quality is awful.. but um, i dont actually care that much.. so whatever right.. but if you do care about sound it is best to note that.. i think its probably the midi files the songs are on's fault..
um if you are having trouble getting the stickers on right (like if you have a bigger keyboard and arent sure which areas get stickers) go into free play mode and hit keys to see which color they are then put the correct sticker on.. easy peasy..
havent figured out how to take midi files already on my computer and put them into the premier mode thingy.. i would like to have my cartoon songs on there..
the screen is weird on PW but you can get used to it.. i wish it had a sustain thing so i could learn that instead of holding down keys.. but whatever, and i also wish there was a velocity sensitivity component because you dont play all keys at the same volume when you play a real piano, some are softer and some are louder..
um i recommend starting a new song slowing the tempo down, waaay down.. then working your way up to moving your fingers faster.. it helps with mastering a song faster especially when you switch over to the black and white notes, it helps you have time to hit the correct keys instead of accidentally learning the wrong ones because it wont correct you..
i dont like how it doesnt take off points for pressing the wrong key, but as its made for children i sort of understand, but for an adult constructive criticism is helpful.. i hate when i get a 100% when i know i messed up a couple keys.. it makes me feel like i cheated..
rating:
fun= 5*****
instructive= 4****
sound= 3***
customization capabilities= 5*****
buggyness= 4****
total stars 4.2
i recommend this to any adults with learning disabilities that may otherwise prevent the learning of a musical instrument..

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This package includes: Piano Wizard PREMIER software (compatible with both Mac and Windows); USB/MIDI cable to connect your Windows PC or Mac to your piano keyboard; color-coded, washable & removable stickers for your piano keyboard. Piano Wizard PREMIER

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M-Audio E-Keys 37 MIDI Keyboard Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The main drawback of this is its main asset: It is tiny. It fits nicely under my 17" iMac, and allows me to play with GarageBand, which is all I really wanted. For about $100 you can get a proper, full-size, midi/usb keyboard, which if I were at all serious would be the thing to get. But as a toy (for an adult or child), this is acceptable. Beware that the keys are so small that they are narrower than my fingers (which are not that fat) in diameter! It is a child-size keyboard really. I ordered this on Sunday evening and had standard shipping and it arrived 10am Wednesday. It works on Apple without external software; for PCs it comes with a CD. It seems to work fine.
Please note that this is not a stand-alone keyboard. To use it, you need the computer, and the sounds produced are synthesized by the computer software (such as GarageBand).

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An affordable, easy-to-use starter keyboard and software combination, M-Audio's Evolution eKeys 37 is perfect for computer users who would love to play and create music but have never known where to begin. Whether you aim to play the piano, have fun with pre-school nursery rhymes, create your own compositions, or concoct potent mixes from the supplied library of professionally recorded samples, eKeys 37 does it all. The keyboard is MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) capable and USB-powered, so there's no bulky power supply to hook up.
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Hardwood Conductor's Baton Review

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(More customer reviews)Well-made baton and very sturdy. Shipping was very prompt as well. I took one star off because it was not balanced very well, and that is an important quality in conducting batons.

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Baton bulbs are made in various shades of hardwoods. If you have a preference to size, color, please indicate so as you order. Use the picture as your guide.100% satisfaction guaranteed or your money back within seven days of receipt of purchase.

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