I told my granddaughter that she could put one app on my phone, so she could play with it when she is at my house.  She chose an aquarium game.  Cute, I thought.  Until I found out that the darn thing has to be maintained 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  And what if I don’t?  Oh, no problem, except that all the fish...

There are really only 3 types of strings - steel core, nylon/synthetic core and gut. GUT Very warm, soft tone - the pro player's choice for orchestral & chamber music STEEL Brighter & louder, easier to play - better for beginners, very durable, stay in tune well - very stable SYNTHETIC Similar tone to gut with the durability & stability of steel GUT STRINGS The only gut string we can get for viola is the Pirastro Eudoxa -...

  Welcome to the "2010 Summer of Piano.”  I’ve always thought it’s fun the way that popular radio stations will promote a summer as the “Endless Summer” or the “Summer of Rock,” or whatever.  And, I’m even old enough to remember the “Summer of Love,” but I apparently wasn’t in on it.     This is the Summer of...

What's the difference between the Bach and the Accent brass mouthpieces? Customers ask that question every day.   Accent brass mouthpieces are less expensive but faithful reproductions of the most popular brass mouthpieces.  They are not “cheap Chinese copies” – although there are brands out there (Adams, Belmonte and First Act) in the same...

Common Questions Concerning Flood-Damaged Pianos Q:    Our piano was exposed to water during a recent flood.  Is there a possibility that this piano can be repaired?  Will the damage to the instrument be evident very quickly or does it take time for serious problems to become evident? A:   Exposure to or immersion in water can indeed be very damaging to a piano.  Even the exposure only to extreme changes in temperature and humidity for a few...