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How do you move a piano? Very carefully.

Okay, I’m being a little sarcastic, but moving a piano is a serious endeavor.

I’m a big advocate of hiring a professional mover to move a piano. Pianos are heavy and it’s easy to damage a piano while moving it. I’m speaking from experience. I own a Kimball piano my parents bought brand new for me when I was a child. That piano was a big deal to me after having played on an old “clunker” of a piano for several years. I played that new piano every day.

When I got married it was time to move the piano to my own home. My husband and his brothers moved it themselves. It wasn’t an easy job even with the moving dolly they used (pianos weigh several hundred pounds - grand pianos can weigh 1,500 pounds). The amateur move of my piano resulted in both of the piano legs being damaged (a common occurrence when people move a piano themselves) and some unplanned internal work (some pins needed repair and a string broke). I should have hired a piano mover. Then I wouldn’t have had those problems, but my husband and I thought we would save money by doing it ourselves. It was a lesson I should have remembered, but I was foolish a second time.

A few years ago my husband and I built a new house. When it came time to move the piano again, my husband was reluctant to hire someone to move it professionally because our pocketbook was already feeling empty from the expense of building the house (he called our new house a “money-sucking black hole.”) In his mind, moving it wasn’t a big deal. Our new house was less than two miles from our old one; and he had a dolly, a trailer, and a brother who was willing to help him.

Everything went okay until my husband turned into the driveway of our new home. The sharpness of the turn strained the ropes holding the piano on the trailer and they broke. The piano tipped over and sustained a lot of damage (the entire “guts” of the piano are ruined and the case is chipped and scratched). I haven’t had it fixed yet, but I have gotten an estimate. It’s going to take a lot of time and money to fix the piano. It needs to be totally rebuilt. Because of the labor involved, it would be cheaper to buy a new piano than have it fixed, but the piano has a lot of sentimental value to me so I will have it fixed. This is why I say, “Hire a professional!”

What does a professional piano mover do to ensure a safe and successful move? With upright pianos, they almost always strap the piano on a skid called a piano board. They also cover the piano with blankets to help protect it. The entire bundle is then typically put on a dolly and taken to its destination. If steps are involved, the piano is taken off the dolly and slid up or down the steps on the piano board.

Moving a grand piano is a little more involved. The lid, lid hinges, pedal lyre, and leg on the straight side of the piano are usually all removed. The piano is then put on the piano board, on its side, with the straight side down. The other legs of the piano are then removed. The piano is then covered with blankets, strapped to the board, and put on a dolly.

Some movers don’t like to move a piano up or down stairs. If it’s feasible, they prefer to hoist it to the appropriate floor via a window that’s big enough to accommodate the piano.

So what do you do if you just want to move your piano from one part of a room to another? First, decide if it’s really important to move it because there’s always the risk of damaging a piano even with a short move. Piano legs are the most likely thing to get damaged or broken.

Be very careful to avoid putting too much weight on the legs. Get a few strong people to help if the piano is an upright; and get at least 5 people if it’s a grand piano. With an upright or spinet, tilt the piano back a little to take the pressure off the front legs, but be careful not to tip it back too far and tip it over. With a grand piano, lift the piano up enough to get the pressure off the legs before you try to move it. It’s not necessary (and not recommended) to lift the piano off the floor entirely.

If you’re going to move a piano often, consider having it fitted with special casters that will allow you to move the piano fairly easily. Or, have the piano placed on a piano truck.

How you do you find a good piano mover if you’ve decided to not try and move it yourself? My suggestion is that you call your local piano store and ask them for recommendations. They should be able to give you the name or names of reputable movers in your area.

Okay, so you’ve decided you are definitely going to move your piano and you’ve decided on a method. Now you have to figure out where you’re going to put the piano. Where should it go?

Try to put your piano in an area of a room where there are little or no drafts, where it’s out of direct sunlight, and where the temperature and humidity are stable. This is because pianos are sensitive to humidity and temperature. Lots of temperature and humidity swings cause a piano to go out of tune faster than normal, can damage the wood case, and if they are severe they can even eventually cause structural failure.

Don’t place your piano over or next to a heat vent and avoid putting it close to a fireplace. Don’t put in front of a window because that’s typically a drafty place as well as one with direct sunlight. Try to find a room in your home or apartment that has consistently stable temperature and humidity. That is the best room for your piano.

If you can’t find a place in your apartment or home that is out of direct sunlight, free of drafts, and doesn’t have big temperature swings, you may want to consider having a climate control system installed in your piano.

Moving and placing your piano correctly will help ensure you have a lovely instrument to play for a long time rather than having what I now own - an oversized paperweight that needs to be dusted.

D Ruplinger is a featured writer for www.pianoscentral.com For more information about pianos, both new and used, visit www.pianoscentral.com.

Just because you’re holding your guitar doesn’t mean that you’re playing it, and just because you’re playing your guitar doesn’t mean that you’re practicing. There is a real difference and it needs to be acknowledged if you want to improve your level of playing skill. Some people say they have spent the entire day practicing their guitar when in reality, all they’ve done was sit in front of the TV all day eating cheesy poofs. The sad thing is that they really do believe it was practicing since they had their guitar on their lap next to their cheesy poofs all day. Most of us know someone who does this and we may even be guilty ourselves.

In order to truly improve your skills you really need to avoid any distractions, no TV, no food, no friends and no phone. Just you, a guitar, an amp and maybe some reference materials. Speaking of amps, keep the distortion turned down. Remember, this is practice, not playing. The distortion will only hide your mistakes. You need to hear your mistakes clearly so you can correct them.

If you’re a beginner you might want to practice basic guitar scales or guitar chords. Make sure you have the necessary reference material handy so you don’t spend your time doing things wrong. Keep in mind that what you practice is reinforced so if you’re practicing your scales wrong, then you’ve not only wasted your time; you’ve also reinforced your mistakes.

So what should you practice? Since I’ve never heard you play I can’t tell you what you need to improve on, but I can make suggestions to make your practice more effective.

Don’t turn your amp up to 11 and play every solo you know. This is playing the guitar not practicing the guitar. It might be fun and a great way to blow off some steam, but it won’t improve your skills.

Don’t let practice get stale. You need a variety of things to keep your mind from wondering. Practice your scales for an hour then work on chords or music theory. Mix it up. Just be sure not to over do any one area because you’ll get bored and at that point your practice won’t be as effective.

Don’t just go through the motions. Part of a good practice session is finding problems and figuring out solutions. If you’re having trouble fingering a particular chord, then analyze the problem and try to find a solution. You might think that your fingers are to small or weak, when the reality is that you only need to improve your technique. When I first learned to make barre chords I had a rough time making all six strings sound clear. Now I can make them all sound clear with very little effort. I would also add that I don’t believe my hand strength has much to do with it at all.

Use a metronome when practicing. This will help you improve your timing and make everything sound better.

Learn the basics first. If your beginning guitar you should know and understand the basic relationship between chords and scales. This will help you to better understand the logic of the chord patterns when you learn songs and what scale you should use to solo over top of that particular chord pattern. Check out my lesson “Guitar Scales and Chord Triads” at “www.guitarmetal.com” for a visual reference that might help.

Pick a time of day to practice when you feel most alert. If you’re groggy or unfocused, your practice efforts will be compromised. You might work better if you break up your practice session into several times throughout the day. For example, maybe practice an hour in the morning and a couple hours in the evening. You know when you feel the most alert so take advantage of those times.

Be prepared with things to work on. Don’t just sit down and noodle around for a couple of hours. Before you sit down you should already know what you’re going to work on. This will help maximize your time.

Edward D Cupler is the owner of guitar lessons website guitarmetal.com Offering free guitar lessons to beginners and advanced students. Ed is also the owner of Digitalgreys.com

Let me guess, you love music and would do anything to be able to enter into the fabulous life of the music business? Better yet, you would love to become the next record mogul like P.Diddy or Clive Davis.

Well, guess what? You can start a record a label and enter into the fast paced and competitive world of music labels. And yes, there is a chance you could become a filthy rich record label mogul living the life of luxury. It CAN happen! But…it WON’T happen if you don’t take action. Just think, many of the famous record moguls today started their own record label either in debt or with little to no resources.

But why did they succeed? And how can you succeed?

Let’s take a look at the “how and why” you can become a filthy rich record label mogul.

First of all, you need to learn how to start a record label. You will be very surprised that it doesn’t take much money at all to get started. Basically, you need to come up with a name for your record label company first. Use a name that is unique and easy to memorize…and most of all, catchy. While
you are at it, get a business line and a P.O. Box. To make things really official, get a business license for your new label.

The next step, and this is a biggie, is to find the right talent. The record label moguls who have hit pay dirt are the ones who took time out and became dedicated to the artists they took under their wings. They were able to see the unique talent and potential in their artist choices and make them bloom.

Just think, it only takes ONE great artist or band and one big song to shoot your label into the stratosphere of success. And the good thing is, you can start a record label right out of your own home. Of course, it can get a bit more detailed when it comes to contracts, publishing, and marketing your label.

Why not start a record label of your own and take a shot? If you love music, then you might just hit the jackpot. And better yet, you will finally be able to do work that you enjoy and have fun at.

What more could you ask for?

So in a nutshell, if you want to live the good life as a filthy rich record label mogul, you have to first start your label and secondly…find good talent. There is always loads of good talent out there to sign, you just have to have to know how to find the good stuff and market it to the masses!

Want to start your VERY own record label? Now you can!
The Ultimate Record Label Handbook will show you how!

D.Herren is an author, webdesigner, and… music lover!

Throughout time many have thought of the great jimmy Hendrix as a master of the rock and a great and outstanding guitar soloist. The big question asked by many people though is “Was he an artist and a great achiever or was he a drug addicted rock star?” He was a little of both but he was more a genius in the world of rock and role. He made the best of the times even though having troubles with the drug addictions and constant addictions to more and more drugs even though he was famous he had his rough share of times just like everyone else. His songs reflected mostly drugs but they became very popular during his time. He was thought as a god in the rock world after many of his songs went global. Some parents didn’t agree with the whole idea but as time went by they cleaned up their act and started appreciating his music and began listening to it. Still today his music is listened to by many people. Even though he has passed his music still lives on through the hearts of many people around the world today.

Jimmy Hendrix eventually died after taking so much drugs but his legend still live on with his family today. He is thought of everyday when someone is thinking about taking drugs. His music is very influential and his effected many people today around the United States. Most people remember though that he died of drugs and in the end they eventually give it up. He is missed by many people today as one person who didn’t care what people thought about him his just loved to play music and please the fans anyway possible by always showing up and playing his great music. He might not be a rocket scientist but he was a genius in the guitar and music field and is admired by many people in bands today. Even some of the great stars looked up to him in many ways because of his great gift that allowed him to play his guitar so well and be able to become famous for many people to hear and see.

Even though he was a drug addict he was truly a genius. Maybe not in the fields of science, math, and english but a truly loved music artist that loved the people and loved his music. He revolutionized the rock business and gave the rock hall of fame a great musical artist and great man of rock. Even though he died of a cause he did he still gave the world a better taste of greatness in the making.

By: Derrick Colt

Good high school student looking for a good career in writing.