Posts Tagged ‘Ric Overton’

Never Too Late

Thursday, February 15th, 2024

To learn to play the piano

Never to late to learn It’s never too late to learn to play the piano I recently wrote an article in the news section of Rkassman.com. This is the other blog that I often write for. The article was about learning to play the piano as an older adult.

There is an article in AARP this month that discusses at length the importance of learning to play a musical instrument. It will help you as you age because it keeps you mind alert and your motor skills working.

it's never to late to learn to play the piano Constantly, I am amazed at the amount of older people who are learning to play the piano in their advanced age. I put some links for people over 100 years old that enjoying the thrill of playing the piano.

Consequently, This is the reason I found it so important to explain why I think it’s never too late to learn to play the piano.

The Article

If you get a chance to hop over to my other blog at R. Kassman Piano and take a look at it.

Ric Overton

I that you will enjoy the article. Perhaps it will motivate you to do the same thing OR support someone who does.

Thank you

Ric Overton

Finding A Piano

Wednesday, December 27th, 2023

By now you may have figured out that I am the owner at R. Kassman Piano in Berkeley, CA. I just finished an article regarding “Getting A Piano In San Francisco” and thought that it was easy to give you a few ideas about finding a piano practically anywhere you are.

Finding A Piano

Finding a piano is easy, you can find one almost anywhere if you know where to look. Whether it’s on social media, Google, or at a piano store near you, there are plenty of options to choose from.

However, the real challenge comes when you need basic services like delivery and tuning. It can be quite a hassle to find these services if you’re not familiar with the piano business.

R. Kassman Piano

 In 2019, Ric Overton took over ownership of R. Kassman Piano in Berkeley, CA, after 40 successful years of operation under Mr. Kassman.

Keeping true to his commitment to providing top-notch Fine European Pianos and more budget-friendly options, I also introduced a new rental business and implemented some minor adjustments to continue the tradition while bringing in fresh ideas. That’s why I always suggest going to a local dealer to find your piano. The benefits of doing so are clear and will make your piano buying experience much smoother.

Without a doubt, I am still managing PianoSD.com, along with an exciting online piano store called shop.rkassman.com, and of course, rkassman.com.

Ric Overton

I really hope that someday you’ll be in the Bay Area, and you’ll take a quick detour to say hello and let Ric Overton help you find the perfect piano.

I can’t wait to assist you. 

Ric Overton

Dynatone Pianos – Never Heard Of Them

Sunday, March 8th, 2015

Dynatone U.S.

Dynatone U.S.

History

Dynatone Pianos have been around since 1987.  EMI (Electronic Musical Instruments) which was a part of a much larger group known as Korea Electronics Co., LTD also known as KEC.  In 1996, Dynatone took over the digital piano line from the World Famous LG to focus on creating a leading digital piano company.  In 2000, Dynatone separated completely from KEC.

In the United States Dynatone was known as an OEM company.  What this means is that any company could order a product and the OEM company would simply put the brand name that the customer wanted to use.  When Dynatone began to market more worldwide they changed their policy on OEM product and began to only manufacture and sell under their own name brand.  While this was a risk in some ways to Dynatone’s infrastructure it has proven to be a very smart move on their part.

Dynatone U.S.

Dynatone U.S.

Changes

In 2014 Dynatone began using a U.S. distributor for the very first time.  The reception in the United States has been overwhelming.  While Dynatone has grown their business in Europe as well as Korea and in other parts of the world, the U.S. has remained virtually untapped by them.  Marketing in the United States started in 2014 by Piano Marketing Group.

Piano Marketing Group has successfully launched Dynatone into a number of states and is growing by leaps and bounds.  While still relatively unknown it has a bright future ahead of it and should look for many exciting changes coming.

Dynatone New Products

Dynatone New Products

The Products

The models Dynatone offers are fairly comprehensive, Piano Marketing Group chose to only import a small portion of their offerings.  In this brand, you will find only 6 or 7 models.  I have decided to go through each of the models and show you what they look like and even some demonstrations as to what they sound like.

Each of these models are incredible in their own way.  I want to review each product in the coming weeks to show you how different each one is and perhaps you will be able to decide which one is right for you.

See You soon – From lovely Downtown Burbank, CA

Ric Overton

 

The Piano Was Not The Original Keyboard (Part 3)

Monday, December 10th, 2012

The Virginal

 

The Virginal

The Virginal

 

The precursor to the harpsichord came in the 1400’s known as the Virginal or Virginals.  The logic behind the first virginals came in 1460 when a writer described it in a letter from Paulus Paulirinus of Praguein relation to the clavichord.  History books can differ in their opinions or ideas of its origin.

Quite a bit of music was written on a virginal because of its size and ease of transport.  This is a larger model of a virginal.  Some were quite decorative like this one while others were quite simple in their design and much smaller.

The tone quality or the virginal as compared to the clavichord was/is quite different.  While the clavichord struck the strings the virginal was closer in tone to the harpsichord.  Later as people began to want more sound we started making the harpsichord with longer strings and a larger soundboard with more depth of sound.

The virginal was identical to the harpsichord in the way it was made with the plucking of the strings rather than the clavichord mechanism which struck the strings like the piano.

A Smaller Virginal

A Smaller Virginal

The virginal was very popular during the early Baroque period although like the clavichord and by a large part the harpsichord the tone was to light to be heard with the other instruments and even more difficult in larger public performances.

If you do a quick search on the virginal you will quickly see many different variations of this cool instrument.  It is difficult to imagine that once this was cutting edge technology and this was a privilege to own.  The tone quality of this instrument was among the best available in a keyboard instrument at this point in the 1400’s.

 

Art in a VirginalArt in a Virginal

However, music for the virginal and the clavichord would be written for many years to come BECAUSE of the tone.  You may also note that many, MANY works of art show a young lady sitting in front of an instrument that most people assume is a harpsichord or clavichord but, as it turns out is actually a virginal.

Ric Overton

http://PianoSD.com

The Piano Was NOT The First Keyboard (part 1)

Monday, October 29th, 2012

As most of you know, I am 100% a piano fan.   I love the way they look, feel, sound and maybe even smell ( at least when they are new ).  I thought about the fact, however, that I am never looking past the piano.  I never quite get back to the basics of where it all started at least as far as the lineage of the piano is concerned.

There is a very rich history in piano building that spans back to the late 1300’s into the 1400’s and I thought it would be fun to go back and look at the very beginning and see if we can (at least partially) bring it all full circle.

Although keyboard instruments as we commonly know them today have gone through many changes, the idea of a keyboard instrument  was originally created in 1361.  In 1361 there were essentially no flats or sharps as we know them today.  Although there are physically notes on the keyboard with the 5 incidentals they had different notes in the beginning.  Over the period of the next 300 – 400 years ( yes, that is an accurate number ) we have gone through a number of changes that have brought us to the “newest” scale and was finally publicly and famously endorsed by Bach in the early 1700’s.   Much more about that to come in the next parts.

I will be presenting to you in the next few blogs about the history of the piano.  I learned quite a bit myself and hope that you will as well.  It is a little confusing as you move backward to understand the scale designs so, I have tried my best to put the information in my own words and leave out some of the less famous keyboards.

Over the period since the early 1300’s (over 700 years of history) there have been many, many versions of the piano that did not “take” and were unsuccessful for one reason or another.   Some did not stay in tune for long periods of time, some were too awkward to be moved while others simply did not function correctly.

Over the next few posts I will attempt to put the most popular stringed keyboard  instruments in a logical order so you can easily follow the information and pass it along to others.

Please enjoy.

Visit our new affiliate program at http://coolstuffformusicians.com and our gear shop at http://pianosd.spreadshirt.com and of course http://pianosd.com

Ric Overton

Special Announcement from Pearl River Piano Company

Friday, September 21st, 2012

Several years ago when I worked for Baldwin Piano Company I learned a lot about the various ways that other companies used to market their pianos and how they used their leverages to sell their products.  That’s when I first began to compete with Pearl River Pianos.  At that time, which was about 8 or 10 years ago, I began to see their products on the floor of dealerships more and more and I realized that they really were a force to be reckoned with.

Pearl River Piano and Rittmuller Piano

Pearl River Piano and Rittmuller Piano

Of course, we would use the fact that our pianos were made in America and try to encourage people to look at Baldwin Pianos rather than Pearl River Pianos, obviously because we wanted to make the sale rather than our competitor.  It wasn’t until the NAMM show of 2007 that I learned first hand that this is truly a piano to pay attention to.

As a Baldwin only dealership at the time, I hired two professional piano technicians to review the  Pearl River Piano for me.  I wanted an unbiased opinion on this product before I agreed to carry it in my store in San Diego.  They both independent of each other came back to me with almost exactly the same results.  In every category Pearl River Pianos outperformed  our expectations.  The deal was sealed and I became a Pearl River Piano dealer even to the point of selling out Baldwin and replacing them with Pearl River.

 

Pearl River and Ritmuller Pianos

In 2009 I had the opportunity to review their Rittmuller Piano which is a hybrid of European parts and Chinese manufacturing.  What I learned from this experience changed my opinion permanently.  The Rittmuller piano is an incredible  piano and again outperforms my expectations as well.

Music Trades magazine

Music Trades magazine

 

With all of that being said, this morning I received a note that really sealed my belief in Pear River Pianos.  In todays Music Trades magazine there was an a news brief outlining Pearl River’s  IPO in China.  Unlike Facebook, the stocks on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange sold over 48 million shares which raised more than $103,000,000.00 (yes that’s 103 Million with an M).  Quite impressive and another statement that underlines my belief in Pearl River.  I think that in the coming months we will see many great things from Pearl River and I for one am looking forward to it.

If  you have the opportunity to play, demonstrate or review a Pearl River Piano or Rittmuller Piano, trust me and take the time to do it.  Sure the name on the front does not start with a “Y” or and “S” but, I have no doubt that you will like the tone, texture and touch of this piano.

 

Ritmuller Piano

Ritmuller Piano

My hat is off to Pearl River Piano Group for a successful IPO and my best wishes to their continued success.

When you have a chance drop by http://PianoSD.com and see what’s new.  Also, check out the Gear Shop and find something for yourself.

Ric Overton

 

Wolfgang Forster of August Forster Pianos 5/6/33 – 6/30/12

Saturday, July 28th, 2012

Today, I want to celebrate the company and heritage of one of the most famous names in the world of fine pianos.  Wolfgang Forster.  Wolfgang passed away on June 30, 2012.

May 6, 1933 Wolfgang Forster was born into a very famous and important family inLobau,Germany which is located in East Germany moments away from Poland to the East and Czech Republic to the South.  The piano company that he owned and operated with his daughter Annekatrin, this fourth generation piano company is among the most prestigious names in the piano industry today.

Before you read the story below you might find interesting:

August Forster Story

History of August Forster Pianos

 

Friedrich August Forster  was (more…)

Amazing Performance by Kids

Friday, June 22nd, 2012

This was among the most deligthful videos I have seen lately.  When I saw this I wondered how well these kids had been taught and how many hours went into teaching each one of them their parts.  These guys are really something and worth watching.

Now you have to imagine that each of these kids has been with a teacher who taught them individually each single note, how long the note has to be held, proper timing and then put it all together in one grand performance.

I am used to writing about pianos but, I felt like this was one I couldn’t avoid.

When you have a chance, stop by the T-Shirt shop and find something fun.

Ric Overton

http://PianoSD.com

 

Interview with Ann Marie Kurrasch

Sunday, June 17th, 2012

NEW INTERVIEW

I had the nicest interview with Ann Marie Kurrasch this week that I wanted to share with you.  Ann Marie is such a nice lady and also quite talented.  The interview only tells you a small portion of her talents and what she has accomplished.

Ann Marie Kurrasch

I took a look at some of her             (more…)

Dr. Indrek Laul President of Estonia Piano

Monday, May 21st, 2012

Today I was sent a video that I had never seen although the date stamp points back to a 2008 fundraiser for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.  I was surprised by the performer who was Dr. Indrek Laul .  I consider Dr. Laul a friend or at least a  very good acquaintance and was a little embarrassed that I was not aware of his musical talent to the extent that this video shows.  See the video below.  It is the full composition by Gershwin so it is about 13 or 14 minutes.  Even if you can’t watch the entire video, bookmark it and come back to it – you will want to experience the last 3 minutes.

I am not a professional critic but I will tell you that this was an amazing performance.

Dr. Laul is one of the nicest men in (more…)

Questions, Comments Concerns…

Contact us! We'd love to hear from you... [contact-form 3 "Footer Contact Form"]
Join Our Mailing List
Sign up for the latest news, events, product information and sales alerts!
Email: