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Piano Trends in Crystal Lake, IL Shares

Posted April 30th, 2016 by Ric Overton | No Comments »

Tim Paul, the President of Piano Trends Music and Band, shares some successes of his business in this two part article.  Although Tim wrote this article in one edition, I am breaking it into two shorter posts because the value of the information requires it.  I hope you enjoy.  Most importantly, I hope there is some information here that will help you with your business and marketing.

The Music Business That Makes Social Media Work For Them

 

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Tim Paul, Owner Piano Trends Music and President of Old Dogs Consulting

Every aspect of the music business requires a close eye on staying relevant and up-to-date. You have to know your customer and what their needs are. It doesn’t matter if you are in the musical instrument side, teaching or have a tuning business, relevance is the key. You may even have a full line music store that has a multi use service business and studios like Piano Trends Music and Band.

Many years ago newspaper advertising was the only way to realize any kind of growth for your venture. Then, as now, word of mouth was really still the key. When happy customers are talking about you nothing is better. Today customers are using Social Media to discuss good experiences or perhaps bad. When your customers are talking to each other, very simply put, you need to be right in the middle of their conversation. Where possible, pictures and videos so people begin to get comfortable with you and recognize you. It doesn’t really matter if your customers find you on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any of the other venues. You need to be there. It literally only takes a few minutes a day to post and keep people aware of your presence. The music business is the only business in the world that will constantly change and events that are interesting to others. Hard selling and pushy salesmen have to realize that Social Media is not the place. Have a good time. In time you will see peoples confidence in you and your opinion and you will see an increase in your business because people feel comfortable with you. It only takes a moment to realize why this is so important when you see the parents of those kids come in and buy that first clarinet or saxophone for school band. Your plan should be to see little Steve or little Carol become a musician and not revel in another sale.

Social media allows us the chance to explain how much we care and how dedicated we are to our customers. The beautiful thing about Social Media is that it takes very little money out of pocket to actually communicate with your customers .   It takes effort but it costs you none to little money out of pocket to be engaged with your customers. Up until now it took the use of flyers, and a lot of effort making phone calls, touch base on a personal basis and a lot of personal time and effort. Now you can make friends that you never had before. The great thing about this level of communication means that you actually get to know your customers better, understand their needs more and can detect trends quicker. One fringe benefit is your repeat business will grow as a result of people getting to know you better. They will begin to treat you like one of the family and you will be their confidant in the music business. When you are reaching out through Social Media it is important to stay consistent with your message and frequently posting the same pictures. This is an excellent way to brand yourself AND you business. Repetition becomes the key. For example our blue piano is our constant message of who we are and helps get attention all over the area.

 

 

Part 2 will come in the next few days.  Feel free to comment

A Look At Pianos In The Chicago Area

Posted April 16th, 2016 by Ric Overton | No Comments »

Crystal Lake, IL. is the home of our good friend Tim Paul at Piano Trends Music and Band.  Just a couple hours drive outside of Chicago is the place to be when it comes to pianos, band and other musical instruments.

tim paul image

Several years when I first became acquainted with Piano Trends I was pleasantly surprised by how well prepared and organized these guys were.  They have been the leaders in Social Media with the ability to reach out to their customer base and keeping people engaged in music.

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Tim’s Blue Baldwin piano has become a mainstay in the areas in and around Crystal Lake.  I always smile to see just how many places this famous piano has gotten.  On stages and venues everywhere in the Chicago and Crystal Lake area, I believe people actually look for it now.  blue piano

Tims work on Facebook has drawn the attention of many customers for Piano Trends.  A few days ago I asked Tim if he would be willing to write an article about the affect Facebook has had on his business.  I appreciate him taking the time to indulge me with an interesting article regarding Social Media, it’s place in the music industry and the effect it has had on his business.

Coming up next…………

China

Posted April 8th, 2016 by Ric Overton | No Comments »

The first pianos coming out of China were…..well in a word……rough. The interesting thing is that the Chinese invasion was only a few years ago.

In a very short time, China has managed to dominate the piano industry because the product they are turning out is extremely well done.  They are using quality parts, quality manufacturing and done with quality workmanship.

Some people get very caught up where a product comes from.  In what country  was the piano made? Are any of the parts from China?  What part of the piano was made where, etc.  We tend to think that China makes everything substandard.  We expect any product that comes out of China to be sub-standard.  The truth is that China has surpassed all of the expectations in manufacturing.  Their workmanship is generally very good.

You can find all types of products in every category.  Pianos will range in price from very inexpensive to very expensive.  They go from mass produced to handmade.  It’s actually quite interesting to take a look at the evolution of the Chinese pianos and how they have arrived at their present day status as quickly as they have.  Not to mention that they are building piano parts in varying degrees for many (if not most) of the pianos on the market today.

What is the difference?  There are quite a few differences.  One thing is that the machinery and technology they are using is brand new and is state of the art in every way. The same tools that are historically used to make pianos are being utilized with some small changes.  The tools are brand new.  For example: at one well known mfg. they pride themselves because their rim presses are 40 years old, while, the Chinese mfg are using brand new technology with the latest in tools and technology.

Who cares? Well, actually, you should.  Here’s why.  The latest information regarding Asian manufacturing.

China as well as Korea and Japan use the very latest in technology.  They do not wait until the future has passed, they reach out to modern technology as soon as it is certain to be reliable and useful.  The ease of integration of new technology is very similar to updating your computer.  Pass on all of those updates and when your computer doesn’t work any longer it takes FOREVER to update and sometimes it’s impossible to do so.

Are these pianos as good or reliable as European or American pianos?  Well, that could be debated.  However, they are not in the category that so many people try to place them.  The new pianos that arriving from China are good, solid, reliable pianos.  They are work horses with very, very few issues.  The service is impeccable and is getting better.

Today the most important thing in piano buying is to fall in love with the instrument.  For me personally it is all about what I hear and what I experience when playing.  For the next person, its all in the look.  It all depends on what you are looking for in your next piano purchase, but, as a general rule I tell people to fall in love with the instrument and if you aren’t happy – don’t buy it.

Ric Overton

What’s With The Whole Asian Thing?

Posted August 5th, 2015 by Ric Overton | No Comments »

I have to tell you that I have been in the piano industry on some level for over 30 years.  Having said that you will have to also realize I have seen the coming and going of a lot of piano companies and manufacturing facilities.  I have seen them go out of business in the U.S. only to  reappear in China.  I have seen them rise to the top and then be mismanaged right back down again.

The-1970s

In the 70’s and into the 80’s a piano company named Yamaha came into most of the United States without a great deal of fanfare.  They created a great brand name and then supported their emerging company with enough information about their company to get attention.  Naturally, at that time there was some significant push back from some people because they were not from the U.S.

From the 70’s and 80’s they began to emerge as a company that was obviously going to demand some attention.  At that point they were creating decent pianos.  Yes, there was some important changes that were going to need to be made in order to turn these Japanese pianos into “World Class Pianos”.

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Apparently, Yamaha along with Kawai, were up to the challenge.  In the 90’s they began producing better and better pianos.  Being satisfied with their position in the marketplace they were also challenged to bring their company into the forefront of the American Piano market.

Leaving almost 30 years of experience, some successes, some failures but armed with the knowledge they had garnered after their years in the business, they became the “Elephant in the Room” that had to be acknowledged and dealt with.

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Thier powerful marketing machine along with many other financial influences left many American companies wondering what to do next.  They tried to manufacture in the U.S. but economic situations made them turn that American manufacturing back to Asia where it still is to this day.  Exiting the U.S. manufacturing also left a gaping hole in the U.S. for many manufacturers.  The business models of that era were beginning to weaken and by 2005 many, many manufacturers were left in shambles.

This has been the case with many other types of manufacturing that have exited the U.S. market.  Companies want to continue to grow financially while expenses are going up and profits are dwindling they find themselves looking for alternatives.  Yamaha and Kawai have for many years filled that niche’.

It is a fair to say that many people feel as if Japan is superior in manufacturing than any of the other Asian countries. However, It took Yamaha and Kawai many years to garner not only a good reputation but being able to create a piano that was worth what they have turned them into today.

While most of those pianos are not to be compared with fine American manufacturing such as Mason and Hamlin and Steinway or European manufacturing, these Japanese pianos are considered to be very well made.  Of course, like anything in you need to play these pianos for yourself.

Then came China.

 

 

A Few of My Favorite Things……

Posted April 12th, 2015 by Ric Overton | No Comments »

Okay, so I am totally aware that was a tacky subject line but, I used it anyway……

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MY OPINION

I have been asked by several readers to review some of my favorite pianos.  After all these years of writing blogs, I have finally decided to have a real opinion about pianos and what I like or dislike about them.  In all of these articles, please remember that this is ONLY MY OPINION.  Some of this will be factual and some will be opinion.  I will do my best to separate that when writing.  Here is a small list of what I am going to cover and if you have specific questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to ask away.

There is no doubt that some are going to disagree.  There is no doubt that some will agree.

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It’s important to understand that when you are comparing pianos you MUST take everything into consideration.  One thing to consider in fairly comparing pianos is to only compare apples to apples.  For example, if you are comparing entry level pianos you have to look at entry level pianos only.  In other words, you can’t compare a finely handcrafted German/European piano with an entry-level Chinese piano.

In each category of piano there are still considerations to look at.  Not all Chinese pianos are created equal, not all European pianos are created equal, etc.  This has to be one of the key issues in comparing pianos.

With the way we manufacture pianos today I think anyone who is involved with the industry would agree that there aren’t really BAD pianos based on the dollars spent.  When someone starts to buy a new piano today they should be informed that $5,000.00 doesn’t buy a $10,000.00 piano.  Of course, there are rare opportunities but in general “you get what you pay for”.

mason hamlin

My intentions are to introduce several pianos to you and explain their lines.  Among my very favorite acoustic pianos are Mason and Hamlin, Brodmann, Wilhelm Steinberg and on the digital side, Dynatone.

In the following posts I will discuss each of these brands and why I have chosen them as my favorites.

I look forward to sharing with you.

From Burbank, CA – Ric Overton

 

Ann Marie Kurrasch strikes again!!!

Posted March 30th, 2015 by Ric Overton | No Comments »

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Ann Marie Kurrasch

Many of you were my readers when I did my Interview With Ann Marie Kurrasch.  Well, as fate would have it Ann Marie has done it again.

Her reissue of her last work is entitled “Let’s Play”.  It features the same songs as her last book but is now available on Amazon under the name Let’s play.  This book is a must have for the enthusiast who is looking for fun yet challenging songs to play.  The CD that can accompany it will make it easy for the student to learn to play.  It helps assist the student in learning how the music is written and makes it easier to follow along.

Ann Marie is one of the nicest and congenial ladies I have met.  Her gentile style along with her demeanor makes her an absolute jewel among teachers.  Her no-nonsense approach in writing makes her music a delight to play and this is a collection you should not be without.

To learn more about “Let’s Play!” feel free to click here to go to her website or click here to go to her Amazon offering.

Ric Overton in Beautiful Downtown Burbank, CA

Dynatone Pianos – Never Heard Of Them

Posted March 8th, 2015 by Ric Overton | No Comments »
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

 

Song I played this past Sunday

Posted December 28th, 2012 by Ric Overton | 1 Comment »

I was asked to play a special in church on Sunday so I asked Rosemary Bailey www.RosemaryBaileyMusic.com to play a soundtrack to Good King Wenceslas and Joy To The World.  Hope you like, please remember this is a live recording.

http://podcasts.blog.pianosd.com/2012/12/28/ricks-christmas-special-on-piano-12.23.12.mp3

Merry Christmas

Ric

The Piano Was Not The Original Keyboard (Part 3)

Posted December 10th, 2012 by Ric Overton | No Comments »

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 Original Keyboard (Part 2)

Posted December 3rd, 2012 by Ric Overton | No Comments »

Although keyboard instruments as we commonly know them today has gone through many changes the idea on the whole was originally created in 1361.  In 1361 there were essentially no flats or sharps as we know them today.  Over the period of the next 300 – 400 years (yes, that is an accurate number) we had gone through a number of changes that brought us to the “newest” scale and was finally publicly and famously endorsed by Bach.

Bach The Well Tempered Clavier

Bach The Well Tempered Clavier

In 1722 J.S. Bach penned The Well Tempered Clavier which was arguably one of the most famous works of all time. He repeated this work in 1742 and underscored the original endorsement of the idea of equal temperament in keyboards.

More information on The Well Tempered Clavier can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Well-Tempered_Clavier in the Wikipedia website.

While we have little information of the first pianos to be created the Medici Family indicates that pianos in their pseudo present day form was in existence as early as 1700 and potentially as far back as 1698, however, the only pianos that we have in existence today date back to 1720.

The point is that the whole idea of the modern day piano would date back to the early 1700’s.  In the beginning the present day piano is closest related to the Clavichord.

The Clavichord

The Clavichord

The Clavichord

Most people agree that the clavichord was invented sometime in the early 1400’s.  Then as early as 1502 and later in 1504 there is some mention of the Clavichord being used in public performances in both England and Germany. In 1460 however, in a descriptive letter of the virginal which was also believed to have been invented in the early 1400’s and there is some reference to the clavichord as well as virginal.

The clavichord has various “editions” which differ in sense of temperament and design.  Some clavichords are “fretted” instruments while others were “unfretted” which would help determine the technique used while playing as well as the music that could be used as well.

The Virginal

The differences in the virginal and clavichord will be discussed in later posts as well as the harpsichord and piano.  So you can see some quick pictures of the virginal and clavichord, I posted a couple here.

The Virginal

The Virginal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The differences are not really noticeable at first glance but there are some significant differences between these two instruments.  We will get much more acquainted with these early instruments and how they are finding their way back into music  today.

 

Ric Overton

http://PianoSD.com

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