Posted January 27th, 2011 by Ric Overton | No Comments »
We have had tons of things going on in our world.
First, I am happy to report that we are finally working out a deal with an international piano manufacturer to handle all of their social media and electronic marketing for them. I am hoping to see that happen in the next few days. I will keep you informed as that happens.
I opened a way to be a silent billboard for music and lessons and your favorite things about music. If you go to www.pianosd.spreadshirt.com you will see the site where you can purchase a t-shirt or make one with your own design. You can say anything you want, order it right there and it will be shipped directly to you or to a friend. Stop by and check it out at the address above.
As we are building our social media for piano dealers, teachers, artists and others I hope to be able to bring you more things that will be fun and interesting.
Going into the next few weeks we are going to be discussing Social media and how it can change your life. I noticed on the news tonight that Facebook and Twitter were the spark that started a rampage in Egypt. With the power of that media I am hoping to send the word to as many people as I can get to read, MUSIC IS FUN.
Trying to imagine our life without music is almost impossible. I can’t imagine even one day of my life without music. If you think about it neither can you. On every hand and everywhere there is the sound of some type of music. What a great world we live in.
I will be sending you more information about all of the above as soon as it all becomes available.
Posted January 26th, 2011 by Ric Overton | No Comments »
In the next few weeks I am going to be discussing the difference between blogging and posting and how they affect you and your business.
•
Social Media by definition is nothing more than communicating with your friends, fans and potential customers via the internet. In times past we have used things like newsletters or direct mail or perhaps a tv, newspaper or radio ad to get the word out about a special event or promotion in the store. Now it means much more. •
When you hear the term “Social Media” your mind conjures up all kinds of images. You have Facebook and some of you are thinking “if I hear Facebook one more time, I’m going to scream”, Twitter, MySpace, Linkedin, Street Mavens, Blogger, Word Press, You Tube, etc. But, social media is so much more than just that. Social Media is also part of email blasts and includes the use of pictures, videos and of course blogs and micro blogs as well. •
Social media is all of these things but, it also serves a secondary purpose. The secondary purpose is ………wait for it………Google. You all know that Google is the dominant search engine used. Some analysts are saying that Google handles 67% of all searches done on the internet globally, every year. Yahoo, Googles closest competitor, gets only 16% of the searches. Bing, which has increased in recent months, is still sitting with all of Microsoft’s search engines at only 11% or so. •
While posting to the social media platforms alone are not enough to get you a higher ranking in Google it does other things like provide you with links. I am not going into that subject right now but suffice it to say that it does play in together and all of these things hold hands and do communicate with each other in some way. •
People automatically assume that this is difficult. While posting and blogging is not difficult, there are a combination of words that have to be properly placed together to make sense not only to the reader but, also to the all-important search engines. You must be using this phraseology correctly for the search engines that are constantly reading your posts and blogs to understand what you are doing and then in turn rank your website properly on the search.
Additionally, shortly I will also discuss pianos, organs and their origins. I am hoping to continue to bring these programs together as I continue work with dealers, artists and manufacturers building their programs as well.
Posted January 23rd, 2011 by Ric Overton | No Comments »
As many of you know who follow us on a regular basis, PianoSD closed in July. My biggest problem is that I REALLY love the piano and music industry. I have a real passion for teachers and music education and I dearly love the instrument itself. The history of the piano is rich and it seems that I can’t just walk away and not be involved in the industry.
While I built PianoSD, one of the things that I did there on a regular basis was to post to social media accounts and blog posts almost every day. So, I began to offer to friends in the music industry to allow me to do their posting and blogs. The demand is big right now for social media connections and people really want to know what you are doing. Social media and blogs are the easiest way for people to keep up with you. The problem for a lot of music and piano dealers as well as teachers and artists is to take or have the time to do this. Although its not difficult it is a little time consuming.
Max Morgan of www.MaxMorganDesign.com and I will be redesigning the website www.PianoSD.com to reflect our new direction soon. In the meantime I wanted to let everyone know what is going on.
PianoSD is NO LONGER a showroom for pianos. We simply are a referral service for people in need. Last week I referred almost a dozen people customers to various services from tuners, technicians, teachers, violins and pianos. I have really enjoyed being able to do this because I keep up with what is going on in Southern California with the people in our industry.
I wanted to tell you who we are working with so you can visit thier websites and see what they are doing too.
and about 4 more on the way. We are negotiating now with two international manufacturers, 6 artists and two dealerships.
What all this means is that even though I am not in the business of selling pianos, I am actively involved in the music industry and would be happy to help you if you are looking for a qualified tuner/tech, teacher, artist or if you are looking for a referral for a piano in San Diego, or a piano in La Jolla, or a piano in Carlsbad, even if you are looking for violins or orchestral stringed instruments, I can direct you and if you want me to go with you I would be glad to. Just to address money. I do not have a prearranged agreement with any of the dealers. I am friends with every one of them but, have no reason to suggest one over the other. If you want me to visit with you, I would request that you be respectful of my situation and pay me for my time and expertise which we can discuss at the time.
Keep your eyes on us and watch as we begin to change the way we have traditionally done business. I hope you are happy with what you find.
Posted June 3rd, 2010 by Ric Overton | No Comments »
I am very excited about having Mr. Sauter in our store today. He is a treasure in the piano industry. He has a very interesting opinion on piano building and is very understanding about what is taking place on the manufacturing end of the business. His insight has been quite valuable to me in my business.
The first time I played a Sauter was year before last when the Peter Maly was delivered to our store for inspection. From the first time I layed my hands on the keyboard I was in love. My preference has always been an entirely different type of piano. The action, tone, clarity, feel of the piano was something I was not prepared to experience. I did my due diligence as a business man and did my homework on the piano and the person and learned that this man is an icon not only in Germany but, around the world.
Tonight from 6-8 he will be here to answer questions and talk about pianos and the industry to give everyone a better more concise view of what is happening industry wide as far as manufacturing is concerned.
Posted May 30th, 2010 by Ric Overton | No Comments »
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
To: All Art, Music and Community Editors, Piano Music Lovers
June 3rd and 4th 2010, San Diego: Come and MeetCarl Ulrich Sauter—Master Piano Builder, Whose Family Name Still Appears On Pianos After 192 Years.
PianoSD.com is pleased to announce the visit to San Diego of the Sauter company’s owner and operator, Carl Ulrich Sauter. Mr. Sauter’s name appears on every piano manufactured by the Sauter Pianoforte Manufactur Company which has the tradition of building pianos since 1819—the longest family owned piano company in the world. “Its survival is owed to the instruments built with Tradition, Quality & Style.” describes Ric Overton of Piano SD. “Mr. Sauter is coming to insure the integrity of the Sauter name, his very own, in North America.”
Relatively new in San Diego, Sauter started with its young founder assisting in the building of pianos for Ludwig van Beethoven. Since then, the piano company has remained in the family, carried the family name and continued with its vast knowledge of piano style and construction throughout many decades. While the oldest, it is also innovative. By combining visual sophistication and unequal sound productions, Sauter is definitely a leader.
Sauter Pianos are known for their unique and superb designs.In the words of Carl Ulrich Sauter himself: “We just do not care about phony marketing strategies and target groups. We follow our dream to build the best upright or grand piano of the world and ensure that today there is a broad choice of real instruments that are far superior to the corporate cookie cutter manufacturers.” Sauter pianos qualify in every way among the best-made pianos in the world. Caring musicians select the brand for its sound qualities.
Ric Overton, owner of Piano SD, will host a public meeting for Mr. Sauter on June 3, and a chapter meeting of Piano Technical Guild on June 4. “At PianoSD.com”, says Overton, “we strive to make people happy and make music fun. With a strong emphasis on music education, we want people to understand what they are buying and understand music. Our goal is to make PianoSD.com a place where Music, Education and the Arts come together, this is why we are delighted to host Mr. Sauter and have everyone meet the man who leads the oldest piano manufacturer that still operates under its family name.”
Contact Information
Posted May 25th, 2010 by Ric Overton | No Comments »
Cleaning is never fun and easy but, it is something that must be done from time to time.
What we use in the store is a polish that is designed specifically for the high polish pianos. Although the easiest and simplest way to do the cleaning is by using a very soft and lintless cloth like a cheesecloth or old soft T-shirt works wonders. I say to dampen the cloth a little but only to the smallest extent and my adage is to wash your hands, rinse the soap off well and then dry them on the cloth that you are going to use to dust. In other words very lightly damp.
If your piano has a wood grain or a satin finish then do the same thing except be sure to wipe with the grain of the wood. NEVER EVER use furniture polish to clean your piano. It is not good for the piano and it will take a long time to get the residue off.
Use the same technique when wiping off your keys. DO NOT use polish or cleaner of any kind EVER to clean your keys. If they are ivory this is not good at all because in many cases it will cause the ivory to absorb the polish and the keys will simply come off.
Here’s the tricky part. If you have a grand piano dust will inevitably get onto the soundboard of the piano (that piece of wood that is under the big metal plate) and if you are like me at all this will make you insane. Please do not attempt to clean that yourself. Call a certified technician which you can find at www.PTG.org and tell them you need to clean your soundboard and have your piano tuned. Paul McCloud at Accutone Piano Tuning www.pianoservsd.com is the guy we use here at PianoSD.com in Mission Valley in San Diego, California.
If you live in a particular humid area of San Diego for example like Carlsbad or La Jolla, you will notice that the dust will “stick” to the soundboard a little more than if you live in a drier climate like Rancho Santa Fe or San Marcos. In the cases that the climate is a little drier you will notice that the dust gets in quicker but is a little easier removed. However, in either case please call a certified tech to come out to do the work at his next tuning, but, let him know when you set your appointment that your piano needs a thourough cleaning that way he is prepared.
If you need some polish that is designed specifically for the piano you can find it here at PianoSD.com.
Drop by and say hello sometime we would love to meet you.
Posted May 24th, 2010 by Ric Overton | 1 Comment »
I hear more than my share of talk about real or fake pianos. Some people have actually commented that they don’t like fake pianos. They were talking of course about digital pianos.
Although there are certainly some arguments about accoustic vs. digital pianos, there are still people who would prefer accoustic pianos over digital pianos. I recently had a discussion with a gentleman from Carlsbad who told me that he was convinced that the digital piano was a terrible thing to learn on – that is until he actually sat down and played one. He was so overjoyed with the digital piano that he purchased one on the spot.
We have many piano teachers who are turning to digital now too. Teachers are finding many ways to use digital that was never possible before. You can record, use computer functions to help you compose, always in perfect pitch, automatic transpose, easily transportable, heat and humidity dont effect it at all, several voices to choose from which give you the capabilities to play and entire orchestra score with recording and really the list goes on.
Of course, the accoustic piano will never disappear but, we are finding that more and more people are turning to digital pianos as an alternative for use with more demanding music that is being performed today.
The touch is very realistic and the sound is incredible. I know when I was first introduced to the idea of digital piano I was not completely sold, however, once I understood the basics of how digitals operated I was just absolutley thrilled with the possibilities that the digital world opened to me.
We have customers from many parts of San Diego such as Rancho Santa Fe, La Jolla and San Marcos that have become real fans of the Roland digital pianos because of thier realism in touch, tone and clarity of sound. More information can be found at www.RolandUS.com
If you have any questions or comments feel free to let me know and I will try to help you. Feel free to stop by our store located in the heart of Mission Valley in San Diego, California.
Posted May 23rd, 2010 by Ric Overton | No Comments »
I wanted to take a few minutes and talk about voicing on the piano.
When you purchase a new piano you will find nuances about your piano that make it individual. The tone of the piano is generally the one thing that stands out immediately. Perhaps you like a brighter sound or more mellow sound a full sound or more thin sound. It all depends on you and your likes. I happen to lean to a tone that is round and full but at the same time a little more stable than the next person.
Generally, all of the things I have just spoken about can be dealt with through a process called voicing. Voicing involves the shaping of hammers, and addressing the density of the felts on the hammers. Hammers have an ideal shape. Each hammer should strike each one of the strings in their particular set. In other words, each note has either one, two or three strings. When the hammer comes up to strike the string each string should be struck in order to hear the complete sound of the intended note.
The hardness of the hammers will have a huge effect on the tone as well. Once we have been able to determine your taste then we must set the hardness of each hammer. If the hammer is harder then we have to pin the hammer. We use a device that actually goes into the hammer itself and then moved around a little to seperate the wools in the hammer and actually make it less dense to produce a more mellow tone. If the hammer is softer then we have to iron the hammer making the wools more dense and creating a more bright sound.
Paul McCloud of Accutone Piano Tuning www.pianoservsd.com does a lot of voicing for us. We want the piano to sound very good when the cusomter makes their initial trip into PianoSD.com in Mission Valley, San Diego, California. After the sale if we need to make some changes then we can. Its often hard to drive from La Jolla or Rancho Santa Fe to go through this process so we can actually do this in a persons home in a short amount of time.
The differences in humidity, heat and sunlight can also techinically have an effect on the voicing of the piano too. If you live in Carlsbad as opposed to San Marcos you may need to make a certain amount of allowances for that as well. Only a technician can decide that for you.
The Standard of Excellence
In any case, voicing of your hammers should never ever be attempted by someone without experience so a qualified technician should be able to help you. If you are in San Diego area I of course, would suggest Accutone Piano Tuning at www.pianoservsd.com of you can visit www.PTG.org to find a technician in your area.
Stop by the store sometime, we would love to meet you.
Posted May 22nd, 2010 by Ric Overton | No Comments »
I just read an article from www.PianoWorld.com that discussed finding the one. The “one” of course being the piano of your dreams. The one she found was an old piano that was in not so great of shape but the one that she really liked the best.
It is vitally important when you are choosing a piano that you find the one you love. It may not meet the idea that you started with or what you had in mind when you started looking. The name brand is far less important than the tone, touch and clarity you get when you play the piano of your dreams.
Of course you have to look at the overall condition of the piano and have a piano technician like Paul McCloud at Accutone Piano Service www.pianoservsd.com go out and be sure there is nothing technically wrong with it. The move is the second thing to consider which you can find a qualified piano mover through Precision Piano Moving www.precisionpianomoving.net .
Location is also an important thing. If you live in La Jolla for example that is a little more humid than say Rancho Santa Fe. Or if you are in Carlsbad as opposed to San Marcos you must be aware that humidity levels may need to be addressed.
The most important thing to consider is whether or not you like the piano and the guy that is selling it to you. If you love the piano-buy it.
There are several questions you have to ask yourself BEFORE you buy the piano that you have been looking for. We hope that you will feel welcome at PianoSD.com in Mission Valley in San Diego, to visit, ask questions and perhaps get a little education if you need it. We always welcome those discussions about the piano. We are all very passionate about the instrument and would lobe to be able to put a piano in your home or direct you to the right place to buy what you are looking for.
If you have any questions that I can help with please feel free to let me know or simply drop by the store sometime and say hello. We would love to meet you.
