The Five Levels of Yamaha Grand Pianos
Yamaha has been a premier piano manufacturer for many years, providing grand pianos for major artists, concert halls, institutions, and homes. But, did you know that there are actually five levels of baby grand pianos and grand pianos they produce? It’s true!
FREE Online Piano Lessons from Roland!
Attention Roland owners! If you purchased one of the following Roland digital pianos from Riverton Piano Company, then you qualify for THREE MONTHS of FREE ONLINE PIANO LESSONS through a special partnership with Roland and Pianote/Musora – the popular interactive music lessons app that lets you interact with LIVE piano teachers:
F701, FP-10, FP-30x, FP-60x, FP-90x, GP-3, GP607, GP-6, GP609, GP-9, HP702, HP704, LX705, LX-5, LX706, LX-6, LX708, LX-9, RP500, RP107, RP701
You heard that right! NO ADDITIONAL PURCHASE REQUIRED! Roland has always worked closely with educators and learning programs such as Pianote/Musora and now Roland is bringing even MORE value to your Roland piano purchase! It doesn’t matter if you bought your piano a few years ago… if you have one of the models above, all you need to do is visit this website: https://www.roland.com/us/promos/pianote_piano_lessons/, register your piano, and sign up for your FREE three-months of piano lessons!
Quick note – do NOT go to Pianote/Musora’s website and sign up for this promotion. This $42 value bonus is ONLY available at the website linked above!
This promotion won’t last forever, so register your Roland piano today and Contact Us if you have any questions – OR if you want to purchase your Roland digital piano and get started with FREE online piano lessons today!
Riverton Piano Company is an award-winning Roland digital piano dealership in Phoenix, Arizona. For a complete demonstration on Roland digital pianos, explore our online store or visit our YouTube channel. Pianote is now part of the Musora app.
Schumann Pianos Now Available with Silent Practice System
Wouldn’t it be nice if you or your child could sit down enjoy your acoustic piano any time you wanted without disruption? Wouldn’t it be great if you could practice without anyone else being able to hear you? What a freeing experience it would be to know that nobody else could hear you repeat something dozens of times while you learn it! Well, those dreams are now a reality thanks to Schumann pianos and our new silent practice system!
Dealing with Donated Pianos
Have a Piano to Donate?
Donated pianos are a part of life in institutions around the world. Those of us who are lucky enough to own a piano know that pianos are often passed on from one generation to the next. They almost become a part of the family. There comes a time, however, when no one in the family plays or the family wants to downsize and you’re left with a decision to make regarding the piano. The two most common choices are:
Why We Made the Switch to PianoDisc
Inertia can be a funny thing. Simply because something is familiar, we cling to it for years before we even consider making a change… and that can be dangerous when technology is involved. Especially if we’re discussing player piano technology. In fact, the last 10 years have seen some incredibly important (and rapid) technological advancements in the music industry. Change is all around us. That’s where Riverton Piano Company‘s annual product review comes in. Each year, we take the time to evaluate the pianos, digital pianos, and player piano systems we carry and make sure that they represent what we feel are the absolute best value products available in each category. The process is simple. We compare their construction, reputation, innovation and customer service with other brands in their respective categories and rate them based on their performance in the previous year. Of course, with Brands like Yamaha, Bosendorfer, Baldwin, Roland and even Schumann, we rarely have any complaints. However, after careful review, we are excited to announce a change in our lineup. After careful evaluation of their equipment, music, reliability and customer service, we are excited to announce that we have replaced our old QRS player piano systems with the PianoDisc’s new Prodigy Player Piano System. Why did we decide to make this change after working with QRS for so many years? Put simply… because PianoDisc is a better, more value-rich product with a stronger service record and far better support. Let’s break it down.
Where Are Yamaha Pianos Made?
Whether you’ve considered buying a musical instrument, a motorcycle or high quality AV equipment, you’ve no doubt run into Yamaha. For over 135 years, Yamaha has built a global reputation for quality and reliability that few of its competitors have been able to match. In fact, Yamaha is so prevalent in today’s musical landscape that one out of every FOUR instruments is a Yamaha! That’s right. Drums, flutes, guitars, pianos – you name it, Yamaha makes it… and people around the world take pride in owning their Yamaha instruments.
Elton John is one of 3600 musicians who proudly call themselves “Yamaha Artists.”
In the piano world, Yamaha has built a sterling reputation as one of the three most prominent names on the world’s stage. …but how do Yamaha’s home pianos compare to those you hear Elton John (and countless others) play on stage today? More specifically, where are Yamaha pianos made and what does their factory location tell you about their quality and long-term value?
How Much Room Do I Need for a Piano?
This is probably one of the most common concerns we hear from first-time piano shoppers. Of course, the answer varies as much as the pianos we offer do. Still, with a little creativity and some helpful tools, you might be surprised to discover how easily a piano can fit into your home!
Practice Makes… Perfect?
No doubt you’ve heard the old adage, “Practice makes perfect.” …but does it really? As the daughter of a North Carolina music teacher, I have seen first-hand that there is no such thing as perfection in music. Of course practicing is vital to the mastery of any discipline, but – as a musician and a music teacher’s daughter – I would also argue that the pursuit of perfection can be dangerous (and even damaging) for students. Perhaps it’s time to modify “the old adage” and put a little less pressure on ourselves – especially as we simultaneously develop our musical skills and our affection for music education.
Looking for My First Piano
Everybody wants a good piano. Unfortunately, pianos can be expensive. That leaves most of us with a value judgement to make. We want the best piano we can get, but we want to spend as little as possible to get it! What makes matters worse is that we can find countless brands of pianos at just about every price imaginable and finding the best fit for our needs and our budgets can be surprisingly difficult! Luckily, the owner of our company is a classical pianist himself – and a family man. He understood the need for a very high quality – yet low cost – option for beginner players, enthusiasts and home owners. …and, luckily, he found a company that is making something you can be proud to call “My First Piano!”
The Truth About German Handcrafted Pianos
Early pianos each had their own distinctive features. Early German pianos had sustain pedals. Early Viennese pianos had black naturals and white sharps (pictured here).
Do you know the truth about German handcrafted pianos? Though the piano originated in Italy around 1704, it didn’t arrive with any kind of fanfare. In fact, Cristofori himself didn’t even consider it a new instrument. We know this by the name Cristofori gave his invention: “Clavicembalo col Piano e Forte” (“Harpsichord with Soft and Loud” in English). It wasn’t until instrument makers in England, Austria and Germany began building their versions of Cristofori’s “newfangled harpsichord” that composers – and music lovers around Europe – began thinking of “The Soft” (“The Piano”) as a new and unique instrument. A German organ builder named Gottfried Silbermann added a mechanism to Cristofori’s design and began marketing his pianos with a revolutionary new feature – what we know today as the modern “sustain pedal.” He even introduced Bach to the piano and – though Bach was slow to adopt the new instrument – by the mid-1700s, he was selling pianos for Silbermann in Europe. Many piano builders in Vienna were famous for building pianos with black “naturals” and white “sharps” (the opposite coloring we use today) and Mozart himself wrote countless pieces on these early pianos. With every new industrial development, the piano became more unique, more powerful and more beloved around the world.
With such an incredible history centered around Europe (and Germany specifically), it’s no wonder that modern German piano builders still have a reputation for producing great-playing, great-sounding instruments. …but – though there is a general impression that some of the best pianos made in the world are made in and around Germany – most people can’t actually name any modern German piano builders. Names like August Forester, Bechstein, Bluthner, Grotrain-Steinweg, Pfeiffer, Ronisch, Steingraeber, and more are virtually unknown to most folks outside of the piano business. In fact, these (and others like them) have a few things in common: They are little known outside of Europe or the piano industry; They are made with high quality European woods and materials; They are very expensive by today’s standards (uprights averaging in the mid-$30,000 range and grands averaging from around $70,000 to nearly $300,000 depending on size). As such, many of these famous German handcrafted pianos are priced beyond most piano buyers’ budgets… and that disparity has opened the door for piano manufacturers who build instruments elsewhere to wrap themselves in the time-tested reputation of “German handcrafted pianos” when their pianos are nothing alike. Over time, this has become a major problem for piano buyers who don’t know the difference.
