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Piano maker Steinway moves into the hi-fi business

Renowned piano manufacturer Steinway & Sons has partnered with Danish high-end audio manufacturer Lyngdorf to create a new company, Steinway Lyngdorf.

I've met with Peter Lyngdorf many times and enthusiastically reviewed some of his products (back when his company was called TacT Audio). Lyngdorf founded, co-founded, or bought a number of high-end audio companies, including Dali Loudspeakers, NAD Electronics, Gryphon Audio, and Snell Acoustics.

Lyngdorf is also the founder and owner of Hi-Fi Klubben, Europe's largest chain of hi-fi shops specializing in high-end audio. Founded in 1980, Hi-Fi Klubben has 70 shops and is still expanding.

The Steinway connection dates back to 2005, and Steinway Lyngdorf is the first time the piano maker put its name on something other than a music instrument. Steinway Lyngdorf offers music and home theater systems. … Read more

Pia-no-no

Piano Education Studio offers to help users learn to play the piano. While it's certainly possible to do that with this program, its confusing layout and lack of direction will frustrate most users.

The program's interface was our first indication that this would not be a smooth ride. The graphic design was gray and sparse, and its lack of a Help file or instructions left us constantly guessing. This would be especially problematic for those operating a MIDI keyboard, since it gives no instructions on how to sync one up. The basic program lets you choose a song … Read more

Problematic piano program

We really wanted to like SimplePiano. It looks like it has the potential to be a great tool for users who are learning to play the piano. Unfortunately, a problem with the program's interface combined with its lack of Help file made the program practically useless.

SimplePiano's interface consists of a keyboard, which users can play using either their computer keyboard (the corresponding keys are labeled on the piano) or with an external MIDI keyboard. This part of the program worked just fine. Unfortunately, in the space above the keyboard where we expected to see the treble and … Read more

The Fun Theory: Treadmill race track, piano stairs, and more

When I first started rock climbing two years ago, I wanted to tell everyone about it. It was the first time in my life I looked forward to going to the gym, and I still do, which is probably why I am in even better shape than when I was a varsity swimmer in high school, which was in many ways a hellish hobby that I mostly dreaded.

My experience is exactly what a new Web project, The Fun Theory, is exploring: if you find something that is fun to do, you're far more likely to do it, and … Read more

Like Guitar Hero and Rock Band? Then get the sheet music and play for real

A clever press pitch crossed our desk recently that takes interest in music and rhythm video games and uses them to push the age-old business of selling sheet music.

Sheet Music Plus sells sheet music and songbooks for guitar, piano, and other instruments, and in a recent press release, ties that into the popularity of The Beatles: Rock Band and similar games, saying, "As music-driven video games continue to explode in popularity," the company aims to "help gamers channel their passion into becoming active musicians."

Being musically minded, that sounds like a laudable goal, but surprisingly, … Read more

Piano-learning tool

FastChords offers those with a keyboard the chance to learn or perfect their piano playing. With a surprisingly easy way of dictating and learning songs, this is an intriguing option for pianists of all levels.

The program's interface was impressive, featuring a piano keyboard along the top, which lights up to showcase a chord. In addition, the tool to input notes and listen to music looks like a calculator and felt instantly familiar, even for nonpianists. There is a wonderful Help file that not only illuminates the program's functions, but also discusses terms and techniques that new pianists … Read more

Fun, but not practical

Sweet Little Piano attempts to turn your computer keyboard into a virtual piano. The sheer novelty of it makes it fun to play around with, but don't expect to get the real experience of playing an instrument or use this as a practical alternative to the piano.

Once installed, the program's main interface appears as a tiny window containing a blueprint of your keyboard and the notes each key represents. As we tapped away on our keyboard, the notes played accordingly. However, while the notes were in the correct order, it was awkward to try and play a … Read more

Yamaha reinvents the digital piano

Digital pianos aren't new, but Yamaha's Avant Grand is a very different kind of digital piano. Since Yamaha has been making fine "real" pianos for more than 100 years, its knowledge base is deep. Yamaha introduced its first digital piano, the YP-40, in 1983.

The new Avant Grand is a "hybrid," designed to perfectly mimic the touch of an acoustic piano. The Avant Grand not only uses the same key, level, and hammer mechanism of an acoustic piano, but also special embedded speakers recreate the feel of an acoustic piano's keys to the … Read more

Noteflight puts music composition in your browser

Fledgling musicians looking to ditch expensive composition software might want to check out Noteflight. It's a composition community that lets you put together musical scores right in your browser--that is, as long as you know what you're doing.

The good news is that the service's composition tools are wonderfully simple to use. Instead of requiring a MIDI keyboard to enter notes, you can simply plug them in with your keyboard and/or mouse. Each note can be modified with a simple drop down menu that follows you as you move around the page. It also contains an … Read more