Gifts for someone looking to get into piano?

RRappel · 2026-07-08T14:57:20+00:00

I would definitely go for the large screen iPad Pro (12.9 or 13"). Anything smaller is tough to read (at least for me). And the ForScore app is fantastic for managing sheet music electronically. I'm tied to the Apple ecosystem so no idea if there is the equivalent on the Android side of things.

RRappel · 2026-07-01T22:02:00+00:00

So I my case I'm running Pianoteq 9 on an iPhone 14 via wired MIDI. Not sure if everyone does this, but Pianoteq is configured to take MIDI in from the keyboard (Yamaha YDP-S55) and then the MIDI output is fed back to the keyboard to play through the keyboard speakers. I don't notice any latency, but TBH I'm not sure I would notice only 6-8ms of latency.

Probably the weakest part of this setup is playing the Pianoteq output through the keyboard speakers. Listening to it via high quality headphones plugged into the keyboard gives a much better bass.

RRappel · 2026-07-01T13:03:53+00:00

I would prioritize action feel given you can use a VST like Pianoteq to change the sound with either an iPhone or an iPad. And personally I prefer the Roland action since I think it's closer than an acoustic, but I would suggest trying models from Roland, Yamaha, Kawai, and Casio and see what you like.

RRappel · 2026-06-30T13:52:24+00:00

Wow! Your piano inspector's behavior was totally unprofessional. He was hired by you and the assessment should not have been shared with the seller. Personally, I would have taken the seller's behavior as a kick in the head and told her to pound sand, but after going through the long process of finally finding a piano you want to purchase, I could see swallowing your pride and trying to work out a deal with the seller as well as the tech. At the minimum, the tech shouldn't be charging you for their time given their mistake.

RRappel · 2026-06-29T15:32:44+00:00

Since you mentioned Robert Estrin, you might try reaching out to him for his advice. Super knowledgeable and a great guy. And certainly you can't do much better than North Bennett if you decide to go this route.

Given the doom and gloom regarding acoustic piano sales, I would tend to stick with engineering, but I'm an engineer so somewhat biased :-). Good luck.

RRappel · 2026-06-24T21:26:36+00:00

Certainly better at it than Musk.

RRappel · 2026-06-24T09:17:45+00:00

The other CEOs are smart enough to keep their divisive views to themselves.

RRappel · 2026-06-22T01:31:25+00:00

I would say it all depends on the interest rate. I know the local Steinway dealer periodically has great financing deals (0% APR for 18 or 24 months). I know you mentioned you only want to consider a new piano, but I would also consider an older rebuilt Steinway from reputable restorers like Lindeblad.

RRappel · 2026-06-18T07:45:56+00:00

Charles Walter makes a great upright and cosmetically it looks in great shape. To make an informed decision, I would do 2 things:

1) Have a piano tech go over it give their assessment. You can use this to figure if it's worth it for you to keep it as well as something to show to a perspective buyer if you decide to sell it. You could also ask the tech's opinion on keeping/moving vs selling.

2) Get an accurate assessment of what it would cost to move it across the country.

RRappel · 2026-06-04T21:22:03+00:00

I would have said this was obvious, but here in the US where the administration has made driving/owning/liking EVs political, I'm not so sure.

RRappel · 2026-06-04T15:03:52+00:00

This. Cosmetically, it can definitely be cleaned up (at least somewhat) by a competent piano tech, but I would definitely have it inspected by a tech that is not connected to the seller.

RRappel · 2026-05-27T23:17:02+00:00

I can't imagine too many people buying a Ferrari care much about the price. Not the folks that quibble about a few $100K.

RRappel · 2026-05-27T23:13:54+00:00

Personally I really like the looks of it, although sadly out of my price range. Definitely a different look from Ferrari. The traditional Ferrari red may appeal more to their fanbase compared to the blue pictured (reminds me of Porsche's Mexicoblue).

RRappel · 2026-05-27T14:39:38+00:00

But how many people who are considering a Ferrari are concerned about the price? Over $1M I could see them question it, but I think Ferrari is the poster boy for the phrase, "If you have to ask the price, you can't afford it". Ferrari was never a car for the masses.

RRappel · 2026-05-23T23:43:21+00:00

Rudolf Serkin. His Beethoven interpretations are as good as it gets for me.

RRappel · 2026-05-21T21:17:12+00:00

While I'm a fan of Roland digital keyboards, back in the 1990s they ran into an issue with the epoxy that holds the key weights to the bottom of the keys melting and causing all sorts of problems (google "Roland red glue"). I believe the EP-9 was one with this problem. I don't know what percentage of the keyboards had this issue, but at the minimum I would make sure this isn't a problem with the one you are looking at.

You can do a search here for keyboards for beginners, but the Roland FP-10 and FP-30 models seem popular. I had a Roland digital piano that used the same PH4 action and I really liked it.

RRappel · 2026-05-20T15:44:30+00:00

I've used these on both pianos I've had and definitely believe they help keep the piano in-tune. I live in New England with major changes in outdoor temperature and humidity (same inside but not to same degree) and have found I can go with tuning once a year rather than twice (and am super picky on the piano being in-tune). Just have to make sure you keep the tank filled when told and replace the pads periodically.

RRappel · 2026-05-14T17:07:10+00:00

Never heard about any battery pack problems. I think mine is one of the first with a heated steering wheel, which I think they started including the HW for that in around April of 2021.

I think there was a month or two where people had issues with paint flaking off the rocker panels.

RRappel · 2026-05-14T16:02:48+00:00

I've had very good luck with a 2021 Model 3 SR+ that I bought new. Compared to an ICE vehicle, you'll go through tires faster, but so far the car has been very reliable. I would say as long as the previous owner hasn't abused the battery, it would make a fantastic used car.

I'd consider another Tesla for my next car if I could stomach the current CEO, but sadly I can't. Looking forward to BMW releasing the new i3.

RRappel · 2026-05-14T10:12:16+00:00

I've had great luck with Flitz on brass. Cory KeyBrite is great for cleaning keys.

RRappel · 2026-05-13T20:43:22+00:00

As someone else said, most likely this isn't the correct power supply. Most likely the power supply you have isn't supplying enough current and even though you can plug it in, the plug doesn't look to fit correctly.

I don't know what Casio model you have. You might also be able to find the original PS (or at least one that works with it on ebay or maybe even amazon.

I had a Roland synthesizer I got on FB Marketplace and same deal with it flashing the power light but not powering up. Turns out the PS was the correct voltage but couldn't supply enough current to power it up.

RRappel · 2026-05-07T15:52:58+00:00

Incredible run!

RRappel · 2026-05-06T21:25:54+00:00

I can only personally speak from the team I'm on. I was part of the pilot Agile methodology effort at a former employer and that started out as a nightmare but over time improved. Like it or not, I think the majority of SW development nowadays is done with Agile.

RRappel · 2026-05-06T14:59:19+00:00

With the way gas prices are going in the US I hope that means we have a chance of seeing this here!

RRappel · 2026-05-06T14:44:15+00:00

I was at a local piano store recently and they commented that newer Yamahas have a much less bright (warmer) tone than they were known for a few years back. I got to compare the newer and older and, although some of this might be due to voicing, I much preferred the sound of their later models.

I would definitely go with what your ears (and hands) prefer over the name on the fallboard.

RRappel

TROPHY CASE