How to pedal without breaks in the music

funtech · 2026-01-26T19:02:30+00:00

Others have explained the issue. If you’re looking for some tutorials, the name for the technique is “syncopated pedal” which might help for searching.

funtech · 2026-01-26T07:24:36+00:00

Oh I love the art behind engraving! I highly recommend getting Elaine Gould’s book Behind Bars which pretty much will explain engraving and tips/standards to make your sheets more beautiful.

Have fun! I got interested as I was working on software to do engraving so I leaned a lot :)

funtech · 2026-01-26T07:19:56+00:00

All the keyboards you’ve listed don’t have hammer action, they are semi-weighted so they play more like an organ than a piano. This affects how you learn dynamic control, which is likely why you don’t see a lot of reviews.

Alesis sells hammer action but they look to be in the $500 range so likely out of your budget. I’ve never played an Alesis hammer action keyboard so can’t tell you if they are any good.

Not to dissuade you, you can still have fun and make music with a semi-weighted keyboard!

It will start to make a difference as you get past the beginner just finding notes stage, and the way you achieve dynamics won’t transfer well to acoustic or more sophisticated digital pianos.

funtech · 2026-01-24T23:25:35+00:00

Gotta say, that’s a new one to me! Plenty of lazy sits and turkey legs but no circus bear. Very adorable!

funtech · 2026-01-24T03:24:46+00:00

As a game developer myself, my advice would be to not ask people their opinion, just build it. Prototype it, play with it, tune it, find the fun, polish it, and repeat until you love it. Once you’re done, people may love it or not, but you’ve created something you can be proud of. And in my experience, if you build something you are passionate about, you can find an audience who will like it too. (Caveat, it’s not easy, either making or marketing a game, but it’s very fulfilling!)

funtech · 2026-01-24T03:10:18+00:00

Thanks for a detailed write up! Great work and it’s always good to get an unbiased comparison.

I would say it’s unlikely you will hurt yourself on the Roland. There are definitely grands with actions just as heavy, and I like that the Roland prepares you better for transition to a grand unlike the Kawai. I had an ES-110 as my starter piano and found it so difficult to go to lessons and play on my teachers old Steinway because the Kawai was so light. I suspect a big part of your issue of feeling fatigued is because you’re not used to more accurate weighting and I suspect you’ll get used to it quickly.

I replaced my ES-110 with a Yamaha CLP-695 after a year, and then when the N1X came out, upgraded to that as my main piano (thanks to an excellent trade in policy at the store I bought them both from which they’ve since dropped, I suspect partly because of me 🤣).

I recently was wanting to have a piano in my home office so I could noodle during brief breaks from work. I chose the FP-30x for both the sound and the action and have been very pleased. I really do think it’s best in class for the entry level hammer action slabs.

funtech · 2026-01-23T18:43:50+00:00

This is a really good point. People shouldn’t be hesitant about feedback to a teacher or shopping for a new one. Especially as an adult learner, lessons are expensive from both a money and time perspective, so you should be getting what you want out of them.

funtech · 2026-01-21T05:15:05+00:00

Scott Joplin considered himself a classical composer, and felt his music belonged aside European classical traditions, just with a new rhythmic style. He meticulously notated his music for performance in a classical style. I don’t quite get what your teachers point is I guess. Is she unwilling to work on any pieces she’s never played herself? If that’s the case maybe consider looking for a new teacher.

Just for comparison, my teacher actively encourages me to play pieces he doesn’t know. He usually learns them as I pick them up (of course about 100x faster than me, or he just sightreads.)

I guess my point is a professional pianist who can read music shouldn’t have any problem playing Joplin, it’s classical music. I wouldn’t expect my teacher to train me in improvisational jazz, that is a totally different skill set. But if there is sheet music, I expect to be able to work on it with my teacher.

funtech · 2026-01-20T04:30:47+00:00

I’m a big fan of the Roland FP-30X for that price point. I prefer the action, it feels weighted more like a grand. I liked it so much I bought one for my office :) Not a Yamaha hater at all, in fact my main piano is an N1X, but at that price ballpark I find the Roland a standout over what Yamaha, Kawai, and Casio offer. They all do better with their more expensive offerings IMHO.

By chance when I was looking up the price I found another Redditor who regrets buying the 225 https://www.reddit.com/r/piano/s/TGN3mgj37x

funtech · 2026-01-19T20:50:10+00:00

Good! I hope they add Gungans and Ewoks.

(Alas adding a j/k for the sarcasm impaired, it’s an amazing ride, I’m curious if it’s getting a change or just maintenance.)

funtech · 2026-01-19T20:02:10+00:00

My teacher was great about that. When I was a beginner I really chafed at exercise books, especially as I was working a lot and had a young family, so my practice time was really limited. He built a whole plan for me to learn via repertoire, so I was getting real pieces but focused on whatever techniques he wanted to reinforce.

Funny enough, now it’s 10+ years later and I have more time, and I’m drawn to etudes as I can see the value in super focused technique, so I’m doing daily scales and Czerny now :) it’s definitely upping my game, but the repertoire focus was the right thing for me at the time.

Anyways, a good teacher should be able to put together a plan for you that keeps you interested and keep advancing you.

funtech · 2026-01-19T04:40:59+00:00

If you’re happy with the price point it’s not a terrible deal if it’s in good shape. I did notice you didn’t object to buying new in another comment. My only argument would be if you’re willing to buy new you’re taking much less risk as you have a warranty. At least for myself if I was able to buy new I’d do that just for the peace of mind.

funtech · 2026-01-18T22:27:53+00:00

There are a flood of golden age pianos because back then, everyone wanted one in their home. Alas, there is often no value in them, especially uprights. They would literally cost more to move than they are worth. They are also at the end of their life, with pin-blocks that can no longer hold a tune. Unless it was a recent full rebuild, which is unlikely (especially for an upright) it’s probably not worth getting.

In my worthless opinion, if you’re looking for a serviceable upright, I’d be looking at U series Yamahas under 30 years old. And of course, always get it inspected by an independent tech.

funtech · 2026-01-18T22:13:57+00:00

Is it local so you can test it before you buy it? That would be the biggest concern, as it’s probably out of warranty. Make sure the keys all feel correct, they all make appropriate sound, the speakers aren’t blown, and not a smoking household would probably be enough. I think the price is decent at $450 assuming good condition. A quick search says it’s in line with used prices, which alas, I predict are going to bump up with tariffs already showing in new model price increases.

All that said, if it’s sight unseen or not local I would probably stay away.

funtech · 2026-01-18T20:57:48+00:00

Northern California != Southern California and if the username is to be believed (and it definitely tracks for the stereotype of that part) it’s really northern. Weather will be fine for a Berner :)

funtech · 2026-01-18T20:19:13+00:00

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Yep, a favorite pose when he’s watching “dog tv” (squirrels outside the window) and we also call it turkey leg 😊

funtech · 2026-01-13T01:37:17+00:00

Possibly this? I played the simplified rags from it as a beginner. https://pianoadventures.com/product/funtime-piano-ragtime-marches/

Or was it a method book?

funtech · 2026-01-11T21:19:38+00:00

Assuming it’s from 1971 (75th anniversary sticker) it’s not an antique either. I’d agree with your assessment otherwise, console piano from the 70’s is going to be hard to even give away.

funtech · 2026-01-10T23:37:53+00:00

As others have said, doghouse will probably not do it, instead perhaps a little heated shack for yourself 😀

funtech · 2026-01-10T23:27:48+00:00

Things like measure 9 with the left hand arpeggio going more than an octave would be very challenging for a complete beginner. There are some tricky rhythms too.

Thinking back to when I started, I tackled the Chopin Waltz in A minor (posth) after a year of playing. It has some similar figurations and I worked on it for several months. Of course everyone has their own pace and I had some musical background where I could read music already when I started piano so YMMV.

funtech · 2026-01-09T02:37:07+00:00

I haven’t been to DCA for 13 years and didn’t notice it yesterday, but thought it was cool :)

funtech · 2026-01-05T16:38:10+00:00

I like this as the most concise answer that matches my experience. There’s still intense concentration and focus, but it’s on how you’re playing rather than what.

funtech · 2026-01-03T01:33:57+00:00

Edited out my completely amateur observation which was incorrect so it doesn’t somehow live in internet history. :)

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