No.3

Big news. Big move. Big God!

The Slater’s are moving to San Francisco to plant a church in 2015.

Stay tuned for more info coming soon. 

Joanna Playing Jig

Rick Jones Pianos

Looking for a new piano? Check out www.rickjonespianos.com!

Christina playing 'Starry Night'

piano & beyond

when i was growing up i didn't really know why i took lessons other than to simply play songs because i was told to. as i kept on learning i started to enjoy playing more and more until i thought, "if i really enjoy piano this much, how can i do something music related for a job?"

years later i'm doing just that on 3 different levels...

• my full-time job as a worship leader in the church enables me to use my talents in music, not only playing and singing on the weekend but also during the week as i prepare the music we're going to play. this is a very brief overview of what this job entails.

• as a piano teacher which is an avenue to teach others and help me stay sharp on my own musical knowledge and helps me in all other areas of music. it is enjoyable to see students develop and grow as I teach them.

• my greatest passion of all is being a recording artist, here i write, record and perform my songs. This right now is the least of the above two but is picking up momentum, soon i hope to be able to do this full-time which will be awesome.

so i write about these 3 aspects of piano that i would have never dreamed of being able to do way back when i was 10 years old. right now it may seems as if all we do is learn song after song but it's all part of learning and who knows what the future may hold.

got scattered?

keyboards vs pianos

when you're in the market for a keyboard or piano there are several things you need to keep in mind.

i always advise parents who are getting their children into piano lessons not to invest a lot of money into it straight away, the last thing you want is a $5000 piano that's going to sit in your living room and not be played, however, pianos do make nice pieces of furniture.

first off i loosely recommend a keyboard that is in the $100 to $200 range to get them started and to go easy on your bank account. at the very least it should be touch sensitive meaning the harder you play the keys the louder it gets likewise the softer you play the softer the sound. this is an ok place to start when trying to get started but not a good place to stop. you don't want them to develop a bad technique which they will by spending to long on a imitation instrument, once they are showing adequate interest in piano lessons and they're going to keep at it, it's time to invest in an upgrade. if possible skip the keyboard and move straight to a digital piano.

the next step up is a keyboard with weighted keys. this means that the keys feel heavier to play mimicking the action of a real piano. on an acoustic piano when you press a key it moves a hammer and strikes the string/s, because of the mechanics, it gives the key a weighted feel. now days keyboards are fairly close to getting the 'feel' right but in my opinion nothing plays the same as an acoustic piano. when you buy weighted keys it will always be touch sensitive.

when purchasing weighted keys you're more than likely buying a 'digital piano'. these are cool because they usually come in a frame with pedals and the appearance of a real piano for about $1000 give or take depending brand and other features. this is a good place to stop and sit for a while if you don't want to jump up to an acoustic piano. the other advantages to a digital piano is that they're easier to move, they never have to be tuned and they have volume control if you need to be quiet. the disadvantage to a student who may be easily distracted is that they come with all these other sounds and additional features which can eat up practice time by playing around if not under the close watch or ear of a parent.

lastly you can buy an acoustic piano, the differences are upright or grand. on an upright the strings inside are sitting vertical meanwhile on a grand the stings are sitting horizontal. up to a certain height on an upright the string length will match a small baby grand but after 5 feet or so the length of the strings on a grand will exceed that of an upright piano.

why is string length important? the longer the strings the more rich and deeper the sound but not necessary rather a luxury.

my last note on buying a piano is don't always think brand new. pianos (depending on the brand) are built to last, it's not uncommon to have a piano that is 30 years old that looks and plays like new after being refurbished by a piano store (not everyone who sells pianos refurbishes them). pianos, even though they may be old may not have seen a lot of playing time and may still be in great shape especially when fixed up by a pro.

when in the market check out rick jones pianos, when you purchase a piano they'll trade in your old piano for what you paid for it towards an upgrade.

for my needs, space and financial limitations as a piano teacher i teach on a 50" Yamaha U2 upright piano. before purchasing an instrument on any level do you homework and talk to a professional (not necessarily the guy trying to sell it to you). piano tuners are a good source because they're the guy's that fix them also you trustworthy piano teacher may have a few ideas :)

a nice note from a new family...

Thanks Mr Joel. We're excited about our upcoming piano lessons with you. Thanks for finding the time to meet with us and answer all our questions and accommodating the time slot that best works for us. - Joan S.


You're welcome Joan, my pleasure! Mr Joel! new? click here

Rick Jones, a Yamaha piano & a free tshirt

F.A.Q

there are a few frequently asked questions that come my way every time a parent is considering piano lessons for their child...

1. is my child old enough?

there is no straight answer to this question, to put it simply, no two people are exactly the same. i have taught 4 year olds successfully and then not so successfully, then again i have also taught 7 year olds successfully and unsuccessfully. the truth is you never know until you try, piano is not for everyone however at the age of 7 it may not be the right thing but at the age of 9 it might be.

anyone who doesn't know, i suggest to try one month. if that month proves to be a success then we can move ahead, if it's not quite time yet, then we can put it on hold for 6 months or a year and then try again.

2. can my child make it through a 30 minute class?

at times a traditional 30 minute class can be too long for a young child to sit and pay attention, in this situation i see it as my duty to try and make things interesting. this is part of the reason i use the Hal Leonard piano series books to teach from, it makes piano fun for the young student.

at the top of the picture you'll see a cd, i love this about all of the Hal Leonard lesson books, for every song there are two cd tracks to accompany the one song, one is a practice track the other is a performance track. if this won't keep the students attention longer and make lessons and practice all that more fun at home i don't know what else will. 

the accompanying theory work book is full of coloring pages and mazes to make things a lot of fun. i just wish i had all of this when i was a kid.

if 30 minutes is still too long we can tailor the perfect length lesson to suit the student.

3. i don't know how to play the piano, can i still help my child at home?

i encourage all parents to sit in the lessons with us. this way as the child is learning so is the parent, after the lesson i'll ask mom or dad if they have any questions so i can make sure they're equipped throughout the week to help their child with their practice times.

lastly i re-emphasize this, take one month and see how things go, there's no pressure from week to week, month to month to continue but may just turn out that piano was the best decision ever, it was for me. 

thanks mum & dad

New?

If you're new to www.shinypiano.com, welcome and click here

skype lessons

Remote Piano Lessons are something new that's never been done before. Because people are busy, coming and the thought of meeting with a music teacher each week never seemed like a possibility, many people set aside their desires to play piano and never really find an avenue to pursue it.

Now, piano lessons are available piano online, some one in SanFrancisco can take piano lessons from me as easily as someone who lives up the street.

How does this work?

• Through the use of a computer and camera it's now possible to meet with students remotely. There is still a weekly meeting time but we meet on Skype not in person.

What do I need?

• Firstly you'll need a piano/keyboard to practice on, secondly you'll need a computer with a camera that is able to be setup next to your piano. Thirdly you'll need a Skype account so we can video chat.

Seeing I don't live anywhere near you, How do I pay?

• Simply log onto www.shinypiano.com and pay for piano lessons with you credit or debit card.

If you're interested in learning more about 'Skype Lessons' please email me at joel@shinypiano.com

you're gonna die

support the 'red couch' project

on may 24th i'll break ground on my new full length recording project entitled 'red couch serenade'.

for those interested and have maybe expressed interest in the past to contribute to this project, i've set up an avenue to do so. you can either sponsor a full day, half day or one or more hours in the studio. every gift goes to help cover the thousands of dollars this project requires.

if you're interested in supporting this project you can do so via credit card below or if you prefer mailing a check please email me at redcouchserenade@joelslater.com and i'll reply a mailing address to you.

each level of giving receives a gift from me.

thank you for your support
js

finn fotos

rocket suit

mum, dad and finn

mum and finn

afternoon nap

Piano with dad

it's a boy

introducing finn rocket slater. born march 24th @ 6:12pm. 7p.15oz and 21" long. mum and baby are doing great.

credit card option

in an effort to make things easier or at least to offer another method of payment for those who prefer it, i've added a credit card payment option to www.shinypiano.com. this is not taking the place by any means of checks or cash for those paying for piano lessons if either of those are your preference, just simply another way to pay.

when you pay through CC my records will be updated that you've paid, you'll be emailed a receipt and you're good to go, try it out next time round if that's you cuppa tea.

FYI...there's a small 50 cent per lesson fee associated with the credit card option, this adds up to $2 if 4 lessons are purchased.

yamaha UX-2

as you most likely know, i am selling my yamaha UX-2 piano. this is a bitter sweet experience for me seeing i wrote my upcoming album on this particular piano so there is definitely a sentimental attachment to it. i've decided to upgrade to another yamaha piano in the form of a grand which will be great as i move into the future and truth be told if i could keep both i would. however due to our space limitations i have to sell this one to accommodate the next.

i bought this piano 4 years ago after extensive looking, looking and looking. i wouldn't call myself a piano expert by any means but have been around enough and played enough pianos to know when it's a good one or not. i have settled comfortably on yamaha as a brand which sits well within most peoples price ranges and the quality is amazing especially throughout the 'U' models and beyond. i like yamaha so much in fact that i own one in australia, and upon moving here there was no question i wouldn't buy the same model again.

it's called a 'UX-2'...the'U' is the name of the model, it's the best piano you can pretty much buy before upgrading to a grand piano. The 'X' refers to the frame structure. if i had super strength i'd turn the piano around and show you

that on the back there is a huge 'X' that goes from the top to bottom in a diagonal fashion hence the 'X'. this 'X' frame gives the piano strength if it was to be moved around a lot (school or church) but even in a home sense it gives it strength to hold it's tune better than those without.

The '2' refers to the size. if you research it you'll find a U1 is 48" tall, the U2 is 50" tall and finally the U3 is 52" tall. the U2 is snug in the middle of these two and has plenty of power to give a nice rich sound to fill a house but also works perfectly for the subtlety needed within townhouses and apartments.

The design on the front of the cabinet (slots) allows the sound to flow and not be muffled by the cabinet. to look inside you see black material that matches the black ebony finish but allows the sound to escape. most pianos don't have this feature, but it is nice to find one that does.

this piano is still covered under a warranty which i'd say is not necessary but a little piece of mind is always a good thing when buying a piano and 100% transferable to the new owners.

i'm looking around $4200 for this beauty or a bigger house so i can keep both but i don't think the latter is a possibility right now :)

feel free to pass this along to whoever may be interested and mention there's free piano lessons included too.

happy new year

i hope everyone had a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

this coming week piano lessons are back in full swing so everyone get your practice on :)

it's a four lesson month for all tuesday, wednesday and thursday students.

see you this week.