That Festival Feeling

As touring festivals go, Eisteddfod possesses the proud accolade of being one of the largest, with turn outs ranking between a huge 70,000 and an astonishing 100,000, with over 15,000 children taking part in the festival’s esteemed and revered competitions. Everything from singing to dancing, playing to performing is involved on the Eisteddfod stage, as it offers youngsters a chance to demonstrate their talents in front of a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ crowd.

All the Stalls

With the centre stage of the festival the lavish and extravagant Pavilion, it doesn’t all end there. The surrounding area is littered with over 200 stalls each offering something new and interesting; from sporting sessions, live bands, motorcycles to climbing activities and much more!

A Musical Marathon

We at Coach House Pianos are strong advocates of young children dedicating themselves to excel in something which will display their enduring efforts and reward them in style.  Not only will we have a stall complete with some of our most handsome pianos to inspire and motivate the youth all available at one-off sale prices, we’re also supplying all the pianos that will be used in all the competitions around the venue! We have dedicated an incredible range of Yamaha pianos that will be taking to the stages including the all-time famous U1 and U3 models from Yamaha’s popular upright series…and once these beautiful instruments are finished helping thousands of children showcase their abilities, we’ll be selling them off at supremely cheap prices!  Register your interest now to reserve one of these un-paralleled deals!

Eisteddfod has long been a revered celebration of music amongst children, providing a dedication and commitment to inspiring youngsters into the rich and rewarding world of music.  Visiting the festival will ensure you a full day of music and give you the opportunity to take in all the activities and sights of today’s talented youth and of course, come and see our pianos! The festival runs from 27th May through to 1st of June near the village of Boncath in Pembrokeshire and for more information, you can click HERE…Do not miss this opportunity – from all us here at Coach House Pianos, enjoy!

(Our piano advisors will be located in the main exhibition hall which is located near the main entrance)

Steinway’s art case collection exemplifies the idea, but really the limit is your imagination. We can build you a custom piano that mirrors your personality, that exudes character. With this in mind, you have the opportunity to create something wondrous that stands for who you are, all with the ease and simplicity of merely explaining your ideas to our experts.

As well as constructing your unique instrument from scratch though, we can customize the piano you already own, adding an incomparable sense of flare and style to your current Yamaha, Steinway or any other piano you happen to have lying around the house.

And it doesn’t end with visual dexterity. We can set up your piano to play itself and to be operable via iPad or iPhone! In a few short steps, you can be the owner of one of the most mesmerizingly brilliant and beautiful instruments around.

The applications for a custom design are endless, and we’re more than adept at putting together ‘themed’ pianos. Boats are ideal places for piano entertainment, and one perfect example of an eye-catching themed piano is Steinway’s incredible Julianne. The nautical nuances of this gallant looking instrument are all over, from its wooden hull like rim, to its stern-style bench and the sweeping, bow-like overall shape.

If you’ve become suddenly, unavoidably inspired and you’re now in the process of dreaming up your perfect custom piano, give us at Coach House Pianos a call today, and whether you need one building from scratch, or want to alter your  Yamaha or Steinway, we can provide!

You can now have a real acoustic Yamaha grand piano that plays your favourite songs to you at the push of a button!

The new Yamaha Disklavier range of pianos creates not only truly inspirational aesthetic beauty in your room but also brings your favourite perfomer to the home and actually plays your piano!

The Disklavier series combines a century of traditional craftsmanship from Yamaha with the very latest in digital technology which enables vocal and orchestral accompaniment synergising and harmonising with the real acoustic piano playing!

The Yamaha Disklavier is not only a professional acoustic piano but facilitates live internet streaming, smart key tuition, play & record facility, USB, ‘silent’ function with headphones option and whats more it can be played using central control or iPhone & iPad applications!

At Coach House Pianos we believe in giving you the best!  We are the specialists in supplying innovative instruments and pianos of perfection for over 30 years and offer international shipping and installation anywhere in the world.

Coach House Pianos are specialists in supplying Interior Designers, Super Yachts, Corporate HQ, Stately Homes and of course Music Rooms!

Contact us today to speak with one of our specialist piano advisers – 0044 (0) 1792 584584

Yamaha Disklavier Self-Playing Piano

You Say it Best, When You Say Nothing at All

Of course, these incredible-looking grand and upright pianos are essentially acoustic models, complete with sound-dampening technology that means when you simply must play, but can’t be heard doing so, plugging in your headphones is finally an option. Whilst many proclaim a stark contrast between the sounds created by an acoustic piano and those digitally recreated, the samples included with the latest series come straight from the pinnacle of pianism the top of the range Yamaha CFX and CFIIIS Concert Grands, meaning the tones you’ll hear, even when you’ve got the headphones, on are undeniably incredible.

Silence is Golden

One big concern for many is the difference in touch, the physicality of an acoustic piano that, of course, doesn’t translate to keyboard counterparts. This silent piano line finally offers players the best of both worlds to the greatest extent, and with the pinpoint precision of the hammer, the key and pedal sensors and the damper resonance effect that brings everything together, this may be the most faithful recreation of some of the most exquisite piano sounds about.

Jim Levesque, Disklavier Marketing Manager, Yamaha Corporation of America said “When playing in acoustic or silent mode, the sound and touch is identical to that of all Yamaha Grand Pianos, making them a joy to play.”

With all the extras you’d expect from the latest in digital music technology, including USB recording functions, playback, tone controls, MIDI and aux connections, Yamaha have excelled themselves once again.

Here at Coach House Pianos, we’re proud to bring you the best instruments from this esteemed manufacturer, and whether you want to fill the room with Grand or practise in silence, we have a solution for you! Pop in to our showroom or give us a call today to find out more!

Of course, piano art is far from a new concept, and with artists as distinctive as Karl Lagerfeld and Dale Chihuly appearing on their special additions in the past, giving a piano that unique aesthetical flavour is just another age-old asset of the company. Recently though the idea has been reinvented and brought in in a whole new way, as Steinway have now installed a Custom Pianos Department, complete with their first Visual Artist in Residence, a brand new role invented entirely for the artist known as Lynx.

The ‘Imagine’ limited edition pianos may be one of the most iconic examples of the art, but there’s plenty more about, and one quick Google search will bathe your eyes in a deluge of beautiful lid and music-desk based strokes.

Of course, this beautiful art is offset by the sheer magnitude of a Steinway piano, and speaking to The Huffington Post recently, Bill Youse went into detail on some aspects of the instruments creation. He outlined how miniscule holes in every k bridge are drilled at a knife-edge, pin-point accurate angle, and in doing so this ensures neither the pins nor the bridge disrupt the vibration of the strings when a note is played. Similarly, it’s also highlighted how 57 individual pieces go into creating the perfect action in each key, of which there are 88. With the average piano consuming an astonishing 300 hours of labour, it’s not difficult to understand why quality rates unequivocally above quantity at Steinway, and that is why they’re so revered even today.

Here at Coach House Pianos, we can adorn your piano with the artistic stylings of Steinway’s own Lynx for you or even design to your own bespoke requirements!  We can certainly provide you with some of the most beautiful, enamouring and resounding instruments about today so please click through to our pages to see our ranges, or better yet, call in and see us today!

Dealers are kicking off the celebrations with cocktail receptions, screenings of the Steinway documentary Note by Note and one-of-a-kind presentations on the work that goes into building a Steinway piano. Of course it wouldn’t be the same without some live music and as such there will also be performances from Steinway artists at each of the events!

Open days at the very factories where these magnificent pieces of art are made will be next on the list as the doors of the Steinway & Sons workshops are flung open and guests are invited in to learn all about the creation of the piano.

Saving the best for last though, the aforementioned special finale will see Steinway launch a Limited Edition piano series in recognition of the milestone. This perfectly crafted, elegant and exclusive piano, known as the ‘Arabesque’ has been designed by Dakota Jackson, a distinguished name in furniture design, and the creator of the 2000 Lim. Ed. Steinway that commemorated the 300^th birthday of the piano.

Undoubtedly, with all these celebrations happening across the pond, we might be forgiven for feeling a little left out over here in the UK. Of course though, there may be no better way to commemorate the long-standing prestige of Steinway than with the very act of playing one. Here at Coach House Pianos, we have an extensive range of beautiful instruments for you to come and see, try and perform for us today! Give us a call to find out what has just arrived or even better, visit us in person!

The teacher in question goes by the name of Andy Fling, and through many years of teaching, he has come to know that children learn better when they’re having fun. After learning how many of his students loved video games, he thought he’d try and align the two by creating, as many others have, an iPhone app that allows you to play a touch-based piano.

By structuring the app with the same rewarding experience formula used in video games, his students went away from piano class and continued playing on their phones and their tablets. Pretty soon that instinctive feeling that comes from beating a favourite video game was implanted into the act of muscle memory and learning the theory required to play piano.

As you can imagine, this love for practising soon turned into skyrocketing results, as grades and ability improved unanimously throughout the class. “The results for piano students have been nothing short of remarkable” Fling said, going on to comment on the future of his iPhone app; “We are so encouraged with the early progress by our students using the iPiano Tutor, we are rolling out full-scale development of the app.”

Of course, whilst phone apps are a great supplement and ideal for practising on the move, nothing can best the nourishing tactile resplendence of a real piano. Here at Coach House Pianos, we aim to supply anyone and everyone, beginners to experts, with these finely crafted, incomparable instruments, so why not call in today and see our stock range!

Creating an expansive, room filling sound requires a supporting structure designed with the corresponding, required rigidity in mind. By the same token though, the soundboard must be free to vibrate as intended, so as to really send the sound soaring, with a crisp and rich tone maintained throughout its travels. This is just one of the many lessons the team behind the CFX came to realize, and thus came to translate in to the CX. One thing you’ll notice immediately is how the opulent tonality is routinely carried to destinations beyond pianos of a similar size.

With new music wires (strings) and the hammer comprised of a German-made felt, every inch of the CX has been carefully considered; and with each size individually tailored, with separately honed and selected components to reflect the object of the particular model, there’s never been a Yamaha piano that delivers on so many levels. Reportedly, the ambitious tonal aims of each piano create a unique, resonating character that alters with the temperament of the music, allowing for an overt expressional element to simmer through to the forefront of a performance like never before.

Truly, the CFX has been born again, with all its flagship prestige reincarnated in the more affordable CX series. And what kind of piano purveyor would we be without bringing the untold delights of this magical labour of love to you today! At Coach House Pianos, we pride ourselves on a personal service, and are happy to offer advice or share with you our opinions on the latest developments in the world of pianos, so call in and see us today, or give us a call, and learn why you should be as excited about the CX Series as we are.

Meanwhile then, our favourites Steinway, herald of incomparably beautiful purveyors of resonating delight, have been making waves in China, chiefly due to a recent boom and success in the country, and their new, rather bold plans to change the way piano is taught!

Around the globe, the sentiment is the same; the Steinway name is not just one of unequivocal musical excellence, it’s also a status symbol. A grand instrument in the front room is as good as a Ferrari in the driveway, in terms of status in China at the moment, not least due to classical music’s rising popularity; and Steinway of course, are at the centre of that, creating pianos that are used by world renowned musicians and orchestras everywhere.

So, in a stroke of genius that aims to future-proof their current Asian success, Steinway have developed a strategy to cause what is being regarded as a minor revolution in the realm of classical music, by encouraging teachers to utilize a different teaching method.

It’s a daring and rather gallant venture that seemingly ticks all the boxes, though in essence, comes as huge surprise. For the sprawling behemoths of the piano world to attempt to instigate such a sainted endeavour is, in some respects, utterly mind blowing.

It’s an out and out drive for revolutionary education, simultaneously securing a future market by drumming up genuine interest in people learning to play the piano. Everybody wins. Perhaps more companies of Steinway’s size and success could take a leaf from their book and dedicate more time to educating their potential customers and investing in tomorrow!

Meanwhile of course, success overseas means us here in England may continue to enjoy the lavish benefits of these fantastic instruments, something you can do attain today through Coach House Pianos!

The piano itself is a striking soft green that fades into a worn and characteristic yellow, something never apparent in the eye of the film’s black and white lens. Reportedly, its condition remains immaculate, as does its action, still playing ‘beautifully’ for all those that are afforded the opportunity of a tinkle on such prestigious ivories.

As a particularly small piano, a mere 58 keys long, in comparison to the full size standard of 88 keys, it was said to be easily pushed around the room, from position to position on the set, and despite such an active lifestyle, has remained entirely sturdy and solid to this day.

As far as its place in the film industry goes, its reputation precedes it. ‘Here’s looking at you, kid’ is one of the most memorable lines uttered in the history of cinema, and our hero Rick Blaine, played by the one and only Humphrey Bogart delivers the line whilst he and Ingrid Bergman, who opposite Bogart, played Ilsa Lund lean on the very instrument.

Furthermore, Dooley Wilson, Casablanca’s Sam, used it to perform the song As Time Goes By in a Paris bar during an important flashback scene.

Fittingly, the auction commemorates the film’s 70^th Anniversary and with reports filtering through the digital grape vine of Leonardo DiCaprio being the previously unidentified winning bidder, picking up the instrument after teaming up with his billionaire friend (as we all do from time to time) and further rumours of plans to donate it to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, we’re pretty sure this incredible piece of film and music history is in great hands.

Whilst we’re fresh out of £370,000 historical 1942 icons, we do have a range of beautiful Yamaha and Steinway pianos in stock today, that will allow you to play As Time Goes By till your heart’s content. The Paris setting, however, is up to you. Here’s looking at you kid.