Mike Summers of MusiCorp completes a restring for Jason Abraham

Andy’s Music, Mobile, Alabama, hosted a free guitar and bass restringing session on Saturday, July 11. With the donation of a canned good to benefit the Penelope House, customers received a free restring and setup of their guitar. Both acoustic and electric guitars, as well as basses were restrung during this event.

The event was very successful, with more than 36 guitars restrung and two large boxes filled with food. Penelope House is a non-profit organization established in 1979 by the Daughters of Penelope to help victims of domestic violence regain social and economic independence. The Family Violence Center is the only shelter for battered women and children in Mobile, Alabama, although services currently span across Mobile and Washington counties in Alabama.

This free guitar restring was sponsored by MusiCorp and Dean Markley strings. We are grateful for their donations and participation, especially to Mike Summers who setup and participated in this event.

In addition to the 88-key weighted keyboard action, the Yamaha YDP140 digital piano features duet-friendly twin headphone jacks, a choice of six voices, and a high-efficiency 6W x 2 stereo amplifier for the two internal speakers, and four types of reverb capable of making a small room sound as big as a concert hall.

The Yamaha Arius YDP140 digital piano features Yamaha’s sophisticated AWM (Advanced Wave Memory) with Dynamic Stereo Sampling for the ultimate in instrument realism. Taken at different 3 levels of soft, medium and loud each key is comprised of multiple stereo recordings of an actual grand piano. This provides subtle differences in volume and timbre depending on how you play the keys, and gives you full expressive control over the sound. In other words, you get a great piano sound! The next step up from the YDP 140, is the Yamaha YDP160. Let’s take a look.

The Yamaha YDP160 digital piano is perfect for students and experienced players alike, and provides true piano sound and feel. The GH keyboard and 3-level AWM Dynamic Stereo Sampling voices deliver remarkably authentic sound and natural expressiveness, making it a true joy to play, both in practice and in performance. The damper pedal includes a half-damper effect, giving you nuanced expressive control over the sustained sound. Dual voice capability lets you play two different instrument sounds at the same time, while a 1-track song recorder allows you to capture your original musical ideas and performances.

Both the YDP160 and YDP140 digital pianos are part of the new Yamaha Arius Digital Piano series. These digital pianos provide exceptionally natural, grand piano-like touch, with realistic weight gradations – heavy in the lower end, and light in the upper. The premium Graded Hammer Effect (GHE) action of the YDP160 provides even greater expressive control than GHS. In addition to its quieter mechanism, GHE features an extra key sensor capable of reproducing fast repetitive playing of a single note with perfect articulation. So Graded Hammer Effect keyboards suit skill levels from Chopsticks to Chopin Etudes and everything in between.

If you’re shopping for a student clarinet, the LeBlanc Noblet wooden clarinet, model L4K,  is an excellent choice. It is a wind instrument that has passed the test of time and durability in many school programs, and also with many student clarinetist.  It is is an intermediate clarinet made in France and has a beautiful full-bodied tone quality that is exceptionally flexible, responsive and easy to control throughout the clarinet range.

The LeBlanc Noblet also has separate post mountings for the C#-G# key and gold-plated springs. The Noblet clarinet by LeBlanc has a long and very favorable reputation among band directors and students. It is an excellent choice for someone who needs a high quality instrument, but does not have thousands to spend on a new wind instrument.

For additional information on student clarinets and oboes, visit the music instrument music store at www.AndysMusicOnline.com.

A combination of “Aureus” (Latin for “golden”) and “Aria”, ARIUS can be taken literally to mean “golden song” and there are two new models that are sure to live up to their moniker.

The Yamaha ARIUS YDP140 and ARIUS YDP160 have improved upon the YDP213 and YDP323 in tone, touch, and cabinetry. New piano Voices featuring 3-layer Dynamic Stereo Samples deliver true acoustic piano tone, while their Half-Damper Effect sustain pedals fluidly measure foot position for varying levels of sustain just like an acoustic piano.

The new dark alder YDP140 and dark rosewood YDP160 top-to bottom cabinetry replaces the walnut finish and Plexiglas music rests of the previous models for a more traditional console appearance.

All Yamaha ARIUS Home Digital Pianos include:

• 3-layer Dynamic Stereo Piano Samples
• 64 note polyphony
• User song record
• Adjustable touch response
• 50 Greats for the Piano music book

The ARIUS YDP160 digital piano will be available in May 2008, and the ARIUS YDP140 will ship in April. For more information on Yamaha digital pianos and keyboards, visit the music instrument music store at www.AndysMusicOnline.com.

Yamaha classical guitars are made using extensive analysis, research, and experimentation and Yamaha guitar craftsmen have succeeded in blending the best and most critical aspects of traditional Spanish guitar making techniques with modern manufacturing processes.

Processes that include a comprehensive quality check system that ensures each classical guitar is of the highest standards possible. The result of this effort is a classical guitar that delivers outstanding quality and performance at an affordable price.

For information and prices on Yamaha classical guitars, visit the  music instrument music store at www.AndysMusicOnline.com.

The Roland DP990 digital piano is sophisticated, stylish, and compact, only 13-9/16 inches in depth. It can fit easily into the tightest of spaces. When the lid is closed, the top becomes a smooth, flat surface. The DP990 is available in two attractive color choices: Satin Black and Medium Cherry, and the lid closes slowly and silently.

The VYPYR guitar amps should be available in the 2nd quarter of 2008 from the www.AndysMusicOnline.com music instrument music store.

The Privia has dual headphone jacks that allow a student and instructor to play the keyboard simultaneously and features the new AIF sound engine that provides quality sampling and the ability to produce 128 polyphony.

The PX320 has 1/4″ line outs and can be connected to an amp or studio equipment without requiring adapters. A USB Port provides quick and easy connection to a PC for recording and sharing music with friends and family. These new Casio keyboards will be available in February of 2008.

 Also available are the matching keyboard stands L85 and L85S and the LP5 pedal set. We should receive these new digital pianos in the latter part of January.

The P140 digital piano has three separate layers of stereo samples each set at a different velocity, Dynamic Stereo Sampling changes not only the volume, but also the harmonic structure of the notes depending on how hard you play the keyboard – just like a real acoustic piano! An exclusive fourth sample layer recreates a piano’s unique sustain resonance whenever the damper pedal is pressed, while key-off samples add even the subtle sounds of felt dampers coming to rest on piano strings. Better still, the P140′s highly efficient built-in powered speaker system directs your music forward for unbeatable sound.

At the new price, the Yamaha P140 is definitely a bargain!