• No need to create room in your home to store all your music
• Your entire library can be taken with you anywhere and accessed instantly
• Your current music can be scanned into the iPad
• No need to worry about books closing on you while you’re performing
• Your markings and notations can be temporary
• No need for a music light since the iPad is backlit
• You can purchase whatever music you would like right on your iPad and have it instantly
• You can accurately turn pages with the swipe of your finger (or with a bluetooth pedal)
• Interactive sheet music / MIDI is coming from PianoDisc for your player piano
• All sorts of  apps are being developed to cater to every musical need.
• No more need for rare scores to be “out of print”
• MIDI sheet music will allow you to hear the selection you purchased and even offer accompaniment

This trend is also going to likely have an effect on the way music racks are designed on pianos as well.  Many popular professional upright pianos already have a problem holding up books, let alone the sheet music created from printing purchased music on a home computer printer.  Securely holding up an iPad isn’t even on piano manufacturers’ radars yet but it better be soon!  It wouldn’t surprise us if we start seeing a USB charging station embedded into the music racks of pianos with a power cord coming out the back of the piano!

How it got to the U.S. is still unclear, as the Danemann piano brand was never widely distributed in the U.S., and certainly not when this one was made. What we do know is that it’s an amazingly high quality piano that has an incredibly dynamic, singing tone with an action that allows an artist to bring out the unlimited palate of tone colors it is capable of producing. The piano also has a perfect set of original, single-piece ivory keys — an extremely rare, valuable feature. It’s almost impossible that this little known brand created such an incredible instrument without gaining greater notoriety.

So why is it part of Cordogan’s “Starving Artist Series?” Because the ebony finish didn’t weather 50 years as well as the piano, so we’re going to leave the finish as is in order to keep the price down and give it every opportunity to find its way into the hands of another artist.

If you’re looking for a great quality artist grand on a budget, you need to experience this piano. You will think you’re playing a Bosendorfer.

Video coming soon…if it doesn’t sell first.

The most popular used piano

We should first qualify our claims about the used Yamaha U1 piano’s popularity. Our website, chicagopianos.com, fields as much as 50 inquiries a day from people all over the world seeking information about buying a piano. Because our site has more images of new & used pianos than any other retail piano website in the country, the inquiries we receive are very broad in nature. After a study of all the inquiries over the first three months of 2011, the votes were in. We have nothing to gain from posting this other than giving credit where credit is due. The used Yamaha U1 is a powerhouse.

In all fairness to the rest of the industry, this isn’t much of a surprise for several reasons:

1)Yamaha has made the U1 for half of a century worldwide without changing the model. Very few manufacturers have models that have been around even a fraction of the time.

5) Many cultures ONLY request Yamaha U1′s, so with that sort of brand/product loyalty, the piano has tremendous presence.

It is important to remember, however, that not all used Yamaha U1 pianos are created equal! This is why the price range for U1′s wildly varies in the lawless ways of the wild wild web. Also keep in mind that age doesn’t often have much to do with resale value. We recently had a 5 year old U1 that rightfully sold for less than half the price of one that was 40 years old due to how it was cared for. The cabinets both pianos looked great but the insides told a different story. Used Yamaha U1 and U3 pianos imported from Asia also have a very wide range of quality…and therefore price. There is a LOT to know about these pianos when simply shopping price on the internet so please feel free to contact us for more information. You can also Click here for Buying Tips that you will likely find to be most valuable if you’re looking for information on buying a used piano.

Cordogan’s tries to obtain as many used Yamaha U1 pianos and Yamaha U3 pianos as we can get but good ones are often difficult to find — especially ones that are in mint condition, so please check our used piano inventory or call 630.584.5000 to see what we currently have in stock.

Does all of this talk of Yamaha U1′s mean YOU should want one? Not necessarily. It just means that it’s an easy product to research because it is widely popular on a global level and because it doesn’t have much competition given its long history and widespread popularity. There are definitely pianos that might be a better value for you, depending on your circumstances.

Also there are still plenty of issues to discuss if you should find yourself considering a used Yamaha U1 piano, so please contact us at 630.584.5000 for more information.

“Does this affect used piano prices too?” Absolutely. It doesn’t happen overnight like how manufacturer price increases go into effect, but the used market plays catch up pretty quickly. The price of a used piano usually starts with the owner (dealer or private individual) consulting new piano prices to help determine the value of the used one in question. For instance if a new 48″ Yamaha U1 professional upright goes up 5%, used ones pretty much go up accordingly because the value of used ones is related to the prices of new ones.

At this time we have a great selection of used Yamaha pianos and used Kawai pianos. Please click here to see our new Yamaha piano inventory and click here to view our used piano inventory. If you have any additional questions, please call us at 773.383.1734.

http://news.yahoo.com/video/odd-15749658/piano-bar-mystery-intrigues-miami-23972698

There are two ways you can get this Disklavier OS Upgrade:

Download the update program directly to an E3 that is connected to the Internet (via IDC)
Download the update program from this site using a PC and USB Flash Memory (with at least 20MB available space). Click on…
“Version 3.00 Update Program,”
then “DOWNLOADS/UPDATES,”
then “NORTH AMERICA”
…and you can download both the PROGRAM and the MANUAL.
Please make sure to upgrade all the E3′s on your sales floors. In addition, we recommend that you contact customers to whom you’ve sold E3 Disklaviers and offer to visit their home(s) to upgrade their instruments.

* Click here for a PDF of a flyer that describes the Disklavier Controller Application, that is free from the iTunes Store. Feel free to download and print this flyer. Please note that your iPod/iPhone/iPad must be connected to a WiFi access point that is on the same network as your Disklavier for this application to function.

THE ULTIMATE PERFORMANCE SILENT DRIVE HD


Increased internal memory retains all settings and improves reliability and compatibility on all control units
-124 levels of expression
-Faster processor
-Streamlined architecture
-Boosted velocity and timing accuracy

PianoDisc has set a mid-July 2010 release for its new Hi-Resolution player technology.  Called SilentDrive HD, it is designed to improve the playback capabilities of its player systems, all of whichcan be added to virtually any make or model of piano, new or previously owned, heirloom instruments, grands or verticals.

The Technology

SilentDrive HD features a faster processor and streamlined architecture that boost both velocity and timing accuracy.  Improved timing means that trills, for example, play back with much more accuracy than was possible before. SilentDrive HD also offers better low-volume performance.  SilentDrive HD’s increased internal memory capacity retains all settings and improves reliability and compatibility regardless of what control unit is used.  The new design features 1024 levels of individual note expression, so SilentDrive HD gives PianoDisc systems the ultimate in playback authenticity.  SilentDrive HD works equally well no matter which type of control unit plays the piano.

In addition to being standard on all new PianoDisc systems, it will be also be available as an upgrade to existing systems.  Customers who upgrade to SilentDrive HD will be eligible for PianoDisc’s Legacy Music Exchange program and additional free music.

An Important Endorsement

Award-winning composer for films and television, Danny Elfman (“Batman”, “Spider Man”, “Alice in Wonderland”, “Desperate Housewives”, “The Simpsons”), recently beta tested SilentDrive HD and gave it his endorsement:

“When I purchased a wonderful Bösendorfer grand piano for my new studio, I knew that I wanted to outfit it with the best MIDI playback system I could find, so the piano could be used for both arrangements and recording. The SilentDrive HD system quickly became the top choice and I’ve been very pleased with its performance.”

“The difference SilentDrive HD makes in playback performance must be experienced in person to be appreciated, but it can certainly be compared to the difference between Standard and High Definition television”, says PianoDisc’s executive vice president, Tom Lagomarsino.  “An SD television image looks fine, but HD is a whole new world.”

For more information about SilentDrive HD you can call us at (630) 584-5000 or email info@chicagopianos.com.

The U.S. demand for Estonia pianos has reached a level that we’ve never seen before in any brand. Even in these challenging economic times when most piano manufacturers have warehouses full of pianos, the highly acclaimed Estonia piano is thriving to unprecedented levels, selling out all over the world. Estonia dealers are hopeful to have just a single unsold Estonia on their floor to show. Most have none. Our store was without a display model for months, but we just received two backordered Estonia pianos (a 5’6″ model 168 and a 6’3″ model 190) — although neither is actually for sale. These pianos must remain on our floor to show because it could be over a year before we ever see an unsold Estonia. The Estonia piano factory is now only allocating units to dealers who produce invoices showing they are sold to retail customers. The current wait time is 2-4 months.

Why is this happening?

Well, it is no secret that Estonia pianos have become the most talked about name in world class grand pianos — and that comes with good reason, which you can read about here. Their value is so unparalleled in the industry that other world class brands are being offered at huge discounts with immediate delivery, only to have consumers still choose Estonia…and wait months for delivery. But that’s really just the beginning of the story. Estonia’s recent elevated status in the piano ratings is actually the first of many recent changes in the market that has fueled the surge in demand.

Looking at the production side, Estonia only makes ~200 pianos a year — for the whole world. Now that the piano ratings show Estonia at least as good as a Steinway (at roughly 30% less cost), the piano world has been buzzing even more. Steinway makes approximately 5000 pianos a year for the whole world. Therein lies part of the supply & demand problem that Estonia faces. Couple that with the fact that Estonia has chosen to open up dealers in China and the problem just got exponentially worse. To make matters worse, Estonia just began production of a 7’4″ model for which there are dozens of orders. Those orders, and any subsequent 7’4″ orders will be at the expense of the production numbers of the other models because Estonia is not increasing production with the introduction of their fourth model.

Are Estonia pianos worth the wait? The piano buying public seems to have answered with a resounding yes. Please feel free to come in and experience the beauty of Estonia pianos for yourself by visiting Cordogan’s Pianoland.

Email us for more information at info@chicagopianos.com or call Rick @ 630-584-5000 .