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The consumer guide to getting a good piano in Singapore

You could ask us for a thousand reasons why we love playing the piano and why it benefits our lives – but let’s face it, we just love it beyond reason!

Of course, there are scientifically proven benefits to playing the piano as well. It sharpens fine motor skills, improves dexterity and hand-eye coordination. Music has also been proven to scale back heart and respiratory rates, cardiac complications, and to lower vital signs and increase immune reaction.

If you’re interested in playing or buying a piano, here’s a handy guide before you visit a piano shop in Singapore.

How to Pick a Good Piano for yourself:
pianoPiano Makers to Consider

The piano is extremely complicated. Rightfully, countries that have an extended history of creating instruments of fantastic quality boast the foremost highly prized instruments.

European countries known for his or her fine quality include Germany, Austria and France. Eastern European countries like the Czech Republic make excellent instruments also. European makes usually have a great touch with an upscale, full sound.

While European-made pianos have long been known for their quality, Asian makers from China, Japan and Korea have been matching their quality standards in recent times with significantly improved production quality, research and technological improvements.

As a result, while their initial instruments have a thinner tone that lacked character and expressive tonal control, today’s Chinese, Japanese and Korean pianos are recognised by musicians worldwide to be just as good as European pianos.

Piano Sound

piano-soundBefore buying a piano, try playing it to work out whether you like the sound. This is often subjective; some people prefer a brighter tone, while others prefer a mellower tone. An honest piano sound is round and full. You should also get a professional’s opinion, preferably from an experienced pianist or a registered piano technician.

Listen to the consistency of the piano’s sound. Are the volumes of the keys consistent? Play all the notes of the piano with equal strength and listen for any unexpected deviations in volume. In addition, is the quality of the sound consistent? Listen to notes that sound unexpectedly brighter or mellower than the others.

Brand Selection

A piano shop like CRISTOFORI stocks several brands that have consistently produced reliable acoustic pianos. These brands have earned themselves an honest reputation and are generally considered as safer choices. If you have no idea where to begin, start with these brands:

  1. CRISTOFORI
  2. Pearl River
  3. Seiler
  4. C. Bechstein
  5. Ritmuller
Second-hand piano or brand new?

piano-tuningThe biggest draw of shopping for a second-hand piano in Singapore is its price. Good-sounding acoustic pianos are often expensive, so a second-hand one may be a good option for those without an enormous budget.

However, this will be a risky decision, because second-hand pianos do not typically come with factory warranty. This is crucial for second hand pianos as they are susceptible to wear and tear and you risk paying repair fees if things do break down.

Thus, before purchasing the piano, find out when the last maintenance was done and whether the piano was kept in a healthy environment. While second-hand pianos are cheaper, tuning services are more frequently required for older and aged pianos which can increase your costs in the long run.

Additionally, a second-hand piano could have dents and scrapes. You would possibly need to hire a piano refinishing specialist to repair these damages and for care and maintenance, which can increase the cost incurred once more.

If you are looking for second hand pianos for sale in Singapore, why not consider CRISTOFORI? We stock both brand-new and secondhand pianos!

Price Range of CRISTOFORI’s Pianos for Sale:

CRISTOFORI aims to supply a wide range of top quality and reliable instruments at reasonable prices so that everyone can gain access to musical instrumentsinstruments for learning and playing music. CRISTOFORI has grown to become one of the most prominent piano companies and music schools in Singapore.

Over the years, we’ve satisfied 80,000 piano customers and taught over 200,000 students to play music. Here, you will find the finest quality pianos at some of the best piano prices in Singapore.

At CRISTOFORI, you will find pianos of very fine quality and affordable prices, which range from $699 and upwards depending on the functions and features.

Discover our range of pianos at

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10 Basics for Learning Acoustic Guitar for Beginners

It’s been widely researched that guitar players’ brains work a touch differently to everyone else’s, and it’s not surprising at all! Learning and playing the acoustic guitar has shown to promote relaxation and improve concentration, especially among children.

The art of learning to play the chords and skim musical composition rewires their brain in a positive way, which results in all types of cognitive benefits. An acoustic guitar is also easily carried around, is easy on your wallet and is a great instrument to play in social settings.

If you’re interested in learning the acoustic guitar, this article will guide you on the 10 basics of acoustic Guitar Lessons for beginners in Singapore!

Note: It is better for young beginners to start learning the guitar with the classical guitar versus the acoustic guitar.

Why should young beginners start out with the classical guitar instead?
  1. The classical guitar’s nylon strings are much more comfortable to play with versus the steel strings of the acoustic guitar
  2. They will spend less on their first instrument
  3. They will master the fundamentals much easier
10 basic things Singaporeans need to know about acoustic guitar lessons
    1. A guitar of reasonable quality:

      Owning a sub-par guitar will stunt your progress. Buying an honest quality guitar makes Guitar Classes easier. Bad quality acoustic guitars are difficult to play and may encourage poor technique. Buying a quality acoustic guitar within a reasonable budget will put you on the road to sounding great!

  1. Tuning is important:

    guitar-tuning
    Learning to tune your guitar is one of the most important steps to playing the guitar. If your guitar is not in tune, your play will be inaccurate, and you will be wasting your practice efforts. Don’t let an easy mistake stunt your progress as a guitarist, find out how to tune your guitar!

  2. Holding the pick:

    Here are some pick-holding rules for you to follow:

    • Point the pick straight down to the guitar
    • Make sure your grip is comfortable• Make sure you’ve got a firm grip
    • Rest your forearm on the guitar for stability
  1. Strumming:

    guitar-strummingEveryone who plays a guitar learns how to strum, which in its basic form is playing multiple strings with one downward or upward movement. Although this looks like an easy movement, it takes time for a beginner to do it naturally. The upstroke is particularly hard due to how the hand wants to maneuver. Beginners often struggle with playing all the strings cleanly too.

  2. Have a good posture:

    One of the foremost important Guitar Classes you will learn is that the quickest and easiest method to master the guitar is to possess good posture. While it’s not the most exciting thing about playing the guitar, it is essential to master if you would like to learn quickly.

  3. Learn the guitar scales:
    • The Minor Pentatonic Scale
      A pentatonic scale is a scale that has 5 notes per octave. This is usually the primary scale guitarists learn to play solo with and is commonly used for solos in rock, blues, and other popular styles.
    • The Blues Scale
      Once you learn the minor pentatonic scale, it should be relatively easy to find out the blues scale because it is an equivalent of the pentatonic with one additional note!
    • The Minor and Major Scales
      The minor and major scales are very commonly used in pop, rock and even blues among other popular styles. The chords formed from the minor and major scales would be the foremost commonly used chords in popular chord progressions.
  1. Scheduling and time management:

    Setting and dedicating time for guitar practices is the single best way of learning and improving on your acoustic guitar playing skills. Just 20 minutes of practice each day can deliver significant results!

  2. Learn simple chords first:

    Chord-diagram-7Small, easy steps can make your guitar learning journey more rewarding. For example, E minor is often the first guitar chord you learn, but it is used all the time in hundreds of thousands of songs. Learn it and you’ll be on your way to play a full song in no time!

  3. Learn different picking techniques:

    There are actually more to picking techniques than the common down pick. There are sweep picking, cross picking, alternative picking or even tremolo picking – try them out and see which one suits your style of play.

  4. Don’t give up when it gets challenging:

    Many beginners let go of their acoustic guitar lessons when the going gets tough. Sticking to practicing and learning the toughest parts of the acoustic guitar is essential to mastering the instrument and rewarding yourself with the songs you love.

How Much Do Acoustic Guitar Lessons Cost in Singapore?

he fees for learners in Singapore is often lesser in group lessons in comparison to one on one lessons. 30-minute group guitar lessons at CRISTOFORI start from $22 per lesson, while individual fees start from $27 per lesson. 2 key factors to keep in mind when considering acoustic guitar lessons are the quality and calibre of the Guitar Teacher Singapore.

Pick experienced teachers:

Professional guitar tutoring services involve experienced MOE and NIE-trained Guitar Teacher Singapore who can understand the varied strengths and weaknesses of every individual student. The course or goal plan that they prescribe caters to the unique needs of the student. Hence, it is strongly advised to never deviate from the prescribed action plan.

guitar-lessonsWhy CRISTOFORI Guitar Lessons for Beginners?

CRISTOFORI is the best place to learn acoustic guitar lessons in Singapore. With over 40 years of teaching and 200,000 successful students, we have created an education philosophy that takes the Whole Person Theory approach that focuses on three aspects: academic skills, learning skills and the awareness of the training process itself.

In other words, our students are trained not to be spoon-fed but to seek knowledge and help actively. They find out how to concentrate, learn and organise information into knowledge. As such, students will gain analytical skills, concentration and abstract thinking skills.

Over the years, we also held firmly to our belief of producing quality musical instruments and selling them at the most reasonable prices.

Find out more about our acoustic Guitar Lessons

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