Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Greetings from Spain¡¡ (Download of Fine´s book??)

Hello all....¡¡¡

First of all I want to say I was delighted to find this forum, while searching info on Kawai´s and Petrof´s...(Buying a piano soon IF I can make up my mind )

Cannot decide yet and the more I read the more I doubt. Sounds familiar, doesn´t it?

I began studying just 8 months ago, so a SERIOUS beginner, but always loved music and learning to play piano was one of my childhood dreams....currently own a digital Yamaha and after checking my "skills" and back reactions (have a back condition) I "decided" to buy a piano, probably Kawai Rx-2, Petrof III or IV, maybe a Yamaha G2...And yes, I know it may be a bit too much of a piano for a beginner

I´ve gone through so many interesting threads regarding brands, books, learning skills, it´s overwhelming¡¡¡¡..Just downloaded Chang´s book...

I´ll do my Forum "homework" before posting and investigate a bit on my own

Looking forward to hearing from you soon,

Elle

P.S. Is it possible to find a download version -free or not- of Larry Fine book and its 2004-2005 version? Thanks in advance

Hi Elle, and welcome! I can provide absolutely no information regarding your question but wanted to say hi. The Piano Forum might be a good place to ask any piano questions.

Hola, Ella.

And that's about the limit of my spanish. Spent a week on holiday in the dominican republic Christmastime, and I was in Valencia on business about two years ago - not much sightseeing though - all work and no play unfortunately. So that makes me a spanish expert right?
Anyway, welcome to the board.

Fine's book can be ordered on line, in print version only, but you can download the supplements (yearly updates). The URL is http://www.pianobook.com/order_info.html

I think there's actually a hotlink on the forum page somewhere for this.

I like both the RX2 and the Petrof III, I've played a C2 and a G1 from Yamaha, not sure about the G2. I'm curious to know how you campare the three, as I would think the Petrof is a bit different tonally from the Kawai, but with some similarities. I thought the Petrof's tone delicately pretty, and the sustain lovely. I thought the Kawai to have a more fuller bigger sound. The G1 I played was suprisingly good for the sticker price, and was voiced softer than I'm used to hearing from small Yamaha grands. I can't imagine the G2 being any worse, and possibly better than the G1, given it's a longer instrument. A nice choice you have there.

Let us know how you make out.

Jamie

Hello Mark and Jamie.....and thanks for your replays

I´ve read a lot of threads and one minute I´ve decided to go for the Kawai and the next changed my mind and go for the Petrof.

Happily I think I found THE PLACE to get pro and well-founded assesment

Regarding comparing the three of them, Jamie, you are totally right...

PETROF:I personally liked the sound of Petrof better but asking here and there (my piano teacher included) there seems to be some questioning regarding its quality..She keeps on insisting on Kawai.

Besides that, I am having difficulties to find a Petrof dealer in my city. A well-known music shop is closing down and would have a good deal for a III but I worry about post-sale advice and such....besides its a lil too long for the room available

KAWAI: To me sounds more "brilliant" than Petrof but still like it. Being manufactured in Japan was reassuring to me, but found that some serials are from Indonesian production (???) http://kawaius-tsd.com/pages/serial_manudate.html

Can you enlighten me about this?

G2:I thought of G2 as my piano teacher owns a G3 and she talked wonders regarding its sound. I don´t expect it to be that good but was very curious. Will go to check it (and its serial number) tomorrow.

So, as you can see, my heart (and ear ) tells me Petrof and my brain tells me Kawai.....

Any suggestion will be EXTREMELY welcome...

Thanks for the warm welcome (and the patience reading the long thread

Elle

Welcome, Elle2002!

My personal experience as a beginner is that I generally learn more readily when seated at a better quality piano. The way I see it, an experienced pianist can sit down and make just about any instrument sound great - but we beginners need all the help from our pianos as we can get!

Enjoy your piano shopping and congratulations on you musical undertaking.

. . . Linda

Elle:

You might also want to post a message on PianoWorld's Piano Forum. The Piano Forum is devoted exclusively to questions about specific piano manufacturers, dealers, industry developments, etc. There are many knowledgeable folks on that forum who might have information to help with your questions regardng production quality, piano size and room dimensions, etc.

Good luck . . . Linda

Elle2002,

I think the rub with Petrof is inconsistency, not so much poor quality.

You can play 10 Petrofs and 10 Kawais and chances are there will be more Kawais in ten that you like than Petrofs. Now, one of the Petrofs might be absolutely amazing and blow away all 10 Kawais.

This is the nature of the beast. This is why everyone advocates judging each piano individually.

If I had to pick a piano sight unseen/unheard I would probably select the Kawai, because my odds of getting a good one are better. If I had the wherwithal to shop and shop I would go out and find that special Petrof III. The money saved (you say Petrof is much cheaper than the Kawai over there, right?) would be an added bonus.

Welcome!

You'll find that 8 months of experience doesn't make you the newest adult beginner. To some, you're a seasoned pro!

Have fun, and good luck with the piano search.

Welcome, Elle2002!

Well, hey! If you can afford it, why the heck not?

I have to admit that I have no experience with the Yamaha or Petrof grands. My sister-in-law has a Kawai grand (don't remember which size or model). When properly regulated and tuned, it is wonderful to play.

hgiles made a good point about Petrof--it's not necessarily that they are of lesser quality (though, I realize this is open to debate). The consensus seems to be that they are great pianos when properly prepped, and offer a lot of bang for your buck. Apparently, they just do not always come out of the factory consistently well-prepped.

I did play a lot of Petrof uprights when I was piano hunting, and very likely would have purchased one had my piano not come along. I really liked them--wonderful tone, touch, and sustain, not to mention cabinetry. Had I purchased one, I would have been confident in its quality. I think the hard part with Petrof is that it is not nearly as familiar as Yamaha and Kawai, so people do not really know how "good" they are. I even talked to the infamous Larry Fine about Petrof (yup, I shelled out the dough and made use of his telephone consultation service), and he had really good things to say about the newer ones (those manufactured within the past decade or so).

Please don't take all this as a "Petrof is better than..." post. I don't really have anything bad to say about Yamaha or Kawai, I just personally did not prefer their tonal quality or touch. But, again, I was not looking at grands.

As hgiles intimated--judge each piano individually. You've probably already heard (or at least read) this: shop around, take your time, try LOTS of different pianos. And, if you fall in love with a piano that everyone else thinks is carp... well, that's just too bad for them! It's your piano!

Good luck!

Hello all again¡¡

First of all, thanks for the warm welcome and encouraging words

Linda: Thanks for your advice regarding piano forum...Been getting a lot of feedback there too..and indeed, in the beginning of my search, I thought I played terribly, but honestly, my performance improved dramatically when the pianos were better....

hgiles: Yes, what I heard could be interpreted like that...Inconsistency....I keep on loving how Petrof sounds and as I am shopping actively (I would not personally buy unheard/unseen -not out of luck of trust but out of enjoying the process personally), will find my piano sooner or later. The difference in price is indeed a bonus, like 3000 or 3500 $ less. My only worry was quality, but recently my teacher suggested I could buy one without much concern as I was not going to play 10 h a day....If only I could hear both a Kawai and a Petrof at the same place¡¡¡

(Cyndi: THAT was VERY reassuring ....smiles...8 months count¡¡¡)

And last, but not least, TK: your post was also very enlightening....Btw, which piano did you buy? I am really curious ....I will just listen to my heart and my fingers ...

Thanks a lot to all again, and I hope to be of help sooner (even if its only regarding suggestions about Spain)

Take care,

Elle

P.S. FELL in love with a Bechstein, C. one, but he is too old for me (30 years) and way out of budget and size (2 meters) ¡¡¡ FINALLY I joined the "if I had budget" club :p

Hi, Elle!
I'm from Barcelona and started about just 8 months ago too. One month ago I bought a digital piano, a Korg SP300. I don't think of a real one yet, maybe in the future...
I registered here some two weeks ago and I can tell you there are lots of interesting stuff.
I'm enjoying a lot with my learning and playing.

See you round here!

Hi Mauri.....I bought a digital piano 8 months ago as well¡¡¡

As my playing is improving (or so it says my teacher) I am shopping for a grand piano right now but it is so overwhelming (considering travelling to Germany even¡¡) and such a serious investment that I might wait a bit more and add a 88 keys digi to fill the gap and feel less stressed...

Anyway, nice to see another Spaniard around (you being the 3rd one besides Pedro and me)

Welcome and see you around¡¡

Elle