Shopping For The Right Piano

Remember back when you were a kid you would go to Grandma's house and she had that little upright piano sitting against the wall? Most likely it was a spinet, and we got to bang on the keys and it was probably pretty out of tune.

Well today the selections are a lot better starting with vertical pianos of different sizes going up to the horizontal grand piano. Starting with the vertical types there is the tallest, fifty two inches tall, called a professional upright. Fortunately all vertical pianos measure in width approximately the same within about three inches. So if you have five feet of wall space, you have plenty of room for a vertical piano. The taller pianos are referred to as "professional uprights" because professional piano players demand better sounding instruments. Most piano buyers in the world buy vertical pianos becase of space limitations. Here in the United States we enjoy larger homes, so we can have the larger "grand piano" sizes. The professional uprights also have the same pedal functions you have on a grand piano, where the smaller uprights have limited usage.

If your question is why people prefer the taller pianos, the answer is quite simple. Every piano is equipped with a sounding board, usually made from spruce, and that is what is referred to as the speaker in the piano. So you realize that the more square inches of sound board we have, the bigger the sound will be. The other factor is the string length. Obviously, the taller the piano, the longer the strings. This means that the bass section of the piano gets fatter, and therefore produces a bassier sound. This provides more depth and warmth to the music.

The shorter the piano, the brighter and more tinkely the sound. Some people refer to it as tinny. So if you can afford the taller types of pianos, you'll enjoy the sound much better. The taller the piano, the more raw materials are in it, and the more expensive it becomes.

Now let's move on the other professional uprights. The forty eight inch upright is generally the preferred size used by most piano teachers and their students. When we were in school, most were equipped with what is called a studio piano which stands forty five inches high.

Lastly we have what is called a console piano. These pianos range from forty to forty four inches in height, and are available in a huge variety of furniture styles. These pianos are generally used for entry level students and are most affordable.

Use a Mobile Website, But Don't Make These Mistakes

Everyone is appealing accustomed with the internet and websites. After all, just 10 years ago you apparently didn't dream about accomplishing your cyberbanking on-line or booking hotels and vacations through a website. Now, it's a accepted accident and about 'second nature' and has become the 'normal' way of accomplishing business.

But accept that just because you accept a website, it doesn't beggarly that it's optimized for the adaptable web. Optimizing a website for the adaptable web absolutely agency that you accept to actualize a bare down adaptation of your absolute website that provides alone the a lot of important advice about your auto account shop. That is, how to acquaintance you and acquisition you.

When you're ambience up your adaptable website, be abiding that you don't accomplish these accepted mistakes:

Don't try to absolute adaptable visitors to your approved website. Internet experts are absolutely adage that there's two internets; One for the desktop or laptop user; the added for the adaptable user. Accept that even admitting smartphone users can 'pinch' and 'squeeze' pages to zoom in and apprehend them, a lot of just bang away. Above that, your approved website takes too continued to load. If you wish to be acknowledged in the adaptable world, you accept to alpha by apropos your visitors time and bandwidth consumption. Accomplish your adaptable website with abate pages and faster loading.

Don't accomplish visitors punch the buzz to allocution to you or jot down a amount area they can 'text' you. Your adaptable website should use scripts and links that automatically let visitors 'tap' or bang to alarm you. The hotlink automatically brings up their buzz with your buzz amount abounding in. They just accept to columnist the 'send' button! Likewise you can add links to let them 'text' anon to your phone. Just like the buzz links, the user is taken to their argument messaging with your amount already in the appropriate field! (What a abundant way to alpha a chat and a claimed accord with your barter and prospects!)

Don't accomplish the adaptable user guess. When adaptable users appointment a adaptable website, they are attending for the facts; Just the facts ma'am, just the facts! Don't accomplish them assumption on area to acquisition you. Accommodate alternate maps so they can get admonition or added advice (if they wish or charge to). In short, accomplish it simple for them. The acerbic analysis is to get somebody who doesn't apperceive who or area you are and ask them how continued it took them to get what they need. When it comes to adaptable websites, account is not just an issue, it's a huge issue. Otherwise, visitors just bang away.

When creating your adaptable website, bethink that your visitors absolutely just wish the basal facts so they can acquaintance you. Keep the pages short, fast loading and accommodate the advice your company needs to call, argument or appointment you.

Pub Marketing Using SMS

Pub business has become abundant added important in contempo years due to the bread-and-butter bearings that we acquisition ourselves in. Because of this, the pub barter has been heavily afflicted by the actuality that humans accept beneath money to absorb on affluence items and that they are traveling out to socialise on beneath occasions.

So, how do we get the bulletin beyond to our barter to accomplish them added acquainted of the actuality that you are still there? You could use acceptable business methods such as commercial in your bounded newspaper, handing out flyers in the street, or accepting posters in your establishment.

Let's bound go through anniversary of these:

Newspaper Advertising: This adjustment has been accurate to plan to a baby degree, about the simple actuality of the bulk is that a lot of of us now if we're account book media accept become 'immune' to adverts and so tend to skip over them. Bi-weekly commercial is aswell apathetic moving, ie, you abode the advert in the advertisement today, and it may not be printed for addition 5 days. This is not the boilerplate you charge if you accept a advance or accident you wish humans to apperceive about tomorrow.

Street Flyers: You could absorb a few hundred pounds to get a few thousand flyers printed off with alcohol promotions that you commonly accept active in adjustment to duke them out in the artery to casual humans on a Friday night. The botheration with this adjustment is that almost ninety to ninety-five per cent of humans out walking in the artery already apperceive breadth they are traveling and will just abandon the flyer and avoid it. So for the environmentally publican, alive that they accept about blowzy their bounded breadth with hundreds or thousand flyers does not consistently sit simple on the mind. Also, with the actual 5 to ten percent of humans who do not apperceive breadth they are aiming for on a night out, you are alone acceptable to abduction a baby bulk of those to airing through your doors. So you accept to decide, is it account paying out to accept these printed for a baby scattering of added customers?

In-house Posters: These are abundant for if you already accept the humans central your pub, but how will it get them into there in the aboriginal place?

An another business adjustment for pubs is adaptable business application SMS. This is an old technology acclimated in a new way to get your bulletin out to humans and is actual amount able compared to added methods. The acumen for this is that beneath UK law it is actionable to forward out unsolicited argument letters to humans who accept not autonomous in to accept them from you, so those that get them wish to apprehend what offers, promotions and contest you're running.

SMS business is aswell badly responsive. If you al of a sudden book a bandage to play that evening, or you are accepting a decidedly quiet night you can blazon up your bulletin and accept it in the approach of hundreds of humans in seconds. There is no cat-and-mouse for a bi-weekly to be published, no auctioning of flyers you've had printed, it actually is burning marketing.

SMS letters aswell accept a ninety-six per cent apprehend rate, which dwarfs the boilerplate fifty-five per cent for artery flyers, and the almost ten percent of bi-weekly advertising.

Recession Proof Your Business

Well, there are lots of things you can do, and I'm traveling to allotment one of these with you adapted now. It is a simple address that you can apparatus immediately, which will not amount you a penny, but could access sales by as abundant as 10%, 25% or even 50%.

Do you wish to apperceive what that is? It's simple...

... Ask anyone who has just purchased something to buy something else.

Let me explain:

Take McDonald's - what's their bolt phrase? "Would you like chips with that?" Before they alien 'Value Meals' that catechism apparently gave them an added £300 - £400 actor in sales anniversary year worldwide. Now they say, "Would you like to go large?" (Or words to that effect).

Whatever you are selling, at the time of acquirement you accept an befalling to advertise something else. You accept a customer, at your till, acclimation something over the telephone, or affairs something from your website. You do not accept to absorb any added money to get them there. They are a bound admirers - all you accept to do is ask them one simple question. "Would you like... ?"

Let me accord you some examples:

A Shell account base in Australia won a antagonism for affairs the accomplished aggregate of engine oil. When the buyer was asked how he did it he replied, "It's easy. We say to everyone, 'Please lift your beanie and I'll analysis your oil'". Since RACQ analysis begin that 75% of all cars run low on oil, that Shell account base sells lots and lots of oil which is awash at the abounding amount - not just the boilerplate discounted petrol sale.

What would appear if you endemic a shoe abundance and you asked your barter as they were about to pay for their purchase... "Would you like some shoe brightness with that?" If you serve 50 barter a day and alone 1 chump in 5 takes you up on the offer, it agency 10 added sales. Sales you never would accept had. At say £1 accumulation per item, you accept £60 per anniversary added profit. That's £3,120 per year. For one tiny item!

Car dealers are experts at up-selling. You alpha with a basal £10,000 car, again you add covering seats, admixture wheels, air conditioning, electric windows, ABS brakes and you've just spent addition £3,500. All in the endure 10 account of the sale... afterwards you've already active up for the basal car! They don't accomplish abundant money on the car itself, they accomplish it on the extras.

How can you administer this in your business?

A clothes boutique could action addition account of accouterment or an adapted accent - for archetype a chaplet and adornment set with a appealing dress, or a tie with a shirt.

A acrylic and asphalt boutique could accept a account of aggregate that would be bare to complete the job - the chump can attending at it to see they've got aggregate they need. If they haven't, area do anticipate they'll get it? From you of course.

A appliance abundance could action bedside cabinets with every bed, or lamps for the cabinets.

Computer companies could up-sell a awning for the computer or a box of CDs.

Alarm installers can accept a account of added casework the homeowner ability need. Things such as fencing, carpets, landscaping. They can again accredit those leads to added humans for a fee or allotment of the sale.

Whatever you do, you accept to do it able-bodied - so that it is of account to your chump - not artlessly aggravating to advertise them something. Humans adulation to buy but abhorrence to be sold.

Give them aberrant account and they'll adulation you and acclaim you to all their accompany - and access your coffer antithesis at the aforementioned time.

It amazes me every time I go to a café and adjustment coffee, the sales abettor will ask, "Would you like annihilation else?" Of beforehand my accepted acknowledgment is "no". However if he/she were to say, "Would you like a block with that? Our amber brownies are actually delicious", I may able-bodied say, "Oh why not? Just this once".

Look at the ample civic companies - supermarkets consistently accept deals on 'Buy one get one free' or '2 for £3'. You can administer these attempt on a abate scale.

What if you don't accept a artefact but are alms a service? You could action a additional and third account at a hardly discounted amount if the chump paid for all three in advance.

Whatever you choose, the key is to analysis and admeasurement aggregate on a baby calibration first. Trial altered offers, altered means of affairs the added artefact or account (I am fractional to amber but I apperceive not anybody is).

You could actualize a antagonism amidst your agents to see who could advertise the a lot of widgets during a accustomed anniversary or ages - annihilation like a bit of antagonism to get things moving.

When I was a apprentice (a continued time ago) I becoming added banknote alive in the Little Chef. They already had a antagonism whereby every time we awash a Prawn Cocktail we had the befalling to win a holiday. That summer we awash a lot of Prawn Cocktails - How? We artlessly asked, "Would you like a Prawn Cocktail to start?"

The point is - it works. Analysis it and see your profits soar. Be artistic in what you offer. Get your agents complex - they will adulation to appear up with altered ideas.

Your chump will feel that you care, because you are anxious abundant to advance something they may need.

Do let me apperceive how you get on and how abundant added accumulation it has fabricated you.

Sets Appointments With Real People

Are you cerebration that the appellation is just decrepit with the obvious? You ability anticipate afresh if you accede the prevailing attitudes appear online communication. There are times if humans accept become so adequate with who they acquaint online, that they overlook how simple it is to lie on the internet.

And how can it not be? It takes a lot to verify the advice getting relayed through online channels. However, you accept to be able to do that if you don't wish any agitation for your business. It's important for you to accomplish abiding that you're affair with absolute humans from a absolute company.

Please bethink that there's no amount to any abundance of advice unless you can about-face that advice into able leads. That includes advice from acquaintance data, advice on the needs of your prospect, and furthermore, advice that identifies them as an accurate business.

You should never set an arrangement and ascertain a business' needs afterwards aboriginal authoritative abiding that said business is absolute in the aboriginal place! You anticipate telemarketers accept been stigmatized by scams? Website and amusing media profiles can be ambiguous too!

Websites - Anybody with a half-decent web architecture aggregation can put calm a believable web page. That doesn't beggarly those humans are in actuality a business. Some 'online businesses' are in fact, online betray sites that are out to abduct acute advice and bulb awful software!

Amusing Media - Don't abolish the alarming belief of humans assuming as anyone they're not (whether it's on Facebook, Twitter, or even on LinkedIn). Abiding you apprehend mostly balmy cases but the actuality is, not anybody on a amusing arrangement is who they say they are.

Be accurate about ambience accessories just because you've chatted for a account with them on the internet. You ability anticipate you accept a nice continued agency of appointed affairs or a able account of attendees to your webinar. But if the acute day comes, hardly anyone in actuality shows up. If you try to chase up, you've accomplished that they've concluded their accounts, their websites, and get no responses from their email. In added words, you've been had.

This is why, as a business, you accept to be able to expend abundant assets to verify that your anticipation is absolutely a absolute business entity:

Get online advisers to access the IP addresses of admission email inquiries.

Accept your business accord an absolute buzz alarm to your anticipation aggregation afterwards conversing with their assembly on amusing media.

Set up all-important safeguards in case your advisers run into apprehensive websites (and maybe even do a bit of online analysis if necessary).

If you can't allow to advance in the all-important accoutrement and cadre again at atomic try to outsource a acclaimed online business aggregation or telemarketing firm.

After that, alone again you can you even anticipate about accepting accessories set.

Now there's no agnosticism that online advice can be accurate if you've appear to assurance a accurate source. Regardless, it's bigger to be safe than sorry. And if you anticipate about it, you're not the alone one alert of internet technology's accommodation for bamboozlement and infiltration. Your affairs would wish to affirm that you're a absolute business as able-bodied so it in actuality goes both ways!

Quadratura and the Baroque

I am very excited because I am leaving next week to travel around Italy for two weeks.  One of the works I am looking forward to seeing again when I am in Rome is Andrea Pozzo's ceiling fresco: The Triumph of Sant' Ignazio in the church dedicated to the Saint.  In fact Art History Blogger readers may notice that I have used this work as the image behind my blog header for the reason that it is such a dynamic painting.

Pozzo (1642-1709) was an Italian Baroque painter and architect as well as a lay brother in the Jesuit order.  Due to this he was commission to create art for several Jesuit churches, both in Italy and in Vienna.  The Triumph of Sant' Ignazio is an enormous fresco, which covers the ceiling of the entire nave and perhaps the best known example of quadratura.

Andrea Pozzo,Triumph of Sant' Ignazio of Loyola, 1691-94
(Allegory of the Missionary Work of the Jesuits)

Ceiling fresco, Chiesa di Sant' Ignazio, Rome

Quadratura is a specific style of trompe-l'oeil painting which incorporates architectural elements into the work to create a convincing illusion of the expansion of the actual space into an imagined space.  In this case the painter used the actual clerestory windows (see bottom image) and painted around them.  Of course the viewer does know that the church ceiling isn't open to heaven above, but it is hard to gauge the depth of the ceiling in person or to know if the ceiling is curved.  In fact the nave ceiling of Sant' Iganizio is completely flat, but Pozzo does a very good job at creating the illusion of great depth.

Oculus from the Camera degli Sposi (wedding chamber)

Andrea Mantegna, 1465-74

fresco, Palazzo Ducale, Mantua, Italy

Quadratura had been used in a few early examples, but reached its height of popularity during the Baroque, particularly in Italy but also elsewhere in Europe.  A well known earlier example is this ceiling fresco by Mantegna created in the 15th century.  However unlike the Pozzo work, this is small and playful rather than dramatic. 

Quadratura was the perfect style of painting to tie in with the qualities in art that are associated with the Baroque: drama, theatricality, dynamic, full of excess and grandeur. 

Annibale Carracci, Triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne, begun 1597

Farnese Gallery, Rome

In 16th century ceiling paintings, such as this example by Carracci in the Farnese Gallery, there were some elements of trompe-l'oeil such as the painted cornice as a frame and the four figurative "sculptures" in the corners.  However this is not considered quadratura as Carracci wasn't attempting to create the illusion of another space that didn't exist. Viewers were meant to be delighted and amused by his work rather than awed.  The viewer would instantly recognize a painting, the figures existing in their own space.

Pietro da Cortona, The Triumph of Divine Providence, 1633-39

 Palazzo Barberini, Rome

 Another example is Pietro da Cortona's The Triumph of Divine Providence (seen below) in the Palazzo Barberini in Rome.  The subject matter is the triumph of the reign of Pope Urban VIII.  Here the viewer could see the painting as an extension of their own space.  In person it is difficult to tell which architectural details are real and what are imagined.

 Triumph of Moderation, ceiling fresco (1731) Paul Troger 

Quadratura painting around the perimeter, Gaetano Fanti

Melk Abbey, Austria

 

One reason that the style spread was through a book on painting that Pozzo wrote in Latin which was later translated into German, Tractatus Perspectivae Pictorum et Architectorum.

Later versions of quadratura were used in the 18th century in Germany and Austria and began to use lighter and brighter palates more fitting to the new Rococo style.  One such example is the quadratura painting of Fanti in the Melk Abbey, Austria (above).  The painter Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-70) also created many ceiling frescos and paintings meant for ceilings, such as the example below.  

Allegory of Merit Accompanied by Nobility and Virtue, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo

1757, ceiling fresco, Ca' Rezzonio, Venice

While Tiepolo did use quadratura in his enormous ceiling fresco in the Wurzburg Residenz in Germany, his typical use of quadratura was more like the earlier Renaissance style.  His paintings were created to amuse the viewer, the opulent style and dramatic compositions of the Baroque now replaced with the playfulness of the Rococo.

Learning About Steinway Grand Pianos

It can be hard to make choices. Some are easy, such as saying 'no' to drugs. Some are hard, such as choosing whether or not to put your dog down when he is sick. As we move through life, choices get more and more difficult as we become older and older. Once you buy your first house, the choices become even more difficult. Should you get this paint or that? Two bedroom or three? And what if you are trying to choose the musical instrument that your child will play? Well, that one has an easy answer. You should go with a grand piano.

And not just any regular one. You need to go for the best so that your child will push themselves to be number one as well. Even if you are just buying this for yourself or for a concert music hall, you want the best. That means you want a Steinway. There are several different types of Steinways that you should consider.

The biggest Steinway grand piano is a concert grand. It tops out at eight feet and eleven inches of pure beauty and rich tones. If you are on your way to being a concert pianist, this is the instrument for you. It is the favorite of musicians worldwide and will look impressive in any concert hall. A size down from the concert Steinway is the Music Room Steinway. This has often been given the title "the perfect piano." It measures at six feet eleven inches and is perfect for the room in your house that you have been meaning to turn into a music room. Also, if you are planning on providing piano lessons from your house, this is the perfect teaching piano. It provides the same rich tones as the concert, just on a smaller, more intimate scale.

If the Music Room Steinway is still a tad too big for you, you can always choose the Parlor Room Grand Piano. This one has the tried and true rich tones of a Steinway but the piano has been scaled down to offer the sound in a smaller container. It measures 6'2" and, since this instrument is smaller, it is perfect for the family who wants to buy it and put it in a small sitting room. Close in size to the Parlor Room Steinway is the Living Room Steinway. Measuring in at 5'10", this model produces rich bass tones that are far beyond what one would expect from such a small frame. It will easily fit into your house and still provide you with Steinway quality.

The last two types of Steinway grand pianos are the Medium Steinway and the Baby Steinway. The Medium tops out at 5'7" and can often be found in music schools and conservatories. There is nothing mediocre about its sound, though, and you will not be disappointed. The Baby tops out at five feet and is small enough to fit into nearly any room. It will still deliver the rich sounds you have come to expect from a Steinway and is easily the logical choice for anyone looking for an affordable, small but amazing Steinway.