In 2009, Roland changed the digital piano industry forever with the introduction of the V-Piano – Roland’s very first fully-modeled digital piano.  At the time, nearly every other digital piano for the home or stage used a technology called “representative sampling” (often known as  “Harmonic Imaging,” “Wave Synthesis” or “Advanced Wave Memory” – every piano manufacturer had a preferred name for it).  Put simply, sampling technology utilized microphones to take short recordings of acoustic pianos (called “samples”) for playback in a digital piano.  More expensive digital pi ..read more

One of the questions I often hear in the piano business is “Can I teach myself how to play the piano?”  Whether you’re struggling to find room for piano lessons in your schedule or your budget, we have more – and better – options than ever for at-home learners.  Is a self-directed, at-home piano lessons program right for you?  Well, stick around and find out! My first recommendation is simple:  Keep your expectations realistic.  Don’t start piano lessons thinking you’ll be playing Beethoven tomorrow! It may take time to learn the basics, but the musical foundation they ..read more

As one of Arizona’s premier music education partners, Riverton Piano Company is honored to once again supply the Arizona Music Educators’ Association (AMEA) with all of the pianos they need for their two-day conference at the Mesa Convention Center.   From February 3-4, 2023, music educators from all over Arizona will converge for two days in Mesa to learn about new music education concepts and curriculum, share ideas, network with each other, and – of course – make great music together. Sonja Lynne discusses classroom technology with an Arizona music teacher at the Riverton Piano C ..read more

Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Julie Hackmann from the Kyrene School District. Mrs. Hackmann is the Coordinator of Kyrene’s Visual and Performing Arts Department. It has been a year since her district replaced nearly all of their old school pianos with new Roland Digital Pianos, and we wanted to catch up with her to see how they’re doing. Also, we thought it would be a great opportunity to share with you the process she went through to make this investment happen. Hi, Julie!  Thank you for speaking with us.  What led you to the position of Fine & Performing Arts Coo ..read more

If you grew up the way I did, you probably heard someone in your household overuse the whole “right tool for the right job” cliché.  Then – to your horror – you found yourself saying the same thing over the years.  We’ve all been there.  The fact is that there are some tools that work better in certain situations – even when it comes to pianos.  While any piano can be used in a school, not every piano is ideally suited for the rigors of a school environment.  In fact, some pianos are too small, too fragile or too limited to be appropriate classroom tools.  …and si ..read more

Attention Roland owners!  If you purchased one of the following Roland digital pianos from Riverton Piano Company (or Piano Showroom of Arizona), then you qualify for THREE MONTHS of FREE PIANO LESSONS through a special partnership with Roland and Pianote – the popular interactive music lessons app that lets you interact with LIVE piano teachers: F701, FP-10, FP-30x, FP-60x, FP-90x, GP607, GP609, HP702, HP704, LX705, LX706, LX708, RP500, RP102, RP701 You heard that right!  NO ADDITIONAL PURCHASE REQUIRED!  Roland has always worked closely with educators and learning programs s ..read more

If you’ve been a piano teacher for any length of time, you’ve undoubtedly heard about countless “must have” teaching tools for your studio.  From flashcards to beanbags, from rhythm cups to theory games, and from play-a-long CDs to MIDI files – you’ve seen it all!  Of course, sometimes these tools really DO work – especially with that “difficult to reach” student – and offer some powerful rewards.  Often, though, they just find a cozy spot on your studio shelf where they collect dust for what seems like an eternity.  How, then, do you know which new “tech tools” will actual ..read more

Purchasing a hybrid piano, a player piano, or a digital piano opens up exciting options for both the hobbyist and professional piano player thanks to a technology called MIDI. If you’re not familiar with MIDI, check out our article “What is MIDI and Why Should You Care?”  It will get you up to speed. Currently, all of our Roland digital pianos, Yamaha Clavinovas, PianoDisc player pianos as well as our Yamaha Disklavier and Yamaha Silent Pianos use MIDI.  Some can even use MIDI wirelessly over a Bluetooth connection.  That means that these pianos give you more options than a trad ..read more

On June 9, 1840, Franz Liszt hosted a concert in Mayfair, London’s Hanover Square Rooms.  The performance was part of a two-concert series advertised as “Liszt’s PianoForte Recitals.”  History records this as the first “piano recital.”  …but you might be surprised to learn that – though Liszt coined the term itself – many don’t consider him to be the father of modern classical piano recitals.  Why?  Because they were too much fun!  Seriously.   Franz Liszt’s piano recitals were so spectacular that they drove his audience into a frenzy. In 1841, Heinrich Heie ..read more

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