Tickling the ivories

I am a frustrated musician. I always say that to my friends and family who can play an instrument as easily as they can breathe or sleep. I have always loved music and have had a fascination with anyone who can compose, play or sing effortlessly. I have met several musicians in my life (Nino, of course, tops that list) who have amazed me with what they can create with music and instruments and over the last few months I have been trying to learn how to finally play a musical instrument myself.

Now, I’m not completely inept when it comes to that. When I was younger, I was part of the school band — woodwind section and I played the oboe. In fact, I was the only one in school who did so it was quite a lonely section compared to the huge group of flutes and clarinets. What I should have taken up though was the piano. This is probably my favorite instrument since I love listening to classical music, especially pieces played on the piano like the works of Bach, Beethoven and Mozart. I think there is nothing more soothing than hearing the beautiful works of these masters as rendered on the ebony and ivory keys of a piano.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have a piano growing up so I figured studying it would be out of the question since I wouldn’t be able to practice at home. I can, however, play one song which is one of my favorites: Moon River. There is just something so calming about being able to play the piano. Nino loves pianos too, and he can play quite well. I love sitting and listening to him in the recording studio as he plays a plethora of melodies and it always relaxes me. Unlike me, he is not only into playing musical instruments but looking for the best ones on the market as well. As a musician it is important to him to not only have great sound but great quality, features and aesthetics as well. Because of this, we actually duck into music stores almost every time we visit the mall or go out and I always get to play around with guitars and egg shakers while he is on the lookout for a new keyboard or amplifier or the like.

Which brings me to my current point of rumination. I recently came across this new (beautiful) keyboard being launched and exclusively distributed here in the Philippines by Lyric Piano Corporation — or Lyric, as it is known its loyal clients. Lyric music store began operations back in 1960 as a supplier of piano parts to the different piano manufacturers in the Philippines. They eventually began manufacturing their own locally made pianos that were successfully exported for their excellent craftsmanship and global quality.

Unfortunately in the mid-‘90s, China began mass-producing pianos at a much lower cost, which made it difficult for Philippine-made pianos to compete in terms of price. When this happened, Lyric began importing branded pianos into the market, catering to higher-end music lovers. These brands included Steinway from Germany, Boston Pianos and Kawai from Japan (just to name a few). At a time when most other piano stores have closed down, Lyric chose to branch out beyond the piano and expand its store and operations into all aspects of music.

They began carrying full lines of musical instruments as well as all the accessories that come with those instruments including guitars, violins, cellos, oboes, flutes, clarinets and every other instrument you can think of, from brass and woodwinds to percussion instruments. In addition, they have all the accessories and parts for each instrument as well, from cases all the way to strings and screw replacements for all their items.

In addition to this, Lyric is also offering music lessons. From guitar to voice, violin, cello, piano, percussion they are always coming up with new and exciting classes for those interested in music and have a well-versed faculty coming from schools like UST, UP, and St. Paul among others. “We place a lot of importance on our music school,” Joy Cristobal, general manager of Lyric, says. “It is our goal to instill an appreciation for music in everyone and give everyone the chance to learn whatever interests them.”

Indeed, from a premium piano outlet, Lyric has branched out and established itself as one of the best full-line music stores in the Philippines, always on the lookout for new and exciting brands to bring to the market. This brings me to their latest addition, the Nord keyboard line which they will be launching tomorrow, Aug. 8. The launch will be at the Sekai Center, 368 Ortigas Avenue cor. Madison St., North Greenhills in San Juan at 5 p.m.

The Nord keyboard systems are handmade and carefully crafted in Sweden and are among the top of line when it comes to keyboards in the world. They produce excellent sound and carry unique features only available in a Nord, and what’s more, they come in a gorgeous rich red color that is sure to catch every music lover’s eye.

I got the chance to check out the new Nord keyboards before the launch on Saturday and was extremely impressed by all the things they can do. Nord is truly like the Rolls Royce of keyboards and offers such a broad range of effects, sounds and capabilities. As Eric Tubon of Lyric put it: “Nord offers real-time sound editing with the warmth of an analog synthesizer in a digital domain.” Put simply, it offers the pure rich sound of a real piano in a digital format with real-time editing. I even got to play my signature Moon River and got a kick out of distorting it and adding special effects while playing.

Nord offers a diverse range of keyboards for every type of musician and musical producer. They have their classic Electro, which is the choice of stage performers for its ability to sound just like a real piano and organ as well as a plethora of effects and samples from the Nord sample library. They also have the Nord Lead 2x with its warm analog sound coupled with cutting-edge digital technology — not to mention real-time editing which is a great plus for music producers and composers. They also have the Nord Stage which combines both in one amazing package. Oh, and did I mention they were beautiful bright red?

So, for music lovers, aficionados and professionals in the field who can appreciate a high-class precision instrument, the Nord is definitely something to look into. Not only can you get the feel of rich, real piano sounds, but all the digital benefits to easily produce high-quality music.

Nord is exclusively distributed in the Philippines by Lyric Piano Corporation.