Archive for Musical Instruments
The Melodica: A Fun, Easy to Play Instrument.
Posted by: | Comments
Not exactly as shown.
Some of our Christmas customers this year were looking for a small, light, and portable instrument called the Melodica.
These were customers of all ages, many of which were buying this great little instrument to help introduce their children to music, use for entertainment on camping trips, and some were university students to play at parties and have some fun.
The demand for the Melodica this year was such that we had to visit our supplier, D’Addario of Canada, several times to keep up with the orders.
So what exactly is a Melodica you ask? Well it’s an instrument that It is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. You press one of the keys and it allows air to flow through a reed. The keyboard is 2 0r 3 octaves. Melodicas are popular in music education especially in Asia. The Melodica in its modern form was invented in 1956 by a Brooklyn Musician Joseph Lederfine to teach music fundamentals to children. Jazz musician Philip Moore Jr. on his 1969 album “Right On” used a melodica.
Not exactly as shown.
If you’d like to get your own Melodica, we have several in stock in a lot of great colours; pink, blue, black, and yellow. This is a great gift for someone who wants a unique instrument to add to their collection, or to experiment with a free reed instrument.
If drumming is closer to your style, don’t miss out on our Bucket Drumming Classes during March Break. Bucket Drumming is all the craze these days and our own Glenn Gratto is a local expert teacher.
That’s it for now. Hope to see you soon!
Anne.
Santa Specials
Posted by: | Comments
STENTOR HARLEQUIN COLOURED VIOLIN OUTFIT.Available in Black (BK), Purple (P), Red (R), Blue (BU), Green (G) and Raspberry Pink (PK). Handcarved from solid tonewoods,with rosewood pegs and chinrest. Tailpiece with 4 adjusters. Outfit includes matching coloured P&H fibreglass bow and lightweight shaped case. Available in 4/4 – 1/4 sizes (except black, only 4/4 – 1/2 sizes).
Harlequin Violin Case and coloured bow
Regularly $240.00 this week only $192.00!
A twenty percent savings and a 2 year warranty.
Classic Music and Fiddlers can now enjoy great quality and vivid colour in their playing with the Stentor Harlequin Violins. Please come and visit them and we have a Royal “Blue Cello as well.
SIX string Banjos have arrived at Rysons. If you play guitar you can play a six string Banjo.
Great instrument Great price 199.00
A great idea for camping . having fun ;relaxing, and experiment with a new instrument; Santa Special at Rysons while they last 199.00 Have a great Holiday .
It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas Music at Ryson’s.
Posted by: | CommentsCan you believe that we’re less than 10 weeks away from Christmas 2011?!
Hope you like this little video…
So, at Ryson’s, we’ve begin to prepare for the Christmas Season. We’ve got exciting new musical instruments, accessories, and sheet music arriving daily. Plus, we’ve already begun offering some special deals.
A Ryson’s Gift Card is a great Christmas gift for your favorite musician. You can use the Gift Card for musical instruments,
musical instrumentaccessories, music books and sheet music, music instrument repairs, and music lessons. We’ll also put your chosen gift on Layaway if you wish.
Check out this new MK962 Electronic Keyboard complete with 61 keys, fully digital with 100 rhythms – 8 demonstration songs – Rhythm programming – record/playback – LED Digital Display and many more great features. To top it off, add our exclusive Ryson’s 2 year warranty.
From “Love Me Do” to “Revolution”, and “Yellow Submarine”, you guessed it…The Beatles! We’ve got 10% off Beatles guitar straps, perfect for your little Beatle guitar player. We have a large supply of Beatle Books as well.
Your Little Drummer Boy will love finding the new Typhoon Electric Drum Kit on Christmas morning. This great little set has got to be seen to be believed. This set is the perfect solution for “quiet practice” at home.
Christmas Music has arrived; Reader’s Digest Christmas, Glee Christmas. Christmas Pop, Season Greeting, Elvis Christmas, and many more with all of your Christmas Favourites.
Looking for a great deal on a guitar? We’ve got awesome Typhoon packages from Daddario including; Guitar, Amp. Strap. Cord, Picks, Bag- and our 2 year warranty. These great guitars have arrived in all colours red-blue-black and sunburst. These are a terrific price thanks to our very own Santa Larry at Daddario.
Ever heard of Beavercreek guitars? If you’ve been around Ryson’s for awhile you have. Well now you can get your favorite guitar player a great guitar at a very reasonable price. They all come with our 2 year warranty. The Elves at Santa Larry’s workshop are busy making all the Beaver Creek Travelling guitars…a great gift for all ages .
Is your favorite guitar player a young lady? Well in that case you’re going to want to check out our great selection of Daisy Rock Guitars .for Christmas. You simply must see the Daisy,The Star, The Heart Guitar and all the new products.
Hey… Santa helpers have just dropped off a sleigh full of great brass and woodwind musical instruments; flutes, saxophones, trumpets, trombones,and lots more at terrific prices and a great warranty.
Music Lessons are a great gift for Christmas. It is the gift that keep on giving for a lifetime. Interviews are always available. Our music lessons are Accredited and we do provide Tax Receipts.
This year our Ryson’s Christmas Concert will be on Dec.18th Please Call 905 682-6832 for information or drop in at the Studio 5 Court St. St. Catharines.
At Ryson’s, we are a large, musical family we’d love to have you join us in the future! Christmas is a Homemade Holiday It is the most wonderful time of the year with homemade cookies, gift giving, birth of our Lord, relatives and friends and the enjoyment of music.
We hope you’ll come visit us at Ryson’s. In the meantime we wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas.
Anne.
Fiddlefest Mainia
Posted by: | CommentsAs Fiddlefest quickly approaches we are preparing by putting things on sale, what else? Would we string you along?
No, seriously, all violin strings are 10% off with the mention of this ad from now until FiddleFest is over. The same goes for rosin and shoulder rests.
- Is your bow looking a little thin? Come on in and have it rehaired before the festival for only $45.
- Need to be amplified? Come on in and try out “The Band” violin pickup. It is a wrap-around pickup on sale for $150 (regular price is $175) until Fiddlefest ends.
- Need a little colour in your life? Come in and try out the Harlequin fiddles. They cost only $225 (regular price is $240) for the whole outfit and come with a coloured bow. They come in a rainbow of colours: Deep Purple, Silver Grey, Marine Blue, Green, Black, Red and Raspberry Pink. They are handcarved from solid tonewoods with rosewood pegs, chinrest, and a tailpiece with 4 fine tuners.
These specials won’t last forever, so stop fiddling about (sorry, I couldn’t resist) and get in here before the fiddle magic is gone. July 10th is the last day to act on these great deals, so don’t delay.
Thanks
Anne.
Fiddlefest: Get Your Tickets To Win a Beautiful Mahogany Dulcimer!
Posted by: | CommentsRyson’s has a beautiful spruce and Mahogany dulcimer on display that will be raffled off at FiddleFest.
Tickets are $2 or $5 for 3. This beautiful instrument, a $450 value, is being raffled off with proceeds going to support music scholarships.
We would like to thank the sponsors of the FiddleFest event:
Charlie Argall for a beautiful collector’s tin of Ernie Ball strings that will be raffled off at $2/ticket.
Counterpoint Music for a donation of scholarship money.
Old Time Fiddle Club for scholarships as well.
To make a donation to go towards a child’s musical education come on in and see us at Ryson’s Music before the FiddleFest.
Harpsicle Harps Provide Inexpensive Way to Play a Harp!
Posted by: | CommentsCome in and see the new Harpsicle harp. 
Harpsicle harps provide a great inexpensive way to get into playing the harp.
Traditionally the high entry price for the harp has made it difficult to get into learning the harp. Not anymore! Harpsicle harps were designed by world renowned harp maker William Rees. Rees Concert Lever Harps have been used on Grammy winning CD;s by professional harpists working with Paul Winters and Yo Yo Ma.
The Harpsicle harp has 26 strings and weighs only 4 ½ pounds. They are made of maple and birch woods and finished in lacquer in a wide array of colour choices. Check them out at www.harpsicleharps.com or come on in to try out the one we have in stock.
Lessons for harp will be available in August. They are great for music therapists, beginners or the traveling minstrel who needs a light harp.
It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas…Again!
Posted by: | CommentsWell once again it’s beginnig to look a lot like Christmas.
Not much in the way of winter weather, but the specials are arriving on the Santa Express at Ryson’s. Twinkling Christmas decorations are up, students are playing the sound of good cheer and our staff are in a holly jolly mood.
[flvplugin flv=http://rysons.s3.amazonaws.com/Santa%20video.flv player= buffer=5 autoplay=false loop=false border=false preload=true redirect=]
Looking for that special musical instrument? Or perhaps rare piece of music for your favorite musician? Order now to fulfill your musical gift list for Christmas.
This year Santa’s brought some terrific holiday specials including; Typhoon Electric Guitar Amplifier bag strap and guitar, with picks and our exclusive Rysons 2 year warranty.
Everything you need to be a rock star for $225.00.
Rudolph and the gang are prancing over the specials on all brass and woodwind instruments. “Look Santa they even have jingle bells, drums sets, hand drums, celtic drums, bass guitars and amplifiers as well as mandolins, violin with cases and bows sets, all at super Holiday Savings!
Christmas Elvs are reminding us not to forget all the great accessories for your favorite musician; strings, picks, reeds, pedals, drum sticks, metronomes, tuners and much more.
Mrs. Claus is having a great time in the music book section with all the new Christmas books from “White Christmas”, “Readers Digest Christmas”, “Hilarious Christmas Books” , even Taylor Swift and Hanna Montana. Other books to make great gifts include Frank Sinatra, Beatles, Rock, Pop, Blues and many more. “Santa this is a large book store”, says Mrs. Claus.
This year’s annual Christmas Concert at Silver Spire Dec. 20 at 1:00 in the afternoon. All proceeds go to Silver Spire “Out Of The Cold”. Just $10.00 per family and if you would like to bring a toy for the needy that would be gratefully appreciated.
The short story; “The Day the Welland Canal Monster met Santa”, is a Child’s delight and available at Ryson’s Studios . It is a great book during the festive season, written by local author Frank Proctor who can also be found on AM740 Toronto. Join Tiny, Clarence, and the Welland Canal in a must read story for the holiday season.
Lots of stuff going on with our teaching staff;
- First, we’d like to welcome back Matthew Therrian who has joined our teaching staff as a piano instructor. Matthew is also acting as the Music Director at Silver Spire. As a Music Graduate from Brock University Matthew received his BA in Music, he also earned his Accredited Registered Certified Teacher certificate, (A.R.C.T.), at a early age.
- Danielle Oegema, one of our violin teachers has just released a new Cd called ‘Zusters” with all original music.
- Lauren Gasbarini one of our voice instructors is arranging several of our students in a choir for the Christmas concert. Lauren will also be finishing her broadcasting course at Niagara this year, and will be hosting the Santa Claus parade in Niagara Falls for Niagara College on November 28 airing on Cogeco.
- Dave Tufford, Torry Doyle, Jordan Phelan and Tim Popek will be putting band groups together for our Christmas concert.
If you’re looking for some great music for your Holiday Season event The Golden Hammers and The Rockin Daisies are available for your music needs. Call Anne at 905 682-6832
A large shipment of Beaver Creek guitars arrived today including the backpackers guitars, a great Christmas gift.
Speaking of great gifts, music lessons are a gift, that last a lifetime.
Our Rysons Gift Cards are available in all amounts and can be redeemed for musical instruments, instrument repairs, or music lessons and books.
Ryson’s Studio of Music is open Monday to Friday 9 to 9 Saturday 9 to 5.
If I can be of service please give me a call at 905 682-6832 or anne@rysonsmusic.com
Best Wishes,
Anne.
P.S.
Ryson’s is Home of the 2 year Warranty…don’t take chances on your new musical instrument.
“The Richest Child is Poor Without a Musical Education”
Fiddler Wins Beaver Creek Guitar!
Posted by: | CommentsThe winner of the Beaver Creek Backpacker guitar, donated by DAddario was 
won by a very talented young lady named Ainsley Porchak from Woodstock.
Ainsley is a great little fiddler, and I’m sure she’ll master her new guitar very guickly.
Congratulations Ainsley
Is It A Violin or A Fiddle?
Posted by: | CommentsMany people say a fiddle is a violin with attitude. 
Fiddle has two syllables; violin has three. The goal of violin music is beauty and power and the goal of fiddling is dance ability. Violin music is hard to play, fiddle music is usually improvised in part and violin music is rarely improvised. Violin is for orchestra in a classical setting where as fiddle is usually country, pop and celtic. Fiddle is a violin played as a folk instrument.
Itzhak Perlman said “it’s a compliment to tell another violinist – ‘that’s a pretty fiddle.’”
Many fiddlers hold their instrument down on the arm rather than under the chin which frees up the jaw. This can be useful for calling square dancing. This is NOT acceptable in classical playing. Many fiddlers have discovered the benefit of classical training in the speed of their playing and note reading skills as well as learning to improvise at studios, like Rysons Music.
There’s actually no different between Violin and Fiddle except for the attitude of the musician playing the instrument. The instruments are the same but different techniques are used to create the sound.
There are a few physical differences. 
- The fiddler’s bridge may be cut so that it is slightly less curved. The reason for this is that it reduces the range of right arm motion required for the string crossing found in some styles. It also makes it easier to play double stops, shuffles and makes triple stops possible, allowing one to make chords.
- Classical violinists prefer a more rounded curve to the top of the bridge allowing them to articulate each note easily and clearly.
- Violin players usually use gut strings wound with silver to acquire a rich full quality for orchestral playing.
- Fiddle players most often use steel strings for bright tone and playing mobility.
Either way, layers of rosin binding with varnish, whether violin or fiddle is a no-no as it destroys the quality of sound.
Here’s a well-known stereotype about violins and fiddles: “if it’s over $50, it’s a violin”.
Whether you play a Fiddle or a Violin enjoy the love of music.
Kiwanis Classical Violin competition is taking place on May 4th and 5th.
Kiwanis Fiddle competition is on May 1st.
St. Catharines Downtown Fiddlefest and Car Show is on July 11th.
String Cleaner Solves Guitar Player Problem!
Posted by: | CommentsWhen you play your guitar your fingers transmit dirt debris, oils, and 
perspiration to the guitar strings. This particularly happens when sliding along, or bending the strings, although even just touching the strings will produce a certain amount of oil and debris.
The dirt and debris will cause oxidation and rust of your guitar strings which causes them to lose their strength, tone, and brilliance, leaving you with a non responsive string and a dull sound. Not only will this make it more difficult to play, but you simply won’t get as good a sound from your guitar, and the only way to correct the sound is to change the strings.
So what can you do to keep your strings in top quality condition?
It’s important to the life of your strings to wipe them clean after every use. This will go a long way to extending the life of your guitar strings. You can also use cleaning materials such as alcohol to clean the strings, but you need to be careful not to get that material on the guitar as it will damage the finish.
Over the years, guitar players have struggled with this dilemma. It’s not unusual for professional guitar players to change their guitar strings on a weekly basis, depending on how frequently they play. This adds up to quite an expense. But all great guitar players know that in order to get the sound they want, the strings need to be responding and transmitting a brilliant sound.
The “String Cleaner” Solution
Dave Chiappetta is a guitar player, arranger, producer, and composer of music. Dave, like most professional guitar players was frustrated with trying to clean his guitar strings with alcohol, rags, and his fingernails. So he invented the “String Cleaner”.
The “String Cleaner” is a simple device that surrounds the guitar strings in a specially selected micro-fiber cloth material. The material is made up of thousands of tiny material loops which are semi-coated, and totally surround the strings when the string cleaner is in the closed and secured position. When the string cleaner is slid up and down the length of the strings, the material first loosens dirt and debris and then collects and removes it from the strings. The string cleaner also has “fret ramps” on the bottom part of the device which makes it easier to slide the device up and down the fret board, and easier to get into the hard-to-reach areas such as at the top of the neck.
The “String Cleaner” is a great solution to a problem that guitar players have struggled with for years.
Right now we have a special price on the “String Cleaner”, and a bonus offer on another little problem solver for guitar players, which helps keep track of your guitar picks.
Go here to learn more about the “String Cleaner”