The shop in Bras Basah Complex was renovated and had a new shop name:-
Old Address:-
Swee Lee Company
Blk 231 Bain Street #03-27/29
Bras Basah Complex
Tel: 63367886
Email:sales@sweelee.com.sg
New Address:-
Tempest Music
Blk 231 Bain Street #03-27
Bras Basah Complex
Tel: 63366518
Email: info@tempestmusic.com.sg
Monday, January 25, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Bought a Digital Piano
Yesterday, my hubby bought me a digital piano Korg SP-250.
After a few trial and error, we notice that our dear baby is very sensitive to the Hailun piano sound. Whenever I attempt to practice on it when she is asleep, she will be awaken by the piano sound and will cry very loudly. But she can sleep with the TV on or the radio on. Maybe TV or radio are white noise to her, but not piano.
But my supportive hubby thinks I should continue my hobby, and hence decided to get me a digital piano as an interim solution. A digital piano can allow me to choose to use the headset or adjust the volume of the digital piano, hence the intent is that we will slowly increase the volume until the baby can accept the loudness of a piano, and then I can play on my Hailun even when she is asleep. The digital piano is never good enough a substitute for my Hailun piano (the feel, the sound, the way the notes resonates is so different), and so I can only hope that my baby will be able to accept the Hailun piano soon.
I can install the silent mechanism into my current Hailun piano, but I have decided not to do it, as I wanted a portable solution, and one that can allow me to adjust the volume. When my baby can accept the Hailun, I plan to move this digital piano to my in-laws place (my in-laws will be helping me take care of my baby when both my hubby and myself are at work) so that both sides have a piano, which my girl can play on and appreciate when she is older.
After a few trial and error, we notice that our dear baby is very sensitive to the Hailun piano sound. Whenever I attempt to practice on it when she is asleep, she will be awaken by the piano sound and will cry very loudly. But she can sleep with the TV on or the radio on. Maybe TV or radio are white noise to her, but not piano.
But my supportive hubby thinks I should continue my hobby, and hence decided to get me a digital piano as an interim solution. A digital piano can allow me to choose to use the headset or adjust the volume of the digital piano, hence the intent is that we will slowly increase the volume until the baby can accept the loudness of a piano, and then I can play on my Hailun even when she is asleep. The digital piano is never good enough a substitute for my Hailun piano (the feel, the sound, the way the notes resonates is so different), and so I can only hope that my baby will be able to accept the Hailun piano soon.
I can install the silent mechanism into my current Hailun piano, but I have decided not to do it, as I wanted a portable solution, and one that can allow me to adjust the volume. When my baby can accept the Hailun, I plan to move this digital piano to my in-laws place (my in-laws will be helping me take care of my baby when both my hubby and myself are at work) so that both sides have a piano, which my girl can play on and appreciate when she is older.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Visitors during my maternity leave...
As I have mentioned before, I have moved my Hailun piano in the living room, in order to free up the room for my newborn. And I have lots of visitors during this period since my baby girl arrived. Visitors who come to give us their best wishes and obviously, they all noticed the Hailun piano sitting proudly in my living room.
As the visitors are all my friends, colleagues' kids, ex-colleagues' kids, relatives, nieces, nephews, little cousins and of coz the kids love to play the instrument. And there are kids trying to show off their skills on the piano, with the encouragement from their parents, and some shy ones, who dare not touch it at all. Then they start comparing who is in Grade what. You know, kids are just kids.
But I do think it is a nice chance for them to try on a Hailun piano. They seems rather impressed by it, though they have not heard of this brand before. Most of them actually own pre-owned Yamaha pianos. Some had brand new Yamaha pianos. And some parents are thinking what to get for their kids as they want them to learn piano when their kids are older. And getting a China made piano always seems out of the norm. And as usual, parents asking me about the piano, the price and so on.
I do think that it is important that pianos are maintained in the best possible condition all the time, as I would think visitors do judge the quality of the instrument in this kind of informal visit, with no intention of promoting a piano, and might form an impression, which would affect their decision making in future. And from a pyscological perspective, people tends to believe that what a person (who have gone through much research) have chosen, will be the correct choice, coz not everyone has the luxury of time to go test one piano after one piano in various shops, especially when they do not even know what is considered a good or bad piano.
As the visitors are all my friends, colleagues' kids, ex-colleagues' kids, relatives, nieces, nephews, little cousins and of coz the kids love to play the instrument. And there are kids trying to show off their skills on the piano, with the encouragement from their parents, and some shy ones, who dare not touch it at all. Then they start comparing who is in Grade what. You know, kids are just kids.
But I do think it is a nice chance for them to try on a Hailun piano. They seems rather impressed by it, though they have not heard of this brand before. Most of them actually own pre-owned Yamaha pianos. Some had brand new Yamaha pianos. And some parents are thinking what to get for their kids as they want them to learn piano when their kids are older. And getting a China made piano always seems out of the norm. And as usual, parents asking me about the piano, the price and so on.
I do think that it is important that pianos are maintained in the best possible condition all the time, as I would think visitors do judge the quality of the instrument in this kind of informal visit, with no intention of promoting a piano, and might form an impression, which would affect their decision making in future. And from a pyscological perspective, people tends to believe that what a person (who have gone through much research) have chosen, will be the correct choice, coz not everyone has the luxury of time to go test one piano after one piano in various shops, especially when they do not even know what is considered a good or bad piano.
Back to Piano Learning?
After 2 months break from piano learning to deliver my baby girl, getting to know her better and getting used to life with her, I wish I can continue my hobby. However, currently I have some medical condition which might require a few operations to get well again. I have went for the first operation (minor) last Wednesday, and will go for my check up tomorrow to see how is my condition and decide if I need more minor operations. Hope that I can get well soon as it is affecting my life and my family's life, especially because of my condition, I cannot carry my baby and my hubby have been the one helping the baby to bath and hugging her. I miss hugging her and bathing her. And it has been very tiring for my hubby as this has already been for 2 weeks or so, and it might potentially be the case for a few more weeks. Ok, don't worry, the medical condition is not life threatening.
Anyway, my piano teacher had registered me for the ABRSM Grade 2 Theory Exams on the 13 March 2010. It costs S$83. I have completed the syllabus before I went on maternity leave, but have yet have the time to revise. I am suppose to resume back to my piano learning in Jan 2010, which is this month, but because of my medical condition, I decided to postpone it till I have fully recovered. Trying not to introduce too many things into my current life to create unnecessary stress. So, hopefully, I can resume back to piano learning latest by Feb 2010.
Motherhood seems more challenging than I thought. The nurses whom I have been in contact with, my confinement lady, my sisters and even my sister's maid all said that my baby girl is much harder to take care compared to most babies. Coz she cries a lot, need to feed a lot (every one to two hours), have problems going to sleep and gets very agitated when she can't go into sleep. And the greatest invention for her is the "sarong". But she needs to be constantly shaked for over like 1 hour plus in order to fall asleep. Else, she needs someone to pat her to sleep. Not a baby who can put herself to bed. So basically, my hands are not free to do what I like, without her crying for attention and security.
So, actually, I feel that to resume back to piano learning would be a challenging task. I could not even have the time to practise my piano without another person (usually my hubby) to comfort the baby. And as I am writing this entry, I have to constantly shake my baby who is sleeping in the "sarong". And it is impossible to do the same when I am practising the piano.
And when I am back to work, say if I am able to move to the role that I am hoping for, then I would not be able to work from home that often as compared to when I was pregnant. Ok, actually I do prefer going to office rather than working alone at home, and work with a team where everyone is in the same Singapore office, so that there is better teamwork and stronger relationship. But that would also mean that I have less time to spend practising the piano.
So, I actually do doubt that I will have the time to continue my hobby with my teacher, given that now, I need to spend more time on my little girl and I will also be focusing more on my career. And I still want one more baby. Maybe I might have to postpone piano learning until my kids are much older and they have their own friends and activities. As of now, my focus will be more on my family and my career.
Nonetheless, my Year 2010 Piano Resolution is to pass the ABRSM Grade 2 Theory exams with Distinction. And to be able to take the ABRSM Grade 2 Piano Practical exams with a pass is a bonus!
Happy New Year to all!
Anyway, my piano teacher had registered me for the ABRSM Grade 2 Theory Exams on the 13 March 2010. It costs S$83. I have completed the syllabus before I went on maternity leave, but have yet have the time to revise. I am suppose to resume back to my piano learning in Jan 2010, which is this month, but because of my medical condition, I decided to postpone it till I have fully recovered. Trying not to introduce too many things into my current life to create unnecessary stress. So, hopefully, I can resume back to piano learning latest by Feb 2010.
Motherhood seems more challenging than I thought. The nurses whom I have been in contact with, my confinement lady, my sisters and even my sister's maid all said that my baby girl is much harder to take care compared to most babies. Coz she cries a lot, need to feed a lot (every one to two hours), have problems going to sleep and gets very agitated when she can't go into sleep. And the greatest invention for her is the "sarong". But she needs to be constantly shaked for over like 1 hour plus in order to fall asleep. Else, she needs someone to pat her to sleep. Not a baby who can put herself to bed. So basically, my hands are not free to do what I like, without her crying for attention and security.
So, actually, I feel that to resume back to piano learning would be a challenging task. I could not even have the time to practise my piano without another person (usually my hubby) to comfort the baby. And as I am writing this entry, I have to constantly shake my baby who is sleeping in the "sarong". And it is impossible to do the same when I am practising the piano.
And when I am back to work, say if I am able to move to the role that I am hoping for, then I would not be able to work from home that often as compared to when I was pregnant. Ok, actually I do prefer going to office rather than working alone at home, and work with a team where everyone is in the same Singapore office, so that there is better teamwork and stronger relationship. But that would also mean that I have less time to spend practising the piano.
So, I actually do doubt that I will have the time to continue my hobby with my teacher, given that now, I need to spend more time on my little girl and I will also be focusing more on my career. And I still want one more baby. Maybe I might have to postpone piano learning until my kids are much older and they have their own friends and activities. As of now, my focus will be more on my family and my career.
Nonetheless, my Year 2010 Piano Resolution is to pass the ABRSM Grade 2 Theory exams with Distinction. And to be able to take the ABRSM Grade 2 Piano Practical exams with a pass is a bonus!
Happy New Year to all!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
My little girl arrived...
My dear little girl arrived on 9 Nov 09. And I will be very busy with her until I get more settled down, so will not be posting that many new blogs anytime soon. Hope I can continue my hobby after I am more settled down and things gets into a routine.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Future Hailun Pianos...
After my visit to the Yamaha shop on their Hybrid Pianos, I was just thinking, it would be great if Hailun pianos have silent versions as well.
Ok, because my baby will be coming out soon, so we have shifted our dear Hailun piano to the living room to make space for more kids to come. Our dear Hailun used to have a room by itself, called our "Music Room". And we have emptied the room. So now, I have a corner of my living room, called my "Piano Corner".
And because now that it is in the living room. It means it will be closer to our neighbours. And because I am still at quite an initial stage of my piano learning, I always worry that I will "disturb" my neighbours too much. So, I usually practise and learn by depressing the "mute pedal", and only when I have mastered the piece, that I will play without the "mute pedal". So suddenly, I thought to myself, how I wish this can be converted to become a silent piano. Haha. But of coz, it will cost about a few thousands to convert this into a silent piano. But I always feel that a silent piano is better than a digital piano (in terms of touch and feel).
After about a year of owning the Hailun HL125, I went back to try their Hailun pianos. What used to be "HL125" is now replaced by "Crescendo HL125", which is suppose to be an improved version of "HL125". I tried, the keys are lighter than the older generation of Hailun, which is more similar to that of the Japanese brand pianos. But the sound is not as thick as it used to be, but personally, I still prefer the Hailun's sound compared to Yamaha's, even when the sound is not as thick as it used to be. The keys are smoother and much easier to play.
Glad to see that Hailun have been making improvements. And hopefully as time passes, more improvements will come along... =)
Hehe, I always feel the Hailun pianos has so much resemblence to the Kia Cerato I bought. Slowly gaining more and more recognition, better design (like the Kia Cerato Forte) and gaining confidence! =)
After about a year of owning the Hailun HL125, I went back to try their Hailun pianos. What used to be "HL125" is now replaced by "Crescendo HL125", which is suppose to be an improved version of "HL125". I tried, the keys are lighter than the older generation of Hailun, which is more similar to that of the Japanese brand pianos. But the sound is not as thick as it used to be, but personally, I still prefer the Hailun's sound compared to Yamaha's, even when the sound is not as thick as it used to be. The keys are smoother and much easier to play.
Glad to see that Hailun have been making improvements. And hopefully as time passes, more improvements will come along... =)
Hehe, I always feel the Hailun pianos has so much resemblence to the Kia Cerato I bought. Slowly gaining more and more recognition, better design (like the Kia Cerato Forte) and gaining confidence! =)
Hybrid Pianos by Yamaha
One of the past weekends, I passed by the Yamaha shop at Plaza Singapura, and went in to try out their new Hybrid Pianos - AvantGrand N2 and AvantGrand N3.
Hybrid Pianos are like Digital Pianos, in that it is run by electricity, and they are very expensive. AvantGrand N2 is S$19k and AvantGrand N3 is S$25k. They promise that the Hybrid Pianos has a much more authentic sound reproduction, plus a grand-type action in a smaller space, as well as tricked out pedaling, which means that the technology is superior to the silent pianos. Also, Yamaha claims to reproduce the CFIIIS concert grand in a 4 foot package, which is quite useful for people short of space.
I must say it is a great jump in terms of touch, feel and sound from their other Digital Pianos, and also much better touch compared to the CVP-409GP which cost about S$13k.
But when I test the Hybrid Pianos against the Yamaha U1 Silent Piano which is about $11k. Frankly speaking, I don't feel any very big difference. But according to one of my forum friend (who is more expert in pianos), she feels that N3 feels and sounds better than both the silent U1 and U3, though it would be a far far cry from a Steinway & Sons Grand Piano. But a conclusion is that it is priced too high. If it were around the $12k mark, they might persuade those who buy the silent U1 to step up for the Avantgrand, but $25k for the N3 is hard to justify for a digital.
Hybrid Pianos are like Digital Pianos, in that it is run by electricity, and they are very expensive. AvantGrand N2 is S$19k and AvantGrand N3 is S$25k. They promise that the Hybrid Pianos has a much more authentic sound reproduction, plus a grand-type action in a smaller space, as well as tricked out pedaling, which means that the technology is superior to the silent pianos. Also, Yamaha claims to reproduce the CFIIIS concert grand in a 4 foot package, which is quite useful for people short of space.
I must say it is a great jump in terms of touch, feel and sound from their other Digital Pianos, and also much better touch compared to the CVP-409GP which cost about S$13k.
But when I test the Hybrid Pianos against the Yamaha U1 Silent Piano which is about $11k. Frankly speaking, I don't feel any very big difference. But according to one of my forum friend (who is more expert in pianos), she feels that N3 feels and sounds better than both the silent U1 and U3, though it would be a far far cry from a Steinway & Sons Grand Piano. But a conclusion is that it is priced too high. If it were around the $12k mark, they might persuade those who buy the silent U1 to step up for the Avantgrand, but $25k for the N3 is hard to justify for a digital.
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