New Quaverbox Site 2012

27 Nov 2011
This website is currently being reconstructed to include a new look, and a lot more resources! We hope to be ready in time for the New Year so come back early in 2012! read more...

Office Closed until 24 October

14 Oct 2011
We're closed from Fri 14 October to Mon 24 October. Any orders received will be shipped once business resumes. read more...

Attaching a Progression to a Melody

Jay asked, "I really want to find an easy way, if there is one. The question - If I have a melody, then how do I come up with interesting chord progressions for it?" read more...

Major and Minor

As musicians, we come across the terms 'major' and 'minor' everyday yet not many of us really know what they mean. read more...

How Much to Practise?

Most of us lead busy lives. If you're a student, there are exams and assignments. As an adult, it's even tougher - work commitments, raising children, etc read more...

Demystifying Diminished Chords

Basically, a diminished chord is a stack of minor 3rds. For those of you who have no idea what that means, you can work out a dim chord by starting at the root, counting up 3 semitones, playing that note, then count up another 3 semitones, and playing that note too. read more...

The Major 2nd Chord

In short, major 2nd chords are major triads with the major 2nd added, so a C2, for example, should be thought of as C E G + D. There are 4 inversions of this chord read more...
Roland RD100 and NAD C315 BEE

The Roland RD100 was the first in a line of fully weighted 88 keys stage pianos that comprised the RD series. Since the RD100, they've produced the RD150, RD170 and RD300SX, which was again recently superceded by the RD300GX. I've bought every one of these models apart from the RD300GX.  Ironically, the RD300GX is my favorite followed by the RD100, which I currently teach on.

The RD100 is an oldie but a goodie. Unlike it's newer cousins that have numerous bells and whistles, the RD100 is almost featureless. Apart from a two track recording function, metronome and half a dozen sounds, it boasts a fantastic grand piano voice. That's basically the reason why I bought one. I needed a stage piano that sounded better than my upright piano and when I run it through my NAD C315BEE stereo amplifier, it sounds a treat!

The RD100 grand piano sample is more realistic than the newer RD150 and RD170 which both sound a bit tinny. The hammer action is very natural and perfectly weighted however the return action of the keys can be a bit noisy. It's a solid stage piano and consequently a bit heavy, but it has survived two drops onto hard floors without any damage.

If you find one of these on eBay for around $500, grab it!

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