The idea was to research the Yamaha piano, maybe rate their practicality and versatility versus their cost, thinking I would find a lot of slick ads about electronic keyboards and meet some fast talkers. Well, I was surprised not once but twice.
The Gentleman
Blake Cooper, who is president of Cooper Music in Atlanta offered for my eyes living proof that southern gentlemen have not gone with the wind. A pianist since the age of ten, this soft-spoken family man even lives by a credo: Build a Better World Through Music Education. Given the fact that his company has been in business for 105 years, I decided to look into the merits of this credo and discovered the Mozart Effect. This theory holds that children who study music, most specifically classical music rendered by piano, invariably make better grades than their peers and tend to achieve greater success in life. This sincere man was my first surprise for I got the impression he would never try to sell me anything but would help me buy whatever I wanted and there is a difference.
The Yamaha
My second surprise during this project was the astounding range and quality of Yamaha pianos. It came as a pleasant eye-opener to learn that prodigious musicians such as Paul McCartney, Elton John, Alicia Keys, and John Legend perform exclusively on Yamaha Grand Pianos. The pieces are extremely elegant, gleaming instruments that offer a classic sound capable of filling a music hall as well as a den or livin
g room. Then there is the Classic Georgian Baby Grand Piano, a smaller but no less beautiful creation that is perfect for starter homes or beginning students.