Bergh Institute of Music Technology

Each dealership that sells pianos has their own policy about renting an instrument. Most charge the same amount of rent than it takes to make payments PLUS a cartage fee (usually $200 each way) In reality, they want to sell whatever they have in inventory. If you add up the cartage fees and a few month's rent, there will be at least $600+ spent on a temporary instrument that is rented. Sometimes you can receive credit for the first six months towards the purchase of a new piano (or the one in your possession). Once the rental period is over, you have nothing, and they have your money.

My suggestion would be to purchase a digital keyboard (with 88 full sized, velocity sensitive, weighted keys). Many companies are producing nice digital pianos that you could purchase for around $550. I've seen a few at Sam's Club and Best Buy a few Christmas' ago that would do the trick. Listen to the sound, and feel the action when you go to buy one. Make sure you like it and would be able to enjoy it for many years. If it is not a good quality sound, your child will soon get bored and lose interest. I was impressed with the Casio Privia. Here is a link: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Casio+-+Privia+Full-Size+Keyboard+with+88+Hammer-Weighted+Keys+-+Black/9619225.p?id=1218140195132&skuId;=9619225

The last item is: True Interest. Practicing a musical instrument is not always fun. It is sometimes work. Before you make a purchase for any young person, be sure they are overwhelmingly biting at the bit to commit to it. Have them promise to give it at least a year. If they will not commit, they are not truly interested in working at it. Once they are past a year, they are more apt to want to continue on their own. If they have given it a good year, you'll feel that at least they tried, and your investment was at least helpful during that time period. 

I hope this was helpful. Save my email address to contact me, in case you have any additional questions.

Blessings,

Bruce Bergh

bruce@drmidi.com

On October 11th, 2007 the Bergh Institute of Music Technology was recognized by the state of Missouri as a Not-For-Profit Corporation! We have been wanting to incorporate under this designation for several years now, and we have finally achieved our goal. Paperwork is in the works with the Internal Revenue Service to become tax exempt, as well. The incorporation of BIMT allows our music school to receive funding from private and public sources which will allow our music school to grow and allow less fortunate children to be exposed to making music. We will soon be able to offer scholarships to students in an effort to strengthen our community with positive personal development through our students, creating vital role models. Many studies have been made proving that making music not only grows the brain, increasing intelligence, but provides an outlet for students to develop the positive attributes of self-confidence, teamwork, and logical thinking. Check out http://smarter.bimt.net for additional information on how "Making Music Makes You Smarter". The Bergh Institute of Music Technology is in need of several items which will benefit our students. We teach group keyboard lessons interfacing keyboards to computers. If you have an extra computer, piano or other instrument you are not using, and would like to make a tax-exempt donation, we would love to hear from you. We are also in need of three flat screen monitors 24" or larger to be used for video presentations during group lessons and recitals. If you are a contractor, we need our parking lot paved, rural water to be connected, a tractor to cut our weeds, and a snowplow or skid loader for snow removal. Any gift you can offer to help would be appreciated. We will provide you with a receipt for your taxes for both cash and property. We look forward to this time of building, and thank you in advance for any contribution you can make for our students.

We've been recieving several requests to explain what substitute chords are. The three main chords of every key are built upon the first, fourth and fifth tones of the scale. For example, in the key of C, they would be the C, F and G chords. I like to call these chords the Primary Chords for harmonization. 90 percent of the songs you want to play can use these chords to harmonize. In order to add more color or additional harmony, we can use what I like to call Adjective Chords. These chords are similar to adjectives in verbal communications. If I said I have a ball, that would be a simple, primary (chord) analogy. If I keep adding adjectives, (such as the Red Ball, or the Big Red Ball, or the Big Red Smelly Ball), each time I add a new word, the description of the ball gets more vivid. That is what Adjective Chords will do to your musical hamonizations...make them more vivid. A detailed explaination or Adjective Chords given on our video entitled Substitute Chords on our download page located at http://downloads.drmidi.com.

BIMT Production Studios has recently partnered with MAP Success in Lexington to offer complete advertising services geared to the small business community.  Bruce Bergh, VP of sales, has been creating custom jingle packages for radio and television for over a quarter of a century.  The human brain retains numbers and words that are sung in a memorable melody up to 60% better than spoken word.  If your business is considering radio or television in it's advertising plans, be sure to give your (potential) customers the image you are aspiring to.  Visual image is very important, but too many people do not understand that they can get a higher response to their expensive media placements just by taking the extra effort to coordinate both sight AND sound into a total advertising package people remember.  If you would like additional information, please contact Bruce Bergh at 816-528-4200 for a free evaluation of your advertising needs.

Have you been searching the internet to try to find a site that can teach you to play a musical instrument? There are hundreds of websites promising they can teach you to play the piano, for instance, in as little as one day. Yes, they can teach you a simple song like "The Saints Go Marching In" within five minutes. We can too, but... you will not really know what you are doing. In fact, let's try an experiment. Let's play "Saints" right now! Take your right hand and number your fingers 1-5 starting with your thumb. Place your thumb on Middle C. Next, move the finger number listed below in this order: 1345. 1345. 13453132. 32113554.3453121.

That's the earth-shattering lesson you will learn. In fact, in most cases, that's about all the musical knowledge you will aquire using "EZ to Play" systems. People are paying good money to learn to play an instrument, and wind up with a watered down version of "play by numbers". You will not learn to be a musician...just as you will not learn to be an artist if you "Paint by Numbers"!   The Bergh Institute of Music Technology (aka BIMT Studios) was founded in 1999, and our teachers have been teaching legitimate music since the 70's.  

In 2001, we created the site DrMIDI.com.  All of our teaching experience has been brought together is a series of video downloads.  Each download builds a foundation in music.  We try to make it fun, yet very informative.  DrMIDI.com is a place you can come to THINK, not just play by numbers!  Our downloads are the envy of the online music education community. We explain musical concepts, theories and formulas in a no-nonsense, understandable way that has our students saying, "Oh, I never thought about it that way before". We teach you music the correct way. Whether you are a beginner or seasoned professional, DrMIDI.com can help you. Music takes practice, so don't expect to be playing like Elton John overnight. Know, however, that DrMIDI.com has the technology and people to help you in your quest to become a musician in a reasonable amount of time. Give us a try by downloading a free keyboard lesson at http://downloads.drmidi.com. If you like what you see, continue through the series of lessons. Eventually, you may have a question. You may even get serious about an instrument. We have instructors available via webcam to keep you on task and hold you accountable for your progress.

Sorry, my little blog turned into a commercial.  We don't want to see students learn because the teacher said so.  We want them to think.  To question authority.  Heck, that's why we have rock-in-roll, and rap music.  Think of DrMIDI.com as the Rock-in-Roll of the online music education community.  If you are going to learn an instrument remember to learn the "how" and "why", and have fun experimenting.  That's why we have jazz and great improvisationalists.  They have learned to become musicians, not just play by number artists.

The Bergh Institute of Music Technology (aka BIMT Studios) has seen a good increase of business over the last few months in our recording studio.  Although BIMT opened as a school of music, we have increased our revenue by catering to songwriters of original music.  Our goal is to provide quality custom music trax for our clients to be used for karaoke performance, and most importantly, demos to pitch to publishers and record companies.  We are associated with DiscMakers, as an affiliate studio, and use them exclusively to duplicate our CD & DVD masters and print artwork on the disc and storage box. 

Our recording studio is offering a special package for songwriters.  A turn-key product from artist conception to final product for as low as $275.00 per song!  Official details are located on our website at http://studio.bimt.net.  Feel free to call Bruce Bergh with any questions or comments.  The studio number is 816-528-4200.