Children's keyboard

"A child's hand is easily filled" is a Dutch saying. Children can get most things they want in their hands, they can even use both arms or their whole body to be able to get hold of things.
When the legs aren't long enough to reach the pedals of their bicycle, the seats and handlebars are adjustable.
In the old days in Holland people screwed blocks of wood on to the pedals of the bicycles that were too big, so that the children could reach them.

To get sounds from a piano, children use the same methods. They put some thick directories on a chair, screw up a piano stool, and use their fists or toys to torture the keyboard with gusto!
When they long for the right notes of "twinkle twinkle little star" they might stand behind the piano and repeat the same song, using one finger, until everybody goes crazy.

There could be a moment though, when someone notices the child has a real talent for the piano and suggests music lessons for the budding genius.

When a child starts the piano lessons, on the normal piano keyboard, lots of distances between the keys are too big for children's hands!
Especially the young talent will find a lot of intervals are bigger than a sixth and there are other complicated chords to be reached!
For a young enthusiast the serious repertoire has huge limitations on a normal keyboard. Still it's very important the young pianist can study this kind of music!

Piano studies on a normal keyboard can even be a bad influence to the virtuosity of a young talented musician that spends long hours practising, and can even cause damage!
A too big keyboard can lead to a forced way of movement, and will hold back the development.

The Children's keyboard will solve these problems and can even influence the development in a positive way! Piano dealer Andriessen in Haarlem (The Netherlands) has, in cooperation with the Young Pianist Foundation, produced a Children's keyboard.
It is 12,5 or 20% smaller than an average keyboard and still reaches 7¼ octaves.
On this special keyboard little hands can reach difficult chords or even an octave! It is a system that grows with the child like a 7/8 or a ¾ violin!

The original keyboard is stored in the inside of the piano and can be reinstalled anytime by a piano technician
You can order a Yamaha U1 piano with this keyboard ready installed at Andriessen's piano shop.

Luthéal
Archeologie voor muzikanten