When it comes to pianos, cleaning and polishing are two different actions -- polishing should be kept to a bare minimum.

But, a regular cleaning is a good thing, and can help to prevent dust and oil (a dangerous combo for pianos) from building up in between keys or deeper inside the piano body. Learn good habits for cleaning your piano, and keep it looking its best:

• How to Clean Your Piano

You won't always be able to identify a chord by looking at its lowest note. Take the C major chord: C - E - G. Suppose you change just one of those note-letters (for example, let's use the notes C - E - A) -- could this still be a C major chord? The answer is no.*

Or, let's jumble up the notes of the real C major chord. Do the notes G - C - E still make a C major chord? Yes!

A triad chord has three building blocks: a root, a third, and a fifth; and the name of the chord itself does not change if its notes are merely ordered differently (continue reading)

* ^{_{(The notes C - E - A create the 1st inversion of the A minor chord).}}

_{Image © Brandy Kraemer}

Sales tactics are used in every trade, but the piano's cost and complexity allows some people to take advantage of those not "in-the-know." Don't fall victim:

• Watch Out For These Sneaky Sales Tactics

 

If you've been to live shows, you've probably noticed a few pianists taking their merry time adjusting their piano benches ...some quite meticulously. This is perfectly acceptable, so don't feel self-conscious if you find yourself having to do so at your piano recital -- you want to be comfortable, flexible, and stable:

• Perfecting Your Piano Posture

_{Image: Getty Images/Thinkstock}