Connect With Music at The Music Connection

What's New:

Special no interest financing on all Yamaha Acoustic Pianos and Disklaviers
Yamaha and Music Connection is offering special no interest financing on all Yamaha Acoustic Pianos and Disklaviers (On approved credit).

Plus $500 in free music software with purchase of any Mark V Disklavier.

Hurry, offers end September 30, 2008.
Come in to the store for details.
Announcing the Disklavier Mark IV V 3.0 Upgrade!
We are pleased to announce the release of version 3.0 for the Disklavier Mark IV!. This update adds many new capabilities to the already amazing Disklaviier piano. more info
Joe Chouinard, to present Piano Concert Sunday, August 24th .
Joe Chouinard, a 1979 graduate from Chisago Lakes High School, will be presenting a piano concert in the CLHS Performing Arts Center on Sunday, Aug. 24 at 3:00 PM, 29400 Olinda Trail in Lindstrom, MN 55045. Joe, a keyboardist, composer and arranger, is based in the Twin Cities. He will be featuring material from his new CD Beginning Again, relaxing piano music with shades of classical and jazz. Two guest artists will join him: violist Judy MacGibbon and multi-instrumentalist Laura MacKenzie. General admission, $8 adults and $6 seniors and students. Tickets are available in advance at The Music Connection in Forest Lake.

Come and enjoy! For further information... more info
USED COLLEGE PIANO SALE - INCREDIBLE VALUES! PUBLIC SALE: Sunday, August 17th from 11:00AM to 5:00PM held at St. Olaf College.

NOTICE: A FEW PIANOS STILL REMAIN AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT GREAT PRICES!
St. Olaf College has had the great benefit of using new Yamaha pianos through the educational loan program created by the Yamaha Corporation of America and implemented locally by Music Connection. This program involves a periodic renewal of the pianos, and now these fine instruments are available for purchase by our associates and the public.

All pianos used in this program will be on sale to faculty, alumni, students, and friends of the colleges at prices significantly lower than market value. In addition to these, a wide selection of new Yamaha Acoustic, Digital, and Yamaha Disklavier Pianos will also be available. All of the loan program pianos and new pianos are covered by the Yamaha 10 Year Factory Warranty Bond. You will also have an opportunity to examine fine quality, previously owned instruments from Yamaha, and others. Attractive financing and delivery are available on all instruments. Cash, checks and all major credit cards will also be accepted.

more info
FREE Guitar Clinic with Greg Bennett September 4 @ 6:30pm
Music Connection presents Greg Bennett's Six String Universe Guitar Clinic on Thursday, September 4th at 6:30PM at Music Connection Forest Lake. Cost is FREE, but seating is limited. Call to reserve your seat or reserve online. more info
Yamaha Provides Piano Gear to American Idol
MPC7 and PC7 Grand Supports Contestant's Quest for Stardom on TV's Most Popular Show MPC7 and PC7 Grand Supports Contestant's Quest for Stardom on TV's Most Popular Show more info
Just Arrived! S Series Pianos - The Complete Yamaha Concert Collection!
We now have the complete line of Yamaha Concert Collection Grand Pianos in stock. Including the : C7, S4, S6 and CFIIIS ! Stop in to experience some of the finest handcrafted pianos on the planet at one of the largest Yamaha pianos displays in the USA. more info
Music Connection is the Official Yamaha Piano Supplier for the Suzuki Association of The Americas National Conference May 23-26th.
SAA's 13th Conference, Expanding the Vision, will be held in Minneapolis, MN and Music Connection is proud to help make it a success by being the official Yamaha Piano supplier.

The Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) is a coalition of teachers, parents, educators, and others who are interested in making music education available to all children.

The Pianos used for this 4 day national conference will be available at special Yamaha Factory Authorized Educational Pricing at our Edina Location.

These include:
7 Yamaha Grands
5 Yamaha Studio Verticals
2 Yamaha Digitals
All With Full Factory Warranty!

View the SAA Conference Schedule

Yamaha Acoustic Guitar Clinic with Frank Gambale May 14 @ 6:30pm
Music Connection is proud to present the Yamaha Acoustic Guitar Clinic with Frank Gambale.

There will be a meet and greet with Frank at 5PM for auto graphs and photos.

Frank Gambale is best-known for his fiery work with Chick Corea's Elektric Band. He was a student at the Guitar Institute of Technology while in his early twenties, wrote instructional books, and during 1983-1986, was on the school's faculty. He joined Corea in 1986, has also performed with Steve Smith's Vital Information, and has been a leader on his own rock-oriented dates for JVC. A collaboration with bassist Stu Hamm and drummer Steve Smith was another fruitful venture for Gambale, spawning several discs between the three that became increasingly ambitious as time went by.

Seating is Limited: Call to reserve your seat or reserve your seat online: RESERVE A SEAT NOW

more info
2008 Minnesota Music Educators Mid-Winter Clinic. February 14-16 Minneapolis Convention Center
Music Connection is proud to be the Official Sound Contractor for MMEA once again. We are excited to provide high quality sound reinforcement for some of the best performing groups in the midwest.

EXHIBIT INFORMATION

Feb 14-16 Minneapolis Convention Center Hall B, Booths 710-712

We will be featuring:

Amazing video sync capabilities of the Yamaha Disklavier Mark IV.

Also Yamaha U1SE "Silent Studio Piano": a true acoustic studio vertical with "headphone only" feature that does not affect the touch and response.

Yamaha CP33 Digital Piano: Yamaha's best lightweight 88 weighted key portable- great for studio and concert performance.

New Audio Technica Headset Microphones that are "Broadway Quality".

New RODE large diaphragm microphones for recording or live sound reinforcement.

Roland CD2 portable CD recorder great for rehearsal and concert recording. On-board mics, or XLR inputs with Phantom Power. Built in CD burner.

New tuners and metronomes form Korg: excellent accuracy, features and price.
INCREDIBLE SAVINGS ON COLLEGE LOAN PIANOS
SAVE THOUSANDS ON COLLEGE LOAN PIANOS - STILL AVAILABLE
Numerous exceptional piano values are still available from the University & College Loan Program Sales. These loan program pianos from Yamaha have been professionally maintained and represent many one of a kind exceptional values. A Yamaha new owner 10 year warranty will be included with these college program pianos. You can schedule an appointment to view and purchase your piano by calling (866)920-5397. Yamaha Grand and Vertical Pianos, Yamaha Digital Pianos and interactive Disklavier Player Pianos are included. Financing & moving available. All major credit cards accepted. Don't miss out... schedule your appointment today before they are gone!
Music Connection Rents Grand Pianos and Disklaviers for Concerts and Special Events.
The same pianos used in concert by Alicia Keys, Josh Groban, Chick Corea, Jim Brickman, Norah Jones, and scores of other Yamaha Artists.
For Seventh Stunning Year, Yamaha's Disklavier Prevails As 'Dealer's Choice' Product Of The Year
Yamaha Flagship Reproducing Piano, Acoustic Piano Line and Pro Digital Keyboard Line Take Top Honors Once Again in MMR Magazine's Best Music Products Showcase of 2007

BUENA PARK, Calif. For an historic seventh consecutive year, the Yamaha Disklavier piano has taken top honors as "Product of the Year" in the Musical Merchandise Review (MMR) "Dealer's Choice" Awards. The remarkable performance-reproducing instrument finished ahead of 33 other products that received votes in the highly competitive category. Yamaha acoustic pianos were additionally awarded "Acoustic Piano Line of the Year" honors and the company's P Series and CP Stage Series instruments were collectively named "Pro Digital Keyboard Line of the Year."
The Stratocaster® of the future is here.
After a 10-year research and design partnership with music technology pioneer Roland Corporation, Fender is proud to unveil the first modeling instrument worthy of being called a Strat. The revolutionary new Fender VG Stratocaster offers guitarists instant alternate tunings, a selection of dead-on electric guitar models, acoustic and 12-string guitar sounds, and more all with the turn of a knob. No special outboard gear, cables, or accessories required.

This breakthrough instrument means that guitarists no longer have to drag multiple guitars to a gig to get the right sound for each song, or make audiences suffer through mid-set delays while they re-tune instruments or adjust amp settings. In the studio, the VG Stratocaster is equally advantageous, letting guitarists whip through a collection of breathtaking guitar tones without breaking a sweat.

But just as importantly, the Fender VG Stratocaster is at its heart a rock-solid U.S.-made American Series Strat, with all the innate signature tone and feel for which the instrument is so revered. So guitarists can simply pick it up, plug it in, and play.

The Idea Behind the Innovation: Wouldn't it be nice to flip a switch on a Stratocaster and, all of a sudden, be in an alternate tuning? Wouldn't it be nice to turn a knob on its pickguard and suddenly have a clear acoustic guitar sound, the roar of a humbucking pickup, the signature snap of a Telecaster guitar and the lush fullness of a 12-string?

That was the idea behind the VG Strat: a single, incredibly versatile instrument that delivers 37 serious Fender Stratocaster, Telecaster, humbucking, 12-string and acoustic sounds, plus five alternate tunings, all at the simple flip of a switch or the twist of a knoband all in the gracefully familiar form of the Stratocaster.

"We felt strongly that keeping the instrument simple was the way to go," said Justin Norvell, Senior Marketing Manager for Fender. "Usually, the more functionality you add, the more complicated an instrument becomes. So we kept the VG Stratocaster pared down to the essentials, making it easy to pick up and play. After all, playing a Fender Strat shouldn't require the study of a phone-book-sized owner's manual".

The VG Stratocaster features that classic sleek, contoured body shape, three American Series single-coil pickups with five-position switching, a maple neck with a maple or rosewood fingerboard, a synchronized tremolo bridge, a three-ply parchment pickguard and chrome hardware. In other words it's a Strat in every sense of the word, with all the magic intact.

But two additional knobs on the VG Strat's pickguardplus a small LED and an inconspicuous Roland GK bridge pickupbring with them some new magic. These two knobs, a Mode Control knob and a Tuning Function knob, serve up incredible and seemingly limitless new sonic possibilities.

The Mode Control knob governs five distinct modeling modes: Normal, Modeled Stratocaster, Telecaster, Humbucking Pickups and Acoustic. In the "Normal" mode, the guitar's three single-coil pickups bypass the VG circuit, for a straight Stratocaster guitar sound.

The Tuning Function knob lets guitarists choose among five alternate tunings (Normal, Drop D, Open G, D Modal, Baritone) and a 12-string sound. And since guitarists don't have to turn a single tuning key, a major benefit of all these instant tuning changes is that the string tension remains the same and the guitar itself feels the same.

Even better, the VG Stratocaster delivers level, balanced tone and volume across all these remarkable functions, so that guitarists needn't continually readjust amp settings with each change in guitar sound.

For more information, call or stop by the Music Connection
Disklavier Revolutionary Enhancements & Continual Innovation Earns Record Sixth Consecutive MMR Product of the Year Dealer's Choice Award
The Yamaha Disklavier Mark IV builds upon the sophistication of previous generations of the award-winning line of Yamaha reproducing pianos by adding a variety of new features. Yamaha's continual innovation of this product has led to an industry first: the Disklavier has been honored for the sixth consecutive year with Musical Merchandise Review Magazine's "Dealer's Choice Award" as "Product of the Year."

At Winter NAMM 2007, Yamaha Corporation of America, Piano Division, introduced the Disklavier 2.0 software upgrade for its Mark IV series of performance reproducing pianos. The upgrade offers current and new customers of the world's most advanced pianos a host of innovative technological and entertainment enhancements, including Disklavier Music Store and Disklavier Radio.

Music Connection Pianos is the only authorized piano dealer in Minnesota to offer this exceptional piano. more info

Yamaha has appointed Music Connection as the Exclusive Yamaha Piano Dealer for Minnesota! For over 100 years, Yamaha pianos have been valued for their artistry, quality, and craftsmanship. Since 1981 Music Connection has served Minnesota Musicians, Music Educators, and Students. Music Connection can now offer the Best-Selling Pianos in the World, as well as brass, woodwinds, strings, guitars, drums, keyboards, and professional audio.