Best (affordable) sound recording devices

[vvt]

Hey, I looked around and couldnt find a topic on this so decided to post a new one. Ive been teaching myself to play piano for 2-3 years and decided that its time to start fixing my little mistakes for upcoming concerts.

Im looking for a high quality sound recording device. Emphasis on 'high quality'. Dont need a camera or anything, just something that records sound and plays it back. Preferably something that doesnt run on batteries (i hate replacing those)... just something you charge.  I figure I woudnt need more than 2-3 hours of recording. Last thing is, it would be good if it was under 50$... 100$ at most. Any suggestions? Is there a good site to order one of those from or should I just try my luck at a local best buy?

Thanks for any advice

PS. Does anyone know a good, quick way to get your forearms working properly when playing? Normally when I sit down to practice for the first time on a given day, my forearms tighten (not fingers, not shoulders... only forearms for some reason) after a few minutes of piano playing. That leads to annoying little things like slowed down fast notes, bad trills, and uneven tempo. After 30-60 min of practice, the tension goes away and all is well but still it would be nice to reduce that.

[daniloperusina]

The trick is not which gadget, but how to make a good recording.
You need to capture dynamics without distortion, ie you need a manual volume knob/function (not automatic recording level!!)

Microphone not designed specifically for voice/speech, they'll be so reduced in frequency response that the piano will sound thin and honky.
You need a microphone designed for instrumental applications, ideally spanning 20Hz to 20KHz (20.000Hz), not varying more than perhaps 1 or 3 dB in that span. That will help capturing the piano's full sonority.
It will be cheaper to record in mono (one microphone), but better in stereo (two microphones of the same model). A quickstart would be: space them 30-50cm apart, 1 meter from the piano. As you'll learn more, you'll see that there are endless varieties, but that's another topic (and usually a heated one!)

This is the criteria! Following this you'll get a better result using an old tape recorder and dynamic microphones,  than buying cheap modern digital gadgets that are not designed for what you need (or if you don't understand how to use them properly).

Good luck!

[Bob]

Look some more.  There are several threads about sound recording devices.

[richard black]

Edirol R-09HR is currently at the forefront for all-in-one recording devices, very high quality and very practical, but it's way above your price range, sadly. Can you mortgage a spare grandmother or something?