One question I often seem to be asked these days is whether people should look at purchasing a digital piano or a traditional acoustic grand or upright piano. I thought, therefore, that I'd write a little bit here about some of the benefits of each type of instrument.
I think its important firstly to point out that no electronic instrument will ever be the same as a good quality acoustic piano. A piano has over 12000 different parts of which 10000 are moving parts. On a concert grand piano around 30 tons of pressure is caused by the tension of all the strings. When the player strikes a key the mechanism transfers this weight to the hammer which then strikes the strings and produces a tone amplified by the sound board. No electronic instrument will ever exactly reproduce the feel of a real piano action and the unique sound the instrument makes or the way in which this tone is distributed by the sound board. How can we realistically expect a plastic action, electronic components and loud speakers to reproduce the sound of a top of the range concert grand piano? Plus a piano can undoubtedly make a wonderful piece of furniture (although not a coffee table please!).
Having said this though modern digital pianos are amazing instruments and do a very good job at replicating a real piano sound and action. As many of you already know I often use my own Kawai MP5 stage piano when performing at venues which don't have their own instrument. Also, many of the top music colleges including the Royal College of Music use digital pianos as well as acoustic instruments. There are some advantages too to having a digital piano. Firstly, they don't need regular tuning. Secondly they can be portable. Finally most of them can be connected to a computer using USB or MIDI.
So what should you buy if you're looking at purchasing an instrument? Well sometimes buying a digital instrument is the only option due to space or controlling volume levels. As a general rule though, I would avoid paying less than £1000 for an acoustic piano. As I once heard someone say, you are in danger of buying expensive firewood! For less then £1000 you can buy a reasonable digital instrument. Here are some of the key things to look for in a digital instrument:
1. Stereo sampled piano sound - This basically means that the piano sound has been recorded from a real piano and therefore accurately represents what a real piano should sound like. Most modern digital pianos will have this.
2. A weighted hammer action keyboard - The keys need to be weighted to feel like a real instrument. Some of the better quality digital pianos have a graded weighted action where the bass notes are slightly heavier than the treble notes as they are on a real piano due to the different sizes of hammers.
3. Damper pedal - Again a damper pedal is essential and sometimes this needs to be bought as an extra. Some of the more expensive digital pianos have a graded damper pedal where the pedal replicates the pedal in a piano by allowing the pianist to use half damping.
4. Does it come with a stool, stand and built in speakers? Its so important that pianists sit correctly at their instrument so always check that a stand and stool is included. Otherwise this may need to be purchased as an accessory. Also check it has built in speakers or you may need to purchase these or plug the piano into your HiFi unit.
Well what about if I'm looking at spending over £1000?
Well now you're in the area of being able to buy a reasonable quality piano. Upright pianos tend to vary from £1000 for a reasonable second hand piano to £10000 for a good quality new upright. Grand pianos will normally be from £3000 upwards. If you are looking at spending toward the bottom end of these price ranges then do be careful to make sure you are getting a good quality instrument. Ideally try to take a friend along who knows something about pianos - maybe a piano teacher. However, here are some of the basic things to look out for when trying out a piano:
1. Does it sound fairly in tune? If one or two notes are badly out of tune it could be a sign of some serious damage to parts of the internal structure of the piano.
2. Does the action feel even? If one or two of the keys feel much heavier or lighter than others or some notes don't work then this can be a sign of very serious wear on the instrument.
3. Do all the notes have an even sound? If some notes are louder than others then this means the voicing of the instrument is out and can also be a sign of wear and tear.
4. Do you like the tone of the instrument? Pianos do vary in their tone and its important you find one you like.
5. What kind of post-sales care is offered? Most shops will offer a first tune after about 6 weeks when the piano has had chance to settle to the climate of its new venue. However, its worth checking whether they will take the piano back if you're not happy with it. Due to the different acoustics a piano can sound very different in your own front room to the sales showroom.
Anyway there's some of my thoughts. I'm certainly no expert on these things and I'd always recommend asking for more advice. However, hopefully some of my thoughts here might be helpful.
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