Acoustic Versus Digital Pianos
Depending on the size of your home or living situation, making the decision to by an acoustic or digital piano may involve several factors. There are of course benefits and disadvantages to each, so having a little background knowledge of both varieties will help you decide what is right for you and possibly your family too.
Approximately twenty years ago, digital pianos were invented to provide a smaller, home piano alternative at an affordable cost that would truly simulate an actual piano. However, in these early days, the digital piano was extremely limited and pretty poor by comparison. The keys were considered extremely light-weight and had a strange spongy attack quality. Not only did it feel extremely different than a real piano, but the sound was also dramatically worse. The tone was very bright with poor sampling, and thus the sound was almost agitating. However, with the technological advances of the last 20 years came a whole new era of digital pianos. The digital pianos of today take advantage of incredible tone sampling from some of the world’s finest instruments, and the keys are weighted to perfection to mimic those of an actual piano.
Acoustic Pianos were invented with a different reason in mind. Created in 1709 by an Italian named Cristofori, pianos were developed as an improvement on the harpsichord. This parlor size instrument had only a four octave range, thus did early upright pianos, but the harpsichord had a very limited dynamic range. Cristofori invented the acoustic piano to increase the dynamic potential in a parlor-sized instrument. Since then, pianos increased in range to the full 8 octaves and are now produced in countless shapes and sizes to accommodate living space, matching furniture, and quality sound.
The advantages of digital pianos in the home include factors like being able to use headphones for private listening, easily adjusting the volume, easy recording abilities, many different sounds, light-weight, compact, no tuning required, and you can even download new songs or files. However, the most common reason consumers choose a digital piano is because of the price. You must also consider the draw backs to digital. Because technology increases so rapidly, the value of an electric piano falls rapidly, but if you are just looking for something to use and not an investment, digital might the a consideration for your home.
Unlike digital pianos, actual pianos have a much better retention of value because the mechanical technology has few changes throughout the years, and acoustic piano soundboards can even grow richer in tone. Real pianos are made from sturdy wood or MDF, repairs are easily made by piano tuners, and the touch and tone of a real acoustic instrument is unrivaled by most digital reproductions. However, you must also consider their larger size, less versatility, and the cost. Acoustic pianos will cost from 5 to 20 times what electric pianos might be worth.
Deciding which is best for your home should not be a light consideration. Such an investment should be carefully chosen in order to obtain the best instrument for you and your family to enjoy for years to come.
About the Author: Clint Strait is a third generation owner and assistant manager of the Strait Music, Austin Music Stores, with the best selection of Austin pianos for sale. For more information please visit www.straitmusic.com.
Approximately twenty years ago, digital pianos were invented to provide a smaller, home piano alternative at an affordable cost that would truly simulate an actual piano. However, in these early days, the digital piano was extremely limited and pretty poor by comparison. The keys were considered extremely light-weight and had a strange spongy attack quality. Not only did it feel extremely different than a real piano, but the sound was also dramatically worse. The tone was very bright with poor sampling, and thus the sound was almost agitating. However, with the technological advances of the last 20 years came a whole new era of digital pianos. The digital pianos of today take advantage of incredible tone sampling from some of the world’s finest instruments, and the keys are weighted to perfection to mimic those of an actual piano.
Acoustic Pianos were invented with a different reason in mind. Created in 1709 by an Italian named Cristofori, pianos were developed as an improvement on the harpsichord. This parlor size instrument had only a four octave range, thus did early upright pianos, but the harpsichord had a very limited dynamic range. Cristofori invented the acoustic piano to increase the dynamic potential in a parlor-sized instrument. Since then, pianos increased in range to the full 8 octaves and are now produced in countless shapes and sizes to accommodate living space, matching furniture, and quality sound.
The advantages of digital pianos in the home include factors like being able to use headphones for private listening, easily adjusting the volume, easy recording abilities, many different sounds, light-weight, compact, no tuning required, and you can even download new songs or files. However, the most common reason consumers choose a digital piano is because of the price. You must also consider the draw backs to digital. Because technology increases so rapidly, the value of an electric piano falls rapidly, but if you are just looking for something to use and not an investment, digital might the a consideration for your home.
Unlike digital pianos, actual pianos have a much better retention of value because the mechanical technology has few changes throughout the years, and acoustic piano soundboards can even grow richer in tone. Real pianos are made from sturdy wood or MDF, repairs are easily made by piano tuners, and the touch and tone of a real acoustic instrument is unrivaled by most digital reproductions. However, you must also consider their larger size, less versatility, and the cost. Acoustic pianos will cost from 5 to 20 times what electric pianos might be worth.
Deciding which is best for your home should not be a light consideration. Such an investment should be carefully chosen in order to obtain the best instrument for you and your family to enjoy for years to come.
About the Author: Clint Strait is a third generation owner and assistant manager of the Strait Music, Austin Music Stores, with the best selection of Austin pianos for sale. For more information please visit www.straitmusic.com.
Labels: Austin Pianos for sale, Austin used pianos, yamaha pianos
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