Digital Pianos and Their Acoustic Counterparts

Many people are daunted by the large price tag not to mention the large size of a traditional acoustic piano. Many are not ready to make the spatial sacrifice especially in today’s world where a jumbo television screen can be mounted flush on any wall, taking up no floor space whatsoever. Modern advances in construction and the sampling of acoustic instruments has brought about the introduction of numerous new choices of excellent and affordable digital pianos that are growing in popularity as musicians realize they are not their “father’s keyboard”.

Many of today’s digital keyboards’ sound banks are chock full of sounds provided by true samples, recorded on fine concert and vintage pianos in acoustically desirable environments. The processors within new models translate these sounds to performance so exactingly that the mellifluous tones produced can hardly be discerned from the true originals. Many complain about the touch and playability of digital pianos compared to acoustic pianos, however, new innovations including fully weighted keys and hammer-strike mimicking technology has improved the newest digital keyboards’ playability exponentially. Most new digital pianos have effects which can be added to the sound produced. Digital effects like reverb, chorus, and others, can add space and depth to performance, often faithfully reproducing the acoustics found in fine concert halls, studios, or other venues. Digital pianos really flex their muscles when it is time to record. There is no need for strategically placed microphones, microphone preamps, or mixing of signals involved as with a traditional piano. Digital pianos are truly “plug and play”, allowing musicians to concentrate on their artistry, and not losing their inspiration and muse because of technical setup or the like. Many digital pianos actually have onboard recording and sequencing abilities, allowing the player to play 2 or more parts, actually accompanying him or herself while playing a melody with their own prerecorded backing track. This is invaluable when putting together that perfect right hand solo without having to worry about “comping” with your left while figuring it out; no extra equipment necessary.

Perhaps the greatest advantage a digital piano possesses over its acoustic counterpart is not even experienced by the player, but instead by the listener. For beginning pianists, sometimes it is not about what is heard, but what is not heard. Headphone ports come standard on nearly all digital pianos allowing for silent operation with no disturbance to neighbors, housemates, parents, or friends. Digital pianos are an excellent resource for the pianist who is just starting out, and local music stores like Austin’s trusted Strait Music Company stock many viable options and styles.

About the Author: Clint Strait is a third generation owner and assistant manager of the Strait Music, Austin Music Stores, providing the best selection of digital and acoustic pianos to Austin and the surrounding area for over forty years. For more information please visit www.straitmusic.com.

Choosing an Acoustic Piano for the Home

An acoustic piano is a wonderful addition to any living room, den, or music room, providing years of enjoyment and beautiful melodies for all lucky enough to be near it. The purchasing of a piano is quite a commitment and many contributing factors help determine which piano is the right choice for a particular household.

As an acoustic piano is a relatively large piece of furniture doubling as a musical instrument, space constraints can be a formidable issue. Luckily, pianos are available in all shapes and sizes, from a diminutive spinet, well suited for parlors or smaller rooms, to an enormous nine foot long grand piano for larger spaces and fine concert halls. Primarily, modern pianos can be divided into two basic types: the grand piano and the upright piano. Grand pianos take up much more space due the arrangement of their strings horizontally within the frames. A longer piano (i.e. concert grand up to 9 feet in length) has a much fuller, deeper, breadth of sound because the longer strings have the ability to vibrate freely within the larger cabinet. A more compact version of the grand piano which many opt for, the baby grand, will have less true overtones, or partials exuding from the true tone, because of the necessitation of shorter, thicker strings within its constrained cabinet. A professional player would obviously ultimately opt for the largest grand piano that would be conducive to the given space. Not only does a grand piano possess a better, fuller sound, its playability is far superior to the upright piano as well. An upright, or vertical piano houses its strings vertically, allowing it to squeeze into much smaller rooms because of its compact footprint. The hammers that strike the strings, creating the tones in a vertical piano move horizontally as opposed to vertically like the hammers in a grand piano. The vertical movement in a grand is superior because its hammers return to the stationary position using gravity, falling back into place rather than relying upon springs to return them to that position as in a vertical piano. These springs of course can lose their integrity over time and must be replaced due to wear and tear generated by normal playing. As earlier stated, longer strings ring and vibrate more truthfully so a taller, upright grand piano is best when considering an upright because of its ability to house the longer strings.

In this article, the surface has barely been scratched concerning the many choices and options available when choosing a modern piano. Music retailers like Strait Music Company in Austin, Texas, employ dozens of well-trained salespeople who are happy to help every budding musician considering a piano purchase.

About the Author: Clint Strait is a third generation owner and assistant manager of the Strait Music, Austin Music Stores, providing the best selection of new and used pianos to Austin and the surrounding area for over forty years. For more information please visit www.straitmusic.com.

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.