Digital Pianos

Subject: Digital Pianos
From: GUEST,Andrew
Date: 25 Jan 00 - 12:52 PM

I'm interested on learning piano, and have been looking into digital pianos. So far I've gotten a little info on Yamaha and Kirkwell. Anyone have strong opinions as to quality, value for the dollar, etc. of different makes? I don't want to spend a whole lot.

Subject: RE: Digital Pianos
From: M. Ted (inactive)
Date: 25 Jan 00 - 01:11 PM

For what it's worth, I think you should just get a nice old used piano--digital pianos aren't cheap, and they don't really sound quite right--besides, if your electricity goes off, you can still play the real piano by candlelight!!!

Subject: RE: Digital Pianos
From: GUEST,Lucius
Date: 25 Jan 00 - 11:01 PM

Acoustic piano? Good advice, if you have the space. Unfortunately, I have to settle for a digital piano. After loking arund I settled o a Korg N1 (lots of bells and whistles). I like the action, but service has been miserable, and it arrived damaged.

I'd recommend Technics, they make a lot of junk but this has recently changed with one of their new releases. They make a good 88 key weighted action that is relatively inexpensive and has a tolerable sound and feel. Rolands are road-worthy, but many people complain that the decay on the voicing sounds mettalic and distorted. Kurzweils are often overpriced, but I've yet to hear a bad one. Yamahas just do personally appeal to me.

Be prepared to spend a bit on a good acoustic (keyboard) amp as well. Good luck.

Lucius

Subject: RE: Digital Pianos
From: GUEST,_gargoyle
Date: 25 Jan 00 - 11:24 PM

A decent - acuostical studio piano, will cost about, 400 to 600.00 used.....(colleges are excellent sources - just check the felts for wear and moths and left over sandwhiches...and always try the action)....for digital I like Roland, but the action will NEVER match an upright .... much less a true full grand (I WISH!!!)....however, space should not be issue....any inside wall is OK... The cheapest Roland with a speed-senstive-action will begin at 300.00...but by the time you add a stand etc. you may as well have the real thing.

Tuning will cost about 80.00 twice a year...for the first four years and then once a year after that....after it is acclimated ..... unless you are very particular, or have home concerts.

Subject: RE: Digital Pianos
From:
Date: 26 Jan 00 - 12:19 AM

This is not so much a consideration in a solidly built dwelling; but the electronic pianos are a lot lighter than their acoustic counterparts. If you live on the third floor of a rickety old building, you probably should stay away from an acoustic. However that is the only reason I would ;}

Murray

Subject: RE: Digital Pianos
From: GUEST,Lucius
Date: 26 Jan 00 - 07:18 AM

I was looking back over this thread and thinking. In another way, a digital piano may make sense. Especially if you plan to augment the computer that you obviously have with some type of MIDI teaching tools. I'm not sure what is available for beginning piano, but I'm sure somebody has something out there.

Lucius

Subject: RE: Digital Pianos
From: alison
Date: 26 Jan 00 - 08:09 AM

I have a Roland digital piano (it has about 7 voices)... I decided to get it when I got tired of moving my upright piano from house to house.. and there was no way I was shipping it to OZ).....I love the Roland... but there is nothing that beats the sound and feel of a "real" piano...

I use a Yamaha on stage...... lighter (cheaper) and with more features.....

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Digital Pianos
From: CBjames
Date: 27 Jan 00 - 12:30 AM

Andrew;

While my parents had an upright for a couple of years during one of the many airforce postings, I really didn't have a keyboard until my wife & I sprang for a Roland about ten years ago.

Selling points for going digital were 1) you can move it 2) It doesn't have to be tuned.

It's true. You CAN move it. Not only from our old house to the new one - but Ruth plays in church & for certain occaisions takes it there - it has better sound than the Yamaha and also has a key transposing function that permits her to match the sheet music to the limited voice range of the congregation.

And it does not have to be tuned. We keep it on an inside wall but probably don't have to.

I keep thinking I'll hook it up, if I ever get around to sequestering a computer for the family room. It is capable.

I have certainly had fun with my "piano" - continue to do so. In the time we have had it i have learned to play it almost as poorly as I play guitar - but I've learned a great deal more about chord structure. I wish I had had one when i was fourteen instead of fourtyfive.

Find anything that works for what you can pay & buy it. You might replace it. But you'll never regret it. I certainly don't regret any musical instrument I ever bought - even the Stella.

james.

Subject: RE: Digital Pianos
From: alison
Date: 27 Jan 00 - 01:43 AM

Ah yes.. how sould we have forgotten to mention the "tranpose" buttons... fantastic features for cheating your way through in whatever key you need to...

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Digital Pianos
From: Peter T.
Date: 27 Jan 00 - 10:18 AM

I recently bought a touch senstive Yamaha digital (the 55whatever) and it is great as a first time piano -- as everyone says, you can move it around, pack it up (if you have a small space), take it on trips (!!!). It has nice sound, and a good feel. The only problem is, if you are into classical piano, it doesn't have the three pedals, which you would have to relearn. Aesthetically, compared to the look of an acoustic, they are horrible. But I never thought I would buy one -- it was just desperation -- and I think it is great.
yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Digital Pianos
From: M. Ted (inactive)
Date: 27 Jan 00 - 10:59 AM

I have to mention that I have a Roland synthesizer that I use for all my writing and sequencing, and I have been really pleased with it, except that after about a month of fooling around,you need to go out and get a sythesizer module to get more better sounds, after which you need to get another sequencer program and a better library program, and after a couple years, you discover that you have several thousand dollars worth of stuff that you never use, and that you still need more, and you end up getting a real piano anyway, because the synthesizer is always patched into a whole rack full of stuff, and, athough you have it set up so that you can just play it through a modified PA system that you set up because you can't really tell what something sounds like on headsets, you would just as soon not having every goon and his brother trying to play it and resetting all the parameters, even the tuning, because in addition to transposing, you can also reset the pitch or even tune the individual keys, and, invariably, when you have reset everything to give you some odd sort of Turkish temperament that you discovered in some odd book at the libary, this goon starts fooling around with it and decides to recalibrate it because he knows all about synths, and ends up trashing your tuning and a whole bunch of patches that you had not yet uploaded to the library program, even though you had written an extended piece in using the patches, the scale, and a rhythm patttern that you can't find again because you copped it from a group of musicians that you saw on TV, and anyway he recalibrates the synth and starts jamming with his brother who has decided open up some guitar cases that he finds in your office closet, and takes out a very old and well preserved archtop that is finished all in black but has no pickguard and then begins whacking away at it with some weird oversized pick that be brought with him only he is as big a goon as his brother, and he keeps missing the strings and scrapes the pick across the top of the guitar, leaving all kinds of scratch marks of which he is blissfully oblivious, and after you politely ask them to stop and escort them back to the rest of the party, you overhear the girlfriend of one of them talking about what an asshole you are for not letting them play because they are really great musicians and can play every song that the Rolling Stones ever did, and you are jealous and on a permanent ego trip because you went to music school--

Subject: RE: Digital Pianos
From: Jon W.
Date: 27 Jan 00 - 11:26 AM

Just a question, M. Ted- Do you have a lock on your door?

Subject: RE: Digital Pianos
From: M. Ted (inactive)
Date: 27 Jan 00 - 11:56 AM

Now I do!!

Subject: RE: Digital Pianos
From: Tony Burns
Date: 27 Jan 00 - 12:25 PM

Just let me say two things in favour of digital pianos that are particularly relevant to a begining player.

Volume control
Headphone jack

You're welcome.

Subject: RE: Digital Pianos
From: Margo
Date: 27 Jan 00 - 05:24 PM

That's cute, Tony. I just sold my real piano because we need the space. My brother has an electric piano which surprised me when I found out how nice it was. Good sound, nice action. But he spent a lot... $1600.00 I think. If I get another piano, It'll be electric so I can move it myself, and it won't take up a lot of room.

Margo

Subject: RE: Digital Pianos
From: GUEST,_gargoyle
Date: 27 Jan 00 - 10:30 PM

The sequencer sounds are available, through software on the net.....you do not need a card....just a good editing program....

If you want the acoustics of Carnegie Hall, they are available....if you want a the acoustical tibe of a small recording studio it is available.....for the last fifteen years the technology has been there....now it is old and therfore free.

I am sure I could be happy with a Yamaha, or Kwai,....but Roland, (like Microsoft) seems to have more people doing it, in more ways, in more places, than any one else....and their support services are superb!

As a beginner buy something cheap....learn the rudiments....five years from now...(when technology has placed a concert-grand in a wrist-watch) then, go out,,,,,(if you STILL love the keyboards)and purchase something worthy of your admiration.

I had an engineer neighbor once. He quit his job

Subject: RE: Digital Pianos
From: GUEST,_gargoyle
Date: 27 Jan 00 - 10:36 PM

The sequencer sounds are available, through software on the net.....you do not need a card....just a good editing program....

If you want the acoustics of Carnegie Hall, they are available....if you want a the acoustical tibe of a small recording studio it is available.....for the last fifteen years the technology has been there....now it is old and therfore free.

I am sure I could be happy with a Yamaha, or Kwai,....but Roland, (like Microsoft) seems to have more people doing it, in more ways, in more places, than any one else....and their support services are superb!

As a beginner buy something cheap....learn the rudiments....five years from now...(when technology has placed a concert-grand in a wrist-watch) then, go out,,,,,(if you STILL love the keyboards)and purchase something worthy of your admiration.

I had an engineer neighbor once. He quit his job for two years to compose music. He had not training. He had a He only had a keyboard, savings account and a girlfriend with an income. He is an engineer once again. (But the girlfriend is now his wife.)