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Parents!! Click
here for a must-read article from Music Inc. magazine written
firsthand by a parent mired in the "acoustic vs. digital"
dilemma!
Digital
Pianos
This
page is designed for those who have reached this page not knowing
what a digital piano is or what it can do. If you’re not
sure if you would like a digital piano or an acoustic piano,
please visit our Digital vs. Acoustic page.
Fact:
Digital pianos outsold new acoustic vertical pianos in the U.S.
for the first time in 1997, and the trend has continued since.
Fact:
A recent study showed 92% of all piano teachers polled believed
a particular manufacturer's digital piano model sounded better
or about the same as a new acoustic piano. Please contact your
nearest Cordogan's location for specific information on this
breakthrough study.
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Fact:
Digital pianos aren’t for everyone. Let an experienced
Cordogan’s sales representative analyze your distinct needs
and give you advice on what is the best instrument is for your
family and your musical needs.
 Fact:
When it comes to Piano Method books, there is usually only one
Level 2 book sold for every TEN Level 1 books sold-- obviously
not a great rate for staying power! However, when the books
are accompanied by a CD-ROM or computer software (indicating
the student is on a digital piano and using technology as a
teaching aid) Level 2 books sell at an exponentially greater
rate! Obviously, book publishers are taking note of the higher
success rate of piano students that utilize technology because
it means more book sales for them. For piano students young
and old, it should be a clear indication of the documented effectiveness
of music technology in learning piano.
Digital
pianos and close relatives of the digital piano have evolved
quite a bit in recent years. The following terms and definitions
are what Cordogan’s and other industry professionals use
to distinguish between the different keyboard categories offered
by manufacturers. It is your crash course in digital piano terminology. |
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 "Keyboards"
—
Keyboards can be a fun way to explore music. Typically found
at consumer electronics stores, keyboards (often referred to
as "personal keyboards") usually have only 61 keys
— as opposed to 88 on a piano or a full digital piano,
no pedals, hollow organ-like keys (in other words not weighted
like a piano), and have a sound quality that, while good for
its price range, shouldn’t be compared to an acoustic piano
or other digital
products.
Keyboards
should really only be purchased as a musical toy or as a means
of inputting MIDI data into a computer. They should not be purchased
as a substitute for the purpose of getting someone started with
piano lessons (piano teachers, applaud here). In fact, don’t
be surprised if some teachers you contact refuse to teach piano
lessons to a student who acknowledges using a "keyboard"
as a practice instrument. While keyboards are convenient, inexpensive
and fun, they offer very little resemblance to the environment
experienced at an acoustic piano or at some digital pianos.
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 "Digital
Pianos"
Born out of the computer revolution, digital pianos are the most
exciting products to emerge in the piano industry since the spinet
was invented in the 1930s. The concept of a digital piano is to
reproduce the total environment experienced when playing an acoustic
piano without using strings or 12,000 parts, which help acoustic
pianos to weigh 400-1000 pounds.
The
means of accurately accomplishing this feat are difficult and
expensive since the sounds produced by a piano and the key action
mechanisms are verycomplex. A high-quality sampled piano sound
used to require a lot of computer memory. Computer memory has
come down in price in recent years however, making some of the
newest digital pianos convincing enough to win the hearts of
musicians, teachers and beginners alike.
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The
following features (in no particular order) are often cited
as reasons for families choosing a digital over an acoustic
piano. Not all digital pianos have the following features. Please
consult a Cordogan’s representative for the model best-suited
for your needs.
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| Never
needs tuning. |
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Save
upwards of $100 per year on the semi-annual tunings needed
for an acoustic piano. |
| Headphones,
headphones, headphones! |
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Dad
can watch football while Tommy plays scales. Many models even
have two headphone jacks for duets. |
| PC/Internet
connection for downloading of lessons and songs. |
| Students
can go online and download free performances of the pieces they're
trying to learn. |
| Kids
love ‘em! |
| And
why wouldn't they? It's hip, it's fun yet serious, and offers
great flexibility. It's the computer generation's answer to the
piano. |
| Affordability |
| A
good digital piano still costs less than a good acoustic piano.
While it is true that the investment value of a digital piano
is likely to be less than that of an acoustic piano, remember
that hundreds — possibly more than thousands — of dollars
of tuning, maintenance & moving costs over a, say 10-year
period would be needed on an acoustic piano. Figuring that into
the resale value considerably narrows the gap between the acoustic
vs. digital resale levels. |
| Portability |
| Third
story walk-ups are a digital piano’s specialty. Gigging musicians,
basement placements, church groups, restaurants, banquet facilities,
schools, summer homes... if it needs to be moved, digitals create
a compelling argument. |
| Authenticity |
| Even
musicians and teachers are impressed by the authenticity on certain
models. |
| Other
useful sounds such as pipe organ, harpsichord, strings, etc. |
| What
better way to learn baroque and classical pieces than by playing
them using sounds from that period? |
| On-board
song recorder |
| Again,
using recordings to chart progress is priceless. Select models
with two-track recorders allow for "hands-alone" playing,
or "four-hand’ arrangements. E-mail the performances/recordings
to friends and relatives! |
| Automatically
transpose to any key |
| A
vocalist’s dream come true. |
| Teachers are endorsing
them! (see
Cordogan's for particular models) |
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The
term digital piano has been blurred by manufacturers in recent
years. It should be used to refer to an 88-key instrument
with a "weighted action," a built-in pedal assembly,
sampled piano sound and built-in speakers to carry the sound.
In an effort to bring prices down, however, manufacturers often
sell shortened versions (76-key or 61-key) which employ a compromised
"weighted action" and an inferior "sampled sound"
that hardly resembles that of a higher-end digital piano, much
less that of a fine acoustic piano. Incidentally, there is a
place for these instruments in the marketplace, it just doesn’t
qualify as a "substitute for a piano," which is the
primary reason these are often purchased.
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"Digital
Ensembles" —
This is a unique product category
which typically includes products that have built-in hard drives,
rhythms, auto-play features and hundreds of sounds. Is it for
you? Maybe. They are well-designed for the absolute beginner
as well as for the professional player. A good digital ensemble
is capable of involving the whole family on many different levels:
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| For a piano student, it’s a piano, first
and foremost. |
| They
can practice their lessons using the sampled sound of a $110,000
concert grand piano. They can even record their practices with
the on-board recorder to listen and analyze. |
| The play-a-long features |
| ...to
sound like they’re an ace, when in fact, they’re actually
being assisted by the on-board computer. |
| An advanced player can write, arrange and SCORE
music on it... |
| ...save
the songs onto a USB stick, play in your music and have it scored
automatically, and e-mail them or post them to a web site! |
| A family member who is learning a string, woodwind
or brass instrument can use it as a virtual accompanist... |
| ...by
downloading their pieces from the Internet onto a USB
stick (click here for pic), CD-R or floppy disk for use with
the digital ensemble (certain models only). |
| A family member who sings can use the on-board
microphone input and vocal effects processor (certain models only)... |
| ...to
sound like they’re singing through a multi-thousand dollar
P.A. system. Downloading their favorite songs from the Internet
or having a non-piano-playing family member accompany them with
Concert Magic songs is the recipe for endless hours of family
fun. Even individuals who don’t sing will get a kick out
of trying. |
| Parents can make recordings of their children’s
progress. |
| "Megan’s
Spring Recital, Fall 1999," the diskettes/CD-R's might say.
What better gift to pass on to them then the power of their own
music captured digitally. Isn’t this why you bought a camcorder?
Added bonus: You can e-mail the performances to their Aunt Sally
in Topeka or to Megan’s best friend who moved away. |
| All skill levels can benefit from software designed
to assist in various activities... |
| ...-
from software accompanied by standard teaching method books to
play-a-long songbooks containing the music and removable media.
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Digital ensembles can be an excellent way for the whole family
to learn and explore music. To learn more about digital pianos
or ensembles, please visit your nearest Cordogan’s location!
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Digital Buying Tips
***
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