Digital pianos sound nothing like a real piano.
Upright pianos take up too much room.
There is a lot of conflicting advice floating
around.
I will give you the right piano buying advice so you
can make your own decision on whether
the digital piano or the upright piano is right for
your needs.
A brief history of the digital piano.
Digital pianos were invented about 20 years ago and
when they where first introduced they were pretty
terrible, the keys were much too light, spongy and
nothing like a real piano. The sound was incredibly
bright and the sampling was quite dreadful. You
couldn't really say that it sounded much like a
piano at all.
These digital pianos also looked nothing like a real
acoustic piano, they had ugly, plastic lookin cases
that didn't match any type of furniture in the room.
If guests came around it was almost an embarrassment
to have this ugly plastic looking machine in the
living room. My how things have changed over the
last 20 years!
A brief history of the upright piano.
The upright piano was invented in 1709 by the
Italian Cristofori. It was a four octave instrument
compared to the seven and a quarter octave
instrument of today, with hammers striking the
strings just as they do on a modern upright piano.
The instrument was invented to meet the need to
control dynamics by touch, which could not be
achieved on the harpsichord.
The early upright piano went through many changes
before it emerged as the instrument we all know
today. The Cristofori piano was wing shaped like
grand pianos, it had a curved body and a lid that
could be elevated. There were also square pianos in
which the strings ran from left to right as on the
clavichord. And by 1800, there were upright pianos
whose strings ran perpendicular to the keyboard.
Other names commonly used are: vertical piano or
acoustic piano, they mean essentially the same
thing.
A typical old fashioned upright piano, tall upright
standing, ivory keys, beautiful wood, moulded
carvings, stylish legs and brass candlestick
holders. The old pianos always had a beautiful warm
tone because they were made with quality materials
and real wood. The soundboard was seasoned for ages
which in turn created a resonant and sustaining
tone. The superior quality meant that your piano
would easily last a lifetime.
Moving on to modern times
These days your typical starter piano is mass
produced in China, Indonesia or Korea with very
cheap materials, soundboards made out of trees that
were probably knocked down the day before and thrown
together as quickly as possible to get distributed
around the world.
Well maybe it is not quite as bad as this, but
anyway i am sure you get my point.
You can find a list of upright pianos here:
upright pianos for sale
ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF ACOUSTIC AND DIGITAL PIANOS
Advantages of Digital Pianos:
1) You can plug in headphones so nobody can hear you
play.
2) You can turn the volume up or down.
3) You can record your music on the instrument
itself, or to disc, smart media, floppy etc.
4) You can experiment with lots of different
instrument sounds
5) Due to their light weight, digital pianos can
easily be moved from room to room
6) Your digital piano will never need tuning or
maintenance, which will save you a small fortune.
7) You can download songs from the web and play them
on your instrument. (Normally the more expensive
digital pianos offer this facility).
8) Digital pianos are very reasonably priced for
what they are. You can pick one up from as little as
£400.
9) Digital pianos take up less space than the
acoustic piano. They are slightly shorter in length,
much lower in height and most importantly about
2/3rds the depth (front to back) of an acoustic
piano, thus saving you valuable space
Disadvantages of Digital Pianos:
1) The value of your piano depreciates very quickly.
2) New models are introduced every 2-3 years making
your piano even less valuable and harder to sell
3) The sound is electronic and although improvements
have been made, it will never sound like the real
thing.
4) The touch is slighter lighter than a real piano
and the key balance isn’t perfect.
5) The digital piano’s appearance is not as
appealing as an acoustic piano and is made from
plastic and chipboard. It can easily get damaged if
moved around.
6) The outer casing is difficult and expensive to
repair if damage has been done
7) Digital pianos are very expensive to repair if
anything goes wrong with the mechanics or
electronics
9) The warranty is normally quite short, anything
form 1 year to 3 years.
Advantages of Upright Pianos
1) Your piano will hold its value over time and if
it is looked after it will normally increase over a
longer period (normally 20 years plus)
2) The piano has natural acoustic sounds which is
produced by the hammer striking the string and then
amplified by the soundboard.
3) The piano is made from wood, sometimes MDF and is
very strong.
4) If the piano’s outer casing is damaged it can be
repaired easily and fairly cheaply by a French
polisher.
5) If there is a problem with the piano
mechanically, it can normally be fixed by a piano
tuner very quickly and cheaply. (With the exception
of old pianos that normally need a lot of work).
6) The touch of a real piano is second to none. The
deep, rich natural tones enable you to really enjoy
playing music.
7) You normally get a long warranty with acoustic
pianos, anywhere from 5-10 years.
Disadvantages of Upright Pianos
1) The upright piano is extremely heavy (can weigh
175kg upwards) and is almost impossible to maneuver
without the help of professional piano movers
2) The volume of the piano cannot be turned up or
down, it is reliant on the player to control this.
3) The piano needs tuning regularly (normally twice
a year) and can cost in the region of £40-£60 a
time.
4) The piano will need the occasional maintenance
(every 5-10 years)
5) A good, well made piano can be quite expensive
(Usually £2500 upwards)
6) Upright pianos take up a lot of room, especially
the grands and the taller uprights.
7) They can mark your floor if you try to move them
even the slightest bit and because of the immense
weight, the wheels or feet leave deep indentations
in your floor over a period of time
I hope this article has helped you in your piano buying quest.
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About The Author
Henry Howard is known as ‘The Guru of Music’ and has written piano and musical instrument articles for many sites on the internet. He is currently writing for http://www.Soundsmusical.com, one of the leading piano sites on the web. Do as you please with this article but keep my links in tact.
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