Have you thought about getting a digital piano or keyboard? What are the pros and cons of using a digital piano or keyboard? This article will give you some insights of what to look for when you are shopping for a digital piano or keyboard.
Features of a digital pianoThe history of the digital piano dates to the 1980s. The Japanese and the U.S. manufacture the majority of digital pianos. The digital piano is different from the electronic keyboard in many ways. Its action is much like the traditional piano action, and the keys are weighted. The price of a digital piano can range from a few hundred to many thousands of dollars. You can also find upright and grand-shaped digital pianos just like a regular acoustic piano. A few of the famous brands are Yamaha Clavinova, Suzuki, Roland, Kawai, Kurzweil, and more.
My favorite brand is the Yamaha Clavinova. I own a Clavinova CVP series; it not only provides many sound features with accompaniment as well as the capability to record onto a disc. Many of the newer digital pianos possess MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) capabilities that allow the digital piano to connect to a computer that has a sound card.
The advantages of using a digital piano or keyboard:
- Less costly than an acoustic piano (although there are some that are quite costly)
- Maintenance-free (You save money by not having to tune it.)
- Light and handy (This feature is especially beneficial to those who live in an apartment.)
- Comes with headphone plug-in (reduces the noise interference)
Provides many accompaniments and different features that can enhance learning abilities for younger generations (I start my younger students with a Clavinova because it comes with a built-in metronome as well as many attractive features such as recording abilities.)
The disadvantages of using a digital piano or keyboard:
- The major disadvantage is no doubt the inability to duplicate the touch and the tones of a regular acoustic piano. Even if the technology is advanced, none of the present digital pianos can imitate the real action of an acoustic piano. Note: Yamaha and Kawai now sell hybrid digital/acoustic pianos. These are regular acoustic pianos with real action that can disconnect from the acoustic sound and connect with the digital sound on demand. This type of piano may very well be the wave of the future.
- Digital pianos provide many wonderful features and are affordable for beginners. It is, however, an insufficient instrument to acquire advanced piano techniques and skills. The so-called weighted keys are not as responsive and therefore create a delay in playing that’s detrimental to virtuoso piano playing. The digital piano is not recommended for intermediate or advanced pianist who wants to build techniques.
If you're shopping for a digital piano, do not mainly look at price. Feel and touch the weighted keys as well as checking out its many features. MIDI ability with disc recording is essential in the modern world.
Summary:The digital piano has its strong and weak points. Depending on your purchasing criteria, it may very well be a worthy investment!