Silent pianos

[Larry Fisher]

>From: Kristinn Andersen <kiddi@marel.is>
>Subject: Silent pianos?


>1.  General comments on silent pianos.

Consider visiting my homepage listed in my sig line below.  Both the Yamaha
and the Kawai come factory equiped in certain models with a silent piano
feature of some kind.  Yamaha offers one very nice electronic reproduction
of the piano's sound to be played through headphones or amplified speaker.
Kawai offers 5 (I think) substitute voices.  Both stop the hammer well
before the customary point of let off.  This can be felt in the way the
piano plays both with and without the muting function turned on.  The other
option no one has mentioned so far is the retrofittable QuietTime from MSR,
the same people that make PianoDisc, out of Sacremento.  When this unit is
installed properly, the hammer is stopped at or very near the point of let
off as called for by the specs of the manufacturer of the piano.  The
current model offers the full range of 128 MIDI voices along with a host of
other features to massage the data.

>
>2.  Are there any compromises on the acoustic/mechanical parts in comparison
>with ordinary pianos?

The installation of the retrofit involves some drilling of holes in action
brackets, and other areas of the piano.  When installed properly, these
holes don't compromise anything.  The trick is to find an installer that
really understands pianos, retrofits, and has some mechanical moxy for
acheiving the end result.  The "compromise" of the action and the way it
responds is covered by a previous post, and of the few Silent Series and
Anytime Series pianos I've seen, I tend to agree.  The pianos may have been
out of adjustment, but considering the mechanism used to silence the
hammers, I can see why the let off was set so far back from the strings.
This does indeed affect power and control to some extent.
>
>3.  Quality of the electronic part, i.e. naturalness of the sound,
>mechanical feedback, etc

I don't care for any of the sounds created by electronic keyboards so I'm a
poor source for this info.  Mechanical feedback........... The piano still
plays normally, and is supposed to feel the same wheather the device is
muted or not.  There are some subtle differences on some brands, but when
adjusted properly, you shouldn't be able to feel the difference between on
and off.
..
>
>4.  Suitability for piano students (beginners / intermediate).

I have a piano teacher that uses it to keep peace in the household.  Both
student and teacher wear headphones to keep the noise level at a minimum in
the surrounding area.  The headphones also help keep the student focused
better, according to the teacher.
>
>5.  Who makes silent pianos at this time (I know of Yamaha, Kemble/UK)?

see above
>
>6.  Would you recommend any particular brand?

depends on what you're looking for.  Do you already own a piano?  Are you
looking for price, sound, function, future trends, etc.??
>
>7.  General comparison with electronic-only pianos.  Do recommend anything
>there?

Most electronic piano manufacturers have spent a bucket load on creating a
viable electronic reproduction of the piano sound.  Next area of expense in
making the keyboard feel like an acoustic piano.  I don't care for the
sterile sound of the electronic music market.  The major advantages of going
with an electronic keyboard is portability, and lack of need for tuning.
>

>        Kristinn Andersen (kiddi@marel.is)
>>

Larry Fisher RPT

                                                  Larry Fisher RPT
                specialist in players, retrofits, and other complicated stuff
                       phone 360-256-2999 or email larryf@pacifier.com
                  http://pacifier.com/~larryf/homepage.html (revised 5/96)
                         Beau Dahnker pianos work best under water