Question: What's the difference?

[Graeme Harvey]

Kris,

I have very limited experience with digital pianos, and the little I have
played them I tend to find I tire of the sound after 20 minutes or so. I
have often wondered what is missing, taking into account a soundboard etc.
Could it be the mix of harmonics / partials in the chords? Do the notes in
these "pianos" have similar partial characteristics to acoustic pianos? ( I
should measure sometime with RCT pianalyser but I never get close enough to
this type of piano to do this)
One thought I had was that although each note is digitally sampled
(therefore possibly contains the partial series from the sampled piano) how
about when more than one note is played at once. Electronic pianos must (?)
produce their chords as a collection of single sampled notes without the
blend of partials that would occur in an acoustic piano. Perhaps the blend
of notes once amplified and put through a speaker creates the blend?
Maybe I'm off track here but I too am interested in this question.

So many questions, so little time....

Graeme Harvey
New Plymouth NZ


----- Original Message -----
From: K Anderson <pno2nr1@juno.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Sunday, November 07, 1999 6:30 AM
Subject: Question: What's the difference?


> Maybe I really am nuts... but maybe not ?  It seems to me that there is a
> definite difference between the sound of an electronic "piano"  and a
> REAL piano.  It's hard to convince our church pianist of this... she
> loves her Clavinova, and while it can do some pretty neat things I just
> ache to hear the grand played.  It sits right next to her Clavinova. It's
> a well-maintained Kawai 7-footer.  I've wondered what is it about the
> electonic sounds that make my ears want to squirm and run away.  The
> sounds seem hollow, tasteless.... but how can I explain this to the dear
> pianist? (She doesn't know when the grand is out of tune, either. She
> frankly acknowledges that she needs someone to tell her that.) So... is
> there an actual, definable physical difference between the sounds
> produced by the two instruments? something that would confirm my balance
> and explain  the unsettled, unsatisfied feeling I have when she plays the
> Clavinova?
>
> Thanks much, all...
> Kris
>
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