When was the last time you saw a recital on a EC? How many people would go to hear a full classical concert played on one, -zilch. We are pretty safe guys, just look at all the pianos out there that are still in need of our services!! David Lawson Wangaratta Australia ----- Original Message ----- From: "RicB" <ricb at pianostemmer.no> To: <pianotech at ptg.org> Sent: Thursday, January 04, 2007 6:14 AM Subject: electronics replacing pianos? > Hi Alan, and others. > > I know my position on this is an uncomfortable one. But I think I > really have to stick with it because I really do think sooner or later > the electronic version of the piano will simply become to attractive an > alternative to the market for the industry to be able to sustain > itself. I see the first serious stage of electronic replacements > happening already now in schools and in various less serious minded > concert situations. In hotels over here there are very few acoustic > pianos left around. They rip out the guts of a grand and stick a > keyboard in there.... literally. > > As the electronic piano becomes more and more like its acoustic ancestor > the market will realize that they are cheaper, do not need tuning, are > portable and can do all kinds of things the acoustic piano cant. When > that happens all the low end pianos will start to disappear.... and the > companies that make them as well.... the knowledge base will be > substantially weakened exasperating the situation. In the end.... not > in my life time certainly... but sooner or later... only a handfull of > makers will survive as specialty/nostalgic builders who only put out a > few hundred world wide each year. > > We are entering the age of virtual reality folks.... the industrial > revolution is going to look bleak compared to whats in store for us in > the comming 100 years. (if we can keep from blowing ourselves to > smithereens that is). > > But for all you acoustic lovers out there... and I am one of them... we > can all hope I am dead wrong. :) > > Cheers > RicB > > > Ric and List, > > A hundred years ago the "home entertainment system" was a piano. > The piano's place took a hit when radio came along, but did not > disappear. T.V. stole much of radio's thunder, but did not replace > it entirely by a long shot. Electronic keyboards are, IMHO, a > welcome replacement to the lowest PSOs, but haven't had a > significant impact on pianos of good quality. Computers are another > predominant distraction from all of the aforementioned technologies, > yet we have new piano manufacturers throwing their hats into the > ring, satellite radio, more television stations than ever, and > electronic keyboards available for the price of a decent meal. > > I guess what I am getting at is that the world has become more > crowded with things that vie for our attention, but the competition > posed by the new doesn't necessarily mean the extinction of the old. > > Cheers, > > Alan Eder > > >
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