[pianotech] Acoustic vs. digital - there's the question!

[Paul T Williams]

We just purchased (1 year ago) an Avant Grand.  Has anyone tried to 
regulate one? It has a "real" grand action inside, but you can't see 
anything. Some of the faculty love it, and some dispise it.  I can't stand 
moving it. At 420 lbs. and only 5 voices to offer, it's a pain.  At least 
it has a usb port, but then you have to screw with a laptop to get a harp 
or something that they always want that's not just programmed in.



From:
William Monroe <bill at a440piano.net>
To:
pianotech at ptg.org
Date:
09/03/2011 10:35 AM
Subject:
Re: [pianotech] Acoustic vs. digital - there's the question!



Hi Chuck,

I'm with you.  I've experienced some of the "best" digital instruments, 
including the Yamaha Avant Grand.  And, they're nice, they really are. 
 But they are digital and it's obvious.  I think they can be a great tool, 
but if you appreciate and want the sound of a piano, the digital 
instruments available today just don't cut it.

It's really about defining our goals again.  If your priorities are 
composing software, practicing with headphones, etc., then the new 
digitals can be fantastic.  But if your primary concern is that your 
instrument be like a piano, there's nothing that does that but the piano. 
 From there you start making the appropriate compromises for your 
particular situation.

William R. Monroe



On Sat, Sep 3, 2011 at 10:09 AM, Chuck Behm <behmpiano at gmail.com> wrote:
>But who knows how things will develop. it would be awfully attractive to 
conservatories and concert halls if a really good electronic instrument 
was avalable at a fraction of the cost of a Steinway D.

Best regards,

David.<

Hi David and all. I'm not an expert in the least when it comes to digital 
keyboards, so I'm just wondering if my perception of the difference 
between the two species of instruments is correct. 

Whenever I have a tuning customer broach the subject of abandoning their 
acoustic piano and going with a digital for whatever reasons, I ask them 
if they would like a demonstration of the advantage of the acoustic piano. 
(They always say yes).

To illustrate the full sound that the acoustic piano achieves, I open lid, 
remove the music rack, and with the sustain pedal down I play a chord with 
my right hand. Then, quickly I use the thumb of my left hand to stop the 
vibration of the notes I've just played, while keeping the sustain pedal 
down.

The beautiful, shimmering sound that remains, I explain, is the vibration 
of the strings that are harmonically related to the notes I played, which 
gives the chord a richer, more three dimensional sound. 

I then play the opening to a piece that has particularly haunting chords, 
lingering on each one with the sustain pedal down to get the full effect.

A digital instrument, by comparison, would in essence play backed the 
recorded sounds of the notes I just played, with nothing more - a very 2 
dimensional sound, and very unsatisfying, at least in my book.

I compare the sound of the acoustic piano to a live person standing in 
front of you and that of the digital to a cardboard cutout of the same 
person. Looks similar, but not at all the real thing.

If I was a musician playing on a stage in front of an audience, I would no 
more wish to play on a keyboard, no matter how gussied up it was, than I 
would want to serve frozen Swanson's TV dinners to guests sitting down to 
Thanksgiving dinner. (Yum, those turkey bits and pieces look sooo 
appetizing!)

Now, here's my question to all of you. Is that description still valid, or 
have the makers of digital keyboards developed a sound that really 
compares to that of an acoustic piano? I frankly haven't kept up with 
developments occurring in the manufacture of digital instruments, because 
I simply have no passion for them. Glorified boat anchors, as far as I'm 
concerned.

Please correct me if I'm way off base. I realize that I am highly 
prejudiced on the topic, but what do you expect from a piano technician. 
Thanks so much.  Chuck Behm




-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/20110906/0e603e81/attachment.htm>