I remember a number of years ago reading about a test performed using live and recorded music to see if a listener could tell the difference. They set up a room with a blind down the middle between an acoustic guitar player and a test audience. In other words, they could not see each other but everyone could hear just fine. Sitting next to the guitar player was a high quality speaker. They had recorded that guitar player in that exact position prior to the test playing the same piece that he was going to play live. They then brought in the test audience and had them listen to both the live guitar player and the recording without telling them which was which. The audience guessed the live player correctly every single time. What they ultimately proved is that no matter how good the recording and the playback systems, there is always some extra lows and some extra highs and some extra nuance that just plain won't record or playback. I think the same holds true for even the high-end sampled electronic pianos today. They do sound pretty darn good, but they don't really sound real. And I don't think that they will be able to reproduce a real enough sound from an electronic device anytime soon enough for it to effect many of us. On the other hand, as is the case with today's professionally recorded music, MP3 compression and the iPOD, the listener's expectations and ability to care about the difference will likely erode much faster. So, the demise of the acoustic piano may just come from an increasing audience of players and listeners that no longer know, remember, or care what a real piano sound(ed) like, rather than the electronic version becoming good enough to actually replace it. 2 cents, and change. -- Geoff Sykes -- Assoc. Los Angeles
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