<HTML><HTML> In a message dated 12/26/04 12:50:24 AM, donmannino@comcast.net writes: <BLOCKQUOTE CITE STYLE="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px" TYPE="CITE">Kawai models also hav= e variable tone quality on each note based on velocity - something akin to h= ammers sounding mellow when played soft, and have more brightness and bite w= hen played hard. </BLOCKQUOTE> Yes, and they have 127 variable steps max.  That's the MIDI standard.&= nbsp; 127 steps.  It is not possible under the MIDI standard to have = more than 127 discreet steps of volume or tone on a single note.  This is akin to paying your bills in dollar increments.  How much is t= hat doggy in the window?  $27.35?  Here's $28, thanks!  Ch= ange on the dollar?  What's that? Who wants to watch 4-cylinder cars with bald tires race? The Canadian Steinway artist who performed on a digital keyboard is simply a= fool.  Who would intentionally limit his expressive capabilities unle= ss they were limited in the first place.  Maybe he can't tell the diff= erence because he doesn't have the ability to control a key well enough to t= ake advantage of an instrument capable of an infinite number of volume and t= one changes. I have never heard him play but I have no respect for anyone who would make = this choice in a concert setting where a professional performance standard i= s expected.  On the other hand, there is a time and place for such instruments.  Fo= r instance, pit orchestras for musical theater productions.  Mic-ing a= n acoustic piano which sits in front of the brass and next to the drums and = bass is difficult, and keeping the instrument in tune when the environment c= hanges so drastically day to day (the theater is dark on Mondays and the hea= t/AC is turned off) and hourly (fill the house with 1000 people and check yo= ur hygrometer and thermometer) is practically impossible.  Furthermore= , in context, i.e., with drums, bass, and other instruments in the mix, the = digital piano sounds fine. But on stage, in a solo situation, with your performance being listened to, = critiqued, and being paid for by an audience who expects to hear something o= ut of the ordinary, choosing a digital keyboard is ludicrous.  He seek= s to break new ground by sinking below it. Tom Sivak Chicago PTG Associate </HTML>