7. A Possible Alternative: The Digital Piano
That's right, the digital world has also made its way here. For this reason these types of pianos should be mentioned. But if you'd like a more detailed look then there is a separate section "Digital Pianos" we would suggest taking a look at.
For a hardcore pianist these instruments aren't an option: They'll swear up and down on their instruments superiority. For everyone else however, the following advantages should be considered:
| - | Digital pianos save room (smaller footprint). |
| - | They are much lighter and easier to transport even for a layman. |
| - | The occasional, very costly maintenance (tuning etc.) can be dispensed with. |
| - | There are now very well made digital pianos that come with excellent mechanics and key feel. |
| - | And last but not least: They can be played very quietly, namely with headphones, with which you'll only hear the sound of the keys - a huge plus if you already have troublesome neighbors. |
So how do you find a good digital piano?
This question is hard to answer, at the moment there are a lot of manufacturers and models on the market, so you'll need to depend on the sound advice of a good salesman or dealer. But to help get you on your way we've chosen three instruments with very different capabilities and price points.
The Beginner's Model
The Thomann DP 51
With this model you'll get solid tech for a small investment. The DP-51 has 88 weighted keys with hammer action and offers 40 good sounds, various interfaces, a pleasing appearance and low weight (ca. 60kg).
The Upper Middle Class
The CA-98 R from KAWAI
This model from the the renowned piano manufacturer shines with a great appearance, a real wood keyboard, mechanics with pressure point simulation, a real wood resonance floor (!), excellent sounds with the possibility of the recording and reproduction, as well as an assortment of interfaces.
Your probably thinking: "Wow, I think that's the one." Great! But you should know that in this price class you can get a solid acoustic piano as well!
Nevertheless: The focus here is the additional features and the already mentioned benefits of a digital piano, something to keep in mind!
The Luxury Class (Whats the difference?)
The Yamaha CLP-665 GP
What's the difference from a "real" grand piano? The professionals will have to forgive us since of course there are plenty of differences. But lets face it: the gap between them is small but the price difference is still enormous!
The CLP-665 has the following to offer: A GH3X hammer keyboard with 88 keys, a sound system with a real resonance floor, 356-voice polyphony, 34 sounds, a 16 track recorder (!) and of course diverse interfaces. The classical sound is simply superb and a the beautiful design rounds out this outstanding instrument.
At the end of the day it's a matter of personal taste and each individual's preferences. Give it a try at a dealer (feel free to drop by), get some advice and make your decision!
A digital piano will never be able to completely match the capabilities of a piano or grand piano, due to the connection of the musician with the instrument and the way sound develops in a room, the resonance of the body in connection with the velocity of the keys and pitch, the way certain notes hold, the skill of the musician on that given day, mercilessly reflected by the instrument, these are all differences, which you wont notice electronically; they are forces of nature.
Anyone who's played an acoustic instrument will have, in one form or another, experienced this.
