Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Question regarding Casio PX-320 and Half Dampering

Hey, I have a question regarding the Casio PX-320 and the Half Dampering ability. Basically, I'm wondering why aftermarket pedals with half dampering capabilitys dont work with the Px-320. As I understand the only way to get half dampering is by using the SP-30. I dont understand how the PX-320 can tell the difference between having the SP-30 and an aftermarket pedal. I'm assuming that since the casio supports half dampering..that with modification an aftermarket pedal can be used? Its not really something I'm interested in playing around with but it had me curious. Thanks

SwiftFireFox,

The SP30 does not use the same jacks or connector as a standard pedal.

The PX320 comes with two 1/4" mono jacks on the back for pedals and a proprietary 7 pin connector on the bottoms for the SP30. Theoretically, if you could find the correct connector and figure out how it is wired, then you might be able to use after market pedals that support half pedaling.

Rich

"Theoretically, if you could find the correct connector and figure out how it is wired, then you might be able to use after market pedals that support half pedaling."

Anyone who can figure that out & post the instructions here would be a hero!

The Casio SP-30 pedal unit is a toy-like thing that breaks with any substantial use & is only fixable by someone with machining skills. So, the best cheap DP line out there is severely crippled for any serious player.

A Casio employee, Mike Martin, has posted here just recently; so, they're now aware of the pedal complaints. Maybe someday they'll do something about it, like put in a 1/4" jack that works with the newer variable damper pedals. AND/OR--spend $1 or so extra to reinforce that cheap flimsy plastic sleeve, the one that breaks on every SP-30 that gets any use. They could then charge us $10 extra and dub it the SP-40!

You don't need a half pedal. For yrs. digitals had only
a non-half pedal, and that was fine, because it forced
you to pedal crisply and correctly. Then recently
manufacturers came out with the half pedal, and
all this does is encourage sloppy pedaling.

When I chose my latest digital, I deliberately
looked for an economy model, because those tend
to have the older non-graded action and a non-half
pedal. The non-graded action builds more strength,
and the non-half pedal encourages correct
pedaling.

There's nothing incorrect or "sloppy" about partial pedaling, and anyone used to using that technique on an acoustic piano will want that feature on a digital.

Steven

A non-graded action will not necessarily build more strength. The non-graded action on my 12 year old DP is much lighter than even the top registers on my new DP with a graded action. I developed technique problems from practicing exclusively on the old one, which is why I bought the new one. It took a couple of months of practice on my new DP to eliminate these problems.

It is also not true that 'the non-half pedal encourages correct pedaling'. In fact the opposite is true. My pedaling became very sloppy from my years of practice on my old DP. The pedal on old DPs is basically just an on/off switch. You neither have to press the pedal completely down, nor lift it completely up - it just has to pass the switch point. This is confounded by the fact that the sustain on older DPs is much weaker due to the lack of polyphony, so one can get away with over-using it without creating such a muddy sound.

The new half pedal feature reveals sloppy pedaling, as the sustain is not fully cleared until the pedal is fully lifted, and the pedal needs to be fully depressed on order to achieve the full sustain.

You also don't seem to acknowledge that that half pedaling is a perfectly valid technique. If you need verification of this, take a look at the the video below, where the concert pianist Steven Hough mentions it (at around 2:30).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqyHLwZIWJM