Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards what is let off and how do i test it?

the title pretty much says it all, i noticed some DPs have let-off as part of the discription for the action like the kawai ca93, and most don't, i don't really understand it so i dont know how to test it on my DP.

thanks

I think the most practical answer is for you to play the piano and ask yourself if it sounds great and if it plays great.

Manufacturers of digital pianos do their best to copy the action of real acoustic pianos. They also use a lot of advertising hype to influence those here who are easily influenced.

Play the piano and make sure you also bring along an excellent set of headphones.

On an acoustic piano as the kay travels down at some point near the bottom the action disconnects from the hammer and the hammer continues on it's own. I think this is why if you play soft enough on an acoustic the hammers never hit the strings. It's called "let off" because the hammer "let's off".

How do you test it? Ideally you'd not be able to. I think piano tuners try and somehow to make to effect not so noticeable. It happens during the last fraction of a millimeter of key travel just before the key bottoms out

Look here:
http://www.piano.christophersmit.com/popUpMotion.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7gHMf6CIbA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01DBtig_Fgw

In Grand pianos there is a mechanism that allows to repeat a note without releasing the key full way.
When this mechanism kicks in, it has a "klick" effect.

This "klick" effect was initially unwanted, it was a bug.
But nowadays it is seen by some as a wanted effect and there are teachers that teach to play near to this klick point when playing pianissimo.
Indeed i think, this effect gives enhanced taktile feedback and can be helpful, but I cant tell from own experience.

Some keyboards imitate the click effect only but not the damper effect, like Kawai RM3, or Roland PHAII.
Other imitate the damper effect, like Yamaha GH3 and Casio triple sensor, but dont imitate the click.

Currently so far I know, Roland PHAIII is the only digital keyboard that imitates both.

(Thats how I understand it, others are welcome to correct me, because I am a self-teached layman)

Peter