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#2000351 - 12/16/12 05:36 PM Digital Vs Accoustic!
wayne33yrs Offline
1000 Post Club Member

Registered: 03/31/11
Posts: 1752
Loc: Sheffield UK
I'm just curious! I prefer accoustic smile


Edited by wayne33yrs (12/16/12 05:37 PM)

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#2000359 - 12/16/12 05:57 PM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: wayne33yrs]
TheodorN Offline
500 Post Club Member

Registered: 07/16/10
Posts: 647
Loc: Iceland
The old story in my case, I live in an apartment block and wouldn't want to have to practise out on the streets. Besides, I can connect to MIDI software. Acoustics though win hands down, when it comes to sound quality, unless the digital is criminally high priced.
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formerly Pianotehead
My YouTube channel:

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#2000360 - 12/16/12 06:05 PM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: wayne33yrs]
ChopinAddict Offline
5000 Post Club Member

Registered: 08/29/09
Posts: 5647
Loc: Land of the never-ending music
I have both in one because I have a silent piano, but I prefer to play in acoustic mode.
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#2000364 - 12/16/12 06:16 PM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: wayne33yrs]
wayne33yrs Offline
1000 Post Club Member

Registered: 03/31/11
Posts: 1752
Loc: Sheffield UK
I can see the benefit of a digital piano and headphones for practicing, but I still feel the feeling of playin on accoustic is lost frown

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#2000365 - 12/16/12 06:18 PM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: wayne33yrs]
justpin Online   content
Full Member

Registered: 03/25/12
Posts: 394
Loc: Holmes Chapel
Different strokes for different folks!

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#2000391 - 12/16/12 06:55 PM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: wayne33yrs]
zrtf90 Offline
1000 Post Club Member

Registered: 02/29/12
Posts: 1661
Loc: Ireland (ex England)
Apart from a lack of sustain (8 seconds for middle C on my 23 year old Clavinova) and lesser volume (30w + 30W - sufficient for the room it's in but not a match for an acoustic) I don't really notice that I'm not playing on an acoustic. I can command a wider dynamic range on my digital than I could get on either of my acoustics and I found it easier to move between my Clavinova and a nine-foot Blüthner grand I had access to for three weeks a year.

The sound isn't as good (though it's typically better when it's recorded) but the digital is better in every other way that I can think of. And the sound is not as important to me as my ability to control it.

I believe digitals are better now than anything Bach, Handel, Scarlatti, Haydn, Clementi, Mozart or Beethoven could ever have played and probably Schubert, too.

I have turned my back on acoustics for the home.
_________________________
Richard

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#2000402 - 12/16/12 07:19 PM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: wayne33yrs]
Mr Super-Hunky Offline
4000 Post Club Member

Registered: 04/17/05
Posts: 4052
Loc: Arizona.
You can't accurately compare the two since they compliment each other more than they overlap one another.

It really boils down to studying the list of pros and cons of each specific one and see which one suits your needs best.

I have both and use them both when one works better for what I am doing than the other. I started out with a digital and later purchased an acoustic as well.

A digital can do things that an acoustic cannot but usually not the other way around in terms of features other than sound reproduction quality/authenticity. (Portability, headphones, lack of tuning, etc).

A good working condition upright piano can be had on Craigslist for $600. If things don't work out in a year or two, chances are you can re-sell it for what you paid. A digital on the other hand will plummet in value after several years just like other tech devices.

Make a decision based on all things considerd.



Edited by Mr Super-Hunky (12/16/12 09:29 PM)

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#2000420 - 12/16/12 07:58 PM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: wayne33yrs]
Bluoh Offline
Full Member

Registered: 12/20/11
Posts: 314
Loc: Canada
I have a couple of both, but I prefer acoustic. The sound isn't programmed inside a computer and you get a different sound when your technique changes.

Of course, I don't perform at bars and whatnot, so I don't have to transport my instrument around...
_________________________
How to Practice Less & Get More Done

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#2000430 - 12/16/12 08:21 PM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: wayne33yrs]
adultpianist Offline
Full Member

Registered: 12/01/12
Posts: 190
One of the advatages of a digital is that when you practice you can use headphones and do not disturb others.

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#2000436 - 12/16/12 08:32 PM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: wayne33yrs]
Michael_99 Offline
Full Member

Registered: 07/28/12
Posts: 490
Loc: Canada Alberta
I don't know of anyone who lives in a condo or an apartment that only has an acoustic. I have a 20 year old Klavanova which I think is awesome considering where digital has gone. I have a weighted keys keyboard. The acoustic piano I have had about 4 months. Even though I am only a beginner, I always stunned by the awesome sound of the piano. I am humbled and honoured to play the acoustic piano. Only recently did I open the top/lid of the piano and now I only play with the top open which is even more awesome if there is such a word. Sorry, but I hve a small vocabulary and awesome is my only big word.

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#2000523 - 12/17/12 12:58 AM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: wayne33yrs]
Michael_99 Offline
Full Member

Registered: 07/28/12
Posts: 490
Loc: Canada Alberta
Actually, I forgot a very important point. A digital piano with weighed keys - like a piano - in Canada is $500 and much less in the USA and much less if it is used means you can play/practice 24/7/365 anywhwere on the planet that has electricty which makes it the best because it is affordable, easy to move, usually 30 pounds, earphones if needed. This is particularly important because I grew up in a small house trailer in northern Canada and a piano was impossible, but an digital piano/keyboard would have been possible but they didn't exist when I was a kid. Also critically important, you can play a digital piano/keyboard at any angle, so you can play it on your back, in a wheel chair, in bed at home, at a hospital or in an old folks home to name a few.


Edited by Michael_99 (12/17/12 01:00 AM)

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#2000532 - 12/17/12 01:26 AM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: ChopinAddict]
outo Online   content
Full Member

Registered: 08/02/12
Posts: 300
Loc: Finland
Originally Posted By: ChopinAddict
I have both in one because I have a silent piano, but I prefer to play in acoustic mode.

Same here, I need to feel connected to the strings and "make the sound" myself.

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#2000553 - 12/17/12 03:33 AM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: wayne33yrs]
Marco M Offline
Full Member

Registered: 08/28/12
Posts: 324
Loc: Europe
Two different instruments.

The digital instrument is much more economic than any acoustic to start with, while featuring a reasonable piano keyboard and piano sound, and additionally offering plenty of extras:
- always in tune which makes it so pleasant for the ears every day again
- headphones; without headphones still possible to practice silently or play loudly
- adjustable reverb and sustain if needed for focussing the practice session on certain technical details, i.e. the training of legato playing
- having a recorder for inmediate feedback on your training progress
- easy playalong possibilities at different speeds
- have available an organ and harpsichord for baroque keyboard music
- MIDI, for taking advantage of all the other musical toys around
- have other sounds (E-Piano, E-Organ, Synthetic Soundscapes) available for the case that your piano playing interests would change to other (keyboard) styles.

The acoustic features a so far unbeatable sound, if you initially can invest enough.

You should take care to stay out of the bargain offer only scrappy boxes, and this applies for both, an acoustic or a digital. I would roughly say, that you have to invest 8000 $ for an acoustic or 3000 $ for a modern digital, to recveive decent instruments. If you don´t invest as much, both will somehow impact the pleasure you are searching for.
_________________________
learning Piano on my Roland HP-505
before playing Drums in adults bluesband on handpicked set; before crashing E-Guitar in kids garage band; raised on home entertainment Organ and Keyboard models Eminent Solina P240, Farfisa Maharani 259R, Technics KN800, and on Mouth Organ, Recorder and Accordion

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#2000607 - 12/17/12 08:18 AM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: wayne33yrs]
ZoeCalgary Online   content
500 Post Club Member

Registered: 05/01/11
Posts: 740
Loc: Calgary Alberta
I have both and like both for different reasons. But for me I'd rather play on the acoustic for both feel and sound. Nothing compares! But yes all the features of a digital mentioned in previous posts are all good too. I see them as different tools for different needs. And I agree you have to spend some minimum amount to get something decent. But I will add you can get good deals if you shop around. I've bought all my instruments second hand and have had no problems.

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#2000609 - 12/17/12 08:25 AM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: wayne33yrs]
JimF Offline
1000 Post Club Member

Registered: 10/08/09
Posts: 1264
Loc: south florida
Number of times I've sat down at my Clavinova in the 20 months since getting the Estonia grand?

Zero

nuff said.
_________________________
Passage-Sonata #2-F.Chopin
Invention No.4 Dm-JSBach


Estonia L190 #7284


Direttore, GiacomoF Scuola dei Tempi Glaciali






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#2000617 - 12/17/12 08:37 AM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: wayne33yrs]
Ragdoll Offline
Full Member

Registered: 11/03/12
Posts: 294
Loc: Illinois
I also have both and like both for their own advantages as others have stated. In fact, I just bought another DP to replace my Kohler DP26 despite having a new (to me) Yamaha U1. I want to take a "piano" when I travel, hence the trade. Hard to put a Console type DP in the car grin. Nevertheless, I much prefer the acoustic; strange as it may sound I can actually physically FEEL the music vibes emitted by the U1, not so much (any) with the KORG. If I could have only one , it would be the acoustic hands down.
_________________________
Ragdoll

Sisyphus studied piano too!


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#2000653 - 12/17/12 11:09 AM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: Ragdoll]
slpianoproject Offline
Full Member

Registered: 10/08/12
Posts: 22
Loc: Qc, Canada
I have been playing on digitals for several years. At the moment i own a Roland rp201 (nowhere near top of the line, but still pretty good). For a long time i've been pro-digital showing off my friends and piano teacher how great the sound was on the digital. It even mimics the soundboard resonnance when the damper is depressed and you hit the top end keys etc...

Now that i got my accoustic, the digital feels like a toy. For real. The sound on the real piano (its not even a grand btw) is just gorgeous! Even after a year and a half there is times i want to relearn old pieces just to hear how gorgeous it'ld sound on my accoustic. As for the weighted keys, it just doesn't feel the same at all. When i told my piano teacher about my dp feeling like a toy he told me he tough the same thing just didn't want tell me not to offend LOL!

The main difference to me is like Ragdoll said, you can FEEL the sound on the piano. Its loud, its in your face, it moves you. The sound is also way more difficult to control on an accoustic (dynamics, pedaling, etc...) but once you're used to it, it doesn't come close to digital.

I still keep my digital for MIDI usage and late night practice, but still i changed my practice schedule to be in the afternoon just to stay away from the digital as much as possible frown . It just doesnt feel the same anymore.

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#2000655 - 12/17/12 11:13 AM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: wayne33yrs]
Nikolas Online   content
4000 Post Club Member

Registered: 11/26/07
Posts: 4042
Loc: Europe
I have all three types: A Digital, an upright and a grand. And I love all three equally!

Each one for their own purposes but I adore them... I could't live without them really... wink
_________________________
http://www.musica-ferrum.com

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#2000668 - 12/17/12 11:57 AM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: wayne33yrs]
floydthebarber71 Offline
Full Member

Registered: 12/07/12
Posts: 95
How can you post such a question without context? Surely there is a time and place for both. Budget, noise/volume, recording, portability, etc.
_________________________
Self-taught renegade - Kawai CL-36

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#2000681 - 12/17/12 12:42 PM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: JimF]
Mark... Offline
4000 Post Club Member

Registered: 11/27/06
Posts: 4312
Loc: Jersey Shore
Originally Posted By: JimF
Number of times I've sat down at my Clavinova in the 20 months since getting the Estonia grand?

Zero

nuff said.


Gave my digital away when I got my Estonia grand. could not go near it after that..

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#2000709 - 12/17/12 02:13 PM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: wayne33yrs]
ClsscLib Online   content

Platinum Supporter until Jan 02 2013


Registered: 03/14/08
Posts: 1066
Loc: Northern VA, U.S.
I don't think in terms of "Digital Vs. Acoustic." I have both and use both.

All things considered, I'd rather be seated before my acoustic grand. It doesn't fit in an airline carry-on bin, though. Or even in the trunk of my car.
_________________________


I'd be tender, I'd be gentle
And awfully sentimental
Regarding love and art...

I'd be friends with the sparrows
And the boy who shoots the arrows
If I only had a heart.

-- E.Y. "Yip" Harburg and Harold Arlen

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#2000739 - 12/17/12 03:35 PM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: wayne33yrs]
wouter79 Offline
2000 Post Club Member

Registered: 02/14/10
Posts: 2587

>Two different instruments.

Kind of agree, but it is clear that the DPs are trying to IMITATE or maybe I should say ENHANCE real pianos. Without much success, IMHO.

>The digital instrument is much more economic than any acoustic

Now this does not make much sense if you just said that these are different instruments. We could also say that a mouth organ is more economic than a piano.
_________________________

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#2000745 - 12/17/12 03:57 PM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: wayne33yrs]
Jeff Clef Offline
4000 Post Club Member

Registered: 10/05/08
Posts: 4028
Loc: San Jose, CA
Both.

Why say Digital v. Acoustic--- is this a divorce case?
_________________________
Clef


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#2000750 - 12/17/12 04:13 PM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: wayne33yrs]
wayne33yrs Offline
1000 Post Club Member

Registered: 03/31/11
Posts: 1752
Loc: Sheffield UK
I was curious wink Playing the acoustic, I get a "feeling" for the music, but on the keyboard, nothing! and I wondered what others felt. I've appreciated all these replies smile thnx all smile

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#2000758 - 12/17/12 04:30 PM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: wayne33yrs]
Mark... Offline
4000 Post Club Member

Registered: 11/27/06
Posts: 4312
Loc: Jersey Shore
When you come down to it, it's basically a live performance vs a recorded performance...

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#2000766 - 12/17/12 04:46 PM Re: Digital Vs Accoustic! [Re: wayne33yrs]
TheodorN Offline
500 Post Club Member

Registered: 07/16/10
Posts: 647
Loc: Iceland
I think most of us agree the acoustics sound so much nicer and not synthetic/machine like, as the digitals do more or less.

The reason most people have digitals (only) is because they are forced to. If I had loads of money and lived in my own house (not in a block), I'd get an acoustic.

I remember this guy who always insisted that his $500 digital piano was as good or even better than acoustics, not many agreed with him. Haven't seen him (her?) in months on the forum.
_________________________
formerly Pianotehead
My YouTube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/thenorbass1

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