Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Yamaha P-85 closer to a Grand Piano action than any Upright!

The GHS action on your P-85 is Yamaha's entry level digital action. Nice to hear that you are having great results with it !!

Well, digital pianos certainly have their place...

A lot of churches are getting rid of their acoustic and going to digital pianos. So, they do have a purpose and meet the needs of users.

I bought a Yamaha P90 (newer model than the P85) and it had an odd ringing in a few notes in the upper register. I actually took the Peavy key-board amp back to the music store, and bought a Roland amp... to no avail. Same identiacl ringing. I guess the 9 footer they sampled that one on needed some voicing.

You can't do any voicing on a digital; it is what it is.

Rick

They should put a USB on these digital pianos, just so you can upgrade or change the voices when you want to.

Rickster
Actually a lot of modern digital pianos actually do let you do voicing now. Some of Roland and Kawai's higher end digitals in particular allow that. You can affect all kinds of different parameters, from hammer hardness to string resonance. You can even adjust the parameters on a note by note basis. It's really cool.

[...]
Well, when you play something as sensitive and quiet
as the Aria, sometimes the notes are difficult to make
sound on most uprights, because you are below a certain
velocity.
[...]

Most uprights? Really? That could also simply be indicative of the limitation of the pianist's technique!

Regards,

Rickster
Actually a lot of modern digital pianos actually do let you do voicing now. Some of Roland and Kawai's higher end digitals in particular allow that. You can affect all kinds of different parameters, from hammer hardness to string resonance. You can even adjust the parameters on a note by note basis. It's really cool.

Paul678 the P85 is pretty old. They actually have gone a long way since then. The top of the line actions from Roland, Kawai, and Yamaha are *really* impressive now. Definitely worth trying out if you get the chance! Also some higher end digital pianos (not just synths) do let you download new sample sets and replace the old ones. But they tend to be vey expensive and more geared to touring musicians. However, the vast majority of digital pianos/keyboards are MIDI capable, meaning that you can interface them with computers to play a wide variety of software based instruments. The software based instruments are probably the best way to go for the absolutely most realistic sounds. But of course, than be a bit clunky and some people don't like the aesthetic of dangling wires all over the place.

Warm Regards

It sounds like you have very little experience with
the limitations of upright pianos.

Most grands have far better actions and note
repeat-ability.

Try educating yourself before you type.....

Hmm, ok! Looks like I'll be trying out the latest
digitals next time I'm at the piano store!

On the contrary, I have considerable experience with uprights of different makes and vintage. I would agree that many have limitations that the average pianist cannot overcome, but I do take issue with your statement that most uprights are so limited.

Ignore the troll stuff. On this forum it can be an honor to be so designated.

Roland FP-80..... $2000
Kawai ES7 ........ $2600
Avantgrand N1 ...$5000


Each one very different, but each can kick some butt.

Play them and draw your own conclusions.

I ain't your average pianist.....I will play
you under the table!

Hint: Why do you think serious concert pianist
NEVER perform on an upright?

Most of them are limited. The repertoire is limited.

Bach's Goldberg variations Aria is difficult to play
on most uprights, but the P-85 was clearly modeled and
sampled from a 9 footer, and it certainly feels that way!

I ain't your average pianist.....I will play
you under the table!

Hint: Why do you think serious concert pianist
NEVER perform on an upright?

Most of them are limited. The repertoire is limited.

I'm happy to read of your joy in this discovery, but completely disagree with your observations and summation. You either haven't played enough high-end uprights in a good state of regulation, or you may want to examine your technical approach to playing more closely.

Though the sample may be from a 9' grand, there's little similarity in the action to a 9' grand, nor the propagation of sound from it. On balance, I remembering liking that model as an ultraportable practice solution in a pinch.

Tip: The ones that can truly "play you under the table" are the ones that do not need to announce they can "play you under the table"...

Tip: Only the predictably insecure will respond to "play under the table" bait, which is obviously there to elicit a response! You guys are easy to wind up!

You are wrong. I've played plenty of high-end uprights, and they are no match for the best grands. You obviously don't understand that grand actions rely on gravity instead of springs, and so can be trilled faster...

Of course a high end upright is no match for the best grand - a Steinway D is nicer to play than a model K - but I'd take a model k over any digital any day.

I'd even take a well prepared 1930 challen upright over a Yamaha p85.

But I like digitals for heavy technical work where all that matters is gymnastics. It saves the hammers on the grand, and being able to practise silently on a piano with good sound is amazing.

I think digital pianos are good, they're here to stay and they are excellent tools, but musically, they're not that interesting to me.

you've now ensured that a good many people will never take your posts seriously nor respond to you - you've effectively shrunk your PW community down to a fraction of what it was.

@Turandot read some of his other threads and responses and you will find out soon enough what you're dealing with.
The most ridicule thing yet was advising a swamp cooler for use with a piano. An advise that surely would inflict damage when taken seriously.
Btw, OP still owes me a Steinway D. Also owes me an apology for calling me a liar for no good reason apart from his own fun. Trolls do what trolls do. What do you expect from someone calling himself a veteran musician in his very first post on PW.

I love the comfort and economy of Evaporative Coolers but they are piano death

1. You didn't initially. Just read the thread title: "Swamp Cooler and Air Conditioner- Use only One of them!" A quick google would have told you that. Quote from one of the first hits on google:
. So you are either very ignorant or have very bad intent. I hope for the first but reading your other posts I'm leaning towards the latter.

2. If I would have bad intent I would sue you (It wouldn't be a first, read the Forum FAQ) since you do owe me a Steinway Grand. It's quite easy to prove the picture is not fake. It's from our national press agency (ANP). I am not doing so because I don't have bad intent nor do I like bets. You provoked me into one by calling me a liar. I like to receive what I earn and didn't work for this so don't feel I'm entitled to it. You are not only a sour loser but legally also in debt.

@Turandot read some of his other threads and responses and you will find out soon enough what you're dealing with.
The most ridicule thing yet was advising a swamp cooler for use with a piano. An advise that surely would inflict damage when taken seriously.
Btw, OP still owes me a Steinway D. Also owes me an apology for calling me a liar for no good reason apart from his own fun. Trolls do what trolls do. What do you expect from someone calling himself a veteran musician in his very first post on PW.

It's not any single post that's done it, but Paul has been whittling down his audience with regular abrasive posts.