| The acoustic piano was for a long time the | | | | second hand can be a risky business. |
| centrepiece of the drawing room of the upper classes. | | | | Still, most proficient pianists say that the sound, which is |
| It featured in the Jane Austen type books, and virtually | | | | after all the end product of the playing of a piano, |
| every daughter of that time and society had to add | | | | makes all the expenses well worth while. |
| the playing of the piano to her accomplishments. | | | | Unfortunately, most ordinary pianists cannot justify the |
| However, ongoing technology has resulted in a host of | | | | high costs of purchase and maintenance and so are |
| digital pianos, which now have the look and feel of the | | | | increasingly turning ti the digital option. |
| acoustic version, and as a result, people in the market | | | | THE DIGITAL PIANO |
| for a new piano now have the choice of digital or | | | | The digital piano tries to match the sound of an |
| acoustic. | | | | acoustic piano electronically. The depression of the |
| Both types have their advantages and disadvantages. | | | | keys does not move a hammer mechanically, it emits |
| THE ACOUSTIC PIANO | | | | a pre-recorded sound of that note played acoustically. |
| The acoustic piano is a marvelously made mechanical | | | | In comparison to an acoustic piano, a digital piano will |
| contraption. When a key is pressed it causes a | | | | be much cheaper. |
| muffled hammer to strike the strings in the body of the | | | | Some say that an electronic piano doesn't have the |
| piano, which causes the rich piano sound which some | | | | same "touch" as an acoustic one, but while this may |
| say cannot be replicated electronically. | | | | have been true in the early days, instruments from |
| However an acoustic piano does need a lot of room, | | | | manufacturers such as Yamaha have addressed this |
| which was fine in the huge rooms of stately homes, | | | | problem. |
| but which will not be the case in the reduced living area | | | | If you are a professional pianist, an acoustic piano is |
| of a small house or apartment. | | | | probably out of the question. You are faced with either |
| A major consideration, even if you do have the room, | | | | lugging a very heavy piece of equipment to the venue, |
| is that the piano needs to be delivered to its final place | | | | which is probably not an option at all, or putting up with |
| in the room. Pianos are extremely heavy objects, and | | | | one at the venue itself, which may be of dubious |
| normally need a team of specialist piano removers to | | | | quality. |
| shift them. There is also the consideration of the | | | | Virtually every musician playing gigs these days has a |
| access to the room - if there is a tight stairwell it may | | | | digital pianos or keyboard, as they are generally easily |
| be impossible to get the piano to where you want it to | | | | transportable. |
| go. | | | | An upmarket digital piano contains many additional |
| There is also the ongoing cost of regular tuning to get | | | | features. Not only can it play the basic piano sound, but |
| the best out of the instrument. Pianos regularly lose | | | | has an array of other sounds. These include a drum |
| their tuning, for example when being transported, or | | | | accompaniment, so that a pianist playing an electronic |
| sometimes even with changes in the weather. | | | | instrument may not need any other musicians at all. |
| Then there is the initial cost. Acoustic pianos are | | | | Finally of course digital pianos do not need ongoing |
| generally very expensive to buy new, and buying | | | | tuning. |