Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum How many of your students have only a DP?

A quote from one of the links I have posted:

"Analog sound reproduction is the reverse process, with a bigger loudspeaker diaphragm causing changes to atmospheric pressure to form acoustic sound waves. Electronically generated sound waves may also be recorded directly from devices such as an electric guitar pickup or a synthesizer, without the use of acoustics in the recording process other than the need for musicians to hear how well they are playing during recording sessions."

"Digital recording and reproduction uses the same analog technologies, with the added digitization of the sonographic data and signal, allowing it to be stored and transmitted on a wider variety of media."

The issue isn't the differnce between digital and analog, but the difference between both of these and acoustically generated sound waves. An acoustic piano uses neither analog or digital technology to generate sound waves.

I'm not arguing, just trying to point out your error i.e. an Acoustic Piano is not analog, or digital for that matter.

I would like to thank the teachers for the question that was directed at teachers, as well as their explanations.

KS

Could you see Mozart or Bach on a Yamaha Clavicord?

Could you see Michelangelo in Photoshop?

Wow the world would blow up with spectacular light and sound.

Can you play Bach in Clavicord mode on an Acoustic?
NOOOOO..

Can you punch in rhythms and full orchestra on an Acoustic?
NOOOO..

Can you create 4 to 8 track full orchestration on an Acoustic?

Can you learn the sounds and timber of other instruments?

Can you play the drums on an Acoustic?

How many keys on a Clavicord, Harpsicord, Spinet?

What does a Glockenspiel sound like?

Can you print, write or plug an Acoutic into a computer.

Can you take an Acoustic to your buds house?

Do you have to tune an Electronic instrument at 120.00 a pop?

Do you have to worry about humidity that much?

Will a key ever be out of tune?

Think about church organists?


You can play an Acoustic in the dark by candle light if the power goes off.

I play on an upright Yamaha U3 Acoustic. I teach on anything, and have taught on nothing (another strange story)

I want a Yamaha ps525 but they are hard to come by.
Got one, I have a symphony I would like to discover in full sound.

Miss Laura

Would love to hear that story.

I have a student this year who started in Sept.
He did not have a piano at home. I was helping his father locate one but there was much this and that. I didn't ask why and his father and his son continued to show up for lessons.
The son was very good though and I kept at his father to get anything. 3 months go by and still the child is doing well and still there is no instrument in the home.
I am at my sisters for Christmas dinner and am asked to go into the basement to fetch large serving platters.
While there I spot an old very old keyboard with a broken G key, totaly missing, none the less it goes home with me and I lend it to my student. He is advancing nicely even with this old broken machine and my guess is his father is waiting to see the results before continuing to invest. Well, this years recital "Night at the Oscars" will be very enlightening for his father. I think a new piano will be on its way. This child asks alot of questions and that's a good sign, he plays very well and I let him know it.
I push him hard because he doesn't yet believe in himself like I do. His father is a lovely person as well as his mother and brothers. He may just not have the funds currently so I am glad I was able to help out. It actually gave me an idea to purchase a fairly good keyboard so I could offer lessons to students who wanted to give it a try. In this financial climate all ideas are welcomed.

Miss Laura

Thanks for that Laura!

But that doesnt make sense... i mean if you teach on anything but then you taught on nothing.. it would mean that you teach in imaginary world...but in real life you taught on nothing... anyway.. but when the power goes off your acoustic would be out of tune unless you spent money on tuning something you never used...

I went back several pages to read the OP. This question is asked by a student who is concerned that owning a DP will limit their progress. The teacher obviously seems to think so as do a few of the teachers in the forum. But I think pianozuki might be asking the wrong people! Why not ask over in pianist corner how many of the excellent pianist's there own a DP and don't have a grand piano? Did it limit their progress?

Miss Laura wrote: "I have a student this year who started in Sept. He did not have a piano at home. I was helping his father locate one but...

"...While there I spot an old very old keyboard with a broken G key, totaly missing, none the less it goes home with me and I lend it to my student. He is advancing nicely even with this old broken machine..."

Don't know if this link to Music Link Foundation would be of any help to your student, but it could be worth a try. The quote below the link is from their website:

http://www.musiclinkfoundation.org/

"If you have an instrument that you would like to donate to the MusicLink Foundation for use by our MusicLink students and programs, please contact us through email, explaining specifics of the instrument and your location."

Very cool. And this is OT, but Laura's posting as well as John's loaning a keyboard, made me think, "Wouldn't it be nice if the PianoWorld forum did something (and maybe it does and I've just missed it) to help provide instruments or assistance to young players in need."

Kenny,

That has happened in at least one case. A dealer in the Pianists Corner donated a piano to someone.

Rich

Very cool. Music is very important.

My current teacher recommends DPs to new students over buying an acoustic for two primary reasons: more available practice time (due to headphones) and no need for tuning which can be a big advantage to young students who's parents are responsible for keeping the piano tuned and may not know or care about doing this.

I would think that these two advantages outweigh any perceived "feel" advantage of an acoustic, especially for beginner and intermediate players.

If your budget is under $3k (which I would think is most beginners), would not a DP be better off in almost every aspect anyway? I would think the ideal situation is to start off with a DP, then once you determine that you are very serious, buy an acoustic, and then you have both and have the advantages of both! I don't think playing on a DP would "hurt" your progress like some here seem to be implying.

Let me share an example with you:

A friend of mine used to have an acoustic, an old spinet which was in decent shape and tuned and maintained regularly. She played mainly hymns, pop songs and show tunes. She played with expression and enthusiasm, playing at about the mid-intermediate level.

Then her acoustic developed a serious problem that would've cost too much to fix. So they replaced it with a DP.

Now, when she plays an acoustic piano, I've noticed 2 things:
1. Her touch is very, very light -- she has to work hard to press the keys all the way to the key bed. As a result, she has to practice on the acoustic for a while to play a song all the way through -- otherwise a lot of the notes don't sound.
2. Her playing has no dynamics any more. Everything she plays is the same volume -- where her dynamics used to be varied, loud when it should be, soft when it should be, etc.

The acoustic she's playing on is mine -- a grand with a medium-weight touch, perfectly regulated and tuned. So there's absolutely no issue of the acoustic inhibiting her playing.

My conclusion is that exclusive practice on a DP does affect your ability to play an acoustic piano. So if you intend to perform on an acoustic, you should practice -- at least some of the time -- on an acoustic.


Mary

Mary, I'm wondering, but I bet you don't know what model of Digital Piano?

Certainly the feel is quite varied from model to model, with only some of them (typically the higher-end) digital pianos approaching the feel of an acoustic.

Exactly what I did for my children. My daughter spend her first six months on a good Yamaha DP (with Yamaha GP action) and then moved to an acoustic grand. My son started about 6 months ago and has been spending 80% time on a better Yamaha DP (with GP3 action) and 20% on the grand. My daughter still spends about 20% on the DP. In both cases, no negative impact.

So the progress of a student depends more on the student, parents (if the student is very young) and the teacher than whether he practies on a good DP vs. an acoustic upright/grand.

What DP was she using?

i personally do not find it difficult to switch between keyboards. i play on various organs with actions all over the board.. one i could build muscles on.

i think it most important to acquire skill and literature.. i think a kid particularly could adapt to a different action with few problems.

i've taught kids on my grand (Renner action).. they practice on digitals but quickly adapt. I think it not detrimental in the long run altho they would have to learn to play 'percussively'.

an acoustic piano is best but a digital is certainly better than nothing.. (not to disparage digital pianos).

Nope, I don't know what model DP she plays. However, I think that the recommendation holds no matter what model DP you play. Users of high end DPs will probably require less adjustment to play on an acoustic.

In addition, I would bet that the vast majority of people with a DP do not have the highest-end models. If the only instrument they practice on is their not-high-end DP, then they'll need an opportunity to get used to the acoustic before performing on it.


Mary

Mary, if that's your recommendation, I can't argue with that, but as I indicated (and have others) that it matters what the feel of the Digital Piano is. Some are very good as far as the same feel and responsiveness as an acoustic. I don't think you can just make a blanket statement without knowing the details.

Thanks.