Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Acoustic piano or digital piano?

Nothing has the same "feel and touch" of a real piano action other than a real piano action (thus Yamahas Avantegrand and GranTouch). Doesn't matter what the reviews say.

"Yet, if you follow the people who buy these computers, they are never satisfied with what they have. The "realistic sound" after a few months becomes unbearable. Now they are chasing the ultra-realistic software pianos...lol."

They`re never satisfied because they have the resources to buy when improved products become available; with APs that is not the case. They`re too bloody expensive to begin with . . .but ya can keep polishing `em!

The answer is music . . . get stuck in!

This was almost me about 5 months ago! Have Roland RD 700sx and was looking for the latest and greatest. After realizing that this would be a life time endeavor and probably end up buying several keyboards over the years in search of that " real piano sound and touch" I realized that the only way to get that was to get a real piano, and so I did.

to the OP
a lot depends on how serious you will be and what music you are going to study. Very personal subject and each person is different

Hey
In all honesty, while it's so handy not to need tuning or much maintenance, digital pianos for me just aren't as satisfying. Don't get me wrong, they're a great substitute, but the problem is they sound a little... too perfect. Like, my Yamaha electric piano sounds exactly like a normal piano, pretty much, but it sounds so cold and sterile. No real character, you know? And then there's the problem of touch... nothing can emulate the feeling of playing an actual piano, the sound based off your touch and delicacy with the keys, or lack of.
Again don't get me wrong, they're good if an acoustic piano at the moment isn't ideal, but in the long run an acoustic is probably better.

Yamaha P105 is good enough to start. Once you moved to a different country, if your motivation remains, you can buy an acoustic piano and keep your digital for late night practice.

Apparetnly, at least at Yamaha, digital musical insturments, which I guess indcludes DP's and keyborards, outsell the acoustic pianos by a pretty wide margin. According to their annual report for 2011...

http://www.yamaha.com/about_yamaha/ir/publications/pdf-data/2011/ann/an-2011e.pdf

Acoustic pianos accounted for 14.5% of total sales while the digital instuments accounted for 23.1%.

There is no doubt a good acoustic will outshine a DP. I don't think anyone would challenge that premise. However, DP's obviously fufill certain needs and are the choice of thousands of people every year.

Acoustics span a wide range of sizes and quality, from a concert Bosendorfer to a tiny spinet that can sound like a tin can or a child's toy. I would much rather have my CA65 than any spinet or console acoustic that I have experienced. Comonly referred to as "beginner pianos", I wouldn't give you a dime for any of them. Horrible!

My DP has served me well and has gotten me to the point where I feel I am ready to graduate to an acoustic. It was a moderate investment that is faily easy to transport and sell just in case I was wrong about my committment to learn piano. Many people have commented that the sound was very nice (even when produced by me). Granted they were not graduates of Juliard, but then, neither am I. My DP "got me to the dance" and has served it's intended purpose extremely well.

PianoismyScrip, the bottom line is that you are quitting a (expensive, at least for digital) digital, hardly a ringing endorsement for digital pianos in general.

There are lots of people who are satisfied with the limitations of a *good* acoustic console piano. They own that piano for their entire life.

In contrast, it seems few people can tolerate a digital piano all their life because the synthetic/artificial sound gnaws away at them until they either abandon the instrument altogether or get an acoustic.

Hi everyone, been here a while but this is my first post.

Began taking lessons last Feb. using a Yamaha DGX505 I bought 5 years earlier, didn't know it back then but after hearing my teacher on and actual piano, I realized if I want be good I'll need an acoustic.

Though great for space saving and portability, to my ears the same styling cannot be produced on a digital.

The Yamaha is back under plastic and now have a big acoustic in my small living room and love it size and all, only wish is I could turn up the volume.

Starving Lion,

I am not quitting my DP. As I mentioned, I will keep it for use when I don't want to interfere with others who are engaged in another activity, such as sleeping.

I disagree with your premise that the "artificial" sound "knaws away" on someone causing them to "abanodon" their DP's. That may be true on a low end keyboard what is more of a toy than a music producer but we all listen to recorded sound every time we listen to any music that is not live. Recorded sound and recoreded sound delivery systems today are so superior to the "old days" it is no contest. After a year plus with my DP I don't find the sound of my CA65 offensive in the least. The recorded samplings of a Kawai concert grand most certainly do not knaw away at my senses. Quite the contrary, it is better than many acoustics I have heard. It is always perfectly in tune. Does it have as much tonal range as a properly maintained good acoustic??? of course not, but I think that is a given.

I have simply reached the point where I have begun to appreciate the subtle effects of varying types of attack on the keys of an acoustic. I would think that a more likey scenario than the "knawing" theory would be that most piano enthusiasts are creative type people and they eventually want more control over their emotional and creatvie input on the insturment. Until such time as technology can find a way to provide all the possible sounds resulting from an almost infinite number of attack profiles there is no way a DP can provide the same results as an acoustical.

Actually, it would be interesting to view comments from those who "made the switch" and find out what prompted them to "go acoustical". Also, how many of them kept their DP's even after purchasing an acoustical. I see lots of ads for used acousticals and many for simple keyboards but few for actual DP's... don't know why. Perhaps we can all learn something.

I imagine just as many AP playing people drool over acoustics they cannot afford simply because they are expensive and carry that "aura" with it. The object of their affections becomes an obsession . . . whether it`s a car, house, pedal cycle (can cost thousands) or anything else.

I`m hung up about this at the moment . . .

http://www.promenademusic.co.uk/roland-dp90-polished-ebony?keyword=DP 90 S&category_id=0

Save me from myself, someone! Wife`ll kill me . . .