|
Welcome to the Piano World Piano Forums Over 3 million posts about pianos, digital pianos, and all types of keyboard instruments. Over 100,000 members from around the world.
Join the World's Largest Community of Piano Lovers
(it's free)
It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!
|
|
66 members (Abdulrohmanoman, Charles Cohen, accordeur, BWV846, Animisha, benkeys, Anglagard44, 11 invisible),
2,248
guests, and
434
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 594
500 Post Club Member
|
OP
500 Post Club Member
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 594 |
I know very little about silent pianos only what I have read up online. What is the point of them? Why would you want a piano that can be made silent? The whole point of a piano is so you can hear what you play.
I have looked on youtube and someone was demonstrating a silent piano and it is a cross between a digital and an accoustic where you silence the hammers and plug in headphones then it becomes digital and then when you take out the headphones and turn off the silencer it reverts into an accoustic again. I think for my next piano I might get one but even with my digital piano, I never use it with headphones because I live alone and there is noobody to disturb, but it was interesting to find out about silent pianos.
What will they dream up next???
Last edited by adultpianist; 10/11/13 05:14 PM.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 187
Full Member
|
Full Member
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 187 |
The point of them is that people like me, who live in a one bedroom apartment can practice and study at night without getting bricks thrown at our heads the next morning by all our neighbours. It's just a tool so you can play a REAL piano at off-hours (as most musicians often do). Now... is it worth paying 1.5 K more than you would for the SAME piano with no silent system? Jury's still out on that one for me (though leaning towards a no).
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 594
500 Post Club Member
|
OP
500 Post Club Member
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 594 |
I'll stick with my Yamaha digital as it is cheaper to maintain. Even with silent pianos, I would think they still need tuning which can be expensive. Mind you, you can still play them in the dark when the power goes off. Simply put some candles on the top and pretend you are Liberace lol. I never did really like him. He was a brilliant pianist but a bit too flamboyant for me.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 6,453
6000 Post Club Member
|
6000 Post Club Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 6,453 |
I have a silent piano and love it. But yes, of course it still needs tuning, as it is basically an acoustic. I am a night owl, so it is really great for me to be able to play at 3 am without waking up the whole neighborhood (I live in an apartment).
Music is my best friend.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 594
500 Post Club Member
|
OP
500 Post Club Member
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 594 |
I too live in an apartment and have a digital. However the guy underneath me says he does not mind if I play in the evenings or during the day. I have headphones but unfortunately I do not use them because when I tried, he said he could not hear me play but he could feel the vibration through the floor so I cannot play late at night, except when he is out.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 6,453
6000 Post Club Member
|
6000 Post Club Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 6,453 |
I always play in acoustic mode during the day. I don't think my neighbours mind because they have never complained and I have noticed that they even keep the window open (I noticed when their phone rings for example). I don't really like that they keep their window open and hear everything, but I cannot tell them to close it!
Music is my best friend.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 191
Full Member
|
Full Member
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 191 |
Another thing is the action on a silent. With the Yamaha grand silent mechanism you (or I at least) can't detect any difference. So whether practising accoustic or silent it's all exactly the same.
And sometimes it's not just the sound volume but the repetition that drives neightbours and the rest of the family insane. When I'm learning something and am playing the same passage over and over again, I sometimes take pity on them and even during daylight hours switch over to silent.
And then there's transpose for when I can no longer sing along to the songs I used to in days gone by. And then there's silly things like playing a Procol Harum song and switching to Hammond organ for a section without getting up.
I do love playing a real piano and feeling the vibrations through the floorboards and the bench, but I don't regret the extra money to have the silent/digital option.
Yamaha C3X SH
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 116
Full Member
|
Full Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 116 |
Same here. I startet from Yamaha P-85, then Kawai MP6 then I began to think about Yamaha NU-1 or AG series, but definitely I needed a "real thing". After a very long search, I opted for W. Hoffmann V120 with the Vario system and I'm very happy with it. I don't play the MP6 anymore and I practice as much as I can on the acoustic. Still, when I use the Vario it is the same action and feel as in the acoustic (different sound though). It is costly but it does the trick (I will sell the MP6 anyway).
Last edited by Romek; 10/13/13 05:32 AM.
W. Hoffmann V120/Vario KAWAI ES-8
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 7,088
7000 Post Club Member
|
7000 Post Club Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 7,088 |
I too live in an apartment and the silent feature means I can play whenever I like.
It IS an acoustic and a digital - the best of both worlds.
I bought my used, in top notch condition and it wasn't very much more expensive than other second hand ordinary acoustics they had in the shop.
The few extra euros I spent have been more than worthwhile though. When I get home late, I can play, when I get up early I can play. I can even practice my scales and repetitions over and over and over without driving others nuts. I can record easily and even when the acoustic part isn't in tune.
18 ABF Recitals, Order of the Red Dot European Piano Parties - Brussels, Lisbon, Lucern, Milan, Malaga, St. Goar Themed recitals: Grieg and Great American Songbook
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 3,077
3000 Post Club Member
|
3000 Post Club Member
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 3,077 |
Just picked up my portable 3 octave dummy practice keyboard (just like Liszt's) - watch out piano world! (or should I say silent Piano world?).
Laissez tomber les mains
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 4,765
4000 Post Club Member
|
4000 Post Club Member
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 4,765 |
Another thing is the action on a silent. With the Yamaha grand silent mechanism you (or I at least) can't detect any difference. So whether practising accoustic or silent it's all exactly the same.
Maybe I am over sensitive, but it's completely different with my Yamaha upright and all the other silent uprights I have tried in stores. So the pros of having a silent piano: - I can practice whenever I want/need to (live in a flat and am seldom home at the hours when it's appropriate to play piano) - I have a silent keyboard to use when I feel I need that kind of practice - Cleaning the keys is less unpleasant Cons: - The action is different when playing silent - The action is not really nice for me when not playing silent (either because the hammers are placed differently due to the silent bar or my piano action just sucks in general) - I don't really care for the digital sound - I need to be careful not to damage my hearing if I play a lot with the headphones. - Too much headphone practicing is not good for my playing. Keeping the volume down for longer periods makes me sensitive to the loudness of the actual piano sound and I end up playing too reserved.
Last edited by outo; 10/14/13 12:42 AM.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 191
Full Member
|
Full Member
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 191 |
... With the Yamaha grand silent mechanism you ... can't detect any difference... Maybe I am over sensitive, but it's completely different with my Yamaha upright and all the other silent uprights I have tried in stores... Yes, that's what I understand too. Upright Yamahas do have a different action when switching between accoustic and silent.
Yamaha C3X SH
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 4,765
4000 Post Club Member
|
4000 Post Club Member
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 4,765 |
... With the Yamaha grand silent mechanism you ... can't detect any difference... Maybe I am over sensitive, but it's completely different with my Yamaha upright and all the other silent uprights I have tried in stores... Yes, that's what I understand too. Upright Yamahas do have a different action when switching between accoustic and silent. My plan is to get a grand, but I am drawn between keeping my silent upright also or getting a digital to supplement the grand (which does not appeal to me). If indeed the grand action is not bothered by the silent system as in uprights, I might actually consider a grand with that... I didn't like the smaller Yamaha grands at all, but I could consider a Kawai...
|
|
|
|
|
|
Piano
by Gino2 - 04/17/24 02:34 PM
|
Piano
by Gino2 - 04/17/24 02:23 PM
|
|
Forums43
Topics223,405
Posts3,349,434
Members111,637
|
Most Online15,252 Mar 21st, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|