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Hello. I recently bought a Roland RD2000. So far, I am enjoying it.

I have read in other piano playing forums that some feel the keyboard of digital instruments is inferior to a fine acoustic instrument. One common complaint I have read is that it is more difficult to play rapid repeated notes on a digital keyboard than on an acoustic keyboard.

I grew up playing a 6' Steinway "parlor" grand, but I cannot tell you if I notice any difference in playing the digital keyboard. I was a much younger and less competent piano player when I was playing an acoustic instrument.

So my question: in your own subjective experience, do you notice a playing or performance difference between playing on an acoustic keyboard and playing on a digital keyboard? Do you feel that the way a digital keyboard plays limits in any way your keyboard abilities?

No, but I grew up at a time when you had to 'instantly' adjust to different acoustic pianos.

It is because I have found a difference between a Yamaha N1X (the same action as a baby grand) and a usual digital piano (even among higher range) that I have bought the N1X despite of its price.

Just go in a shop and compare. It would be worth a thousand of words. (But you may read a thousand of words after such a question !)

You are going to get a whole lot of different replies to this one!
After growing up with an acoustic, as an adult I bought an inexpensive ($750) keyboard, and have been 100% comfortable with the action and the sounds. But to a purist that is heresy, so expect a lot of varied responses.

Yes, they are noticeably different. But, not so much as to render you unable to play an acoustic. I've always found the transition from one to the other pretty easy.

The two differences I notice the most are:

1. repetition: cheaper digital piano actions seem to be slower to return after being released, impeding repetition;

2. dynamic control: I don't know the reasons why, but, the acoustic offers greater control of dynamics. There is an additional element of "feel" when playing an acoustic. Through the entire keystroke, you can feel the resistance of the mechanisms as it changes through the length of its travel. The lower end of the digital spectrum lacks this feel. Your fingers have little feedback, kind of like walking in absolute darkness. The upper end of the digital action spectrum comes closer by utilizing various amounts of the acoustic piano mechanisms.

So, your Roland will likely feel less perfect than a quality acoustic, but I don't think it will seriously impair your ability to play piano, acoustic or otherwise.

I prefer the action of a weighted digital over a real acoustic. I like keyboards a lot more but I'm no expert pianist and even if I was I'm sure I'd still enjoy digital far more it's just my style and preference.

There is no real answer to that. The action of an acoustic isn't a standard that you can rely on, they can be very different between brands, even from model to model.

For example the action of my parents C.Bechstein and the newer Yamaha grand are worlds apart. The action of the Yamaha is a lot closer to our Yamaha 675 digital then it is to the C.Bechstein. And that kind of makes sense, since Yamaha models their digitals after their acoustics.

As a beginner I prefer the Yamaha action, but my parents love their C.Bechstein. They say they can play with a lot more dynamics and emotion there because the action is so sensitive. I find it just extremly hard to play and prefer the stiffer action of the Yamaha.

Back in the day we had an upright piano that was horrible to play. Just horrible, it's the main reason I never learned how to play. So acustics aren't necessarly superior to digitals either.

You know, you seem to be in the minority -here- as it relates to the 675 feeling like a grand; a Yamaha grand, but still a grand. You also mention that the Yamaha grand action is stiffer.

Apart from many ‘round here saying that the 675 feels nothing like a grand; the other thing that is often said about the 675\775 is that it feels “stiff, too heavy, too much initial shminertia,” etc.

But I wonder if these detractors have ever played a Yamaha acoustic grand.

I mean everyone is eligable to his own opinion, if someone doesn't like the action I'm not going to tell him otherwise. A lot of people also claim that the 675 is very heavy to play, I honestly don't feel that way. Either I'm just used to it or it's because I'm just a beginner that doesn't notice such subtle differences.

All I can tell you that for me, the 675 and the Yamaha Grand (I don't know the model though, but a small one, not a concert grand) feel kind of similar. They aren't exactly the same of course, but I can switch between both and get used to the action in 5 min. The biggest difference is for me the pedal, not the action. The pedal feels very different on the real piano though.

If I visit my parents, I usually need several hours of practice until I'm used to the C.Bechstein again and then when I come home it's the same until I'm used to my 675 again. The action is just so different, and it feels nothing like the Yamaha Grand. And my parents tell me they have the same issue when they switch between the two.

Different pianos just have different actions, you either like it or not. That's why it's so extremely important to test them. I immediatly liked the action of the 675 compared to the other digitals the piano seller had (including Kawai, Roland and other Yamahas). Full disclousure thought: I did like the action of the 685 even better, thought that was just too expensive for me.

The couple of times in the last five years that I have walked into a piano showroom and played some of the acoustic instruments there have always left me feeling like my digital piano has spoiled me.

I have no patience anymore for an acoustic instrument where the keys wiggle from side-to-side. I have no patience anymore for an acoustic instrument that seemingly offers no resistance to pushing the key down, or where I seem to go instantly from piano to forte with no mezzo in between. (While not a keyboard issue per se, I have no patience for an out-of-tune acoustic instrument.)

I am very sure the 200,000+ Euro Steinways and Yamahas offer an amazing playing experience - perhaps one that will forever wreck playing a digital instrument for me. But I could never have such an instrument in my home (it's difficult enough to find them in the wild). When I try out the acoustic instruments that are even 4x my price range (new or used), I am always left dissatisfied and conclude that my digital piano has the superior feel and is the superior choice.

There is no doubt that acoustic pianos are expensive. But for control of dynamics, ability to play with a singing tone, and note repetition speed, I think many pianists with advanced training believe that digital pianos in general are just not all the way there yet. This is not to say that every acoustic piano is a high achiever on these dimensions. Hybrid digitals with a mechanical grand action certainly come closest, no doubt surpassing many acoustic pianos.

Just womdering about the Bechstein; is it an oldie? I've played one or two of those, they seem very loud and with a sound of their own. I imagine the action might be light.

Comparing a medium tier digital (Kawai CA58) and a medium tier acoustic (Kawai K300), both of which I have owned and played for a year, my answer is: yes I notice a substantial playing and performance difference, in favor of the acoustic. The digital was limiting for me that 1) is was too heavy, 2) it was difficult to play softly consistently on some keys, and, related to this, 3) there was more/too much variation in 'resistance' between keys, apparently caused by the let-off simulation mechanism.

Sometimes design efforts go wrong ...The let-off simulation is a let-down, eh?

Let-off is necessary in a piano. Above all it's what makes it a piano in the first place.

But it has no place in a digital. The simulation is a sham. And a shambles.

Hello,


As my current life situation doesn't allow for an acoustic piano, digital is only a (enjoyable and welcome, nevertheless) second best. Still, I am after an as-real-as-it-gets emulation of the sound and feel of an acoustic instrument. Within my circumstances (such as budget), that is.

Therefore, I welcome and enjoy the faux escapement my Roland FP-10 offers, and it works well for what it is.

Cheers,

HZ

I don’t mind ‘fake’ escapement so long as it doesn’t get in the way; however, some simulations are over-done!

Now, what about Kawai’s ‘damper mechanism’; obviously there are no strings to dampen, so are we to call this mechanism ‘fake’ because it is only pretending to dampen, or ‘real’ because it affects the weight of the keys (lighter with pedal down)?

In general I don’t mind if they want to market the heck out of incidentals like ‘the woosh’, so long as they deliver on the essentials like modeled resonances, note-off samples, better speakers, better action, and at some point, no samples whatsoever (Roland has done this, but sadly they didn’t get it quite right).