I'm a beginner - digital versus acoustic

[Lou]

Hi All

I am a beginner piano player and have a good digital piano at home with weighted keys and hammer action.

I attend evening class where I have the opportunity to play an acoustic piano. My goal is to move through the grades and eventually become an accomplished pianist. I'm not intending to become professional - it will always only be a hobby.

My question is this; will learning on a digital piano hinder my progress? I would imagine that the answer is yes. If so, at what point should I purchase an acoustic. Grade one? Grade 2? Etc.

As teachers, your advice would be most appreciated.

Many thanks

[Flame7]

Personally, i think that a good digital piano is perfectly acceptable as an alternative to an acoustic. I prefer digital pianos quite simply because they never go out of tune (as a singer and singing teacher its a vital point). The action of my digital piano mimics an acoustic very well and the pedals behave in much the same way. The only thing I miss is the actual 'vibration' of an acoustic, but this is a small price to pay for it being permanently in tune.  For me, acoustics are too expensive, both to buy and to maintain. I would suggest that if you arent bothered about becoming a pro then the digital piano will be fine, although it may be an idea to have access to an acoustic (school/college/friends etc if available) in the lead up to exams to get a feel for the slight difference in playability.

This is just my opinion, but Im a singing teacher not a piano teacher, so others may disagree.

xxFlame7

[jlh]

Let me first say that the REAL acoustic piano is and always has been the grand piano, not the upright piano.  The upright piano was invented as a substitution for a grand for people who lack the necessary floorspace and/or money to buy and maintain a grand.  

Having said that, statistics show that nationwide, while sales of grands have remained rather constant in the last 20 years or so, upright sales have been falling while digital piano sales have been rising.  

The reason for this is that digital pianos have gotten to the point where they are sophisticated enough to take on the role of a substitution for the grand, just like upright pianos have been for some time.  Today digital pianos not only sound exactly like grands (granted from speakers and not from an acoustic source) and the touch is very close.

I personally have played on a digital piano all through my years of study (though, now in college I practice on a grand piano), and have found that the difference in touch and sound between the new digital pianos and grands is not enough for most levels of amateur pianist to worry about.  Besides, digital pianos have more learning tools to offer beginning students and they cost a LOT less.

[ChristmasCarol]

From time to time I recommend you go to a store with a wide choice of pianos - both digital and grande - and let your own ear and fingers tell you when you need something more.

[CC]

I have a section comparing digitals, uprights, and grands, in link below; see section III.17. Digitals are starting to make uprights obsolete, although a few die-hard adherents still insist that the only pianos are acoustics, but the numbers of those die-hards are decreasing every year.  Your digital will serve you well until you decide that you need a grand, and you will KNOW it when that happens, so don't worry about that now.  However, note that pianissimo is difficult on a digital, and the dynamic range is inferior to most acoustics. Therefore, play on acoustics as often as you can, tho that is not a necessity.  When playing on acoustics for the first time, you might find it quite difficult.  This is normal and happens to everyone, not because they are better; they are just different and you just have to get used to it.  Sometimes, in a few minutes, or at most a few hours, you will get used to it and it will play just like your digital, whether you try an upright or grand.  Most grands will be easier, especially once you get used to them.  The average upright out there (some are REALLY old) will feel difficult to play and some will be unplayable, and most would be out of tune.  And you would be right. The only time you can guarantee an upright that might be superior to your digital is if you got a brand new one of good quality, well prepped.  Finding good, used uprights is a very difficult job. After you've had the upright for many years, you will have a hard time selling it.

I have a Steinway grand and a digital -- I need both, and use the digital frequently.

[jazzyprof]

The only thing I miss is the actual 'vibration' of an acoustic, but this is a small price to pay for it being permanently in tune.
xxFlame7

And these days there are digital pianos that actually produce the same vibrations you get on an acoustic.  The Yamaha P250 is one of those.  You can feel the vibrations through your fingers if you play through the onboard speakers.

[jlh]

It bears noting that you can do many more useful things to help with teaching and learning on a digital rather than an acoustic, such as playing with an automatic accompaniment and recording with instant playback among other useful tools.  I personally have a digital piano that has wooden weighted keys so as to simulate the feel of an acoustic, and the tone of it and most all new digitals is sampled after an actual grand piano, so what used to ba a poor substitute for an acoustic is now becoming a cost-effective and acceptable substitute.

However, given the choice, I'd much rather practice on an actual piano, so that nothing technique or musically oriented will have to be changed when I play for recitals, auditions, lessons, etc.