I don't know what to do ...:(

[gaggy87]

Hi,
For years I've been playing almost everything on keyboards and have had no issues. I've gone through no formal training but do play things the right way.

I recently purchased a Clavinova because I wanted weighted keys for that feel but what I'm facing is a situation wherein I literally miss out notes...!! Turns out that my fingers just don't have the strength .. Though this gets a little better after 30 odd minutes of playing, I'm wondering if this is normal or should I start doing finger exercises to develop the strength..

My notes don't sound even, some sound loud and the others soft, I'm sure its to do with my hand movements.. I can't play octaves, can't do jumps .. Is this something that'll fall in place with time ..?? Please help ...

[hfmadopter]

Find an acoustic piano store and see if the same thing happens on a grand piano or really decent upright. It could be your old keyboards were fooling you on technique. I've played on Clav keys, they aren't overly heavy or the two I played on weren't ( they have several models).

Is that one adjustable for dynamics ? Sometimes that's all you need to do with digitals is EQ, Tone and dynamics changes. In that case it's not the key weight at all, it's the setup from the digital aspect of the piano. You need to recurve it and save that. I just don't know if your Clav has those features. Maybe someone else Knows.

 My Kawai does, it can be tweeked to be really nice or all shot to crap.. I had the Concert Grand setting all messed up at one point, it was barely playable. I just cleared the setup for that piano sound back to default and started over. It's great now, I love the Concert Grand setting now.

[gaggy87]

Hey ... Thanks for the reply.. '

Well, yes .. The same thing happens even on a grand piano , needless to say they were all semi weighted keys .. I'm playing a Clavinova CLP-440 and yes, they aren't that over weighted ..

But the question about my finger strength still remains unanswered... Will they get used to the weighted keys in time or do I have to start with finger exercises again ... ??

Cheers ..

[hfmadopter]

Hey ... Thanks for the reply.. '

Well, yes .. The same thing happens even on a grand piano , needless to say they were all semi weighted keys .. I'm playing a Clavinova CLP-440 and yes, they aren't that over weighted ..

But the question about my finger strength still remains unanswered... Will they get used to the weighted keys in time or do I have to start with finger exercises again ... ??

Cheers ..

As a point of interest there are blog articles out there stating that the CLP 430 and 440 do tend to have a stiffer action than other Clavinovas, especially compared with wooden keyed versions. So if you are keeping this instrument you will need to adjust your physical touch I'd say. You can do that either with excercises or by playing. If doing so by playing take your trouble spots and make them into the excercise.

[bronnestam]

I don't think this is about "finger strength". Your keyboard probably was very forgiving to an uneven touch and so your technique was that way ... which now is revealed.

Just go on playing, try different tempos, slow down if you have to. And, yes, doing scales will help you, but listen carefully to the sound while you're playing, or else they will do no good.
Use the recording features of your Clavinova, record yourself a lot and listen and analyze. 

[keypeg]

When I went back to piano some years ago, it was after I was given one of those unweighted keyboards with a small number of keys.  When I played someone's real piano it felt like the keys were impossibly heavy.  When I got a weighted keyboard, those keys also felt heavy.  But in a short time they felt normal.  It's not just a matter of finger strength. Your whole body is used to this light feeling.  By the same token, if you play your weighted keyboard enough, you'll adjust to that too.  Then the unweighted one will feel weird.  Imagine that you're playing a different instrument, so that you set up different expectations.

[gaggy87]

I have to agree that the keys on the Clavinova felt heavier than the Steinway Grand I played the other day...!! As a matter of fact, the Steinway felt like a semi weighted keyboard...

I still feel that developing speed on the Clavinova will eventually help me play well on any Grand Piano (i've heard keys even on acoustic piano varies depending on the manufacturer) ...
It's hardly been two weeks since I got the Clavinova and yes, my fingers are indeed getting used to the weight ... Just a thought , isn't a Clavinova a worth buy ..??

[hfmadopter]

Just a thought , isn't a Clavinova a worth buy ..??

Yes ! You don't have to second guess your purchase, enjoy your piano and get to know it. PLenty of people love the the model you have. The next one up ( 470) has a bit smoother action but that is not to say yours is bad.

I've played on acoustic pianos with very heavy action and others with very light action. Also acoustics with dead action and others with lively action, be that heavy or light. Your Clavinova is likely someplace in between all that. FWIW, my Kawai MP6 is slightly heavy compared to my grand ( mostly below the point of escapement occuring right in the mid range around middle C, the upper range is almost identicle), just enough so that trills take a little extra concentration. It actually makes it a good practice instrument for me on technical problems like trills, if I impliment them well on the Kawai, the grand will be easy.

The fact of the matter is all pianos are slightly different in terms of action !