problem playing different pianos

[cwjalex]

my keyboard has weighted keys and is a yamaha "YPG-635".  the problem i have is that the action seems pretty light and when i play on a real piano i feel like i can't play nearly as fast.  i have two questions.

1)  is there anything i can do to make switching pianos/keyboards easier?

2)  if i decided to get a new keyboard do you guys have a suggestion for a keyboard that has action similar to real pianos that cost maybe no more than 700$?

[quantum]

This is a normal experience of being a pianist, and a skill that needs to be developed.  The solution lies in developing one's adaptability to different instruments. 

Play many different pianos.  Adapt your music to the qualities of the instrument, as opposed to trying to make your music exactly the same as you do at home. 

[outin]

2)  if i decided to get a new keyboard do you guys have a suggestion for a keyboard that has action similar to real pianos that cost maybe no more than 700$?

Unfortunately not. If you want something with a decent touch resembling a real piano, you would have to pay a more. Unless you actually get a real piano, which are sometimes available for almost nothing.

IMO The best way to learn to play a real piano is to practice oin a real piano...

[cwjalex]

i'm okay playing on any keyboard since the action is all very similar but the majority of pianos have much heavier action than keyboards with weighted keys.  the only time i am uncomfortable is when playing fast pieces that approach the limits of my technical ability. 

i would love to have a piano but my living situation isn't very stable right now so it doesn't really make sense for me to get a piano.  as it is now the keyboard i am playing isn't even mine...it's my sisters that i am borrowing. 

it's hard to believe there isn't a single keyboard that has action with similar to a piano since i would imagine that wouldn't be a costly feature to implement. 

[outin]

it's hard to believe there isn't a single keyboard that has action with similar to a piano since i would imagine that wouldn't be a costly feature to implement. 

Why would you think that? A real piano action has thousands of parts, so to mimic that certainly isn't cheap. When you play on an actual piano, it feels different partly because YOU have to create the force (speed) for the hammers to hit the strings and you can actually get feedback from the hammer action. This is difficult to reproduce on digitals and that's one reason why the best digitals are so expensive.

I have not played a digital yet that feels the same as a real piano. They all feel more or less "flimsy" (can't think of a better word right now).

I'm in Europe but I assume you could get something fairly decent in States for 2000-3000 dollars? Maybe someone can correct me on this?

[cwjalex]

Why would you think that? A real piano action has thousands of parts, so to mimic that certainly isn't cheap.

it has many parts but i think ur exaggerating by saying a piano action has thousands of parts.  it also doesn't seem that complicated or expensive to just create a heavier weight on the keys.  it wouldn't feel exactly the same as a real piano but they could at least make it heavier.  you can get a keyboard for 2-300 dollars that has weighted keys.  why can't they just make the weighted keys heavier?

edit:
ive searched on some other forums where people talk about keyboards that have heavier action within my price range so it does look like they exist. 

[1piano4joe]

Hi cwjalex,

if i decided to get a new keyboard do you guys have a suggestion for a keyboard that has action similar to real pianos that cost maybe no more than 700$?

I would not want to say, "similar" BUT it may be possible to get one that is closer to a real piano than the keyboard you currently own.

I remember reading that one of the keyboards now allows you to change the weight from very light to very heavy in about five different levels. Sorry, but I don't remember which one that is or the cost.

my keyboard has weighted keys and is a yamaha "YPG-635".  the problem i have is that the action seems pretty light and when i play on a real piano i feel like i can't play nearly as fast.

1)  is there anything i can do to make switching pianos/keyboards easier?

Your keyboard already has weighted keys. It may be the real piano your playing on has unusually heavily weighted keys or do you find a big difference on ALL pianos?

This sounds like ( and correct me if I'm wrong) that your asking, "How can I play just as fast on an instrument with a much more heavier action"?

I'm just the newspaper boy so don't kill the messenger when I say what I'm about to say next.

You can't and you never will.

If you actually could find a 700$ keyboard that has action similar to a real piano you would find out after spending all that money that you also can't play that one nearly as fast either.

I have an upright Schulze-Pollmann piano with renner action. A fine instrument to be sure. I also have a 61 key, unweighted whatsoever, "toy" in another location that I sometimes use.  The speed difference is really INSANE!

I have been playing my real piano many, many years and when I play the "toy" with my Kung Fu fingers I'm often surprised I haven't broken that thing yet!

A very, very real problem for me is I am having trouble coordinating my hands at these unbelievable speeds that I have never played at before! This is because I have never been able to play at these speeds before on my real piano. It just won't allow it. So, sure I can play a one hand scale at 200 BPM with 16th notes. This is 800 notes per minute and 13.3 notes per second but I can't play a piece hands together at this tempo even though I have spent all kinds of time attempting to control this keyboard. I now realize that it was foolish and a waste of time but that's typical of my behavior. So, what else is new?  

It is possible to spend all kinds of money and have a super duper souped up piano. A shallow key dip so the keys don't have as far to travel and keys with a lighter touch weight would allow one to play much, much faster. Isn't this what Horowitz did? So, I think he brought his piano with him whenever he performed.

That's all for now, Joe.

P.S. I think a piano has around 10,000 parts.

[cwjalex]

"If you actually could find a 700$ keyboard that has action similar to a real piano you would find out after spending all that money that you can't play that one nearly as fast as well."

not at first but i would be able to regain my speed through practice.  the first keyboard i played on did not have weighted keys at all and when i first played on my current yamaha i was much slower initially.  i want to get a heavier action keyboard so that i can get used to the heavier action and hopefully will not be slowed down (as much) when i play on an acoustic piano

p.s. im sure an entire piano has 10K parts but just a piano action i doubt has thousands.  many keyboards actually have a hammer action system behind the weight of their keys.

[1piano4joe]

Hi cwjalex,

"If you actually could find a 700$ keyboard that has action similar to a real piano you would find out after spending all that money that you can't play that one nearly as fast as well."

not at first but i would be able to regain my speed through practice.

Yes, practicing on a real piano could help improve your real piano speed. Absolutely, no question there since your fingers are getting stronger and are becoming acclimated to the heavier touchweight. However, I discovered much to my chagrin, that my speed on the lighter action keyboard improved too. Therefore, I was still much, much slower on a real piano. I guess maybe I should never have gone back to the lighter keyboard. Maybe I should accept my speed on a real piano as the only one that really matters. What do you think?

Thank you, Joe.

P.S. I am considering for myself the KawaiCE220 or the Casio CDP-230R. The first one has real wooden keys and is around $2000 U.S. The Casio is under $500.

P.P.S. I have one problem or another with just about every keyboard out there. Rolands make too much noise. I deliberately play them turned off to see. The Kawaii have a reputation of having electrical problems. $2000 for a headache, no thank you. Yamaha, the black keys are too close together and I can't fit my fingers casually in between them. None of them feel like a grand feels at the very back of the key. They are ALL harder to play at the back since the keys are so short.

[outin]

it has many parts but i think ur exaggerating by saying a piano action has thousands of parts.  it also doesn't seem that complicated or expensive to just create a heavier weight on the keys.  it wouldn't feel exactly the same as a real piano but they could at least make it heavier.  you can get a keyboard for 2-300 dollars that has weighted keys.  why can't they just make the weighted keys heavier?

edit:
ive searched on some other forums where people talk about keyboards that have heavier action within my price range so it does look like they exist. 

If you just want keys that are more difficult to move, then you may indeed find something for that price. But if you think playing on a digital with such keys will make it easier to play a real piano, I doubt it. The higher priced digitals do a lot more to imitate a real piano than just have heavier keys. Also having "weighted keys" does not mean that they are GOOD in imitating a real piano, where key weight is a natural part of the system. Cheap usually means low quality in pianos, both digital and real.

Also heavy action is not the main thing that makes it different to play on a real piano. Many acoustics have light action. You can adjust the key weight of a digital, but for me it still would feel nothing like playing on a real piano (except maybe the really expensive ones). The reason is that the action and sound are connected on a real piano and the sound must be physically produced. When you play a real piano, you will unconsciously react to the sound produced and even when the piano is not necessarily any heavier, it can sometimes feel that way when you play. When it comes to speed, you must find the right balance between moving fast and letting the sound be produced properly. With digitals, you can get away with much less.

[anima55]

In my view, if you wish to play a keyboard you will need a keyboard to practise on.  If you wish to play a piano you will need a piano on which to practise.  They're not the same instruments. 

For me, it's like buying a cello because you want to learn the violin.  It doesn't make sense.  There will be similarities in technique between the two instruments and it will be helpful to learn the violin if you have previously studied the cello, but they're not exactly the same. 

In the same way, the keyboard and piano keys are similar in appearance but actually respond very differently.