Training with a DP and headphone ... What do you think about it ?

[alextrp7]

Hi,

I only have a digital piano at home and I train Chopin's pieces.

I need to lower the sound sometimes because I love to play at night, I use a good Seinheiser headphone. The problem (or not), is that it enhances every subtleties that are soften with the speaker output. When using the headphone, I tend to correct myself a lot more to make everything more even. I think that it is a good training, but if I would need to play like this all the time I would be scared to sacrifice too much time on particular details.

What are your thoughts about it ? How do you compare your playing with and without a headphone ?

[klavieronin]

That is definitely an issue with digital pianos. I only have digital pianos now because my interest is mainly in composition and I have no intention on being a performer but I can tell you from personal experience that if you get used to playing a digital piano and never practice on an acoustic one you will really notice the difference when you finally do have to play on an acoustic piano. It is a lot more difficult to play clearly and cleanly on an acoustic piano and pedalling is much more difficult too.

[alextrp7]

Thank you very much for your answer.
I haven't a real piano for a long time. Just could play a few minutes on a right one and I felt as if it was very different too in the way that it seemed very light weighted.
Can you elaborate a few about how you feel the differences ? I feel that it is already difficult to make things sound good on my DP. Especially I love playing pianissimo to get this muted sound Rubinstein could handle so easily. Then any key slightly depressed wrongly would make a mess immediately ...

[klavieronin]

My feeling is that digital pianos are often idealised versions of real pianos. The action on digital pianos are usually much smoother than on acoustic pianos. Each note also often stands out a lot more clearly when played with other notes, so it is easier to balance multiple voices. I also think you can get away with less precise pedalling on DPs. However, the main difference, in my opinion, is in the sound. You just don't get a rich a sound on a DP. No matter how good or expensive it is, it won't really compare to a real piano. Personally though, that does bother me much. I prefer the convenience of a DP.

[alextrp7]

I think quite the same about the sound. Even if the software inside can greatly mimic what happens in a real piano, the speakers output can't replace the real thing.
I never really considered what you say about playing on a dp is actually easier that playing on a real piano, but it makes sense.
Just like you I think it is so convenient. Also, if I don't say anything wrong, Bach's music was not written for a piano forte, but is now mostly played on that. I mean that Chopin's music can probably be handled nicely on a dp. I regret that I can't spend my time to exercise on the real thing. But I tell myself that there are still so much room to explore in order to make a piece sounding great on a dp. Maybe one day I will become a great DP player lol

[lostinidlewonder]

What are your thoughts about it ? How do you compare your playing with and without a headphone ?

Yes headphones make digitals sound much better I personally have noticed this different quite obviously. The problem with digitals is the sustain pedal, so far I am yet to experience a digital that mimics a real piano in that department at a high standard unfortunately the max polyphony of digitals will not allow it.

[j_tour]

Well, to each their own, but I get fatigued pretty fast using headphones.  Also, for me, it seems unnatural, in the sense that I'm more used to old-fashioned acoustic pianos.

I also use a DP most of the time, and since I like to keep a low profile, I just take advantage of the volume control.

And, yes, I agree with the above posters that amplification and sustain is the big problem with any DP.

Sort of just one of those things you have to deal with.