Practice vs Lesson Piano Issue

[acousticallylost]

I'm looking for suggestions on how to correct the issue of practicing on a Yamaha Arius digital at home, then going to lessons on a Steinway. I often feel like it doesn't matter how many hours a week I practice. It sounds completely different on the Steinway and not just from the piano sounding different. Even the dynamics end up being off. I can get the sound similar with apps, but I can't get the touch right. Is there a viable digital alternative? I can't have an acoustic where I live.

[ialaban]

What is this "touch issue" you're having?
You might be referring to the weighted system your digital piano has. Perhaps the key weight for your piano is too heavy, or maybe the keys have uneven touch, i.e. lots of initial resistance when you press the key. I personally have a problem with my Yamaha digital where the piano has a lot of initial resistance when touched. This makes it really difficult for me to play chords. Perhaps you have the same problem?

[acousticallylost]

While it does seem like my digital is technically weighted correctly, with the left side taking more force than the right side in a gradual process, the whole keypress is uniform in weight. The Steinway is extremely easy to the touch initially and the keys can be pressed down about halfway without producing any sound. There's a technical term for this behavior, but I can't remember the name. That's one big difference.

Another is that the softest sound on my digital is almost inaudble while the softest sound on the Steinway sounds too loud to me. That leads to me stopping and thinking I'm playing too loud and my teacher saying I'm playing too soft.

On the flip side, if I just about jump down on the keys on the digital to get the loudest sound imaginable, that's only about a quarter of the volume I can expect on the Steinway. I don't have the same volume range the acoustic has.

Crescendos (and decrescendos) also come out differently. I can get a slow linear increase in volume at home, then do the same thing at lessons and it sounds like I'm cranking the volume on each new key press. That one's hard to explain. It seems like that must mean it takes more force to increase volume on my digital than it does on the Steinway, but I would think it would be the other way around.

I don't know how clear that is, but it's the best way I've come to describe it. I've tried adjusting everything else, including me. It's the only thing I have no way of adjusting. I'm starting to think I have to move so I can get an acoustic. 

[ialaban]

I do believe I have the same issue with acoustics, whenever I play too soft it sounds loud compared to when I play soft on the digital piano. If your digital piano's soft is very soft compared to the Steinway, and the digital piano's loud is quiet compared to the Steinway's, I think it's a simple case of just needing to turn up the volume on your digital piano. For me I prefer not to increase the volume because I don't want to bother my other family members, but if you really need the sound to match up with an acoustic, you should do it.

[acousticallylost]

I appreciate the feedback, but it's not the volume setting on the digital. I have it maxxed out. It only has two 20W speakers though. I've looked into the Clavinovas and I think they had two 50W and one 40W or something like that.

[anacrusis]

This is definitely a challenge and sounds frustrating!

It could help to get more powerful speakers or a different instrument. A grand can easily peak over 100 dB of sound if you push it (that's dangerous for your hearing though!).

If you want to make the most out of what sounds like a non-ideal situation, keep in mind that part of the pianist's skillset is adapting to wildly different instruments, since we don't bring our own instrument with us (unless we are world-renowned virtuosos who want to or can afford to do so). So work on your ability to adjust your approach to get the sounds you want.

[acousticallylost]

Not the simple solution I wanted to hear, but I'll take it.