Opinions for a new digital piano

[pakkun]

Hello, I would like to buy a new digital piano.

I play mostly classic music.

I currently have a YAMAHA P-225, but it doesn't satisfy me anymore. It only has very few piano voices, and I am not liking the sound anymore, I find it muffled especially the lower notes.  :'(

I am considering the YAMAHA DGX-670 and the YAMAHA P-525.

From what I understand the P-525 could be better, but I noticed that its display is smaller than the one on the DGX-670, and my concern is the practical use to easily select and navigate the piano sounds, reverbs settings etc. 

I wuold really like some piano voices to make Chopin Nocturnes and Waltz sound beautiful with clear notes. 

What would you reccomand between the two ?

Thanks in advance 

[braulio8]

Hi pakkun,

although I do use a DGX650 (same keybed as the dgx670) for kids learning, I rather would recommend you to go a little higher.

The DGX670 with GHS has basically a keybed same category as the P225 (GHC)
Thats the keybed of the DGX line
https://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2532316/re-ghs-yamaha-models-and-types.html#Post2532316

If you want to develop further you have to go for a GH3 (Graded Hammer 3) which is an old line or rather to the Grand Touch Keybeds
GT-S built in the Clavinova CLP 625 725 825 635 735 835
GT-S wooden whites built in the Clavinova CLP 645 745 845
The 6xx and 7xx rows are being sold used
625 for about 800 €$
725 for about 1000 €$

I you want to go higher you have to spend at least 2000 €$ for a 675 775 875 685 785 885 but then you have a really good feeling keybed which does simulate very good the real acoustic piano feeling.

here you can find a good explanation of the different Yamaha  keybeds function
https://www.e-piano-test.com/yamaha-digitalpiano-hammermechanik-tastatur/
Its in German, but nowadays with ai translation thats not the problem.

Wish you having fun with your new piano.

[jonathannyc]

Hello Pakkun,

The major manufacturers of digital pianos are well known: Roland, Yamaha, Kawai, and Korg. But, I will not suggest exactly which brand and model to buy, and for a very good reason: pianists do not have identical responses to the critical matters of keyboard action and sonority.

An instrument that one pianist praises will be fiercely condemned by another. Other pianists' opinions are just that, their opinions. It is very personal to each pianist. And I am not swayed by the promotional hype of manufacturers: what I directly experience while playing an instrument is the truth, and it often does not jive with a manufacturer's advertisements.

There is no substitute for your hands-on examination of any instrument, and your opinion is the only one that matters because you will be living with that instrument.

My only bit of advice is this: focus on the quality of the keyboard action as you test each instrument. While the sounds can be modified in a variety of ways, the action cannot be adjusted in a similar fashion.

_____________________________
https://www.bakerpianolessons.com/

[keypeg]

I'm starting here, for a reason.

I would really like some piano voices to make Chopin Nocturnes and Waltz sound beautiful with clear notes. 

After reading your post here, I went to your older posts, to see where you're coming from.  The teaching you received each time you tried seems to have been poor, and above all, I see little about piano technique specifically.   I see things about naming notes as So or Si, a new teacher irate about how you do a trill, and giving you Beyer.  I see nothing about technique.  And that is pertinent to the goal I quoted.

Probably the music you were given to play was not of the same type of Chopin.  To bring out those voices, there are subtle things to do with pedal, control of your hands, what you bring out - for example the accompaniment might rise and fall.  A lot of this is physical technique of the interaction of your hands and feet to bring out the sounds you want - and understanding the nature of those desired sounds.

And here your question of piano choice does matter - and you need some idea of what to look for.  At present you don't have the playing experience for testing out a piano in the way a trained pianist might.  I've been in that situation: each time I have greater awareness than years go by.  Here are some things I can think of that you are able to test:

- being able to play louder and softer.  I once tests an acoustic upright that boomed loudly but could not go pianissimo, including when a proper pianist tried it out at my request.
- a poorish cheap Yamaha I had required me to press the key almost to the bottom to sound, and rise almost to the top to stop sounding.  This caused me get a heavy hand and prevented faster playing.
- the play in the sustain pedal - for Chopin you'll be using this a lot.  Again, with the cheap Yamaha I had to press to the floor and let it rise almost to the top.  You want to be able to to move the pedal only a few inches.  As you get better you'll also be learning subtle things with pedal.

In your quest to do justice to Chopin, you need both to learn technical things to bring out those notes, and the tools (keys, pedal, i.e. the piano) that let you do that, and the ability to use those tools.  I suppose I'm reiterating what jonathannyc said about "action" (I don't know if pedal counts as part of the action) i.e. the moving parts that create the sound.

I'd be happy of someone had something to add to this - or if you have questions.

[essence]

Do any digital pianos have a 'half pedal' capability? One surely uses subtle pedalling in Chopin Nocturnes.

Watching now a youtube tutorial on this. There seem to be many.

[essence]

It seems some do.

https://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/3589537/digital-pianos-that-support-half-pedaling.html

[keypeg]

Do any digital pianos have a 'half pedal' capability? One surely uses subtle pedalling in Chopin Nocturnes.

Watching now a youtube tutorial on this. There seem to be many.

I wouldn't even go that far.  The OP may have had close to zero work with pedal up to now.  A lot of the pieces that I've done with my teacher have been Chopin.  You can do a lot with "on and off" pedal, where the point is the timing - careful listening - how much does this note blend into this next note, and why do you want to make that choice?  That's the timing between the hand and the foot.  You can do what he calls "fast pedal", a very quick touch (which doesn't work if your piano pedal needs the huge range of my original cheap Yamaha that I described).

In fact, I was given critique about half pedal: on a real acoustic, it needs to be carefully and accurately regulated, I was told for the dampers to touch those strings "just so".  The "fast pedal" does a similar effect.  I have a Kawai CA97 hybrid piano which I bought for the piano action.  I can do half pedal, putting the pedal just on that in-between spot.  I rarely ever use it.