People ask me all the time; “which new digital pianos come the closest to reproducing and simulating a “real acoustic” upright or grand piano playing experience? Many people also tell me that their primary concern is getting great acoustic piano tone & touch in the digital piano and NOT so many (or any) “bells & whistles” to interfere with their piano playing and enjoyment. Digital piano “shoppers” also tell me that nearly every piano store they shop at has an agenda to obviously sell their brand while saying very negative things about the brands carried by other piano stores. This unfortunately is very typical and so the piano shopping experience can be frustrating sometimes because you really don’t know who or what to believe at the end of the day.
Although everyone want the best quality they can get in a digital piano, the answers are not necessarily quick and easy. Also, many people shopping for new digital pianos have very little if any experience with these kinds of instruments so it is difficult to know what will be best within the budget. This is because there are no “standards” when it comes to reproducing an acoustic piano playing experience. Acoustic upright and baby grand pianos from top brands like Steinway, Bosendorfer, Kawai, Yamaha, Baldwin, Young Chang, Samick, Mason & Hamlin, and many others are all different. If they weren’t different then there would probably be only one piano brand. There are many car companies, cell phone companies, computer companies, appliance companies, and other popular products that abound in the market place because they are all different in some very specific ways which offer choices to the consumer. Pianos are like that too. Consumers have choices when it comes to a particular touch and key movement, key resistance, tonality, resonance, and so on. This also does not take into consideration the actual cabinet structure & parts as well as the finish of the cabinet.
So when it comes to digital pianos, the same criteria is used when shopping for one of these instruments. You want to listen to the piano closely to see if you like what you are hearing. Also, look for other things such as a certain”feel” to the keys (light, medium, or heavy), the way they move (quick or stiff), the volume that comes out of the cabinet/speakers (big and full or tinny & weak), the overall quality of tone and the way it sound to you such as the bass response, treble clarity, evenness & smoothness in tone throughout the entire keyboard, progressive weighting of the keys, velocity smoothness, proper pedal movement and damper/sustain reproduction, as well as other technical aspects of the piano. All of this does not include other very popular digital piano features such as USB computer connections, headphone jacks, extra instrument tones and the amount and quality of those instruments, rhythm & drum patterns for timing and play along ability, and other requested functions.
The top digital piano manufacturers right now are (not in any particular order): Kawai, Roland, Casio, Yamaha, & Kurzweil. Korg used to this group but they have pretty much gotten out of that (digital piano) business with the exception of 2 new portable models which are just OK. If you really want specific info on what digital piano might be right for you within your budget, then you are welcome to email or call me directly. I would be happy to help you reach a good decision and show you how to get even lower prices. I have played nearly every new digital piano out ion the market these days (and some that haven’t come out yet) and I know what they do and don’t do.
I do all of this because as a professional piano teacher and musician, I want to see people enjoy the piano playing experience like I do. There are no words to express just how important music can become in one’s life (in a very personal way) no matter how young or how old you are. I teach kids from 3 years old to 93 yrs old and seeing the smiles on people’s faces when they’re playing piano and enjoying themselves gives me all the reward I really need. I have years of experience with these instruments to give you the advice you’re looking for…at no charge. You can also read my reviews of various new digital pianos on this blog as the list is quite extensive.
