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Buying a piano is a pretty big deal. At the same time, you need to consider several things before taking a plunge. Of course, you do not want to spend money on a thing that you will regret buying at the end of the day.
Therefore, before going to your favorite instrument store, you need to sit down for a few minutes and think carefully. Your budget is always the number one thing to consider. Nevertheless, there is one more thing for you to decide carefully, digital vs. acoustic piano.
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Acoustic and digital piano: What is the difference?
Piano was invented in Italy. The real name of the piano is “Pianoforte”, which means soft and loud. A piano can produce loud and soft sounds that make this instrument distinctive. There are two kinds of the piano—the digital piano and acoustic piano. But the big question, what is the difference between digital piano vs. acoustic piano?
When we say digital piano, it is electronically-powered. Actually, digital pianos mimic what acoustic pianos produce. They are producing sounds through its built-in speakers. If you have tried using digital piano, you will agree that there are certain benefits out of it.
On the other hand, there is an acoustic piano. We can refer to acoustic pianos as “real pianos”. You can easily distinguish acoustic piano from the digital piano because of its structure. The case of an acoustic piano is made of solid wood connected to the soundboard. It has moving parts including 220 strings and hammers.
I know you’ve come across weighing things out between digital piano vs. acoustic piano. Both are definitely good, but there are more things to know before you make a conclusion.
To find out which piano is the best to invest on, let’s know more about them one-by-one.
Digital Piano and Keyboards
The Digital piano has no strings in it. In order for a digital piano to produce a sound, each of its keys is switching. Since digital pianos are electronically-powered (some are battery-powered), the one that produces the sounds is the electronic tone generator. It has a built-in speaker, which amplifies the sounds.
Just so you know, digital pianos are a mixture of an acoustic piano and an electronic keyboard. The good thing about digital pianos is that you can modify its sound variations.
Apart from that, you can also connect them to computers, which allows you to edit and record your playing. The primary reason for this characteristic is its MIDI output via an inexpensive interface.
Both digital pianos and acoustic pianos have their own types. But first, here are the different types of digital pianos.
Keyboards
A keyboard is a type of digital piano where it is more of a synthesizer having a built-in low-wattage amplifier along with small speakers.
What’s more interesting about keyboards is it has the capability to mimic sounds of different instruments such as Hammond organ, pipe organ, violin, and many more.
Keyboards are highly recommended for home users, beginners, or non-professional users. The major components of keyboards are the musical keyboard, user interface system, computerized music arranger, sound generator, amplifiers, speakers, MIDI terminals, and music stand.
Digital Pianos
Digital pianos are the modern counterpart of acoustic pianos. Sounds are digitally-produced along with pressing the keys. As mentioned earlier, digital pianos have built-in speakers, which will playback sounds recreating what acoustic pianos can produce.
Actually, digital pianos are specifically designed to imitate and serve as an alternative to the traditional acoustic piano. Digital pianos want you to feel as if you are using an acoustic piano. However, digital pianos have some characteristics that the typical acoustic does not have.
Stage piano
Aside from keyboards, digital pianos, there is also a stage piano. It is a type of digital piano, which is ideal for stage and studio use. Most musicians that are always on the move are using stage pianos. It is very portable that you can just move along with it.
Its key feature is its very handy. You can take it with you wherever you go, from your house to your gig venue or from studio to your home. When it comes to sound quality, stage pianos use digital sampling of each note to mimic the sound of the traditional acoustic piano.
Since digital pianos are the modern version of traditional pianos, we can say that it suits perfectly to our modern world today. As people want convenience, digital pianos are a good choice to purchase. You can choose from different types depending on your taste and preferences. Most of the things today are digital, so why can’t our piano be?
But, this does not end here, maybe you’ll want to consider another kind of piano. If you are the type to appreciate classical and traditional sounds, you might want acoustic pianos.
Acoustic Pianos
Acoustic Piano is the traditional and old-school kind of piano, which inspires digital pianos today. It can give you a direct feeling of sounds while playing it.
Classical music, jazz or pop, or even an orchestra cannot be completed without the presence of acoustic pianos. From its name “acoustic”, sounds produced by acoustic pianos are very relaxing and can produce the full range of musical expression.
Acoustic pianos consist of hammers and steel strings covered by a wooden case. All the keys and hammers are connected, so when you press a key, the hammer moves to strike the strings. It causes vibration and eventually produces a sound.
However, this kind of piano is much more costly or expensive than digital pianos. So, make sure to allot a budget when purchasing an acoustic piano. You can choose from its three types: Grand, Baby Grand, and Upright piano.
Grand or Concert Grand Piano
The most interesting thing about grand piano is it can perfectly recreate the music and sound that you hear. It offers a wide and dynamic range of sounds. At the same time, grand pianos have rich resonance with diverse tonality and very responsive touch.
If all these characteristics combined, you can clearly deliver the sound expression that you want to incorporate while you’re playing it. in addition, grand or concert grand pianos are the biggest acoustic piano, which is very popular in music halls, concerts, and mostly used by famous musicians.
Baby Grand Piano
Just like grand pianos, the baby grand piano is one of the types of an acoustic piano. Baby grand pianos are very popular for home use. From its name “baby”, it is smaller than grand pianos. It can also produce the same sound quality as a grand piano at a lower price range than grand pianos or other larger models.
Upright Pianos
From its name “upright”, the soundboard and plane of the strings are vertical and perpendicular to the keyboard. With that, it only takes less space than grand pianos. Most upright pianos have strings upward starting from the bottom of the piano case, near the floor.
Based on the characteristics of an acoustic piano, all of its types can produce powerful and great sounds. Acoustics pianos’ big structure can relatively affect how it produces sounds and music.
Acoustic piano expresses classics and tradition since it is the first to be invented. Their value increase over time and that’s the reason why it is one of a good investment.
Conclusion – Which Is The Best To Own?
The answer is definitely based on you. Both digital piano and acoustic piano are good musical instruments. Before purchasing your own piano, make sure to consider your budget, place, taste, and long-term view.
If you are the type to go to places, then a digital piano could be suitable for you since it is portable. You can choose acoustic piano if you are the type who loves classical sounds, but make sure you enough space in your home to put a grand piano or an upright piano.
Whichever you would choose, think of it as your precious investment. So the question is, digital piano vs. acoustic piano, what would be your choice?!
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