Although the concert grand is the favoured instrument of the professional classical pianist, the upright piano is the workhorse of the piano family. Because it is so much cheaper than the grand and takes up much less room in the house, it is the upright that most people learn to play their first pieces of music on. If you are thinking of buying one this article will give you a few tips on what to consider.
The emergence of the digital, or electronic piano, in the 1980s has complicated the choice of which upright to buy. Before then there was only the different makes of acoustics to consider. The modern digital has a good performance and has the advantage of being much smaller and lighter than its rival. Prices also are a lot more reasonable.
When choosing a piano the sound that it produces is paramount among its features. This is an area where the electronic version has lagged behind its acoustic counterpart. There have been major improvements along this front in recent years, however, and the best digital pianos rival all but the very top acoustic models in terms of sound quality.
The feel of the keys when playing is a subjective matter to some extent and players will differ a little in their requirements in this respect. Keys on acoustic pianos are weighted, which means that they are very sensitive to the player's touch, varying the sound according to how hard or soft the keys are depressed. Most of the higher priced digital models will have this feature built-in but it pays to check as not all of them do. Many players are of the opinion that the digital, despite their manufacturer's best efforts, don't have the same feel as their mechanical counterparts.
Digital pianos don't need to be tuned and will stay in tune for many years of playing. On the other hand, you will need to budget for a regular service and re-tune if you decide to buy an acoustic. The cost of this varies considerably but it will tend to more expensive for the the better quality models.
Although many players still prefer the touch and sound of the acoustic, digital pianos are fast catching up. In fact the top models are said to be as good as most acoustics and they are the preferred instrument of many professional musicians. Your own personal preferences will dictate which type of piano you go for and you should be now be in a better position to make an informed choice.
The emergence of the digital, or electronic piano, in the 1980s has complicated the choice of which upright to buy. Before then there was only the different makes of acoustics to consider. The modern digital has a good performance and has the advantage of being much smaller and lighter than its rival. Prices also are a lot more reasonable.
When choosing a piano the sound that it produces is paramount among its features. This is an area where the electronic version has lagged behind its acoustic counterpart. There have been major improvements along this front in recent years, however, and the best digital pianos rival all but the very top acoustic models in terms of sound quality.
The feel of the keys when playing is a subjective matter to some extent and players will differ a little in their requirements in this respect. Keys on acoustic pianos are weighted, which means that they are very sensitive to the player's touch, varying the sound according to how hard or soft the keys are depressed. Most of the higher priced digital models will have this feature built-in but it pays to check as not all of them do. Many players are of the opinion that the digital, despite their manufacturer's best efforts, don't have the same feel as their mechanical counterparts.
Digital pianos don't need to be tuned and will stay in tune for many years of playing. On the other hand, you will need to budget for a regular service and re-tune if you decide to buy an acoustic. The cost of this varies considerably but it will tend to more expensive for the the better quality models.
Although many players still prefer the touch and sound of the acoustic, digital pianos are fast catching up. In fact the top models are said to be as good as most acoustics and they are the preferred instrument of many professional musicians. Your own personal preferences will dictate which type of piano you go for and you should be now be in a better position to make an informed choice.
No comments:
Post a Comment