Digital Pianos – The Advantages, The Disadvantages And What To Look For

Pianos, for beginning musicians, are one of the essential, first instruments to learn. Just about every type and style of music can be played on a piano. This gives a student a wide variety to choose from and learn from when starting out.

For many students, however, purchasing a traditional piano can be a little out of their budget and they can be quite large. This makes it difficult for someone in a small living space to find room for them. There are other alternatives, such as a digital piano. This is one space saving option. A digital piano comes with the feel of a regular piano but takes up considerably less space. There are also smaller versions for those just beginning.

Types of Pianos

There are a wide variety of digital pianos. Digital pianos range from small keyboards with minimal options like volume and on/off and nothing else to larger digital pianos that can handle remixes and allow synthesized playing, as well as everything in between. There are plenty of different makes, models and variety so that a student can get exactly that he or she needs.

The Advantages of a digital piano

There are a number of advantages of a digital piano that you won’t find with traditional ones. First, of course, is the fact that a digital piano can be a real space saver. It also has the features of volume control and usually comes with a place to put a set of ear phones in. This is great with small apartments or if you want to play without any background noises. It also keeps the piano from being a distraction.

Digital pianos also come with the added benefit, in some models, of allowing you to save your music directly from the machine, either to its internal memory or an external data storage media. Digital pianos often come with additional instrument sounds. This allows you to experiment with different sounds without having to get the different instruments. Another useful feature is that digital pianos, because of their smaller size, are easily transportable.

Disadvantages of a digital piano

There are some disadvantages of having a digital piano. The first and major one is that the sound will always be electronic and never sound as good as the real thing. The value decreases rapidly because every few years a new model comes out. Compared to a real piano, a digital piano’s keys have a lighter touch and a different balance, sometimes making transitioning from digital to real and vice versa, more difficult.

The case for a digital piano can be easily damaged and expensive to repair. So extra care has to be given when moving it around. A digital piano is an electronic device. Like all electronic devices, if something breaks, it can be impossible or very costly to repair.

What to look for when buying a digital piano

When looking to purchase a digital piano there are a few things that need to be considered. First, take a look realistically at what you are going to need and what features you are going to use. There is no reason to spend extra money on a set of features you’ll never touch. So it’s a good idea to figure out what features you are really going to use.

Depending on the type of student you are, you may want to consider features that offer you a full keyboard range or offer a variety of instrument types in order to allow for experimentation. Also, you might want to consider music saving features, so that you can record the music you make for classes. It’s also a good idea to check out the warranty of the digital piano. Most come with limited warranties and only for a short time. If you know you might be hard on your digital piano, getting a digital piano with a longer and more extensive warranty might be something to look into.

Conclusion

Digital pianos are a great way to bring the music of a piano into your home at less expense. They are also great for students to be able to learn on especially with their space saving options and easy transportability. Make sure you know the features you need from your digital piano before you purchase. This is to make sure you get the digital piano that is just right for you.

About the Author

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of musicianhome.com, a site that provides information and articles for musicians at all stages of their development.

iANO (iphone piano)

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