Digital piano recommendations, please

[Harmony]

Hello from LA,

I would like to ask if you can recommend me a GOOD digital piano. I want to buy it for my granddaughter who is learning to play the piano. She's a great talent and I'm very proud of her! She loves her piano lessons, but doesn't have a chance to practice at home. I would also like the chance to listen to her as often as I can.

So, I stumbled across this one article about what should one look for when choosing the piano, and now I would like someone to say it in plain English please. What are those features of the piano I should consider? And, how can I know for sure if the piano is suitable for someone else?

Very grateful Gran Harmony here.

 

[corkyg]

In order to provide you with an intelligent response, it would be helpful to have a feel for your budget. That is, perhaps, one of the most important parameters. Do you want a console instrument, i.e., a free standing piece of furniture, or a simpler portable keyboard.There are many options.

 

[Harvey]

As a piano player, I can tell you that the mechanical touch/feel of the keyboard is a very important part of how a player interacts with a piano.

If your granddaughter is specifically interested in piano (as opposed to keyboards in general), and IF you can afford it, the best combination would be a MIDI controller keyboard with a good, weighted mechanical action, a reasonable MIDI controlled voice box with good piano samples and a decent amplifier. That pretty much mirrors the advice in the article at your link.

You didn't say where you are in L.A. (I'm in the San Fernando Valley), but you can probably find a good selection of all of these at a local Guitar Center or other large musical instrument outlet. They may or may not have the best prices for what she likes, but it will give you a better idea of what will work for her.

Once you find a store with a good selection, take her with you to get her input on what feels good to her. And don't hesitate to ask her piano teacher(s) for advice.

Another consideration is whether you want the instrument to be reasonably portable. If so, it will look more like a musicians setup onstage than a piece of furniture with sides and legs, but it will be easier for her to take her gear to friends' houses to play with them. Controllers with good actions are available in both formats.

Hope that helps.

 

[Druidx]

Here is an informative review of the most common recommended digital pianos on the PainoWorld forums.

http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubb...mparison_of_Portable_Digital.html#Post2167459

Lots of great information in their Digital Piano Forum
http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/forums/6/1/Digital_Pianos_-_Synths_&a.html

I ended up getting my 10 year old daughter a Yamaha P-105 after reading reviews and finding a great deal at the local guitar center

 

[88keys]

I would say that your best bang for buck options in regards to overall sound and feel are the Casio Privia series.

Also, you can try out a higher end MIDI controller.

I have one of these (Fatar Studiologic) and I'd say it's pretty comprable to the key action of my Yamaha Motif which is about the best you're going to get from a digital piano.

Both devices are going to cost around the same. However the Casio is basically portable, and can be used as a MIDI controller, but they have no modulation wheels which aren't a problem unless you plan to play keyboard/organ too.

The Fatar Studiologic being just a midi controller will require a rackmount, PC, or another keyboard to interface with it to produce sound. You could also check out VSTs programs which can give you a broad variety of sound options for your keyboard.

To get a better idea of what a VST is and how they work, check out this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhPpVqxEOEk

And yes VSTs that produce/replicate acoustic sounds are also available.