All About Choosing and Buying Pianos

[sleepy]

jedamum:

I thought people usually won't recommend buying of old piano.

If know how to choose & can 'hear' the quality of sound, then it's fine to buy old pianos.

For our case, with zero music background, gosh, very stressful because really no idea whether we would buy a lemon instead :nailbite:

[greenwich157]

Parents, I see many of you are talking about acoustic piano. But have you considered digital piano? The technology behind digital piano has come a long way. Unless you’re willing to fork out a large amount of money for a high end acoustic piano and pay for care and maintenance, or have the know-how to select a good second hand acoustic piano, for much less $$$ you can get high end acoustic piano sound, touch and quality in brand new digital piano.


But you’ll have to try it and hear it out. Talk to the salesperson and get educated about the technology. I think you can make better comparison and assessment afterward.

[greenwich157]

sleepy:

jedamum:

I thought people usually won't recommend buying of old piano.

If know how to choose & can 'hear' the quality of sound, then it's fine to buy old pianos.

For our case, with zero music background, gosh, very stressful because really no idea whether we would buy a lemon instead :nailbite:

Related to the post I've just posted above, with digital piano price (and advancement in the technology) you now have the option to get a new piano. I know many of us here, including me, do not have music background. And so here are the risks -- investing in an acoustic piano is a long term investment -- spending $10k or more for a new one or $5k or more for a second hand one (1) we don't really know our kid's interest will sustain going forward (2) we're choosing a product costing thousands of dollars without much knowledge about it.

With digital piano option, I think the risks above reduce greatly. But do go and try it out. 'Hear', feel and compare the diff between an acoustic piano and a digital one. I know we can't really 'hear' the diff, but that's just exactly what I think we should end up - i.e. not hearing the diff between them. Many of the digital pianos are exam grade too.

Plus digital piano is much more versatile. It can be hooked up to the computer to produce music, different sound/tones, learning system etc.

But do try it out, get educated and compare.

Enjoy your exploration.

[phankao]

greenwich157:

Parents, I see many of you are talking about acoustic piano. But have you considered digital piano? The technology behind digital piano has come a long way. Unless you're willing to fork out a large amount of money for a high end acoustic piano and pay for care and maintenance, or have the know-how to select a good second hand acoustic piano, for much less $$$ you can get high end acoustic piano sound, touch and quality in brand new digital piano.


But you'll have to try it and hear it out. Talk to the salesperson and get educated about the technology. I think you can make better comparison and assessment afterward.

I never like Digital Piano. Even those with the \"real-touch\". Aiyah, nothing beats the feel of a real piano, lah.

[jce]

Agree with Phankao, nothing, nothing beats the real piano. It is really a skill, and one can only truly appreciate the skill and art of piano playing when it comes from a good ol’ piano, not something electronic. Having said that, there is a place for the digital piano, and that is in pop. It lends a sound to this genre.

[PianoDaddy]

greenwich157:

With digital piano option, I think the risks above reduce greatly. But do go and try it out. 'Hear', feel and compare the diff between an acoustic piano and a digital one. I know we can't really 'hear' the diff, but that's just exactly what I think we should end up - i.e. not hearing the diff between them. Many of the digital pianos are exam grade too.

Plus digital piano is much more versatile. It can be hooked up to the computer to produce music, different sound/tones, learning system etc.

But do try it out, get educated and compare.

Hi Greenwich, are you using a digital piano at home? Which model is good, ie. sounds and feels the same as an acoustic?

[heyhoe]

My kids started out with digital piano - Yamaha Clavinova, inherited from me. :rotflmao: as I used to learn pop piano. It has many functions, \"playback\" and different instruments incorporated. It's fun for my kids to play and hear the playback.


Having said that, I still find that acoustic piano sounds much better than digital piano for classical music. In fact, the touch itself is very different.

[greenwich157]

PianoDaddy:

greenwich157:

With digital piano option, I think the risks above reduce greatly. But do go and try it out. 'Hear', feel and compare the diff between an acoustic piano and a digital one. I know we can't really 'hear' the diff, but that's just exactly what I think we should end up - i.e. not hearing the diff between them. Many of the digital pianos are exam grade too.

Plus digital piano is much more versatile. It can be hooked up to the computer to produce music, different sound/tones, learning system etc.

But do try it out, get educated and compare.

Hi Greenwich, are you using a digital piano at home? Which model is good, ie. sounds and feels the same as an acoustic?

Hi, yes I have an old model from Cristofori, CDP2 I think. The problem is my daughter did not enjoy playing it like a piano; going through the exercises was boring for her. But when she was exposed to the different tones/voices and the \"pop\" side of the playing she was motivated to learn without needing us to push her. And she is enjoying it, which is most important.

[kermitfrog418]

I think the gap between the digital piano and acoustic one is always going to get closer with technology advancement. Will it follow the path of photography, where only a few years ago some still believe digital technology will not replace film. Or what about books? Where have all the big bookstores gone to?


The traditional music teaching, grading and the focus on drilling drilling drilling felt like another subject in school. But with digital piano, me and my child are able to enjoy music and be creative.

Look at some of the discussions or opinions in the links below. I think there is no right or wrong, and it could boil down to financials, space and needs now (and investing for the future). But look at the last link, especially the first video. Digital piano is just fun, even for amateur like me.

http://voices.yahoo.com/digital-pianos-vs-acoustic-pianos-piano-teachers-10747177.html
http://www.ptg.org/userfiles/file/learningCenter/AcousticPianos.pdf
http://suzukiassociation.org/discuss/14723/
http://mypianosg.com

[sleepy]

greenwich157:

sleepy:

[quote=\"jedamum\"]I thought people usually won't recommend buying of old piano.

If know how to choose & can 'hear' the quality of sound, then it's fine to buy old pianos.

For our case, with zero music background, gosh, very stressful because really no idea whether we would buy a lemon instead :nailbite:

Related to the post I've just posted above, with digital piano price (and advancement in the technology) you now have the option to get a new piano. I know many of us here, including me, do not have music background. And so here are the risks -- investing in an acoustic piano is a long term investment -- spending $10k or more for a new one or $5k or more for a second hand one (1) we don't really know our kid's interest will sustain going forward (2) we're choosing a product costing thousands of dollars without much knowledge about it.[/quote]According to dd's 1st piano teacher in Seimpi, she said digital piano is only suitable up to grade 3 & eventually need to upgrade to acoustic piano. So she advised us to get an acoustic piano.... although she is using a digital piano herself :evil: