Ask any piano lover, and you will know that there are primarily two types:
- Conventional acoustic piano
- Modern digital or electric piano
Now for centuries, acoustic piano has been the prime choice of musicians worldwide. The electric piano has caught up, though, ever since its advent in the 1950s.
In terms of playing, there are not many visible differences. Both types of piano have 88 keys. However, they differ majorly in keyboard action, touch response, sound quality, and various other factors.
Electric pianos are also cheaper than acoustic ones, making them perfect for beginners and almost anyone who likes playing. So, how do choose the right electric piano?
Touch Response:
Touch sensitivity is an essential factor for choosing any piano, be it acoustic or electric. This aspect determines how loud you have to press the keys to get the sound you desire. Keys that are highly touch-sensitive sound the best as you can easily change the dynamics within a score by just pressing softer or harder.
Most electric pianos come with this feature in-built, but make sure your one has it. It is also a test of skills, as only with proper technique you can get the complete output of the touch-sensitive keys.
Keyboard Action:
The electric piano has three variations:
- Weighted
- Full weighted
- Semi-weighted
The weighted and semi-weighted electric pianos come with a mechanical hammer embedded within the keys. This is known as hammer action.
The hammers rise and fall with the pressing of the keys to give you a more realistic sound effect.
The fully-weighted pianos come with a graded hammer action which makes the lower octave keys heavier, creating beautiful notes.
The Polyphony:
When you can play multiple notes at a time, it is known as polyphony.
Theoretically, acoustic pianos have unlimited polyphony since the sound is mechanical and not recorded like in the electric pianos.
Nowadays, digital pianos come with 128 or more polyphony. However, having one with at least 32-note polyphony is the minimum recommendation, or the sound will not be as rich.
Sound Quality:
Speaking of sounds, when you are buying an instrument, you need to check the quality of sound it produces.
Of course, beginners need to focus on mastering the playing technique rather than the sound quality. Still, a good-quality piano will save you the hassle of upgrading yourself as you progress.
Now the sound quality of an electric piano depends on two factors.
The Number of Speakers:
Usually, electric pianos come with two to six speakers, and these play the sounds recorded from an acoustic piano.
It’s Digital Memory:
Usually, electric pianos come with two to six speakers, and these play the sounds recorded from an acoustic piano.
It will do you good, though, to get one with a higher storage capacity. That way, it can contain more high-quality sound since that requires more memory space.
The result will be some rich tone that you will enjoy listening to while you play.
Final Words:
For a classical pianist, the acoustic piano is the ultimate solution. However, electric pianos offer a lot of flexibility and come at a lot less price.
This makes them ideal for beginners. Just follow the above tips, and you can find yourself the perfect piano to practice on.
