In the blog article "Mum, where do the digital pianos come from", it was already shown that the sound spectrum of an acoustic piano cannot be reproduced identically by a digital piano. The conclusion is easily drawn: if there is no reason to choose a digital piano, it is better to choose the only real acoustic equivalent. Yet, there are 4 cases where the digital piano might be the better choice. We sum them up for you.
- Written by Stefaan Vanfleteren
Those who, whether temporarily or not, want to invest a more limited budget may be better off opting for a "top quality" digital piano than for a low-budget acoustic piano. For €2.500, you won't really have a good acoustic piano. But still a digital piano of fairly good quality. Of course, a digital piano does not need to be tuned, so you will also save on this annual cost. But if your budget is limited, you can always choose to rent a piano (acoustic or digital).
If you do not want to disturb others while playing or practicing, you can always play with headphones on a digital piano. All digital pianos are equipped with this possibility. In the meantime, however, there are also solutions for this on acoustic pianos: the so-called "silent acoustic piano" allows you to play both "acoustically" and "digitally" (through headphones). On the other hand, if you need to amplify the sound of a piano, a digital piano will allow you to get a nice sound out of the speakers much faster than an acoustic piano. Amplifying the sound of an acoustic piano is only possible with good recording microphones and a good sound engineer. Read more about this in our blog 'Digital, acoustic, hybrid, silent-acoustic, trans-acoustic or self-playing?
If you live in a small flat or student house, you will not always have the possibility of installing an acoustic piano. Also, if you often perform and need to take your piano everywhere, you will be better off with a digital piano than an acoustic one. Not everyone has the status of Lang Lang or Diana Krall and can demand that a Steinway concert grand piano is available everywhere. A mobile digital piano, also called a "stage piano", will then bring a solution.
Digital pianos often have a lot of functions to be creative with music: other sounds, recording possibilities, style accompaniments, etc. . You can connect a digital piano to a computer or tablet, for example, to create scores of your compositions. For beginning pianists, a digital piano often has a lot of extra "learning functions" on board. Nowadays, you can usually also connect a tablet/iPad to interact with the instrument even more.
Do you recognize one or more of the above reasons? Then you might want to consider buying a digital piano after all. Don't forget to check out the silent acoustic pianos (Yamaha Silent, Kawai Anytime and Aures), as they combine the best of the acoustic and digital worlds. None of the above reasons apply to you? Then there is little doubt: the acoustic piano or grand piano is the best solution for you!
