# Electric Piano or the real thing?



## LGMullarkey

Good morning all. My daughter is eleven and has been taking lessons with a marvelous, classically trained teacher for two years. At home she plays on a baby grand Steinway. The teacher recommended she practice when she goes to our family ranch, which is a small place in a remote part of Colorado. I agree. But space is limited. Would it be bad for her to play on an electric keyboard instead? Please advise! (The teacher is away and can't be reached at the moment. She's not too good about the cellphone.)


----------



## Krummhorn

Hi LG,

I'm assuming the Colorado destination is a temporary domicile for vacationing and such. For those instances, the repetition of the notes of pieces being studied and the fingering exercises should be fine on the electronic keyboard. 

If the ranch location is a more permanent residence, I would advise getting a regular piano ... doesn't have to be a baby grand - it could be a studio or spinet piano. Imho, there is no suitable substitute for the mechanical piano ... the touch, the feel and tone is hard to reproduce from a machine of transistors, wires and speakers.


----------



## LGMullarkey

*Thank you!*

It is a sometime destination. Still, I agree there is nothing like the real thing and believe we should wait till we find the real thing at an affordable price!


----------



## Yagan Kiely

I'll always prefer acoustic instruments where the human produces the sound (or at least creates the reason for the sound).


----------



## Weston

Yagan Kiely said:


> I'll always prefer acoustic instruments where the human produces the sound (or at least creates the reason for the sound).


But it's the piano producing all the sound -- unless you're Glenn Gould. If you mean by striking the keys a human is producing the sound, then the same reasoning applies to an electronic keyboard. The feel will be different of course.


----------



## Edmond-Dantes

Well, if you intend on using the keyboard a lot, you should get an Electric Piano with weighted keys. They're more expensive, but worth it.

Though, I don't think you can ever beat the real thing.


----------



## handlebar

I live in a 1 bedroom apt on the 2nd floor. A piano is not feasible. SO I opted for a Yamaha digital upright with weighted keys,pedals,etc. I is PERFECT for me! It has only 4 sounds: piano1,2 and organ and harpsichord. I paid a lot of money for it 10 years ago (what n upright piano would have cost) and am happy i did.
A lot easier to move around when needed too!! Plus...no tuning needed.

Jim


----------



## nahkaiser

*Not a bad idea*

If you decide to let your daughter to train a bit on the electronic then i think i isn't such a bad idea. But if i were you, i would prefer an piano since the pianos touch of the keyboard is completely different from that of an electronic one. Pianos have a much heavier touch. It just doesn't feel all the same and your daughter might find switching between those 2 types quite annoying later on, since she might not be accustomed to the heaviness of the piano.


----------



## Teo

nahkaiser said:


> If you decide to let your daughter to train a bit on the electronic then i think i isn't such a bad idea. But if i were you, i would prefer an piano since the pianos touch of the keyboard is completely different from that of an electronic one. Pianos have a much heavier touch. It just doesn't feel all the same and your daughter might find switching between those 2 types quite annoying later on, since she might not be accustomed to the heaviness of the piano.


I think he said it perfectly! I bought an M-Audio Keystation 88 that has a great realistic feel! The one I bought doesn't have sounds, but I use a MIDI cable to a PSR-510 that I have and it has sounds plus speakers, you can probably find a PSR for $100-200 just for output. There is another M-Audio Keystation that has sounds, but it's only "half-weighted" so it's not really that good for a serious piano exercise routine. I'll try and attach the picture of mine, it's not pretty like a grand piano  but it has great action, and I can record the MIDI of my playing pretty effortlessly (just a USB cable into it)!!!

I always practice on a real piano though. Headphones and neighbors aside, there's almost something mystical and spiritual about playing a real accoustic instrument! Halleluyah! 

Love and LIGHTNESS, 
Teo


----------

