What questions should a prospective digital piano owner ask himself?

First of all, I apologize for saying "himself" rather than "herself." Unfortunately, English Grammar makes it difficult to be gender-neutral!

Anyway, on to the topic of this post. I've been discussing this with a few digital piano afficionados recently and we decided that there are a few key questions you should ask yourself if you're about to buy a digital piano. Here I want to share a few of them with you:

(1) How many keys does it have? - You probably know that DPs can come with 61, 76 or 88 keys. And yes, it does make a difference which number you go for. To simplify things, a DP with 61 keys will generally be fine if you're a novice and all you want to do is get started with the piano. But if you're more of an advanced pianist you'll want more keys so that you can play more advanced pieces.

(2) Is it in your budget range? - There's no shame in admitting that some digital pianos are just not in your budget. After all, many are really expensive (think $2,000+). The best thing, therefore, is to work out what you can afford and then find DPs that fall within that range. Remember, Casios are often a great option if you have a limited budget.

(3) Are you getting weighted keys? - This may not be important for you, but if you're like most digital piano owners it will have some influence. To get a DP with a nice piano feel, you need weighted keys. This tends to mean that you have to pay a little more than you would for a DP with non-weighted keys. But it's worth it if you really want to experience the authentic piano feel.

That's all for today's post. There are other things to think about if you're about to buy a DP. If I have time next week I'll come back and share some more thoughts with you. In the meantime, happy hunting!

Reasons to prefer digital to acoustic

A lot of people ask me why I'm so interested in digital pianos. The truth is that I have a very wide range of interests. Over the last few months alone I've explored everything from Apple's latest gadget to fun things to do in Texas. In other words, I have a lot of different interests. But digital pianos have become something of a passion recently.

Partly this has to do with the fact that I used to play the piano as a child. We had a large, grand piano at home and I would practise on it for hours at a time. So the piano has always been a part of who I am. But why digital pianos? There are people out there who recognize only the acoustic piano. For them, a digital piano can only be a cheap imitation. Needless to say, I strongly disagree. In fact, I've heard digital pianos that actually sound better than many acoustic pianos I've come across. Plus, the digital piano has several advantages over the acoustic:

1) Digital pianos don't need tuning - One of the problems with an acoustic piano is that you need to get it tuned and serviced. This can be both tedious and costly. A digital piano does not require this work. It retains its immaculate piano sound day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year.


2) Digital pianos are (often) portable - Suppose you've got a nice acoustic grand piano. What do you do when you need to move home?! It may end up costing you an arm and leg just to get it moved. A digital piano on the other hand can easily be taken with you. In fact, some of them are so light that you can carry them with one hand!

3) Digital pianos give you alternative sounds - Don't get me wrong. I love the grand piano sound. But there are times when you just want to try something else - maybe strings, maybe an organ sound, maybe even something completely different. An acoustic piano can't offer you this option. A digital piano can. The best digital pianos give you many different "voices," allowing you to experiment and enjoy all sorts of interesting sounds. This simply enriches the experience you have.

 I hope this post has given you some idea as to why I am such a big fan of digital pianos. I wish you the best of luck in finding one for yourself!

Digital pianos and portability

In this brief post I want to talk about "portability" in a digital piano. In most digital piano reviews you will come across the word "portable." But what exactly does this mean? That may sound like a silly question, but it's not. Why not? Well, for one thing, digital pianos are occasionally described as "portable" by some people but not by others.

Here are a couple of key points to bear in mind when you're considering the "portability" of your digital piano:


(1) Even if it's portable, it may require some effort - Some reviewers seem to think that "portable" means "light as a feather." But this is a highly unrealistic expectation. A good digital piano should have some weight to it. This doesn't mean it should break your back when you're carrying it.

But it does mean that you should be prepared to make some effort (however small) when moving it about. Remember - your digital piano is not a toy. It's a serious musical instrument. So when you're looking for a "portable" digital piano, look for something you can carry, not for something that's "ultra light."


(2) Portability is not the only consideration - Portability is likely to be an important consideration for you when you buy your digital piano. But don't get so carried away that you forget the other features. Often a keyboard with fewer keys will weigh less than one with 88 keys. But do you want fewer keys?

Similarly, a keyboard without weighted keys will normally weigh less than a keyboard that does have weighted keys. But don't you want weighted keys?

Remember, there's more to a digital piano than portability. That's not to say that portability is not important. It is. You should certainly check the weight of the DP you're considering (in lbs or kg) before you buy, particularly if you want to take it to gigs. But don't forget the other features - such as the number of keys and the piano's "action" or feel. Bye for now!

Yamaha P95

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If you want a reliable overview of the Yamaha P95's main characteristics, this article is perfect for you. The following is founded on authentic user reviews. You will not only discover what other customers thought of the P95 but also gain a better idea of the piano's suitability for your own needs.

Do remember that if you're searching for an unbiased account of the P95 you are best off scanning the reviews left by other customers. Somewhat predictably, the company behind the product (Yamaha in our case) tends to praise it to the skies. Their concern is to make sales Unlike the manufacturers, product users are not focused on "selling." All you get is their genuine opinion.

So by now you'll be eager to know what end users of the P95 think of the piano. Rather than wading through pages of reviews online, you can use the account below as a short-cut:

• The Yamaha P95 is commonly lauded for its authentic piano "action" or, as some people say, for its "feel." More specifically, the "Graded Hammer" keyboard sees to it that the keys feel "weighted", much like they would be on a typical acoustic piano. So as you play the keys from left to right you will feel that they go from "heavy" to "light" Almost all purchasers of the P95 are impressed by this fact."

• A large proportion of users also commend the P95 for its accurate and faithful sound. It is the intention of (basically) every digital piano to reproduce, as faithfully as possible, the sound of the acoustic piano. As far as most owners are concerned, the Yamaha P95 manages to do this rather well. The authenticity of the grand piano sound is widely acknowledged, even by pianists who are extremely hard to please.

• Admittedly, some owners of the P95 express a little regret over the number of sounds found on the piano. You will discover 10 sounds or "voices" on the P95, which is a lower total than can be found on other models. So if it's important for you that there be a vast number of different sounds, other digital piano models may be slightly more appealing. However, if you are primarily interested in the acoustic piano sounds and do not need all the "bells and whistles" that come with more expensive digital pianos, the chances are that you'll be more than satisfied by the Yamaha P95

• Many users of the P95 are also impressed by its portable nature. Weighing just 12kg (= 26 lbs), the Yamaha P95 lends itself to easy transportation. You'll be able to take it with you to gigs or simply move it about with little or no difficulty. But don't assume this means the P95 is limited in features. In addition to (or in spite of) its portability, the Yamaha P95 comes with a full set of 88 weighted keys.

• You'll appreciate the Yamaha P95 if your apartment is on the small size and if there simply isn't room for a conventional acoustic piano The P95's sleek shape and size ensure that it will fit into whatever room you wish to set aside for it. Presumably this is exactly why you're considering a digital and not an acoustic.

If this short article has served its purpose, you are now a lot more "clued-up" about the Yamaha P95. It is awarded nearly full marks on Amazon (4.5. stars out of 5) and possesses many of the key attributes that you are probably looking for (viz. high-quality sound, portability, good piano "action" etc.) Yes, there are digital pianos out there with a larger number of sounds (or "voices"). But it is extremely difficult to find a model that is so popular amongst its users. And ultimately it is user experience that counts, not the number of features the digital piano can boast.

On top of this, you'll be pleased to discover just how affordable the Yamaha P95 really is. If you purchase online, you can find one for a little over $500. Compare that with the $5000-$10,000 you would have to shell out to acquire a quality acoustic piano Die-hard afficionados may claim that nothing can match the "real thing." But as a user of the Yamaha P95, the chances are good that you'll end up feeling more than satisfied with this digital alternative. If you want to hear the P95 in action, you can check out the cool video below:

Hopefully this blog post has helped you get a feel for the Yamaha P95 digital piano. And if you choose to get one, I wish you all the joy in the world when you start playing!

P.S. Feel free to get in touch if you've got any questions or just want to share your feelings or thoughts about digital pianos in general