Buying a digital piano can be stressful and bewildering experience. The typical digital piano on display in most music stores has so many flashing lights, buttons and sliders it can get very confusing.
First a bit of history: digital pianos have come a long way in the past 20 years. Back in the good old days, digital pianos sounded bad and the keyboard action was just awful — thankfully all that has changed. Today you can purchase a brand new digital piano for your home for a fraction of the cost of an acoustic upright piano that many families and schools used to have. Not only are digital pianos more portable, they now sound and even feel like concert grand pianos.
So what should you know before you decide to start shopping for a new digital piano?
Try The Digital Piano Before You Buy
Since every digital piano sounds and feels different, you really need to try a piano before you buy. Visit your local music store and ask to see their keyboard department. Ask the salesperson to show you the piano section. Then sit down and play the piano for yourself. If you are a beginner you may feel self-conscious when you play the piano. In this case look for the “demo” mode button and press it. Or if you are really shy, you can ask the salesperson for some headphones and play in complete privacy.
If you can’t find the demo button then ask the salesperson to help you. The piano should start playing some classical compositions. Turn up the volume, sit back and close your eyes; now can properly audition the sound of the digital piano.
If you can’t audition a digital piano then I suggest you read reviews like those I have posted here on my website. Most of my reviews include demonstration videos that will give you a pretty good idea of what the piano sounds like.
As an experienced musician who’s purchased quite a few pianos and keyboards in my career and I can give you an accurate appraisal of some of the most popular models out there on the market today.
Evaluating the Digital Piano Sound
Probably the most important aspect when deciding which digital piano to purchase is the actual sound. Most digital pianos are sampled from real concert grand pianos and will sound amazing to the untrained ear. But you need to understand that it’s the subtleties of the sound samples that they use that make all the difference as far as quality and of course the price. The more expensive digital pianos record the sound of dampers hitting the strings and harmonics. They also take multiple samples of each note with varying degrees of pressure applied to the keys. Again this costs money and you may not be able to hear this.
You should consider that the speakers in the piano (some digital pianos don’t have built-in speakers) also contribute to the quality of the sound. Generally, the more expensive the piano the better the quality of the speakers.
In the end, it’s all about how *you* the buyer feels. The sound of the piano should be pleasing to you and connect with you. Remember, this piano will be in your home for a long time.
In part 2 of How to Buy a Digital Piano I’ll discuss finding the right piano action and determining who the end user is.
-Chris Braun
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