Digital Pianos in NJ

DIGITAL PIANOS

Are you looking to buy a digital piano in NJ? Rockaway Music offers a wide array of piano products and services including new pianos, used pianos, digital pianos, player pianos and more.

So, you've decided to go with a digital piano instead of an acoustic. You've made the first decision, but this is just the first step. Choosing a digital piano can be overwhelming. There are so many digital pianos on the market today you have to make sure you get the one that is right for you. You don't want to pay for features that you will never use, and you don't want to leave out features that are important to you. This article will help you make the best decision.

What's important to you?

What do you want to do with the digital piano that you couldn't do with an acoustic? Portability may be one important feature. If so, go with a "stage digital piano." These are portable unlike the digital pianos in cabinets or digital grand pianos which are stationary.

If you are just beginning to play go with a digital piano that feels like an acoustic. This is important so you'll be used to the feel of a "real" piano when playing at your instructor's house or in a public place such as a church. I'd also recommend not spending too much. You may decide that piano playing is not your thing after a while, and you don't want to spend too much money until you're sure you will stick with it. There are affordable (less than $600 or $500) digital pianos that feel like acoustic pianos and sound decent enough for beginners.

How does it feel?

Most digital piano owners want the feel of an acoustic piano. Many have weighted keys that mimic the hammer striking action of acoustic pianos. But they can feel different from one digital piano to another, so try a few out. There's no sense in going into the details of each way the manufacturers simulate an acoustic feel. The quick and dirty explanation will suffice.

Acoustic pianos use a hammer striking mechanism. You hit the key, it causes a hammer to strike the strings. Some digital keyboards use hammer simulating mechanisms to emulate this feel. These are weighted-hammer action keys. These digital pianos feel the most like acoustic pianos. The next closest is simply weighted-action keys. The keys have a weight in them to simulate the resistance an acoustic piano key would have, but it doesn't include the hammer-striking system. Finally, there are non-weighted keys. These are like your typical synthesizer or church organ. They feel nothing like an acoustic piano.

Play an acoustic to get the feel of it, then you'll have something to compare when finding the right feel for a digital piano. In addition to the feeling of the keys, don't forget the feeling of the pedal. Many digital pianos will come with a cheap pedal that doesn't look or feel like an acoustic piano pedal. The cheap pedals can pose some difficulty and frustration to the player because they will sometimes move as your foot presses them. This can be very annoying. It's worth investing in a pedal that is heavy and will be stationary. Make sure that if your digital piano does not come with one, that the manufacturer sells one that is adaptable to your piano.

Also, some digital pianos will support multiple levels of pedaling to simulate an acoustic piano. On an acoustic, you can get different levels of sustain by pressing the sustain pedal more or by pressing it less. Some digital pianos will mimic this. The cheaper ones may only have on/off sustain pedal, which means you press and it's on. There's no half-way point.

How does it sound?

Digital piano manufacturers use different techniques to sample sounds. The digital piano plays the recording of the sampled sound. Since the manufacturers use different techniques, the pianos all sound slightly different. If you want one that sounds like an acoustic, play an acoustic in the store and immediately compare it to the digital piano you are considering in the same store.

Some questions to keep in mind:

1) How many speakers does it use and what size are they? Typically, the more the better.

2) How strong is the amplifier? Stronger is usually better. Even if you don't need it to play very loud, the quality of the sound will be better if the amplifier does not have to strain itself.

3) Listen to the note decay. Hit a note hard and hold it down. Listen to how long it takes for the note to "disappear." Did it disappear similar to how an acoustic piano note would?

4) How does it sound through headphones? If you're going to be playing through headphones to not disturb the neighbors or family members, make sure it sounds good in your headphones.

5) Does it sound like an acoustic piano? You have to hear both an acoustic and digital piano to see how close they sound to each other. If you can't tell much of a difference that's a good thing.

Rockaway Music is an authorized Yamaha piano dealer located in Morris County, New Jersey.

For more information about digital piano in NJ contact Rockaway Music at: (973) 984-8800

Rockaway Music - Your Trusted Source For digital piano in NJ.