Digital piano
A digital piano is a type of electronic keyboard instrument designed to serve primarily as an alternative to the traditional acoustic piano, both in the way it feels to play and in the sound produced. Digital pianos use either synthesized emulation or recorded samples of an acoustic piano, which are then amplified through an internal loudspeaker. They also incorporate weighted keys, which recreate the feel of an acoustic piano. Some digital pianos are designed to also look like an upright or grand piano.
While digital pianos may sometimes fall short of acoustic ones in feel and sound, their advantages include being smaller, weighing much less, and costing less than an acoustic piano. In addition, digital pianos do not need to be tuned, and their tuning can be modified to match the tuning of another instrument. Like other electronic musical instruments, they can be connected to an amplifier or a PA system to produce a sound loud enough for a large venue or, at the other extreme, may be heard through headphones only. Some digital pianos can emulate other sounds besides the piano, the most common ones being pipe organ, electric piano, Hammond organ, and harpsichord. Digital pianos are often used in music schools and music studios as a replacement for traditional instruments.
Features
Just like a traditional acoustic piano, the defining feature of a digital piano is a musical keyboard with 88 keys. The keys are weighted to simulate the action of an acoustic piano and are velocity-sensitive so that the volume and timbre of a played note depends on how hard the key is pressed. Instruments that have fewer keys, have unweighted keys, or are not velocity-sensitive tend to be called electronic or digital keyboards rather than digital pianos.Instruments that less accurately simulate the feel of an acoustic piano may be described as semi-weighted, while those that are more accurate may be said to possess hammer action. Some digital pianos incorporate actual hammers in order to better simulate the touch of a grand piano. Digital pianos typically use analog sensors for their keyboard action, as opposed to digital sensors of a regular electronic keyboard and synthesizer. These sensors work in a similar way to those used in analog joysticks found on video game controllers, in which they the velocity input is converted from the key movement as well, not just the initial pressure of the key sensor.
Other common features include:
- Volume control; line-out audio connections; headphone output.
- May include many more instrument sounds beyond piano samples.
- May incorporate a MIDI implementation.
- May have features to assist in learning and composition.
- May have a transposition feature.
- Are often easily portable and low-maintenance.
Piano emulation
Many digital pianos, especially those that resemble an acoustic piano, have built-in pedals that function much as those on an acoustic piano. In addition, commercially available pedal switches, which are commonly used for regular electronic keyboards, can also be used, especially on portable models. On an acoustic piano the sustain pedal lifts the dampers for all strings, allowing them to resonate naturally with the notes played. Only high-end professional digital pianos can reproduce this sympathetic resonance effect.
Earlier digital pianos, such as those produced in the 1990s, often had polyphony limited to 32 or 64 notes.
Some digital piano implementations, like Roland V-Piano, Yamaha MODUS, Casio Celviano Grand Hybrid, and the software-based Pianoteq, use mathematical models based on acoustic pianos to generate sound, which brings the ability to generate sounds that vary more freely depending on how the keys have been struck, in addition to allow a more realistic implementation of the distinctive resonances and acoustical noises of acoustic pianos.
Other instruments
Most digital pianos can produce a variety of different piano timbres. For example, a digital piano may have settings for a concert grand piano, an upright piano, a tack piano, and various electric piano models such as the Fender Rhodes, the Yamaha CP70, the Wurlitzer, and the Yamaha DX7. It may also emulate other keyboard instruments, including harpsichord, organ, and clavichord. Some digital pianos also incorporate other basic "synthesizer" sounds such as string ensemble, horns, and drum kits.Some high-end digital pianos that offer a wide range of instrument sounds similar to electronic keyboards are known as ensemble digital pianos, or just ensemble pianos.
MIDI features
Digital pianos usually offer a MIDI connection, allowing them to control or be controlled by other electronic instruments and sequencers. They may also have an external storage slot to save and load MIDI data, which the piano can play automatically, allowing it to function as a player piano. Some have a built-in sequencer to aid in composition.Most digital pianos can be connected to a computer. With appropriate software such as scorewriters, digital audio workstations and sequencers, the computer can handle sound generation, mixing of tracks, music notation, musical instruction, and other music composition tasks.
Form factors
The physical form of a digital piano can vary considerably.Traditional type
Traditional digital pianos are designed to resemble the console of an electronic organ or a spinet harpsichord but usually lacking a fully enclosed lower section, while some models are based on the casework of traditional upright pianos with a fully enclosed bottom part and metallic weighted pedals that resemble traditional piano pedals. An opposite and recent trend is to produce an instrument which has a unique and distinctive appearance, unobtainable with a conventional instrument. Yamaha, Kawai and Casio makes a model which is designed to stand against a wall and is far shallower from keyboard to back than any possible upright design, as well as shorter height.Traditional digital pianos, due to their form, offer less portability than the other types, and are mainly designed for use in a single place, and are not intended for mobility such as on stage or for live performance.
Upright type
These are a sub-type of traditional digital pianos that offers a more classical design which closely resembles an acoustic upright piano. Upright digital pianos are mainly intended for home use and is usually more expensive than the other types. Some models, especially the higher-end ones, often feature piano-style wooden keyboard as opposed to regular plastic keyboard.Grand type
An uncommon form of digital piano that resemble a grand piano, usually with a more precision keyboard action and high-quality sound system built into the unit's cabinet in a similar manner as the strings on a grand piano. These pianos are mostly high-end novelty models offered by only small number of manufacturers, and often has higher prices than an average acoustic piano.Stage piano
Another common form is the stage piano, designed for use with live performances, professional audio, or in a recording studio. This type of digital piano normally makes no attempt to imitate the physical appearance of an acoustic piano, rather resembling a generic synthesizer or music workstation. A distinguishing feature of most stage pianos is a lack of internal loudspeakers and amplification - it is normally assumed that a powerful keyboard amplifier or PA system will be used. However, some stage pianos are equipped with powered speakers.Portable type
Yet another form is the portable digital piano which often combines the capabilities of stage pianos, but with additional features similar to a conventional home keyboard. These digital pianos are mostly designed for various purposes such as home, studio, classroom, stage or personal use. It is similar in form to a stage piano, but much lighter in weight, and having a more compact size. Unlike stage pianos, portable digital pianos were commonly equipped with built-in amplification and loudspeakers, usually has lower cost than other types, and its sound quality was often comparable or similar to that of a conventional keyboards due to a simpler sound synthesis system, though some models, often utilize a similar sound generation system as the more advanced model lineups of the same manufacturer. Many of them also contain a wide assortment of sounds, like one would expect from an electronic keyboard, including sound effects and drum kits. Also like conventional keyboards, these digital pianos often feature an automated "rhythm section" function which is controlled by playing chords with the left hand.Most portable digital pianos could be freely fitted in a regular keyboard stand like a stage piano, while some types also come equipped with a dedicated matching stand which, when assembled, will have a slight resemblance to a console digital piano.
Portable digital pianos, for the sake of lower production cost, were often equipped with a less complex system for the weighted keys. As a result, the feel of the keys is usually much less realistic than other digital pianos. However, it still retain the emulated weight mechanism, though not as precise as more expensive pianos, but far more true to life than a keyboard. However, certain models include synthetic ivory-like keys as opposed to standard plastic keys.
Hybrid type
Hybrids are a type of high-performance digital pianos that incorporates actual piano action and high-quality modeled samples of an acoustic piano. This type of digital piano was first popularized by Roland in the 1980s, with their flagship stage piano at the time, RD-1000.Piano module
There are also digital piano modules, which are simply keyboardless sound modules chiefly containing piano samples. One early example of a digital piano module is the Roland MKS-20 Digital Piano.Pianoteq is a software synthesizer which share some characteristics to a piano module.