Acoustic Pianos vs. Digital Pianos
If you’re a beginner piano student or thinking about starting piano lessons in Boston, you’ll need a piano of your own on which to practice. Nowadays, there are dozens of different options available, whether your choose an acoustic or digital piano. But which type of piano is best for you? What kind of piano is good for a beginner? There are many obvious differences between acoustic and digital pianos, but one or the other might be a better pick for your specific needs depending on your goals as a piano player.
What Type of Piano Requires More Space?
Living in the Boston area (or any major city) usually translates to cramped living. Open space is at a premium. Thankfully, pianos come in a relatively wide range of sizes. Even better news? It’s easy to learn to play piano on most types of pianos! There are two styles of acoustic pianos: grand pianos and upright pianos. In grand pianos, the strings (which produce the sound when a key is pressed) run horizontally along the soundboard. In an upright piano, the strings run vertically, resulting in a much more compact design.
acoustic Pianos: Grand vs. Upright Pianos
Grand pianos are colossal, at almost 8 feet long, and might be a little too intimidating for someone just starting piano lessons. But if size (and price) are of little concern, grand and baby grand pianos are unmatched in terms of sound quality, touch sensitivity, and visual appeal. And yes, a piano’s appearance certainly matters, too. Since pianos are much larger than most instruments, you’ll want to make sure you don’t mind seeing it in your home every day!
However, if you desire the sound and feel of an acoustic piano, but don’t have the space to house a grand, then upright pianos are an excellent alternative. Upright pianos (pictured left below) take up a fraction of the space of grand pianos. They are approximately 5 feet wide, 4 feet tall, and 2 feet deep, which makes them much easier to place in a house or an apartment.
DigiTAL PIANOS
Digital pianos come in a range of sizes, too. When you compare digital pianos vs. upright pianos visually, you’ll see that many digital pianos mimic the look of upright pianos, but keep a slightly lower profile and have a sleeker build (pictured right below). The most compact models aren’t even mounted to a wooden framework, but instead require a folding keyboard stand. Any full-size digital piano or keyboard (88 keys) will be roughly the same width as an acoustic piano (about 5 feet wide). If you really want to capture the beauty of a grand piano, but on a budget, some instrument manufacturers produce digital baby grand pianos, featuring an openable lid, just like on a real grand piano!
Can You Hear the Difference Between an Acoustic vs. Digital Piano?
While piano is a common instrument of choice in a wide range of music styles, a particular type of piano may better suit the kinds of music you wish to learn. For students looking to use piano lessons to learn classical music, acoustic pianos offer a more authentic sound and a wider range of musical expression. They’re very sensitive to dynamics and include three foot pedals to help further shape tones. However, they only make one kind of sound: piano sounds.
If you want an instrument that can fit well with other styles of music, such as blues, funk, rock, etc., then the many sounds of a digital piano better suit your needs. Digital pianos often include the sounds of organs, stringed instruments, and even synthesized horns. Many digital pianos give players the ability to split the keyboard into two halves so the left half of the keyboard can sound like one instrument, perhaps for playing bass lines, and the right half of the keyboard can sound like a completely different instrument for playing melodies and chords.
Do Digital & Acoustic Pianos Feel the Same?
Any piano or keyboard worth purchasing will have some degree of touch sensitivity, which basically means the harder you press a key, the louder the resulting sound. Acoustic pianos have excellent touch sensitivity since pressing a key physically triggers a mechanism. A very gentle press of a key produces an equally gentle sound, while slamming down a key generates much more volume. However, internal mechanism of an acoustic piano requires a bit of effort to trigger, resulting in some resistance on the keys.
For this reason, digital pianos seek to emulate the feel and touch sensitivity of an acoustic piano. Despite having no internal moving parts, most digital pianos and keyboards simulate the resistance of acoustic pianos to give musicians a more authentic playing experience. Labeled as “weighted” or “semi-weighted” keys, manufacturers use springs or small weights to increase the pressure needed to produce a sound. Practicing on a digital piano with weighted keys allows piano students to easily switch between playing on a digital piano and an acoustic piano. However, digital pianos don’t have quite the same dynamic sensitivity as acoustic pianos. At a certain point, pressing a key harder will stop producing a louder sound, while pressing a key too softly won’t produce any sound at all.
What Type of Maintenance Do Pianos Require?
Since acoustic pianos are mostly crafted with wood and contain metal strings under tension, they are quite sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity. Changes in these conditions will cause the piano to fall out of tune more quickly.
How often do acoustic pianos need to be tuned?
Acoustic pianos require annual tuning (at a minimum) by a trained professional to ensure they sound and play as well as possible. Additionally, acoustic pianos should be kept clean to help prevent the internal mechanisms from collecting dust and dirt, which could slowly damage the instrument.
Do digital pianos need to be tuned?
Digital pianos require no tuning and aren’t sensitive to fluctuations in heat or humidity, making them an easier to own, practically maintenance-free option. Just be sure to keep food and drinks away from the instrument, regardless of if it’s acoustic or digital!
Price Difference Between Digital vs. Acoustic Pianos
Unfortunately, acoustic pianos don’t come cheap. Unless you have tens of thousands of dollars to spare, an acoustic grand piano is simply out of the question (and again, can be overkill for a beginner). And an entry or mid-level upright piano costs more than most digital pianos on the market. However, acoustic pianos retain their value much better than any electronic or digital piano. Instrument manufacturers release new models of digital pianos every year, working in new features and software, so the latest keyboards and “workstations”, as they can be called, are very expensive and quickly lose value as they are replaced.
However, buying a used, several-year-old digital piano can be a great decision as after the first few years, and if they are kept relatively well maintained, they barely lose value at all. A properly maintained and cared for acoustic piano can retain most of its value for many years, though the recommended yearly or bi-yearly maintenance of tuning is a few hundred dollars every time.. New acoustic upright pianos begin at around $3,000 and go up in price from there, but can be bought pre-owned for a considerably cheaper price. While a decent digital piano may cost as little as $200-$300, quality increases substantially at around $500 and beyond.
acoustic vs. digital piano overview
To conclude, when you compare digital pianos vs. acoustic pianos, you’ll see that neither type of piano is better than the other. Your musical goals as a Loudlands Music Lab student will determine the type of piano that best suits your needs for piano lessons in Boston. While digital pianos may be a better choice for beginners and those confined to apartment living in places like Boston, Cambridge or Somerville, acoustic pianos are a better long-term financial investment and double as a pleasant accent piece that can make a room feel more like home.
Digital Piano vs. Acoustic Piano FAQs
Can you hear the difference between an acoustic and digital piano?
Acoustic pianos offer a more authentic sound and a wider range of musical expression for students looking to use piano lessons to learn classical music. If you want an instrument that can fit well with other styles of music, such as blues, funk, rock, etc., then the many sounds of a digital piano better suit your needs.
Do digital and acoustic pianos feel the same?
Any piano or keyboard worth purchasing will have some degree of touch sensitivity, which basically means the harder you press a key, the louder the resulting sound. Acoustic pianos have excellent touch sensitivity while digital pianos don’t have quite the same dynamic sensitivity as acoustic pianos.
What Type of Maintenance Do Pianos Require?
Acoustic pianos require annual tuning (at a minimum) by a trained professional. Digital pianos require no tuning.
Is it Worth Getting an Acoustic Piano?
Acoustic pianos don’t come cheap, and can be overkill for a beginner. Entry or mid-level upright pianos cost more than most digital pianos on the market. However, acoustic pianos retain their value much better than any electronic or digital piano. A decent digital piano may cost as little as $200-$300, but quality increases substantially at around $500 and beyond.
