Information about buying a digital piano, its features and quality can be found here and in the product pages of the online shop. Here you will find information about the different classes, types and user profiles of digital and electric pianos. Acoustic pianos are equally appreciated as musical instruments and as furnishings, but there is not always enough space for a piano or a concert grand piano, and even the high volume development can make the dream of your own piano shatter. Practicing the piano in a rented apartment always provokes trouble with the neighbours. And last but not least, the available budget is also decisive - if you want to buy a good piano, you shouldn't go straight to the cheapest offer. If you have to keep an eye on your budget, you should always consider buying a used acoustic piano. But if an acoustic piano is out of the question, then a digital instrument such as an electric piano is an excellent alternative.
Es gibt noch andere Argumente, ein E-Piano dem Kauf eines Klaviers vorzuziehen. Sie lassen sich über Kopfhörer spielen, sodass man leise üben kann. Sie verstimmen sich nicht und sind je nach Geldbeutel und Ansprüchen an Gehäuseausführung in den unterschiedlichsten Geräteklassen erhältlich: Man kann zuhause Klavier spielen mit einem Homepiano wie dem Fame DP-4000 BK, auf der Bühne mit einer Liveband ein Stage-Piano spielen – oder man entschließt sich z. B. für ein schwarzes Digital Piano in kompakter Bauweise, das sich zuhause spielen, aber auch leicht transportieren lässt. Sogar typische Merkmale akustischer Pianos haben den Weg in aktuelle Digital Piano Modelle gefunden – so bieten Hybrid-Digital Pianos Ausstattungsdetails wie Echtholztasten mit Hammermechanik; sogar Resonanzböden mit Transducer-Technik werden genutzt, um das Klang- und Spielverhalten so authentisch wie möglich auch über Kopfhörer zu gestalten.
Playing and practicing the piano with saved songs can be very practical and a lot of fun. Some e-pianos even offer an integrated learning system and a virtual teacher in combination with a tablet app. These clever features certainly can't replace a real piano teacher, but they can be used to help you learn to play the piano and make your first steps easier. In any case, a metronome should be installed which can be adjusted in tempo, volume and time signature (as it can be found in the Fame Grand 200). If a song recorder is on board, you can spontaneously record exercises and of course your own song ideas, save them as MIDI files or audio files on USB and transfer them to the audio PC. MIDI equipment is standard on all e-pianos, either connectable via MIDI sockets or via USB interface.
As a result of the constant further development of the digital piano, the sounds have been created by stereo sampling even with cheaper digital piano models such as the the Casio AP-270 or AP-470 and reproduce the full, wide sound of a concert grand piano. With more sampling memory and sophisticated velocity layer technology, the higher quality instruments such as the Kawai CA-98 EP offer high-resolution dynamics in sound behaviour.
Anyone playing in a live band needs an instrument that is easy to transport and can assert itself in a live concert against loud instruments such as drums and electric guitar. E-pianos are therefore not necessarily designed for the discreet euphony you would expect from a home instrument. Acoustic sounds with weighted keys as well as pads and clavinets should be especially powerful and easy to grasp, but also offer great flexibility, so that you always have the right sounds for rock and pop and also for the cultivated jazz gig.
This is the advantage of the compact digital pianos in a practical design: These portable pianos are designed for mobility. Therefore, attention is paid to low weight. While Stagepiano's enclosures often have extremely sturdy metal chassis and wooden side panels, the compact electronic pianos, like those from Yamaha, tend to have lightweight plastic enclosures. Nevertheless, compact class instruments are of course robust enough to be easily transported in a car to the next jam session or choir rehearsal. In contrast to classic stage pianos, compact digital pianos are equipped with integrated loudspeakers, so that they are quickly set up and ready to play. A stage piano still requires a keyboard amplifier or a mixing console and a PA system.
The traditional piano manufacturer Kawai has innovated the development of digital pianos with many details. The features of the acoustic instruments can also enrich digital pianos in terms of sound and playing characteristics. Kawai was the first manufacturer to pay special attention to the stepless dynamic reproduction of the piano sound and the nuanced tonal expressiveness associated with it with the patented Harmonic Imaging technology. With real wood keys and hammer action, Kawai's e-pianos for the first time offered a level of playing comfort that was praised by professional pianists. The texture of the keys' surfaces has also been significantly improved by ivory feel coatings. Both Kawai and manufacturers such as Roland, Yamaha and Casio have equipped their digital pianos with very similar features.
Even inexpensive digital pianos are equipped with great sounds, often much better than the built-in loudspeakers could reproduce. Sometimes you're really surprised how good a piano sound sounds when played over headphones. With headphones, built-in reverb effects come into their own as standard. The sound impression of playing a black acoustic grand piano in a concert hall becomes perfect. The chamber music hall fits better for piano music - no problem: you choose a room preset for the reverb effect and can play with an authentic ambience.
Playing the piano with accompaniment - for this you normally need a band or good playalong songs, which you play as MP3s via a music system. With an e-piano this is of course much easier to do, because the audio inputs can be used to connect an MP3 player, unless a playback option via USB stick is already built in. Very often you can also play MIDI files via the integrated player or recording sequencer. But there is another possibility to jam with a virtual band: Digital pianos with arranger function offer a huge selection of musical styles.
The great thing about it is that you are not bound to the sequence of an arrangement, which is always played back the same way as an audio file. You also have complete freedom with regard to tempo and key! Because an automatic accompaniment reacts to what you play on the keyboard in real time. This function also has a great advantage over MIDI file songs when transposing to other keys. While a MIDI file is transposed linearly, an automatic accompaniment always considers the respective pitch and changes the basses and chords in the accompaniment thanks to octave reversals in a "musical" way, so that the automatically played notes always resound in realistic tone ranges.
Piano Arrangers are mostly designed for playing, but in principle the whole thing works like an Arranger Keyboard or Portable Keyboard: You select a rhythm or musical style, press Start and the drum beat begins. Play a chord on the keyboard of the digital piano and the Piano Arranger will play professionally arranged accompaniment patterns - drums, bass, chords from the rhythm guitar, and a string section for a full, sustaining sound. Press Fill-In and the arranger leads to the chorus with a variation. You can concentrate on your piano playing and indulge in melodies. Such a digital piano arranger not only provides accompaniment, but also inspires interesting improvisations. The main focus here is on fun and entertainment, but with the Arranger you can also rehearse electro-acoustic playing together in a band and train your rhythmic ear.
The arrangers are of very different dimensions. The size of the virtual band should not sound too dominant! How should your own playing leave an impression when the arranger drowned out almost everything? Often the accompanying arrangements are available in different gradations, so that you can put together your favourite band in the arranger. Often the bass and percussion accompaniment is sufficient for a pianist to play his part on the keyboard with chords, riffs and melodies - all in all it sounds like a well-rehearsed piano trio. This is excellent for smooth bar music. Sometimes one would like to have less accompaniment from the Arranger, e.g. if one only wants to play with piano accompaniment: Digital piano beginners or hobby pianists, who do not master this so well, can fall back on the Piano Arranger and supplement their own playing with a professional sounding piano accompaniment, which is added to their own playing. E-pianos with arranger function are the ideal instruments for the whole family. Practicing in a rented apartment, playing the digital piano together, learning to play the piano or simply enjoying the full sound - digital pianos with Arrangers do all this very well.
Come by, hit the keys and press the pedals! Test the models directly in our well-equipped keyboard shop. Beside well-known and popular brands like Yamaha, Kawai, Korg, Casio and Roland we also offer advice on the accessories of an instrument. We will find the right piano for you!