Should I Buy a Digital Piano?

The short answer:

Yes!

Now to find out why this technician who makes his living off of servicing acoustic pianos would recommend buying a digital piano keep reading.

The most commonly cited reason against purchasing a digital piano is that they are not REAL pianos.

If we all had unlimited resources and space we would all play on 9ft concert grands prepared by professionals in recital halls worth a quarter of a million dollars. Now THAT is a REAL piano. Everything else is a compromise on that standard for reasons of space and or money.

The actions in upright pianos are different than grand pianos, generally less expressive with slower repetition. Spinet pianos are worse yet with shorter keysticks and a “drop” action. When comparing a high end digital piano with a spinet the digital more closely simulates the previously mentioned concert grand.

If space is the biggest concern that is one reason people mistakenly consider spinet pianos. While it’s true that spinets are shorter than other vertical pianos their footprint (width x depth) is actually larger taking up more space not less. Digital pianos are considerably smaller.

Now hold up! Surely you cant be saying digital pianos are superior to acoustic pianos!?

No. Digital pianos will never replace acoustic pianos. Nothing compares to the live vibration of steel and wood you experience from an acoustic instrument. If you have the space and a budget of let’s say $5,000 or more no digital piano will come close for the musical quality of the acoustics you will find in those price ranges.

But the cold truth is there is no such thing as a good acoustic piano new for $2,000. And when considering used pianos at or below that price you are often looking at pianos that were built to try and fill the market need currently filled by digital pianos. Pianos of such poor design, quality, and materials they quite frankly should never have been built in the first place, were poor musical instruments when new, and the subsequent decades of age and neglect have not done them any favors.

But there are FREE acoustic pianos all over the internet!

Pianos are a consumer product, they do not last forever. While there are always exceptions to the rule, and diamonds in the rough, without a trained eye you are much more likely to bring home a piano in desperate need of extensive service. After spending hundreds of dollars to move the instrument and hundreds more to bring it to some level of functionality you will quickly find even a “free” acoustic piano can be quite expensive.

Ok. But I have the space and the budget to own an acoustic piano that is superior to digital pianos. Should I still buy a digital?

The short answer:

Yes!

Of course we will never give up our high quality beloved acoustic pianos. But why should guitarists have all the fun of owning multiple instruments? Would it not be silly to tell someone they could only own an acoustic guitar and that electric guitars were not “real” guitars?

While we may prefer to play our acoustic piano most of the time our digital pianos has all sorts of features that have little to do with being a piano. You can practice silently with headphones, play other instrument sounds including other keyboard instruments like organ and harpsichord, record your music and be able to share it, or just to have something that is portable and can be taken with you.

So if you have been considering that cheap facebook spinet for your kids I think you should listen to Nancy Reagan;

Just say No!

If you would like to consider a digital piano shopping is pretty easy.

As Marty McFly said:
"What do you mean, Doc? All the best stuff is made in Japan.”