How Do Digital Pianos Get Their Sound?
Acoustic pianos transmit vibrations from hammers to strings to the wood soundboard. The soundboard amplifies the sound so we can hear it.
Before we can understand how digital pianos (pianos that uses electricity) gets its sound, we have to first understand how an “acoustic piano” (a traditional piano that does NOT use electricity) produces sound. The rich sound of a traditional grand piano is created by many physical interactions; the keys are pressed, the hammers strike, strings resonate, and sound radiates through the piano’s wood cabinet. This traditional way of producing piano music is immensely complicated, but satisfying to the player’s ear. The goal, then, with any digital piano is to recreate this experience using technology. …and there are two “schools of thought” in how this should be accomplished. The oldest (and most common) method is called “Representative Sampling” (or “Sampling” for short). This method uses microphones to record traditional piano sounds and computer chips to play back those recordings as a pianist plays the digital piano’s keys. The second method is far newer (and, thus, far less common). It’s called “Physical Modeling” and – instead of recording an acoustic piano – it uses a mathematical expression called an “algorithm” to describe the behavior of an acoustic piano… so the “model” can producing a living, breathing sound that can be easily customized to a pianist’s preference. Of course, there are folks on both sides who believe their method is the best way to recreate the complex interaction of sounds inside a grand piano, but what’s most important is what you think when you go out to select your digital piano. …so let’s take a look at each of these techniques and see if we can help prepare you for what you’re going to hear at the piano store.
Can You Just be “Bad at Music?”
A few weeks ago, I was visiting with a friend about playing the piano. He had started taking lessons a few months ago and was a little frustrated with what he felt was “slow progress”. He said he enjoyed learning but didn’t think he’d ever be really good at playing. He was having fun but thought he was just “bad at music”.
I thought a lot about his comment. Is it possible to be “bad at music?” Is this an issue of self-doubt or are some people just unable to benefit from making music? read more…
How to Clean Your Piano
A fine piano is not just a great instruments to play and enjoy, it’s also a beautiful piece of furniture – a centerpiece to any room. The final touch of a well-made piano is the finish… and – like the rest of your home furniture – that finish needs regular cleaning and maintenance. Discover how to clean your piano safely and effectively in this blog. With the right tools and a little care, here’s how you can protect and enjoy your piano’s finish for years to come: read more…
Does ‘Where a Piano is Made’ Make a Difference?
A modern grand piano is made up of over 12,000 parts and each manufacturer has its own “recipe.” Piano makers build their reputations based on the designs, materials and workmanship that go into their instruments. …but would a Steinway piano be just as good if it were built in England instead of the US or Germany? Would a Yamaha be a Yamaha if it didn’t come from Japan? Are pianos built in China of lower quality? Does ‘where a piano is made’ matter?
How the Yamaha Disklavier is Transforming Today’s Music Schools
When most people think of the Yamaha Disklavier, they think of a player piano or home entertainment instrument. What most folks don’t know is that the world’s premier player piano was designed to be (first and foremost) an educational tool. Introduced in 1982 as the world’s first fully-functional reproducing piano (able to play and record piano music), the Yamaha Disklavier enjoyed near instant success. The ability to record one’s performance and play it back instantly was a great help to piano students, so piano teachers and music schools all over the world began to use these new technologies in their day-to-day lessons. Yamaha, however, was already working towards a far more ambitious goal.
In 1997, Yamaha pioneered an experimental technology that was designed to transmit song data from one piano to another in near real-time all around the world. It took Yamaha engineers nearly 10 years to perfect this industry-changing technology, but finally – in January of 2007 – Yamaha announced the all new “Remote Lesson.”
For the first time, gifted students all over the world could attend remote master classes or enjoy one-on-one instruction with world-class professors no matter where they lived! Opera students could practice with rich, expressive (and pre-recorded) accompaniments at all hours of the night and day! Music Conservatories could audition students from all over the world via remote – without having to make expensive travel arrangements. …and, perhaps more importantly, more students were able to participate in high quality music learning experiences than ever before.
Now – more than 20 years since Yamaha introduced Remote Lesson technology – the Yamaha Disklavier (and it’s high resolution “Remote Live” technology) is a staple in world-class music schools and teaching studios all over the globe and, perhaps, the best way to continue high quality piano study during – and after – this global pandemic.
Here are just a few examples of how “Remote Live” is solving problems for piano teachers, professors and music students in the era of COVID-19 and beyond:
How to Find the Perfect Church Piano
As a worship leader with nearly 15 years of experience and a trained piano consultant for more than 18 years, I find that I have a unique perspective on finding the right piano for your church. I’ve worked with churches all over the United States and even some in Mexico to find the perfect piano for their sanctuaries. Hopefully, my experiences will help you and your piano selection team cut through the fallacies and sales hype to find the your perfect church piano.
As always, please feel free to comment below if you have any thoughts or questions. I take the time to respond to everyone. God bless!
Finding the Ultimate Worship Piano in 2020 and Beyond
Maybe your worship setting isn’t best served by a digital piano. Whether you follow a strict liturgy or you prefer hymnsongs on a Sunday morning, the right acoustic piano can greatly enhance your worship experience. “What is an acoustic piano,” you ask? Quite simply, it’s a piano you don’t plug in. …and like its digital counterparts, there are some things that don’t thrill me about many of the options available on the market today. Again. Everyone has their favorite brands and you can find “informed” opinions growing on every tree, but here are five basic things I think most worship leaders would agree are NOT desirable for their primary worship instrument:
Why Adults All Over the World are Taking Piano Lessons
Proving that piano lessons are not for children only, countless adults are discovering that it’s never too late to learn how to play the piano.
For older adults, research shows that piano lessons enhance the working memory. This is especially true after as little as six months of learning. In 1993, the Educational Psychology Journal linked playing the piano with improved reading comprehension. If you want to remember what you read (including this article!), then playing the piano is for you.
Learn Online for FREE with Flowkey and Yamaha!
If you’ve been dreaming of playing your favorite songs quickly and easily, then your dreams are about to come true! Now – thanks to a special partnership with Yamaha – you can get THREE MONTHS FREE ACCESS to flowkey – the online piano learning tool everyone is talking about! …but hurry! This partnership won’t last forever!
All you have to do is purchase a new Yamaha Clavinova digital piano, register your new Clavinova with Yamaha and redeem your FREE flowkey voucher code at Yamaha’s flowkey website and you’re all set.
Playing the Piano Can Help You “Get Away”
If you’re like me, you’ve probably been feeling a little overwhelmed lately. Especially considering all the uncertainty and disruption around us,it’s no surprise that so many of us are looking for something – anything – that can make us feel normal again. Luckily, the most powerful tool we have is always with us: music. It’s true! Just sitting back and relaxing while listening to our favorite music can take us away from whatever stressful places we find ourselves in, and bring us a measure of peace.
For many of us, this is no surprise. We couldn’t imagine watching a movie without the background music or driving any length of time without our “playlist!” …but, did you know that there is one thing even MORE transformative – even more powerful than listening to our favorite music?
Having Fun at Home with Your Digital Piano
One of the truly exciting parts of my job is showing people how much fun they can have with a digital piano. Not only do most digital pianos have many different sounds and rhythms – as well as a built-in recorder – but some models can also make use of third-party apps that can make learning so much easier and more enjoyable. Some help you play your favorite songs even if you can’t read music! So – if you’re looking for something fun and relaxing to do at home – here are some things you and your family can enjoy on your home digital piano:
