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Getting a Piano: Digital vs. Acoustic

MusicBliss PJ — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 11:20:45 +0800

Getting a Piano: Digital vs. Acoustic

Piano has always been one of the most common choice for parents and students when it comes to music education and performances. This could be because of the pleasant, soothing yet rich tone a piano could produce. Mastering a musical instrument is not an easy job, and the piano is no exception. Be it for leisure or professional, one still needs to have a passion for music as well as hard work in order to excel in this instrument.

For starters, most people might be asking which would be the best choice of piano to get for a beginner. Would it be the modern digital piano or the elegant acoustic (upright) piano? Well, Music Bliss has come out with some brief explanations to help you clear the mist and perhaps decide better on what you should get for you or your loved ones who just started to learn the piano.

Let us look into the three key differences between the digital and acoustic piano.

1) Sound quality
a. While the sound chip and speakers generate the sound on a digital piano, the sound of an acoustic piano is created from the impact of the hammers on the high-tensile steel wire strings of the piano when the keys are played.
b. One of the major differences from this point would be that the acoustic piano is able to recreate acoustic nuances, unlike on the digital piano whereby some would discriminate for its artificial tone.
c. Some digital pianos require an external amplifier to present its sound as the built in does not have the capacity to project the desired sound.

2) Action of the keys
a. On an acoustic piano, the weighted keys allow the player perform the dynamics and tone effectively. As for the digital pianos, some might feel too plasticy which is common as the keys on most digital pianos are govern by simple spring pushing right back.
b. Although some of the digital pianos have acceptable weight on its keys, it is still unable to give the type of satisfaction a player would get from an acoustic piano.

3) Resale value
a. An acoustic piano would hold its value better than the digital piano. This is primarily because manufacturers are constantly trying the produce the “most advanced” digital piano.

Having said that, here are some reasons why DIGITAL PIANO would be a preferred choice:

1) The space of your home is limited.
2) The place where the piano is placed might cause disturbances to others.
3) Interested in doing recordings and share it with others.
4) Lower budget.
5) Lower maintenance (no tuning required)
6) Portable and low weight. Suitable for people who constantly change their residencies.
7) Likes to experiment with various sounds (strings, harpsichord, etc.)
8) Accompanied playing with built-in rhythms.
9) Plans to learn it yourself based on the lit-up keys or tutorials on the LCD of the piano.
* Take note that these points vary and are dependent on the brand and price of the digital piano.

Example of a digital piano:

You should consider going for an ACOUSTIC PIANO if:
1) You have a suitable place and enough space in your home to accommodate the piano.
2) Possess a reasonable budget.
3) Wants to learn, play and enjoy piano music
4) Has a clear future or aim on becoming a professional pianist.
5) Prefers natural acoustic sounds.
Example of an acoustic piano:

So would it be good to go for a second-hand piano? Honestly, if your budget allows you to go for a brand new acoustic piano, choose that! This is because it is very likely for the mechanism such as hammers, strings and dampers to wear off on a second-hand piano. Besides that, you would not know how the previous owner of the piano. If at all your budget does not permits for a brand new acoustic piano or you cannot find a reasonably good second-hand one, try considering a good digital piano. At least that would save you from expensive repairs that might be needed on a poorly maintained second-hand acoustic piano. Some suggested brands for a reliable digital piano would be Yamaha and Roland.

In a nutshell, both digital and acoustic piano serves a similar purpose, which is to create music be it for leisure or professionally. Although recently the exam boards such as Trinity and ABRSM accepted the digital piano in their exams, it is still preferable for one to opt for an acoustic piano as the digital piano could only be used up until a certain level. On the other side of the picture, digital piano would be an excellent choice for children and adults who just want to play and create music. Having said all that, a good pianist should be able to adapt and perform with both digital and acoustic piano while using the positive point of both the instruments to creatively producing quality music.

For more information on pianos, email us at musicbliss@live.com.my or simply visit us at our main outlet. HERE is Music Bliss' location and map. We also provideJamming Studio which is based on flexible booking. Prefer to buy it online? Sure, just go to our Online Purchasing Guidelines page for detailed procedures. Join us onFacebook for upcoming promotions which will blow your mind away!

Written by William Chew for Music Bliss

How to Buy (Acoustic Guitar)

MusicBliss PJ — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 10:50:01 +0800

Beginner Buying Guide (Acoustic Guitar)

Body:
The body of an acoustic guitar consist of a top, back and sides. It comes in many shapes and sizes. Such differences give an impact on the guitar’s sound and excitement in playing. For instance, some acoustic guitar bodies include a cutaway which ease the access to the higher frets.

Bridge:
The bridge of the acoustic guitar serves as an anchor to transfers the vibration from the string to the guitar’s top. Most people believe that the material of the bridge would not particularly influence the sound quality of the guitar.

Neck:
The thickness and width of the neck is usually dependent on the size of the body of the guitar and the number of frets the neck has. Generally, the size of your hand is the main key when it comes to choosing a suitable guitar neck as you would not one something that is difficult to play with.

Action:
The space between the fretboard and the strings is commonly known as action. When choosing an acoustic guitar, it is important to ensure that the action is neither too high nor too low. Action that is too high would be difficult for beginners to press while action that is too low would usually create an unpleasant buzzing sound.

Electronics:
Many acoustic guitars come along with a built in pick up and equaliser. An advantage you get from it would be that it could be useful in minimising the “surrounding noises” that you get when doing a recording.

Wood:
According to guitar makers, or luthiers, the sound quality of the acoustic guitar is highly influenced by the type of wood being used. There are a number of woods which are commonly used, each delivering a vast difference in the tone quality of the acoustic guitar. For instances, Spruce is a standard choice for making the guitar’s top as it is able to create a powerful direct tone while retaining the clarity of the sound when played forcefully. On the other hand, the mahogany top acoustic guitars usually have a strong “punchy” tone to it. Another common wood used nowadays is laminated plywood. Honest speaking, if you are looking for a good sounding acoustic guitar, AVOID this. For more information on wood and how it affects the sound quality of the acoustic guitar, do visit Musician's Friend

Dos and Don’ts in Choosing an Acoustic Guitar

Dos
Listen!
This is the most important point! Decide on the type of sound you are looking for or prefer.

Ask!
Ask the sales person to what is the best acoustic guitar for a beginner. And if you do not know how to play, ask for a demo so that you could listen to the differences between the guitars.

Try!
Play with it a little (even if you are a complete noob!) This is so that you know what you are buying is somewhat close if not exactly what you want.

Recommendations!
If you have a friend who have been playing acoustic guitar for some time, ask him or her for their advice. They might know what sort of guitar to go for and what to avoid. If they don’t know, ask around or maybe even your music teacher. Besides that, you could try looking for online reviews.

Brands!
Yes! Brands are important! Choose a notable or famous brand, as they would usually have higher quality and reliability products. Not only that, you can be assure that they have good services if anything goes wrong with your newly bought acoustic guitar. Check out some of the foreign and local brands that we recommend for newbie.

Negotiate!
No matter what, negotiate the price! Who knows? The sales person might like you and give you a special discount when his boss is not around. Shh.. It’s our little secret..

Don’ts
Kiamsiap! (Overly price sensitive)!
Avoid going for a guitar simply because of its low price tag. As we all know, good things in life are rarely free. Even if you are looking for something within your budget, make sure to always rate it from 3 different aspects, and that is quality, service and value. Worse come to worse, buy it after you have the right amount of budget to get the acoustic guitar of your choice.

Design
Yes, that pink acoustic guitar is beautiful but what good is it if the sound quality is terrible? It will still make you stand out as a musician, but you wouldn’t want to be remembered as a “Guitarist with the worse Guitar” right? Hence, remind yourself the saying about do not judge a book by its cover!

Made in Myths!
RM 200 for an acoustic guitar that is made in Australia?!?! Not very likely. It might be designed in Australia but made in the land of the Chinese. The point here is that if you plan to get a foreign made guitar, do not expect it to fall under such a low price. Be wise. Here’s a general rule that would be helpful:
RM 300 – RM 1800 = China / Indonesia Made
RM 1800 – RM 4000 = Korea / Mexican Made
RM 4000 & above = Japan / USA / Europe Made

Have fun!
Written by William Chew for Music Bliss