The Differences between Acoustic and Digital Pianos

Pianos have existed and been evolving for about 300 years. The first piano was created by Bartolomeo Cristofori, an Italian inventor. With today’s technology there are now digital pianos, which are extremely similar to an acoustic piano except that they require electricity to function.

A fundamental difference between an acoustic and digital piano is in their action. The Italian inventor Cristofori was responsible for the invention of the very first acoustic piano action, and these actions have been in continuous development for the past three centuries. The basic function of a piano action is to convert the simple lever of a fulcrum into a striking motion for the string, which is similar to a hammer going up and coming back down. One of the attributes of the acoustic piano is the difference in tone and volume gotten when a player strikes a key. The intensity of the strike on the string could be hard or soft, depending on how the player hits the key. By applying different amounts of pressure on the keys, the player can create different tones and vary the volume. These nuances are achieved due to the mechanical link to the acoustic piano that the player has by pressing the keys.

On the other hand, digital piano actions try to recreate these subtle variations by simulating the swinging motion of the key. When the keys are pressed on a digital piano, there is a counterweight that swings up to achieve the effect. At this point, a sensor picks up the motion and determines if the key was pressed softly or firmly, and translates this into a corresponding volume. This technology, while it does provide substantial variation, does not provide quite the subtle expression of tone that an acoustic piano can.

Since acoustic pianos employ the use of strings and digital pianos do not, they require routine maintenance and should be tuned at least once or twice annually. It is quite important to employ the services of a piano tuner because it is extremely difficult for a nonprofessional to tune a piano, unlike other instruments. Digital pianos, on the other hand, do not require tuning and therefore require little if any maintenance.

Another clear distinction between acoustic and digital pianos is the quality of the sound they produce. Acoustic pianos can produce beautiful organic sounds that are very difficult for even the most expensive digital pianos to produce. If the choice of the player is classical music and they are quite serious about their music, it would be best to use an acoustic piano. However, digital pianos sometimes have an advantage over acoustic pianos due to their consistency in delivering the same sound in a variety of environments. Acoustic pianos are at a drawback here, as they need regular tuning and are subject to external factors like changes in temperature and humidity.

All acoustic pianos are large, and even upright acoustic pianos requires a lot of space. In contrast, digital pianos can easily be moved around by just one person, which of course makes it easy for performing artists to play at different venues.

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