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Instruments and Care · Chapter 25: Different Types of Pianos

Electric Pianos and Keyboards

By Mark Harrison

You might remember that we conducted some basic comparisons between acoustic and electric instruments back in Chapter 1. Electric instruments fall into three broad categories: digital pianos, synthesizers and workstations, and software instruments.

Digital pianos are often the most tempting option for people who want a sound close to “the real thing,” but don’t want to deal with the world of computers and MIDI technology. Digital pianos have 88 weighted keys, and come with a selection of piano sounds as well as a handful of other sounds. They are designed to be used as a stand-alone instrument, either in the home or in a school classroom. As such, they normally have built-in speakers at each end, and a headphone output so you can practice without disturbing your neighbors. Roland, Yamaha, Korg, and Kurzweil all make good digital pianos. As with all keyboards, play the instrument to see if you like the sound and feel before Yamaha Digital buying. Popular models in 2006 include the Roland MP-60, Yamaha YDP223, Korg SP250, and Kurzweil RE-210.

Photo: Yamaha digital piano with 88 weighted keys

Synthesizers and workstations is a large category! Synthesizers are keyboard instruments capable of playing many different sounds, which by the late 1980s typically included “samples” (digital recordings) of real instruments, including piano. Synthesizers also allow the user to program and alter these sounds—in essence, to create your own sounds as well as use the “presets” already available on the instrument. Also in the 1980s, onboard “sequencing” (multi-channel recording) was added to these synthesizers, and “workstations” were born. Functionally, the workstations in the 2000s are similar, but with more features: memory, sounds, sound editing capabilities, and polyphony (number of “voices” sounding at once) have all increased greatly. These instruments now have a hefty selection of acoustic and electric piano sounds, hundreds or thousands of other sounds (strings, brass, organ, bass, drums, etc.), and an onboard sequencer with a large memory capacity. They normally don’t have built-in speakers, so you’ll need to run them through an external amplifier and speaker system (or combo amp), or listen to them on headphones. Popular models in 2006 include the Korg Triton Extreme, Yamaha Korg Triton Extreme Motif, and Roland Fantom.

Photo: Korg Triton Extreme synthesizer workstation keyboard

The features on today’s digital pianos, synths and workstations are extensive, and you want make sure that the keyboard is what you need. Here are some areas you should consider before deciding what to buy:

  • Are you going to be transporting it to gigs and/or rehearsals, or is it primarily for home use? A larger and heavier machine might be OK if you’re leaving it at home, but portability is a factor if you’re “playing out.”
  • Do you need sounds other than just piano sounds (for recording, or for live use)? If not, then a digital piano (for home use) or a “stage piano” (for live use) such as the Roland RD-700SX or the more budget-oriented M-Audio ProKeys 88 might work for you. These keyboards will all have a “weighted action,” which is appropriate if you mainly need piano sounds.
  • If you do need a range of other sounds as well as piano sounds: do you also need “weighted keys” (approximating the feel of an acoustic piano), or is an unweighted “synth action” OK? If you need weighted keys, then you’re either looking at the 88-key versions of the workstation synths, or a weighted 88-key “controller” which sends MIDI data to another keyboard or “MIDI sound module” (or to a software instrument running on a computer…see next shorter (61- or 76-key) versions of the workstation synths.
  • Do you need the onboard sequencing that the workstation synths provide? Well, maybe not if you already run a computer-based music setup. In mid 2000, Yamaha did a smart thing and brought out the S90, essentially a weighted 88-key version of their Motif workstation, but without the sequencer. The S90 has outstanding electric piano sounds, and reasonably decent acoustic piano sounds (and most of the other great sounds from the Motif). I play an S90 on gigs with my Steely Dan tribute band, and I’ve seen top L.A. players like David Garfield and Gregg Karukas use them as well.

With these thoughts in mind, here are some well-known manufacturers of digital pianos and synthesizers (not to mention a whole lot of other music equipment!) that you can check out.

Software instruments offer the greatest realism if you’re looking to get as close as possible to the real sound of a piano (and who isn’t?). The plug-ins discussed in the last chapter (which “plug in” to a host sequencer on your Mac or PC) are software instruments. They take advantage of the ever faster speed of today’s computers (together with large hard drives and fast drive access times) to use huge sample libraries of instrument sounds, far larger than the memory available on workstation synths. For piano sounds, this not only means individual samples for each note (rather than “stretching” samples across a range of notes, as is common on workstations), but individual samples for multiple velocity (how hard and fast you hit a key) levels per note. This all adds up to the most realistic piano playing experience yet, using a computer and keyboard controller. Some software instruments will also run as “stand-alone” programs (i.e., they will run by themselves, instead of running inside a “host” application). The two main “software” pianos in 2006 are Ivory (by Synthogy) and Akoustic Piano (by Native Instruments). I’ve used Ivory extensively (as a plugin inside Digital Performer on a Mac) on various projects, with excellent results. Some musicians are also using Ivory on gigs, with a keyboard controller hooked up to their laptop computer. It’s a brave new world out there!

Also, some of the music instrument retailers have helpful catalogs and websites, covering all types of keyboard instruments, as well as music software. In particular, I find the Sweetwater catalog a useful guide and quick reference to what’s out there and what’s “hot.” Check out these companies and websites for further information.

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