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My question is really about the importance of quality of piano keys in perspective of playing hardcore classical pieces (i.e.- gaspard de la nuit) like how much it matters - the touch sensitivity, feeling the vibrations through the keys, dynamics and articulation etc? Another way to understand the question is - can you play any advanced pieces (liszt/ravel/chopin etc) with same pleasure on a digital, and express it completely, or you would miss something? Or it is a matter of personal choice!

san van poor
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Once one's used a good quality grand piano, one realises that its action is as good as it gets, and anything less is, well, less.

Even most uprights seem lacking after, in some areas. Weighted actions will, however, vary, make/model to make/model. Grands will also have a far faster key recovery mechanism, which can help playing a fair bit. The sostenuto pedal found on grands is being used on digitals - possibly far easier to emulate electronically rather than physically on grands.

Fitting a weighted action, using hammers, is an option on keyboards which have to be put on stands, and makes them far heavier, so generally that idea comes in an upright piano-size casing - something OP doesn't want. There are, however, several makes and modles which do contain the equivalent of weighted action, although there are no strings for the hammers to hit, like on an acoustic. That 'feel' is improving all the time, but the better ones carry a bigger price tag. Even the feel of whatever material is used to surface the keys is a consideration.

But of course the weighted action, which helps determine the dynamics and articulation, is important. Were it not, grand pianos, even upright studios, wouldn't be used as often as they are!

All that said, there is a difference in the way different pianos play, and personal preferences will always surface. And, we can (and do) adapt our playing techniques to whatever we are playing at the time. And that includes use of pedals - subtly different on different pianos. Bit like driving a different car - the clutch bite point will differ, but we adapt.

So, the only real solution is to play as many different pianos/keyboards as possible in order to find one which suits you best. I could recommend two or three (but not on this site!) but all that would mean is I think they're really good. Maybe your opinion will differ.

Tim
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  • Do you have any sources to back up the idea that stage pianos do not have weighted keyboards? – ojs Aug 14 '21 at 10:18
  • @ojs - no, in fact, I need to edit to make it more accurate. Thanks. – Tim Aug 14 '21 at 10:30
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    weighted != traditional piano action, it merely means 'not sprung'. – Tetsujin Aug 14 '21 at 10:54
  • The part about stands versus upright piano-size casing feels still odd to me. The old Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric pianos had an actual hammer mechanism that was used to produce the sound and they did fine with legs that aren't really sturdier than a keyboard stand. – ojs Aug 14 '21 at 14:50
  • @ojs If the topic is pianos then the topic is not electric pianos. Two different instruments. The mechanisms in electric pianos are very very different from acoustic pianos. – Todd Wilcox Aug 14 '21 at 15:12
  • @ToddWilcox of course. I just don't understand why a digital keyboard with weighted action would require a heavier stand than a piano-like instrument with actual hammers. I guess the real reason is looks, and the weight is just an excuse. – ojs Aug 14 '21 at 15:26
  • @ToddWilcox I don't understand. Are you saying that a Rhodes or Wurlitzer piano with a hammer action isn't an electric piano? – phoog Aug 14 '21 at 15:34
  • @ojs - you've obviously never gigged with a Rhodes - like I did in the '70s. They were very heavy, and while they did have a hammer action, there were tines not strings, and although the mechanisms were only a bit different, nevertheless, they were no easier to lug around than the Hammonds and Leslies of the same era. And yes, I remember gigging with those too..! – Tim Aug 14 '21 at 15:59
  • @Tim nice shift of topic! Now, did the Rhodes have an upright piano style case or did it stand on legs? And since you seem to know how much a Rhodes weighs, could you explain why a lighter digital keyboard is too heavy for a stand? – ojs Aug 14 '21 at 16:13
  • @ojs - not too heavy for stands (read again), but quite heavy. Rhodes came in all sorts of embodiments - some on stands, some with amps/speakers underneath. Don't know actual weight, but blinkin' heavy! I think the better quality 'boards are felt to need better sound reproduction (like for home use) so will have several speakers plumbed in - which can't be done for those which sit on stands on stage. – Tim Aug 14 '21 at 16:34
  • @Tim there has been this trend that venues have PA systems so you don't need the instruments to have built in speakers at all. I agree that if you must have credible piano sound from the instrument itself, then you need large speaker cabinets. I still don't understand how this leads to "makes them far heavier, so generally that idea comes in an upright piano-size casing" – ojs Aug 14 '21 at 16:40
  • @phoog No I’m saying that Rhodes and 200As are electric pianos and that an electric piano action is so different from an acoustic piano action that comparing the two based on action isn’t very helpful. – Todd Wilcox Aug 14 '21 at 19:07
  • @ojs Perhaps the causality that Tim describes about what kinds of digital piano actions are available without a whole faux piano case stand is suspect, but it doesn’t change the fact that when shopping for a digital piano, there’s a certain point in action quality where above that you can’t buy anything without a full case style stand. For whatever reason, those pianos are also over 150 lbs at that point. Certainly digital pianos that have full grand actions built into them are extremely heavy and run around USD 6000+ Note digital pianos have more keys than electric (usually) – Todd Wilcox Aug 14 '21 at 19:12
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Pianos did not did not drop finished from heaven, but were adapted over the centuries to cover additional requirements by pianists trying to get the most out them.

So the more similarity a digital instruments achieves, the better it will support serious interpretation.

Digital instruments covers a tremendous price range, and it is out of question, that quite a part of this range is hopelessly inadequate. I can't exclude, that if one plays exclusively on one of the upper-end range instruments, one might achieve an impressive level too, especially in non-professional context. But any competition, where you won't have the choice of the instrument, may pose a problem then.

guidot
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