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A digital piano offers the piano player an inexpensive alternative to an acoustic piano that is also easier to transport and requires no maintenance. An electronic piano also offers many other practical functions, such as various sounds with split and layer, metronome, rhythms, recorder and integrated exercises that help in piano lessons and practice or simply increase the fun of playing.

From the Piano Electrique and Wurlitzer Electric Piano

As early as the end of the 19th century, attempts were made to create a piano replacement using electricity. After the Piano Électrique (1928) and the Neo-Bechstein grand piano (1928-30), in which the struck strings were picked up with pickups, the Wurlitzer Electric Piano became a popular instrument from 1954 onwards. Small steel tongues produce the sound by being struck using a hammer action and picked up capacitively by pickups. The Hohner Clavinet (1964), whose steel strings sound more reminiscent of a clavichord , and the Fender Rhodes (1965), in which tuning springs in front of an inductive pickup are caused to vibrate using a hammer action , also became style-defining instruments in rock and pop and jazz , funk and soul. These electric pianos sound from bell-like to percussive and are changed in sound through the use of amplifiers and effects such as Leslie , chorus, tremolo , Phaser or Wah-Wah . With Vintage Vibes there is a manufacturer of modern replicas of Rhodes and Clavinet. But these classic electric pianos also have the features of being heavy and requiring maintenance, as they are, after all , electro-acoustic instruments with a hammer action . So it is not surprising that the extremely popular electric piano sounds can also be found in the repertoire of digital pianos. These produce the sound, as the name suggests, using digital technology . Fundamental to this is the sampling technology , which has shaped music technology since the 1990s and has been continually refined to make the sound and feel even more authentic. In addition, modern digital pianos work with physical modeling , in which the sound generation is digitally recreated, i.e. it is done by calculating physical parameters. This allows sounds to be created quickly without having to load large samples.

Digital pianos and electric pianos today

Today's digital pianos therefore differ in their sound generation , their form, their range of functions and, above all, in the quality of the keyboard, amplifier and speakers. For example, we differentiate between stage pianos , which are designed for robustness, portability and easy operation on stage, and the so-called home pianos , which are usually what is meant when digital pianos or electric pianos are mentioned. These also include ensemble or entertainment pianos that are equipped with numerous accompanying rhythms , synthesizer and sequencer functions. Portable pianos are a hybrid because they have the portability of a stage piano, but are similar to a home piano with integrated speakers and a matching footrest. The digital grand pianos are another special features . Some of these models actually have the keyboard of a concert grand piano. Sophisticated amplifier and loudspeaker systems, in conjunction with the sound generation and the cover, create an authentic concert grand sound .