When you first hear someone say that they want to take piano lessons, the next question is, what kind of piano do you want? The answer usually falls into two categories: acoustic and digital. It seems like an easy answer since those are the only types of pianos there are, but actually, both have their advantages and disadvantages.
When choosing a piano there are numerous factors to be considered to make the best choice for your needs. Therefore, here are some of the most important things to consider as you compare an acoustic piano to a digital piano.
Action and Feel
The feel of your piano is one of the most important factors in whether or not you will how to play it effectively. If a piano feels too stiff, it can be hard for a beginner to press down on a key to reach the proper note without difficulty sustaining that note until it is time to release it. On the other hand, if a piano doesn't have enough resistance when pressing down on a key then playing with any speed or dexterity can be extremely difficult because notes may simply stop sounding rather than fading away naturally when you want them to do so. For this reason, digital pianos tend to be preferred by beginners.
If there is one thing that an acoustic has an advantage over digital pianos, it is in the way that they feel. The keys of a traditional acoustic piano are made from wood and covered with a thick material called felt which allows for a smooth motion to be used when pressing down on them, but also provides enough resistance to make even repeated keystrokes sound fluid and expressive.
If you decide that a digital piano best fits your needs, look into models with weighted actions as those will feel more similar to an acoustic action rather than the harder plastic keys of cheaper digital pianos. You should also look into digital piano sheet music online so you have an idea of what songs will be most suitable for your digital piano's tonal range. If you want to play at any type of speed or learn how to properly play jazz chords or any advanced techniques, then a digital piano with an unweighted action is best as those feel very much like a traditional acoustic instrument's keys.
Sound Quality
An acoustic piano creates sound through strings that are struck with a small hammer and amplified throughout the body of the instrument through a soundboard which acts as a speaker cone to amplify and project the sound more effectively. The problem with this setup is that the acoustics of every single room makes their sonic impact on how you hear your sound, so depending on where you play it, it may not always be equal over time or from space to space. In addition, an acoustic piano's quality can vary greatly depending on how much care you have taken in tuning and maintenance over its lifetime from both regular use and climate control.
Digital pianos, on the other hand, create a sound that feels and/or sounds like an acoustic piano but creates it through different means. Some digital pianos feature actual sampled recordings of high-quality grand pianos while others may use personal technology to engineer and generate a close approximation of an acoustic piano's tone. Either way, digital pianos do not change in sound quality depending on where you play it, and they can even be hooked up to external speakers so that the sound is projected throughout a room without needing an amplifier or other additional hardware.
Size and Portability
Acoustic pianos come in a wide range of sizes and styles. They can be extremely large and heavy up to the size of a small upright cabinet or as small as a spinet which is much smaller than an average desk, about three feet high and six feet long. However, a full-sized classic acoustic piano is mostly between four and five feet tall and seven feet long. This makes them fit best in larger rooms with plenty of space to accommodate them.
On the other hand, digital pianos usually hover around 3ft x 5ft and weigh less than 100lbs so they can typically fit into any room without much hassle. Some digital piano companies also make bench seats that attach right to the piano for easy storage when not in use so they can be moved from room to room more easily.
Appearance and Style
Both acoustic digital pianos come in a variety of styles that include the shape of the cabinet, as well as the type and color of the wood used to build it. If you are mainly interested in playing simply for enjoyment and not to perform in front of an audience, then the appearance of your piano will not matter much, so you should go for a digital one. On the other hand, if you want to perform with your piano or teach piano lessons on it, then you should pay attention to the appearance of your piano as well, so it might be the best idea to go for an acoustic one or even the perfectly polished digital piano. If a piano looks professional and clean, students will be more likely to respect it because it will look like a serious instrument rather than a toy which can affect how they practice at home later on.
Price
Price can also be a factor when choosing between an acoustic piano and a digital piano. Acoustic pianos vary greatly in price from very cheap instruments to very expensive hand-made models worth hundreds of thousands of dollars where prices go beyond what most people can afford without going into massive amounts of debt. Digital pianos tend to vary a lot less in price since they're all electronic devices that require parts and labor before they're ready for sale, so there is not as much room for variation between brands or styles which makes them easier to compare prices from store to store at different music stores. You should remember though, that even though digital pianos tend to be more expensive than their acoustic counterparts, they also require less maintenance and you don't have to spend money on repairing them regularly to ensure that they work properly.
As you can see, digital pianos and acoustic pianos both have their advantages and disadvantages to consider before making a purchase. it all comes down to personal preference when choosing which type of piano you want to use in your home or studio. However, If you feel like digital pianos fit your needs more, then make sure it feels as close to an acoustic action as possible so that playing it will be natural and enjoyable.
