The 5 Big Lies About Acoustic Pianos

This is what I think!

#1. It will take you a big investment to get something worth having.

This has to do with you buying into the hype of the "piano is the best" person, whether a professional pianist, a sales person, a piano instructor, or anyone else.

Probably, I think this way because I play a variety of keyboards: pianos, organs, portable keyboards, etc. and not just one and I can compare their strengths and weaknesses.

The astute reader should now ask - why am I dissing pianos? If you ask this, keep reading and I'll make it clear why. 

For example, I often tell folks, "The best piano in the world makes only the sound of a piano."As nice a sound as this is, it is only one sound, and that sound is the sound of a decaying string.

Now, your investment comes mostly in two forms: Money and Time and Effort (see Lies #2 and #4 below.) It could also be space and weight. I will cover all these items. First the "Big Two."

Money: Everyone recalls the bad old days of keyboards, when they really sounded like crap. No more. Most folks who hear current equipment, even very, very cheap keyboards, think they sound great. Thus, you don't have to pay a fortune for good sound. 

Also, there is a tremendous savings in paying for many instruments. You don't have to buy a saxophone to play a sax or a flute to play a flute.

Also, you don't have to pay some smarmy teacher for as long if you own a keyboard, cause the length of time you take lessons is less.

Time and Effort: You should also read Lies 2 and 3 below which will explain further. Now the acoustic or digital piano is hard to learn. That's cause the sound fades away, regardless of what you do, and you have to push some more keys to keep the music going. Not so on a decent keyboard. Thus, the time spent learning is much less than that spent learning to play a piano.

Weight and Space: Acoustic, even digital pianos may take up much space you don't have. They might even weigh more than you'd like them to. That makes them very hard to locate anywhere reasonable.

For example, Even though digitals are superior to acoustics (more on that later in Lie #5) they still have too many keys. Honestly, the keys at the top and bottom of the piano are seldom played. Ever wonder how come the manufacturers keep making those "short" keyboards? It's cause they know that most music has that range and thus they can sell those instruments.

#2. Everybody must "master the instrument."

I disagree. 

Most folks don't want real mastery, but simply want a nice hobby playing their favorite music. Real mastery takes forever and the other piano teachers I know are still struggling to achieve it. And they are professional musicians! It's hard to play an acoustic, not to mention UN-necessary. 

I think our world, our society, would improve if more people simply made their own music, rather than merely listened to it. That is fine by me.

However, to get "there" from "here" we must support electronic instruments.

That also means less work for you, not really a lifetime of effort and training. Just some, the right training.

#3. Acoustic Pianos both sound and feel superior to any keyboard.

Having taught for over 25 years, I can tell you that folks are used to what they are used to and prefer it.

One person, a Doctor, comes to mind who purchased a huge 7' grand piano. This person couldn't actually make full use of it, regardless of her ability. But since she had grown up with the piano, she preferred it to her keyboard.

Now I'm also an example. I grew up with an organ. These days, I prefer the keyboard to the piano.

My conclusion? If you start with a keyboard, you will actually prefer it over the piano.

#4. Everything is based on classical and therefore you must learn classical music.

I don't disagree that everything is based on classical music.

However, I WILL disagree that this means you have to perform classical music. One does NOT follow from the other. If you prefer show tunes, then you can learn show tunes. If you like country, then country is the thing to play. Blues, ditto.

Now you might during your learning process be exposed to different musics. However, that does not mean you have to ONLY play classical piano (which is damn hard, by the way.)

#5 The Acoustic Piano is the best thing out there.

This is likely the biggest lie of all!

Now there no doubt that the acoustic piano was VERY high technology when it was invented. However, that was back in 1706! The digital keyboard is better and newer technology. It has all those things built in that you'd have to pay extra for with an acoustic. I'm going to list here the ways that this instrument is really high technology.

1. Headphones. - this might be the biggest advance ever. You can plug headphones into your electronic keyboard so no one hears you. You don't hear them, either. Thus, your mistakes are not audible and you can practice anywhere you want to.

2. Never goes "out of tune." - Electronic keyboards can save you a bundle on tunings, which are getting more and more expensive as time goes by.

3. Different sounds - sure, there are many pianos on any electronic keyboard, but there are also saxes, organs, guitars, flutes, band instruments, etc.

4. What you should learn (at least according to me!) is chords in the LH, which is your crappiest hand. It's the one that obeys the least. Thus, learning chords is much more suited to what your body does naturally.

5. Metronome - there is much to say about how best to use this, but every modern keyboard I'm aware of, has one built in. You don't have to purchase a separate item.

My conclusion 

If you want the person making the music, at any age, to really enjoy their experience, then get them to buy a keyboard (or buy it for them) and then learn to use it.

Some years ago, every kid received a keyboard for Christmas. The error back then was in those children not getting any training in how to use their "boards." Thus, those boards now gather dust under a bed or in a closet. Very sad to my way of thinking.

How can an instrument which only makes one sound, takes up a ton of space and weighs so much, (and costs a bunch of money) be the "best thing out there?"

Now this essay has been about "lies" and that's what I've seen. You might agree or disagree but these are my conclusions. 

If you agree you might ask yourself, "Why these lies?" I say follow the money and power. That should answer your questions.