digital piano help!

[Alchemist]

hi, i was doing some reseach on getting a digital piano and narrowed down to the yamaha DGX620 and the P-140.

which one of these is considered better?
im looking for something that has the closest feeling to a grand piano, like the weight of the keys and the sound

clavinovas and others are way out of my budget though.

thx alot

 

[Cheez]

DGX series are arranger keyboards - comes with the auto-accompaniment function. If that's not necessary for you, don't go there. P series touch is better with better piano sounds.

 

[Alchemist]

so, the P series are more similar to a grand piano?
yea i dont think i will be using those functions.
so the P-series Premium GHE (Graded Hammer Effect) Piano Action, is better than the DGX620 Graded Hammer Standard keys ?

hey i just found out the P-140 is about $1780 :O!
and the P-85 is just $845.
does it have much difference in the weighted keys and the sound quality?
is the P-140 really twice as good? cuz the price is more den double :O

thx cheez

 

[iansoh]

the P85 has lighter keys than the P140. might be perceived to be of inferior quality by some, but i personally find the P85 suitable for most needs. as it's quite a new model, only time will tell it's durability.

you can order the entire ensemble - P85 + LP5 + L85 for the aesthetics, plus u get triple pedals like on a real grand.

 

[cow240]

actually i currently own a p85 for leisure use.Its quite good for home usage,esp if u r just a leisure pianist.Suits most room decor too.
Just a question(sry for riding this thread),how come the demo songs sounds so good while the notes i play dont sound so "clear" as the demo song.I changed the configuration such that all keys sound the same no matter how hard i pres,now its much better.But somehow the demo song's sound is like perfect.Extremely clear.Any ideas?

 

[Alchemist]

actually, do you guys actually use all 3 pedals or normally just the sustain pedal?
i just started to learn to play and i wan it to last me for quite a long time.
will the P-85 suffice?
thx ~~

 

[cow240]

sama sama.I stopped learning a decade ago and have been playing leisurely since.though ive got a piano at home,i still bought the p-85,hoping to play more at night.Hmm ive just got the P-85 and from my amatuer's point of view,nothing replaces the real acoustic.But it Does feel like a real piano and i would say it would be a worthwhile investment for you.For this price range 600-800,perhaps u can also consider the Casio Cdp-100.Similar to the P85.But i think not much resale value and some say it doesnt sound just as good.
The Yamaha Np-30 Is not weighted so u can cross that out.

Oh and someone plz refer to my post up there and answer my query..TIA.

 

[iansoh]

The P85 will last you as long as u want it to last you. as you advance as a pianist, you will always want something better. it's a never-ending race. if u're beginner, the P85 would be suitable for at least the next few years. a number of my students own P85 pianos and are happy with it.

cow240: your touch is probably weak and your notes are probably uneven (uneven note lengths). changing the velocity response to mono-velocity isn't the solution, u've effectively turned your P85 into a Carrefour $100 casiotone. change it back to default setting and do finger exercises, focusing on even velocity response as well as playing in time with a metronome.

 

[cow240]

thanks ian, probably my touch is weak.Any idea of any helpful free websites which show this finger exercises?

But strangely when i utilised the P85 Record function,the song which i played actually sounded clearer!This is strange.It just sounds "cloudy" when i am playing compared to when i play back the song on record function!Once again any ideas?(or maybe im just not used to digital pianos sounds)

And back to topic.The P85's touch is similar to the pianos.But i would say it has more "bounce" in it.

 

[pf]

Alchemist,
as long as you just play the piano that you bought, shut your ears and not touch other pianos...you will be contented with the one that you bought for a long time.

Once you played/heard one which is nicer than your own, you will start to be fussy about yours.

I didn't like accoustic pianos before as I did not start off with one. I play terribly on accoustics. However, after 2 weeks with a Samick upright, my touched changed. Its not the best sounding accoustic but it sure sounded better than my Yamaha Clavinova.

cow240,
I experienced that also. Maybe its the internal processing mechanism of the digital pianos? I don't know. It doesn't really bother me. However, I found that my perspective when I play and my perspective when I'm listening/revisiting recordings of my own playing is different. Often I found that I'm overly critical of myself when I'm playing.

I think Ian is right about the weak touch as well. Last time I won't do certain harmonisations because the "weightage" of the notes doesn't sound right/good/comfortable to me. Probably stronger first few fingers and weaker last 2 fingers. After a while, I found that my touch improved. I found that I can play those stuff better, the notes blend better.

 

[cow240]

you have a point there.I do indeed have a weak touch and overly critical.Often i get arond this by doing "mini improvisation" of that certain part instead of sticking to the score.Anw how do i improve my touch over time?

Shall contribute more on the P85 since its the main topic.Threadstarter can PM me,i know of a place which sells the P85 slightly cheaper.Basically its a decent buy with very basic functions for leisure pianist.i recommend u to get this rather than more expensive ones which will burn a hole in your wallet.