[pianotech] Bio-Feedback, or psychoacoustic effect of 'real' instrument

David Boyce David at piano.plus.com
Sun Dec 2 15:14:24 MST 2012


This  week I visited a new client who also happened to have one of the 
old Fender-Rhodes electro-acoustic pianos, as described in Reblitz.

I've tuned a couple over the years.  This one didn't need tuning (and 
the client's old overdamper piano was sadly beyond it).  But I was 
struck, on playing the Fender-Rhodes, not having played one for years, 
by the fact that it's quite satisfying to play. As most will know, there 
is a mechanical action involving little hammers striking metal tines. 
The sound is produced mechanically, as it is in an acoustic piano. And 
as it is not in a digital piano.

This made me think again about the "missing element" of playing pleasure 
in even the best of the digital pianos. Even with weighted keys, touch 
sensitivity etc, there is a missing element, something you don't get 
back, physically.  And from the Fender Rhodes, for all that the actions 
get pretty poor with age, you do.

It may be something to do with lack of set-off/escapement in the digital 
keyboard but I think it's more than that, really.

Best regards,

David.
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