<\/p>\n
Thanks to these new systems, many people who don\u2019t play the piano are enjoying live piano music any time of the night or day. Whether they\u2019re accompanying dinners for two or entertaining a houseful of partygoers, these high tech pianos take center stage. For people who do play the piano, these systems can be used to record their own piano performances, interface with computers, aid in music education, assist with composing and many other applications. In short, these modern marvels are\u00a0not<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0your grandfathers\u2019 player pianos!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Because digital pianos are software-driven, they also open up exciting new ways for beginners to make music. For example, some keyboards feature lights over the keys to help you play a favorite tune, or learning programs that combine the music with an on-screen display.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Digital pianos help home musicians get more out of the Internet as well, and they can be connected not only to a computer, but to other instruments for arranging and orchestration. With memory storage setups such as Flash ROM, users can download and store new music.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are also a number of digital pianos that offer a variety of unique functions\u2014such as providing you with a lot of different preset and combo sounds, ones that can give you a layering effect to your playing. Some of these instruments also include a Karaoke\/Video output for the next time you want to put a little life in your party.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There is probably no more exciting area of growth in the piano industry than that of software technology. Science fiction writers of the past would be impressed by today\u2019s advancements \u2013 like software that converts music files to sheet music\u2026 downloads and unzips music files and Karaoke files from the Internet\u2026 or even lets musicians print entire musical scores and analyze their harmonies and chord names. Today\u2019s software will even let users shop for, purchase and print sheet music over the Internet, if you can\u2019t find the score in a store.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kurt Vonnegut, who wrote \u201cPlayer Piano\u201d in the 50s, would not believe the new software that currently exists for these instruments. For example, there is now software for the piano that will allow it to load hours of pre-recorded music, with no discs or CDs to change; everything from jazz to the classics. Should you be looking for music by a specific pianist, you will be able to find it: everyone from Floyd Cramer to Peter Nero is represented, and can keep your piano (or your get-together) humming.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But software is not just for the player piano. For the budding composer, there is also new technology galore. For instance, the first ensemble piano that features CD-R technology is now available. This piano has the capability of CD-R \u2013 meaning you can put a disc in this piano, record a CD of a song you have written or played, and, immediately play the disc back in your boom box or PC. And not just keyboard sounds; vocals, too, can be \u2018burned,\u2019 enabling any budding songwriter to produce a 16 track studio-quality \u2018demo.\u2019<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Synthesizers are still very popular among jazz and rock musicians. Among the newest is a synth that offers multiple oscillator technologies and has real-time control over pitch, time and format. There are also synthesizers that give players the ability to control audio with the same flexibility as any music file, all due to new technology. This new software can take on all sorts of new musical and recording functions.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n While the basic design of the acoustic piano is remarkably simila to the first models from around 1700, manufacturers are including innovations at a rapid pace. Some of the updates draw on materials science, to find special woods or newly available materials that make a piano more durable and tonally stable. Some use engineering know-how to strengthen the piano and keep its sound deep and rich for years. And 300 years of experience with the mechanics of a piano\u2019s action has resulted in keyboards that feel great and stay in tune better.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Concert grands are used by numerous conductors, composers and songwriters\u2014and are more available and affordable than ever. And although concert grands are the choice of performers, there are many high quality baby grands that are designed to meet the needs of the home owners and players of all levels.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Whether you are looking for a compact instrument or a larger one renowned for its lower register and power \u2013 whether you want a piano than can keep up with the loudest orchestra, one that re-creates a classic style from the past, or an instrument made of a particular kind of wood \u2013 you should have no trouble finding the traditional piano that suits your needs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s very clear in 2004, that whether you want to play, record, mix, have a player piano entertain you, or sit down and practice Brahms or Bach, there probably has never been a period in which the piano has been available in so many different and useful forms. Whatever your musical needs, there is a piano (and perhaps software) out there waiting for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The story of the piano begins in Padua, Italy in 1709, in the shop of a harpsichord maker named Bartolomeo di Francesco Cristofori (1655-1731). Many other stringed and keyboard instruments preceded the piano and led to the development of the instrument as we know it today. Mankind\u2019s knowledge that a taut, vibrating string can produce sound goes back to prehistoric times. In the ancient world, strings were attached and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-featured-articles"],"yoast_head":"\nDigital Pianos<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/pianonet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/images\/piano-tech2.jpg\")
To the uninitiated, digital pianos may appear related to the inexpensive toy keyboards than can be purchased over the counter at electronics stores. But that\u2019s like comparing a go-kart with a fancy touring sedan. The digital pianos produced by many of today\u2019s top piano companies produce sophisticated, sampled piano sounds taken from their own top models. What\u2019s more, they offer other instrument voices \u2013 sometimes by the hundreds \u2013 with striking realism.<\/p>\nSoftware<\/h4>\n
The Traditional Piano<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/pianonet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/images\/piano-tech1.jpg\")
And what of traditional concert pianos? Have they been lost in the technological shuffle? Far from it. With countless artists from Bruce Hornsby to Michael Feinstein using them, the acoustic piano is still very much in demand.<\/p>\n