The title of this is Which Piano Has the Best Key Action? That is why i opened it expecting some informative comparison on different actions available. Instead it is a boring trip down memory lane talking about pianos from 20 to 30 years ago that i have never heard of.
My parents tried to push me through piano lessons with a 61 key Casio keyboard and worn out Howard upright from a horse stable. I was 10 at the time and didn't know how to convey to my parents that it wasn't going to get me through lessons. I played for about a year and my piano teacher suddenly stopped contacting us. We never heard from her again. Finally, I started back at 16 with a Baldwin Acrosonic Spinet. I am now 17 and really pleased with my progress. I am now playing choral pieces for my high-school choir. I am now at the point where a larger upright would benefit my playing and learning experience. My parents though do not see a benefit to me having a better piano. My dad told me he would get me an in home digital until I explained to him that they cost as much a good used upright and I would rather keep the Spinet than get a digital. He then strongly opossed to a used upright and tried to claim they require too much maintenance: which is bull crap considering I only get it tuned twice a year. They won't let me get a job so right now I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. I have shown plenty of commitment and no one ever encourages me or want to help out with my musical path. They won't even help me out by allowing me to get a job to pay for it myself. The only thing that are keeping me going is my high school choir teacher and my music teacher. I am glad they both see something in me and have given me as many opportunities as they have.
Just to add to this my school has a brand new Kawai K-300 and a 1986 Kawai KG-2D that I am allowed to practice on. It makes it easier to live with the spinet because I usually stay after school and practice on these very good instruments.
My favorite is the Kawai CA series Grand actions! Ive played regularly a Yamaha NU1 hybrid and a CLP grand. I liked feeling the hammers move on the NU1 but it was very heavy imo, same with the CLP, heavy to the touch. 🤷🏻♂️ Like you all said, everyone has what they like. Kawai hit the spot for me.
I think it has always been a Kawai channel. If you check their website, you will see they feature all Kawai acoustic and digital pianos. They sell other brands, but the main brand is Kawai. Furthermore, if you see any professional review channel on TH-cam comparing digital pianos, you can be almost sure it is a Kawai channel, especially if they sell acoustic pianos. I have never seen a single Yamaha-only dealer doing comparisons with other brands. Koichi Kawai worked for Torakusu Yamaha for 30 years, since he was an 11 year-old child (as an apprentice) until he was 41 years old. Then, he started his own company. Koichi Kawai spent 28 years working for his company. He cried when Yamaha died in 1916, as he was his mentor and teacher. When he received the Medal of Honor with Blue Ribbon, he brought it to Torakusu Yamaha’s grave.
There's a common misconception that the Kawai VPC1 controller has a real grand piano action inside. It does NOT! The action is a highly simplified mechanism that simulates the feel of a piano, but it does not include the repetition lever, jack, let off button, and other parts that make a real grand piano so responsive.
Ah, the Ensoniq Mirage! Designed by Bob Yannes, who used to work for MOS Technologies and parent company Commodore. He designed the world famous SID, a synthesizer on a chip, for the ubiquitous Commodore 64 computer, and with Ensoniq, carried on the legacy of (relatively) affordable equipment for the masses rather than the classes. 😁
Would have loved to hear a bit more about what's out there now, in various price points, and various uses and how you like or don't like them and why. Kawai actions are wonderful, especially if you have one in a studio or in your home. Lugging one around with you, not so much, they're HEAVY. You've mentioned Yamaha several times. That's great. They never really spoke to me in a big way. Fatar? Roland? Casio? The "modified" actions like you'd find in the Nord line? (I hear lots of good things about Fatar but I'm not sure I trust their new TP/400. Will it hold up? Roland has its lovers and haters but their PHA-50 seems to be a rock solid action that can take some serious abuse. Nord is the one I wanted to love but why they won't just bring a seriously good piano action onboard puzzles me. Casio has short keys, and those tire me out on long gigs as I do play the back sides of the keys. There are a few others. But those are some of the real things I am forced to look at when considering a gigging keyboard.) It's great to reminisce. I can appreciate that. I played a Rhodes on stage back in the 1980's. Those were interesting times and I look back on them with my rose-colored glasses. My back was a whole lot younger back then, too. It's a whole new world of instruments today and it doesn't appear I can have the ultimate action in a package I can carry around, I have to make compromises. I don't have a half dozen football players to lug a B3 around, and while I may love Kawai's MP11SE, I just don't need the hernias. Oh, and those shorter keyboards, no. I always run out of keys on 88 key pianos, I don't want to give any up. And I use all 88. Then again, I'm generally solo, not part of a big band. (I'm amused by the guys in the 30 piece bands sitting behind a nice grand piano that get one "dink" every 12 bars.)
it would be nice if they had some piano's out where you could see the action, discuss tactile feedback...where that weight is coming from. how one differs or mimics an acoustic or hybrid. The brand models simply are not enough for me to go on. Like now a days everyone types on a keyboard... well they have different switch types on those keyboards...tactile, clicky, topre, optical, membrane. think apple has scissor and butterfly keyboard switch types. Each one feels a bit different, each key can bottom out at a different place.
You guys really got into the weeds regarding personal experiences with digital pianos from the nineties on up. I don’t mean to sound insulting but it was like a couple of veterans telling war stories that only a like demographic could really appreciate. At the end of the day, it was not particularly helpful for the consumer who is shopping for a digital piano in 2023. E.B. seems like a good guy who certainly knows his way around a keyboard but I would have preferred, for the purposes of this particular discussion, to have had Patrick there in his place. That’s strictly because E.B. only sells Kawai pianos, whereas Patrick and Ted sell a variety of pianos from different manufacturers. Perhaps E.B. might be your guy if you had already determined that the Kawai grand feel or millennium action was the one for you. For the record, I’m a guitar player who started taking piano lessons just this past Fall. I love my Casio Privia PX-870 and I’m keeping my eyes and ears open, looking forward to the day that I decide to invest in a more expensive instrument. I haven’t settled on a particular maker or model but my ideal would be a hybrid like, say, the Kawai K500 Aures 2. That’s simply because, with an instrument like that, you get an acoustic piano through and through, with the option of practicing with headphones when you don’t want to disturb other members of the household. And, if and when the digital components become a problem, you’d still be left with a quality acoustic instrument.
The Kawai hybrid digital grands like the CA-49 are fantastic. I cannot recommend them enough. I have owned and tuned and played hundreds of different pianos and it's one of my favorite instruments that I have ever had. I wish it had the complete grand piano action in side, but honestly it's so close to the real thing that it's an exceptional value. If you haven't played one at your local piano store, I would highly recommend you go try it out. I played one at my local piano store and ordered mine the next day.
Hey Esimms, thanks so much for your insight! I’ve actually toured, taught and performed in almost every context with Casio Privia line for years before moving to KC. I loved their portability for sure. The topic was about the best digital actions, and as my momma taught me, if you can’t say anything nice… 😉 Just a little side note: I actually don’t sell pianos, Kawai or otherwise. I’ve made my living playing piano and keys for the last couple decades of every make, model and build I could get my hands on. There are some great ones out there! Kawai Piano Galleries in KC and San Antonio both sell primarily new Kawai pianos and used makes and models of all the good stuff! I’m a Kawai Piano Educator and Ambassador because they’re the best, and I’ve played the rest. 😊 Those Aures K500s you mentioned? Amaaaaazing. Keep rocking, my friend, and thanks for stopping by!
It would be very informative to present examples of the piano action construction. I've been impressed with Kawai for years, as they found a way to incorporate grand piano action mechanisms in an upright. Kawai is the only manufacturer I know of that does this. Something about the piano key let off, that a grand has that an upright does not. Aside of that I've always had a preference to Steinways. However, one cannot put a "stein" in your back pocket. I have seen models of various digital piano actions. I have a Yamaha Clavinova, and it's been a great instrument for me, but...there are other brands I've seen with better designed piano actions. The Yamaha DGX series portable grands are great, but the actions are not as good. Casio portables have a better action than Rolands, in my playing opinion. A roland action feels like pressing a button, without much if any resistance. A real piano action has the feel, obviously of some mechanical resistance and as such is a pleasurable tactile feel. One can guage attack and guage a physical response much better. Hands on is always a better solution. I've seen digital hybrids, one in particular made by Casio and another acoustic piano manufacturer in a joint effort was a dream to play, as it had a physical piano action, with a feature that allowed the action to be silenced physically and only used the digital feature. Sadly, only saw a few of those. Very pricy also. Newer Casios I've played have some kind of "texture" feel to the keys. They're not smooth. It's irritating at best. Not like a regular wood/ivory piano key feel. Don't know what they were thinking about that. I'm not so much a "purist", but looking for the right compromise. Everyone knows pianos are heavy, digital or otherwise. A basic Clavinova is 156 pounds. Fortunately I have kids to help move it, not extremely heavy, but cumbersome and more fragile if not moved properly. Yamaha DGX series are about 36 pounds, but the quality of the action is compromised for the weight. The best action of any portable I've ever had was that of a "Technics". If you can find one, (as they're not made anymore), they have a much more realistic piano feel than any other I've played. Have a "P-50", basic unit, that's never failed, ever, and have had it for 25years. It's also about 36 pounds, but easily moved and stored. The biggest drawback to portables, is the damper pedals. They're generally an "on/off" selection, no half damper or such, and it's a compromise for price and weight. There's folks out there "giving away" acoustic pianos, and some really good ones too, but.......weight is prohibitive, and it seems not many folks really take as good a care of those as is needed, so they're found in barns, in basements, in garages, and in poor shape because of animal infestations or mold or some environmental stresses. Humidity is a killer for any acoustic instrument. Too much and,,,,well. not enough and "wood warps", and piano sound boards crack or ?.......Aside of a Steinway, (and one has to be able to discern how even a Steinway has been cared for), a Kawai, Technics, and/or Yamaha is most often the choice I would make. "Korg" also makes good ones. I'm not as familiar with that brand, for pianos alone. They make incredible synthesizers and very advanced ones. The Korg M-3 series, not made anymore are/were some of the most advanced, programmable, (and heavy), and the most useful. Led Zeppellin used some of those along with the Korg Oasys, and others. John Paul Jones also used a Korg X-50, on top of his Korg Oasys, during a reunion concert. Good setup. Korgs are also, (at least for those of us who are not programmers), not exactly intuitively user friendly. I used one that the band leader had to hire someone to program it. Even having an X-50 is a challenge to the non-programmer. The standard for keyboardists, at least in my time was always, A piano, a Rhodes, and a Hammond. Simple, no programming, your "touch" was (still is), your art. Older Yamaha electric grands, never had the "right sound" for me, at least. Peace Out. Take all of this for what it's worth. Advice or a grain of salt.
I guess these gentlemen don't like the current digital piano actions as much as the actions of old vintage digital pianos since they spend the whole video raving about the latter, without even a mention of the former.
The title of this is Which Piano Has the Best Key Action? That is why i opened it expecting some informative comparison on different actions available. Instead it is a boring trip down memory lane talking about pianos from 20 to 30 years ago that i have never heard of.
My sentiments exactly.
-1 clickbait
Channel blocked, thumbs down and reported.
Amen......And Amen......
Seriously.... wtf was this.
My parents tried to push me through piano lessons with a 61 key Casio keyboard and worn out Howard upright from a horse stable. I was 10 at the time and didn't know how to convey to my parents that it wasn't going to get me through lessons. I played for about a year and my piano teacher suddenly stopped contacting us. We never heard from her again. Finally, I started back at 16 with a Baldwin Acrosonic Spinet. I am now 17 and really pleased with my progress. I am now playing choral pieces for my high-school choir. I am now at the point where a larger upright would benefit my playing and learning experience. My parents though do not see a benefit to me having a better piano. My dad told me he would get me an in home digital until I explained to him that they cost as much a good used upright and I would rather keep the Spinet than get a digital. He then strongly opossed to a used upright and tried to claim they require too much maintenance: which is bull crap considering I only get it tuned twice a year. They won't let me get a job so right now I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. I have shown plenty of commitment and no one ever encourages me or want to help out with my musical path. They won't even help me out by allowing me to get a job to pay for it myself. The only thing that are keeping me going is my high school choir teacher and my music teacher. I am glad they both see something in me and have given me as many opportunities as they have.
Just to add to this my school has a brand new Kawai K-300 and a 1986 Kawai KG-2D that I am allowed to practice on. It makes it easier to live with the spinet because I usually stay after school and practice on these very good instruments.
@@jacobneal5388 Dude, that's a way to live the dream, stay at it.
@@tedbarsalou833 Thanks man, I just gotta keep at it.
I believe that with time you would be able to achieve your dreams man. Just believe in yourself.
Keep up the commitment and discipline of practicing using the school pianos. It’s only going to be that way for a time.
This is about piano history
My favorite is the Kawai CA series Grand actions! Ive played regularly a Yamaha NU1 hybrid and a CLP grand. I liked feeling the hammers move on the NU1 but it was very heavy imo, same with the CLP, heavy to the touch. 🤷🏻♂️
Like you all said, everyone has what they like. Kawai hit the spot for me.
This has become a Kawai subchannel.
I think it has always been a Kawai channel. If you check their website, you will see they feature all Kawai acoustic and digital pianos. They sell other brands, but the main brand is Kawai. Furthermore, if you see any professional review channel on TH-cam comparing digital pianos, you can be almost sure it is a Kawai channel, especially if they sell acoustic pianos. I have never seen a single Yamaha-only dealer doing comparisons with other brands. Koichi Kawai worked for Torakusu Yamaha for 30 years, since he was an 11 year-old child (as an apprentice) until he was 41 years old. Then, he started his own company. Koichi Kawai spent 28 years working for his company. He cried when Yamaha died in 1916, as he was his mentor and teacher. When he received the Medal of Honor with Blue Ribbon, he brought it to Torakusu Yamaha’s grave.
@@Instrumental-Covers hey! thanks for that!!
I love Kawai pianos. Thank you for another good interview!
Forget about the title on keyboard actions, this is about old guys reminiscing about ancient brands and having the gall to ask for more subscribers.
Roland GP-9 (runners up: Yamaha AvantGrand N1X, Yamaha AvantGrand N3X, Kawai Novus NV10S)
Super helpful insights on pianos at a level of detail that's unusual. Thank you!
There's a common misconception that the Kawai VPC1 controller has a real grand piano action inside. It does NOT! The action is a highly simplified mechanism that simulates the feel of a piano, but it does not include the repetition lever, jack, let off button, and other parts that make a real grand piano so responsive.
Thanks for sharing the info, I was about to purchase it.
Ah, the Ensoniq Mirage! Designed by Bob Yannes, who used to work for MOS Technologies and parent company Commodore. He designed the world famous SID, a synthesizer on a chip, for the ubiquitous Commodore 64 computer, and with Ensoniq, carried on the legacy of (relatively) affordable equipment for the masses rather than the classes. 😁
MOS chips used to be in the early Allen digital church and theatre organs. Looked like they had a small coin in the middle.
One of my goals in life is to actually play my Mirage - it's just so tedious to work with
Would have loved to hear a bit more about what's out there now, in various price points, and various uses and how you like or don't like them and why.
Kawai actions are wonderful, especially if you have one in a studio or in your home. Lugging one around with you, not so much, they're HEAVY. You've mentioned Yamaha several times. That's great. They never really spoke to me in a big way. Fatar? Roland? Casio? The "modified" actions like you'd find in the Nord line?
(I hear lots of good things about Fatar but I'm not sure I trust their new TP/400. Will it hold up? Roland has its lovers and haters but their PHA-50 seems to be a rock solid action that can take some serious abuse. Nord is the one I wanted to love but why they won't just bring a seriously good piano action onboard puzzles me. Casio has short keys, and those tire me out on long gigs as I do play the back sides of the keys. There are a few others. But those are some of the real things I am forced to look at when considering a gigging keyboard.)
It's great to reminisce. I can appreciate that. I played a Rhodes on stage back in the 1980's. Those were interesting times and I look back on them with my rose-colored glasses. My back was a whole lot younger back then, too. It's a whole new world of instruments today and it doesn't appear I can have the ultimate action in a package I can carry around, I have to make compromises. I don't have a half dozen football players to lug a B3 around, and while I may love Kawai's MP11SE, I just don't need the hernias.
Oh, and those shorter keyboards, no. I always run out of keys on 88 key pianos, I don't want to give any up. And I use all 88. Then again, I'm generally solo, not part of a big band. (I'm amused by the guys in the 30 piece bands sitting behind a nice grand piano that get one "dink" every 12 bars.)
A power surge took out my first digital, a General Music Real Piano. I replaced it with a Kawai MP9500 and never looked back. :)
Kawai MP9500 works with vst in DAW like ableton??
@@johnnylong2023If it has a midi port, it'll work with many DAWs
You need a UPS (Uninterrupted power supply)
it would be nice if they had some piano's out where you could see the action, discuss tactile feedback...where that weight is coming from. how one differs or mimics an acoustic or hybrid.
The brand models simply are not enough for me to go on.
Like now a days everyone types on a keyboard... well they have different switch types on those keyboards...tactile, clicky, topre, optical, membrane. think apple has scissor and butterfly keyboard switch types. Each one feels a bit different, each key can bottom out at a different place.
You guys really got into the weeds regarding personal experiences with digital pianos from the nineties on up. I don’t mean to sound insulting but it was like a couple of veterans telling war stories that only a like demographic could really appreciate. At the end of the day, it was not particularly helpful for the consumer who is shopping for a digital piano in 2023. E.B. seems like a good guy who certainly knows his way around a keyboard but I would have preferred, for the purposes of this particular discussion, to have had Patrick there in his place. That’s strictly because E.B. only sells Kawai pianos, whereas Patrick and Ted sell a variety of pianos from different manufacturers. Perhaps E.B. might be your guy if you had already determined that the Kawai grand feel or millennium action was the one for you.
For the record, I’m a guitar player who started taking piano lessons just this past Fall. I love my Casio Privia PX-870 and I’m keeping my eyes and ears open, looking forward to the day that I decide to invest in a more expensive instrument. I haven’t settled on a particular maker or model but my ideal would be a hybrid like, say, the Kawai K500 Aures 2. That’s simply because, with an instrument like that, you get an acoustic piano through and through, with the option of practicing with headphones when you don’t want to disturb other members of the household. And, if and when the digital components become a problem, you’d still be left with a quality acoustic instrument.
The Kawai hybrid digital grands like the CA-49 are fantastic. I cannot recommend them enough. I have owned and tuned and played hundreds of different pianos and it's one of my favorite instruments that I have ever had. I wish it had the complete grand piano action in side, but honestly it's so close to the real thing that it's an exceptional value. If you haven't played one at your local piano store, I would highly recommend you go try it out. I played one at my local piano store and ordered mine the next day.
Hey Esimms, thanks so much for your insight! I’ve actually toured, taught and performed in almost every context with Casio Privia line for years before moving to KC. I loved their portability for sure. The topic was about the best digital actions, and as my momma taught me, if you can’t say anything nice… 😉
Just a little side note: I actually don’t sell pianos, Kawai or otherwise. I’ve made my living playing piano and keys for the last couple decades of every make, model and build I could get my hands on. There are some great ones out there! Kawai Piano Galleries in KC and San Antonio both sell primarily new Kawai pianos and used makes and models of all the good stuff! I’m a Kawai Piano Educator and Ambassador because they’re the best, and I’ve played the rest. 😊 Those Aures K500s you mentioned? Amaaaaazing. Keep rocking, my friend, and thanks for stopping by!
Great video. I'd love it if you would do another about stage pianos. I'm looking for something portable to use on gigs
De Casio gp 510 heeft zeker de beste actie
A440 was one of the stipulations included in the Treaty of Versailles, in 1919, ending WW1.
It's all about priorities.
Which keyboard do you think is better? PHA 4 standard, GHS or GHC?
It would be very informative to present examples of the piano action construction. I've been impressed with Kawai for years, as they found a way to incorporate grand piano action mechanisms in an upright. Kawai is the only manufacturer I know of that does this. Something about the piano key let off, that a grand has that an upright does not. Aside of that I've always had a preference to Steinways. However, one cannot put a "stein" in your back pocket. I have seen models of various digital piano actions. I have a Yamaha Clavinova, and it's been a great instrument for me, but...there are other brands I've seen with better designed piano actions. The Yamaha DGX series portable grands are great, but the actions are not as good. Casio portables have a better action than Rolands, in my playing opinion. A roland action feels like pressing a button, without much if any resistance. A real piano action has the feel, obviously of some mechanical resistance and as such is a pleasurable tactile feel. One can guage attack and guage a physical response much better. Hands on is always a better solution. I've seen digital hybrids, one in particular made by Casio and another acoustic piano manufacturer in a joint effort was a dream to play, as it had a physical piano action, with a feature that allowed the action to be silenced physically and only used the digital feature. Sadly, only saw a few of those. Very pricy also. Newer Casios I've played have some kind of "texture" feel to the keys. They're not smooth. It's irritating at best. Not like a regular wood/ivory piano key feel. Don't know what they were thinking about that. I'm not so much a "purist", but looking for the right compromise. Everyone knows pianos are heavy, digital or otherwise. A basic Clavinova is 156 pounds. Fortunately I have kids to help move it, not extremely heavy, but cumbersome and more fragile if not moved properly. Yamaha DGX series are about 36 pounds, but the quality of the action is compromised for the weight. The best action of any portable I've ever had was that of a "Technics". If you can find one, (as they're not made anymore), they have a much more realistic piano feel than any other I've played. Have a "P-50", basic unit, that's never failed, ever, and have had it for 25years. It's also about 36 pounds, but easily moved and stored. The biggest drawback to portables, is the damper pedals. They're generally an "on/off" selection, no half damper or such, and it's a compromise for price and weight. There's folks out there "giving away" acoustic pianos, and some really good ones too, but.......weight is prohibitive, and it seems not many folks really take as good a care of those as is needed, so they're found in barns, in basements, in garages, and in poor shape because of animal infestations or mold or some environmental stresses. Humidity is a killer for any acoustic instrument. Too much and,,,,well. not enough and "wood warps", and piano sound boards crack or ?.......Aside of a Steinway, (and one has to be able to discern how even a Steinway has been cared for), a Kawai, Technics, and/or Yamaha is most often the choice I would make. "Korg" also makes good ones. I'm not as familiar with that brand, for pianos alone. They make incredible synthesizers and very advanced ones. The Korg M-3 series, not made anymore are/were some of the most advanced, programmable, (and heavy), and the most useful. Led Zeppellin used some of those along with the Korg Oasys, and others. John Paul Jones also used a Korg X-50, on top of his Korg Oasys, during a reunion concert. Good setup. Korgs are also, (at least for those of us who are not programmers), not exactly intuitively user friendly. I used one that the band leader had to hire someone to program it. Even having an X-50 is a challenge to the non-programmer. The standard for keyboardists, at least in my time was always, A piano, a Rhodes, and a Hammond. Simple, no programming, your "touch" was (still is), your art. Older Yamaha electric grands, never had the "right sound" for me, at least. Peace Out. Take all of this for what it's worth. Advice or a grain of salt.
I guess these gentlemen don't like the current digital piano actions as much as the actions of old vintage digital pianos since they spend the whole video raving about the latter, without even a mention of the former.
Which is the best action between Kawai Vpc1 or Roland FP-90X? Thanks a lot
Fp 90x
@@ROBERT-ml7mlhow about roland rp701 and kawai kdp120?
@@khairulsuhaimi5791 not sure, i never tried those.
Thanks for that totally unbiased video 😏
Is Renly Baratheon on holiday then?
Ca99 grand feel 3
Still…Cp33 yamaha…in small package is the best, I have play all the toys.
How about the yamaha p120????
Only talk, no demos from the side? 🙄
Within the first minite it is clear that this is a biased Kawai sales pitch. Comparison? Not!
Papo furado heim vai direto ao ponto