/r/piano

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All things piano related!

Welcome to /r/piano! Whether you're an absolute beginner or a seasoned professional, we hope you've come to talk about pianos.

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Posting Guidelines:

Common generic questions should be asked in the 'There Are No Stupid Questions' post. The following list of commonly-asked questions have been linked to the appropriate sections of the FAQ:

If the FAQ doesn't answer your question, you can ask your question as a comment in the 'There Are No Stupid Questions' post.

No low-effort images, memes, jokes, or context-less images. Low-effort and meme image posts are better suited to /r/classicalmemes, /r/pianomemes, or /r/musicpics. Pictures lacking context or details are subject to removal. Please provide as much information as possible to foster good discussion.

No basic tutorials or Synthesia "tutorials". The amount of Synthesia "tutorials" or beginner song tutorials we get is too much and would overtake the subreddit if we allowed them. Very basic theory/song/other tutorials are better suited to /r/learnmusic.

No generic piano music videos / playlists. E.g. "1 hour of sweet ambient piano"

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/r/piano

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1

Is Pianoteq really better than Garritan's CFX?

I'm playing on a digital and I've been using Garritan's CFX Concert grand for almost 4 years now. I'm seeing a lot of people here liking and promoting the use of Pianoteq, so obviously I had to listen to what it can achieve on YouTube.

The result is a bit disappointing to me. I prefer the sound of Garritan's CFX much more.

I understand that the technology behind Pianoteq is completely different than a VST, but does that make it better? I'm a bit confused as to why people aren't talking about Garritan's CFX more tbh.

2 Comments
2024/03/21
09:29 UTC

1

Mollie Darling 靜夜星空

0 Comments
2024/03/21
09:23 UTC

1

Which Chopin etudes would you say are the most beneficial to learn?

Just finished learning 25 9 and am working on 10 4. Which etudes would you say develop techniques that translate most to other pieces?

3 Comments
2024/03/21
09:16 UTC

2

What do y'all think of this program for LRSM recital?

  • Bach Chromatic Fantasies and Fugue in D minor(BWV 903)

  • Beethoven Tempest Sonata

  • Chopin Ballade no. 1 in G minor

Chromatic Fantasie/Fugue and the Chopin Ballade are both approximately 20min long together and The Tempest sonata is like 15min long. My teacher thinks I should play another modern piece to cover all 4 time periods and to add extra time just in case I don't meet the time requirement but I think I can hit the 40min mark if I just stretched these pieces out a little more. Schoenberg and Ravel sounds like hell and I have no idea how I'm going to practice or enjoy playing them.

2 Comments
2024/03/21
09:16 UTC

3

Opinions on the Yamaha P-45?

Hey guys!

I‘ve just started my journey with a Yamaha YPT-255 to see if I enjoy playing the piano.

I do, but not with this keyboard anymore. I‘ve now stumbled across a Yamaha P-45 with sustain pedal, stool and stand for 350€ on eBay. Of course its a few years old, but seems to be in a good condition.

What are your opinions on the E-Piano itself and the price?

I‘m just not sure if I have time to play a lot in the near future, but if its a good deal I might still take it before somebody else does.

Thank you!!!

1 Comment
2024/03/21
09:02 UTC

1

Help me make a choice which piano to buy.

I have recently moved and left my old Piano with my Parents.

I now have a few options to buy myselfe a new Piano but have no Idea which one I should get for my needs.

It should be usable for music production so a MIDI out (preferably USB Midi) is a must. But it should also have a normal Piano feeling to it as all the Midi Masterkeyboards I tried up until now have this weird Synthfeel touch that has literally no resistence where playing normal is basically impossible.

I looked at a few options already like:

-Alesis Prestige

-Thomann SP-5600

-Thomann DP-26

-Korg SP-280

but the reviews dont really help me on deciding. Does anyone have any experience with these? Or any other suggestions on which one I could get for my purposes? My Budget is a maximum of ~550€ but preferably somewhere in the 350-450 range.

0 Comments
2024/03/21
08:14 UTC

1

ravels (haydn) minuet. criticism needed

2 Comments
2024/03/21
06:57 UTC

10

Unpopular Opinion: Digital piano actions are now better than acoustic actions. Discuss!

Before you grab your pitchforks. I own 3 pianos: an acoustic kawai grand with millennium 3 action that just got regulated, a young chang u1 upright also recently regulated, and a digital Kawai ES920 with the RH3 action (though I would say the same for the Grand Feel 3 I tried as well). I am not coming to this conclusion lightly, and I am an "advanced" player. I have ALWAYS believed the OPPOSITE until I was challenged by a complete amateur friend of mine to defend why the grand is a better action.

I could not defend it. Let me explain.

The general consensus among advanced pianists is that one must eventually graduate from a digital piano action to an acoustic. This is for I believe the following reasons:

  1. Acoustic piano actions gives you better control over the dynamic range of the instrument. Easier to play fast pianissimo for example.
  2. Digital damper pedals are too forgiving and will lead to a muddy sound on an acoustic piano.
  3. They can repeat faster for things like trills, mordants, and single note repeat sustain (on grands).

Well all 3 of these reasons really fall apart when you have a quality digital action with a very high quality modeling software like PianoTEQ 8 on my ES920. Let's address how these 3 points went in my argument against my friend.

  1. We basically increased the dynamic range width on Pianoteq and sure enough got it so that fortissimo was as loud on the digital as my grand and the pianissimo was as quiet and it was indeed FAR easier to repeat a quiet pianissimo on the kawai. The action was just super tight and light. The sensors had no issue and I guess it made sense, it was just a software limitation before. Digital

  2. The damper pedal unit on my ES920 can do continuous damping and half-damping. We bumped up the resonance and sustain times in pianoteq and it was LONGER resonance than my grand even. Sure enough the pedaling was tight and really made it obvious if you overpedaled on the digital. I couldn't show my friend A SINGLE pedal technique that I couldn't convincingly mimc on the digital.

  3. This one is where the digital pulled ahead. The upright was completely useless here as expected, but the ES920 perfectly handled everything. Not one thing was better on the grand when you are only comparing note speed ease, frankly everything.

So I guess what I want to discuss is how is a grand action better than a digital? If the actual mechanics of learning and playing the piano are better and more reliable on a digital. Why recommend it still to students? Like the grand feel 3 action for example is definitely closer to a grand than an upright is to a grand. I don't know why an upright would ever be recommended to a student frankly.

One important thing I don't want anyone to say is that acoustic is better because you're expected to perform on an acoustic. This is just an admission that a digital action is better. We have to actually argue the merit of the action itself.

The goal of the action is to give the player the best control over the music. I can't see how my digital isn't better at this.

Thoughts?

159 Comments
2024/03/21
05:19 UTC

5

I have a recital on Sunday and I am more than nervous.

It's been really hard for me to sleep recently because all I can think about is this recital. Even during our practice recital I was shaking uncontrollably and sweating alot. I don't know If I can handle the recital.

5 Comments
2024/03/21
05:09 UTC

7

Twitch's Hidden Gem

0 Comments
2024/03/21
04:30 UTC

14

Am I cooked

I’m doing a state wide piano competition, playing Beethoven sonata 5 and Schumann Abegg variations. I looked at the roster today (I’m in the highest division) and someone is playing Haydn Eb maj sonata and Liszt Mephisto waltz. Obviously my fear here is the Liszt and it seems like I have no shot at moving on to the next round. Is my rep too easy??

17 Comments
2024/03/21
04:13 UTC

1

Replace pedal box felt?

Hiya,

I have an upright kawaii from mid 90s, and the felt around the pedals has worn out. Sustain pedal is rubbing against the wood and squeaking.

Would love to repair myself, but not actually sure how to remove the pedal, and if that’s necessary? And, whether I need to replicate the same thickness of the felt, and what kind of adhesive to use for the felt?

Any advice or books/guides/other resources would be helpful. Coming up surprisingly dry in searching online.

Thanks!

0 Comments
2024/03/21
02:46 UTC

1

Pedal capable of half-sustain for the Roland FP-30X? (I have the DP-10 pedal)

The DP-10 is not capable of half-sustain, it an "either on or off" pedal, i.e. either full sustain or zero.

Do half-sustain pedals exist for digital pianos ? Or that's not really a thing because it's not a real acoustic piano?

Thank you

0 Comments
2024/03/21
02:04 UTC

2

Elgar - Andantino

1 Comment
2024/03/21
01:58 UTC

1

Stand to buy with Casio CT S1

I am looking for a stand that won't stick out too much depth wise for my cassio ct s1. The one I originally bought sticks out by about 15cm, the reason I chose this keyboard is to fit in a small space, I don't want it taking up more room than it has to.

I have searched extensively online and I can't find any stands shallow enough for what I am looking for - does anyone have any suggestions. The keyboard is 25.8cm deep so ideally looking for a stand that is no more than 35cm ish.

0 Comments
2024/03/20
23:22 UTC

32

How do you call the chord made of A, C and F key ?

How do you call the piano chord made of A (la), C (do) and F (fa) key ? I feel like it's a variation of Am, but I don't know how we call it. Any idea ? Thanks in advance for your help, it's really appreciated:)

https://preview.redd.it/07lqe0jmokpc1.jpg?width=667&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f8554d3029df82da1da32550f55d4b3e0dfe025c

65 Comments
2024/03/20
23:20 UTC

0

Optimizing time practicing

I have limited time to play the piano and I have just 1 hour and 30 mins to play. I want to make the most out of it.

I started playing when I was 18 and stopped at 23. Now almost a decade later, I am back to the piano in my early 30s.

I was doing okay learning slow pieces, but had trouble with fast thirds, trills and just speed (playing anything above 120).

When I got back to the piano, around 3 months ago, I decided to play pieces I had attempted before but never finished the hard parts or played them at all. I practiced around 3 hours a day for nearly 3 months. I don't feel i got worse and I decided to challenge the speed problem by making the touch lighter and that worked.

I learned: Liebestraum 3, Chopin op.10 etude 12, Un sospiro, Petrarca 104, and chopin nocturne 62 2.

Liebestraum and etude 10 12 are to a very good standard, nice speed and sound. I have to finish un sospiro, petrarca 104 needs more practice to firm it well and do cadenzas better, and chopin nocturne needs a little more practice as well, even to avoid mistakes that are common for me in the more agitated part.

I started chopin op. 10 etude 4 as well for better technique, but the fingering is not that comfortable. On measures 39,40 it hurts my left hand to position so high up on the keyboard and spread thumb and index fingers. Anyone got tips about this? I just play 2 pages and started the 3rd a week ago, but also is very slow. I don't know how long it will take to learn this.

And how to organize this study to learn these pieces? Right now I play Chopin 10 12, Liebestraum 2-3 times every day, Petrarca and 62 2 3 times. Then start chopin 10 4. I also do about 20 mins of exercises before I start.

I don't have a teacher. How to work on multiple pieces, improve the ones that are memorized and need to be improved over time, but also spread the time into warm up practice and learning new pieces?

2 Comments
2024/03/20
23:00 UTC

0

My liebeslied

I haven't finished the 3rd movement for my 3rd piano sonata yet, but I've recently composed this love song, i hope you like it

0 Comments
2024/03/20
22:55 UTC

1

Yamaha YC88 vs Roland RD2000

I'm thinking of getting a stage piano in this price range. I've looked at lots of alternatives including the Kawai mp11se and mp7se but are probably too heavy in weight. The nords are just too expensive so I've landed between these two.

So my question is from your perspective if you had to choose between the yamaha yc88 vs the Roland Rd2000. Which would you choose.

Thanks

2 Comments
2024/03/20
22:32 UTC

2

Where do start/continue with the piano?

I think i was 10 when i begged my sister for a piano (i got a keyboard), the only song I learnt and memorized was the Fur elise because i didn’t know i had to read music sheets😭 I stopped playing it and recently picked it up again. I’ve been learning to read music sheets on duolingo, which has been a lot of help. I just want to know how do I practice? Where do i get music sheets to learn? and any tips? I also want to buy a new keyboard that’s is cheap and sounds like a piano, any recommendations for a keyboard would be amazing:)

5 Comments
2024/03/20
21:28 UTC

3

Is TakeLessons still good?

I took piano lessons for a little over a year during the peak pandemic years but had to stop due to financial strains. It's been a couple years since I practiced consistently now and I'm ready to explore options again.

At the time when I was doing research I was pointed towards TakeLessons to find an instructor but when I get on there now there doesn't seem to be any in my area now. Is there a better or more prominent platform now or does my area just suddenly lack instructors?

I know the guidance is an in-person instructor is preferred to online, and after having done it I can see why, but I'm even entertaining online options just to give myself a reason to practice again.

1 Comment
2024/03/20
21:26 UTC

1

Clavinova CVP-103 Demo

Hey guys! This question goes out to anyone who still has their hands on a Clavinova CVP-103 (although I know that at least the 105 and 201 are the same in this case).

I was recently reminiscing over a bunch of things I did during my childhood, and came across old pictures with this model of clavinova, which I no longer have. I remember just how many times I listened to all of the demo songs it had, and would love to be able to hear them again. After searching extensively, I was only able to find internet recordings of around 5 of them out of the 30 or so.

If anyone still has one and has access to recordings or MIDI files of these songs, I'd love to get my hands on them. Thanks so much guys!

0 Comments
2024/03/20
20:31 UTC

2

My piano won’t stop buzzing

I have a Yamaha piano that I’ve had for a while now. Whenever I plug it in and switch it on its starts to buzz and it sounds like a cruise ship horn. Nothing is working like volume, buttons and keys. Please help me. I have opened it up to see what the issue was but there was nothing wrong. If anyone can please help it would be appreciated! Thanks.

1 Comment
2024/03/20
20:17 UTC

5

How hard is liszt's reminiscences de norma compared to chopins 1st ballade

I've recently just finished chopins ballade in g minor and im just wondering if starting to learn reminiscences de norma is achievable

7 Comments
2024/03/20
19:25 UTC

1

Any tips for the Leggiero section of Rach op 32/5? I can’t seem to get the polyrhythm to sound clean.

0 Comments
2024/03/20
19:09 UTC

1

Yamaha PRS-E373 good or bad?

Im a violin player thats starting to learn piano and need something not too expensive but still good quality that can be used somewhat long term and not have to buy something better after 6 months of progress. I have done some research and have so far been eying the Yamaha PRS-E373, are there any options you think are better that are in the same price range?

Thanks alot!

0 Comments
2024/03/20
19:00 UTC

1

Advice on silentsystem needed!!

Some of you might have seen my post before. I am planning on buying a yamaha G2. Everything looks and feels great and you all have given me wonderful advice, so here I am asking advice again!!

I want to build in a silent system in the new yamaha. The seller where I am buying the piano doesn’t build in silent systems, they find it too risky since they don’t have technicians that do it often enough for them to trust themselves to get a proper product. I found a way smaller store with a really nice man who is willing to build it in for €2500-.

Now I am doubting that he will build it in properly because a way bigger store with a lot of reputation isn’t willing to do it. Does anyone have any experience with this?

You can look at my previous post if you want to see the piano in question 😊. Thank you for reading and giving advice!!

Sorry for my bad English…

5 Comments
2024/03/20
18:41 UTC

1

DREAMS OF YOU

The first 10 notes on this piece are all played in order on the white notes in fact it starts on G and goes down to E. my 7 year old grandson can play this part really well. The rest isn’t too difficult either as I don’t consider myself a great piano player just a writer of tunes.

0 Comments
2024/03/20
18:19 UTC

21

Dreams of You

0 Comments
2024/03/20
18:02 UTC

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