Electric vs Acoustic Piano
  • JKWJKW
    Posts: 54
    Friends, our parish is considering replacing an old electric keyboard used for leading music at most Masses. (We do have a new AGO standard Allen organ already). I am a purist at heart and in a perfect world would choose an acoustic piano every single day. However, I understand that acoustic instruments are more affected by temperature and humidity, so I am considering an electric keyboard. I am not really sure which is worse - an out-of-tune piano or artificially generated sound. Thoughts? Experience? Perspective?

    My gut tells me that despite any extra expense or "inconvenience" an acoustic instrument still moves more toward elevating Liturgical music at Mass...
  • trentonjconn
    Posts: 772
    This may sound sarcastic but it's a genuine question; could you simply not replace it and just use the Allen?
    Thanked by 3Chant_Supremacist M. Jackson Osborn DavidOLGC
  • JKWJKW
    Posts: 54
    @trentonjconn How I wish! How I wish! Unfortunately we have a severe lack of trained organists, so this is not possible with our current music volunteers...meaning that if we don't have a piano of some kind, the quality of music would take a significant hit.
  • GambaGamba
    Posts: 641
    I agree with Trenton on this Memorial of Pp. Pius X….. Leave the keyboard to die. If you put money into a piano, whether digital or acoustic, there will be incentive to keep and use it for a good long time. And as long as there’s a piano around, there’s one more reason to keep doing contemporary/piano-based music.

    The discrepancy between “good-sounding organ” and “junky old keyboard” will already be working in your favour.

    When the keyboard eventually expires, you can use the organ alone “for a while” and see how the lay of the land is.

    Put the $ you would spend on a new instrument into a paid organist, or lessons for the volunteers.
    Thanked by 4Chant_Supremacist CHGiffen trentonjconn GregoryWeber
  • Liam
    Posts: 5,464
    "Put the $ you would spend on a new instrument into a paid organist, or lessons for the volunteers."

    This. It's better stewardship.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • JKWJKW
    Posts: 54
    My heart longs for the ideals, and as the new music coordinator I am certainly taking steps towards what the Church asks of us liturgically. However, the complexities of our parish situation will not be resolved without much patience and competent leadership on many levels...likely many years of work to come, with small steps along the way.

    This being said, I do appreciate the challenge to consider "phasing out" the keyboard... I will ponder this.
  • Xopheros
    Posts: 71
    A benefit of an electric keyboard is that it can simulate other instruments than a piano, like, e.g., harpsichord or harp. It can be thus also be used as a workaround for accompanying instruments in trio sonatas or for vocal music with harp. It remains a workaround, though, and the sound quality varies considerably depending on the product.
  • davido
    Posts: 1,150
    Buy a real piano. You can get a new Yamaha for a few thousand dollars.
    Or find a piano retailer near you. They often refurbish older instruments, good as new for tens of thousands less.
    Or get a free or almost free piano. Have a tuner you trust inspect it first. A good tuner may be able to rehome a piano to you from a client.
  • francis
    Posts: 11,175
    If you must get a piano, get a used Kawai for one to $2000… on Facebook market place you can get them for even less than that… I got a Kawaii console for 150 bucks
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,627
    Haywood's compendium has 11 entries for 'piano', 10 of them forbid any liturgical use, and the other allows piano playing to be taught in seminaries
    CONSTITUTIO APOSTOLICA
    DEUS SCIENTIARUM DOMINUS
    SACRA CONGREGATIO DE SEMINARIIS ET STUDIORUM UNIVERSITATIBUS
    ORDINATIONES
    3.— Disciplinae tradendae et examina
    (Const. Apost.. art. 33-34)
    Art. 27
    VIII. — PONTIFICIUM INSTITUTUM MUSICAE SACRAE 
    A) Cantus gregorianus
    2. — Disciplinae auxiliares:
    f) Ars pulsandi organum et « pianoforte » quod complementare dicitur;
    Thanked by 1Chant_Supremacist
  • ServiamScores
    Posts: 3,181
    If you do go the digital route (not recommending it, just commenting so that you can make the best of the situation) be sure to check out the hybrid Kawai’s. They have nice actions, and some of them even have moving sound boards which increase the realism of tonal projection quite a bit. They have electromagnetic actuators on the wooden soundboards and their sonic presence blows the average clavinova out of the water.

    https://kawaius.com/product/novus-nv5s/
    Thanked by 1Abbysmum
  • AbbysmumAbbysmum
    Posts: 105
    I was also going to suggest a hybrid piano. I had a Yamaha one years ago when they were brand new. This was about 1999-2000. I lived in an apartment, and it was my primary practice instrument, and I quite liked it. It felt much closer to an acoustic piano than a digital piano, but with the versatility of the digital. I think mine only made the piano sound, but the sampling was outstanding. It sounded great for a non-acoustic instrument! It had an output jack, so you could integrate it into the sound system or some external amps if you needed.

    The only reason I got rid of it was because I bought a house and was able to take my childhood acoustic with me at that time. I sold the hybrid to a student, who played it for many years.

    Their price point is similar to a low-end acoustic.
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen CharlesW
  • PaxMelodious
    Posts: 469
    Do you use electric lighting to let the priest and people see the words printed in the electronically-printed lectionary and missal?

    If you only use candles, then sure, stick to acoustic instruments.

    Otherwise consider the real ministry need, and what you are trying to achieve.
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