Digital Piano Reviews & News by Tim Praskins - The #1 place for expert information and info on LOWEST PRICES!
UPDATED: June 24, 2014 - Welcome to AZ Piano News, your #1 source for digital piano reviews, news, shopping & buying tips, and other useful information. My name is Tim Praskins and I established this piano news blog in 2009 as a way to provide my 40 years of piano expertise & experience to the public. I review and talk about digital and acoustic pianos, piano and keyboard lessons, and help piano shoppers around the world in deciding what digital piano would be best for them. I am a well known international digital piano consultant to teachers, schools, churches, studios, families, and beginner through advanced piano students. I teach a number of different instruments in my music studio and am a pro musician who plays acoustic grand & upright pianos, digital pianos, pro keyboards, synthesizers, church & jazz organs, and guitars of all types. I know more about digital pianos and how they compare to each other and to acoustic pianos (I have actually played the ones I talk about and review) than most people in the world and I started playing them when they first came out decades ago. I have continued to play and teach on them professionally and have direct hands-on experience with high end and low end digital pianos so that I can advise people on what to look for and stay away from. There are also "inside tips" that I know about (which others do not) in helping you make a good buying decision.
Erik Praskins
My son Erik who is in his 30's, is quite musical (plays piano, guitar, drums) and has learned about digital pianos through the years from me and his own personal experience. He works with me in my studio and is very knowledgeable with digital pianos (like Father, like son) and is definitely capable of helping you with your questions too. I also have three daughters, two of whom are accomplished local piano teachers & musicians and the other an accomplished flute player. They are independent from me and do not work in my studio. So there is lots of music in my family and always has been. My son Erik & I will give you helpful advice for FREE (free email and/or phone consultations - phone for US residents only) because we love music and want people to experience it on a good piano that works well and sounds great. Playing & teaching music is the most important thing in my life just behind my commitment to God, family, friends, and helping others achieve the satisfaction & personal expression that I have had and continue to have with music!
The following is a brief overview of what you can expect from my in-depth detailed piano blog and reviews:
Digital Piano Reviews
I do not have a store, warehouse, or shopping cart for selling pianos and I don't link to Amazon or Ebay to get you to buy pianos (like so many others do). My goal is to focus on giving out real, organic piano buying advice from my teaching studios to people all over the world. All of my digital piano reviews are completely unique, unfiltered, organic, and updated regularly. The information I provide is done through my own personal experience & research and playing the pianos I talk about. I am not paid, persuaded, or endorsed by any piano company on how I review pianos and other instruments which allows me the freedom to say what I really think...unlike most others who say nice things about everything (regardless of how they really are) just to link you to internet buying sites. I will tell you if a piano is a Best Buy, Recommended, Not Recommended, etc. My goal (as well as my son Erik) is to share with you what we know about digital (and acoustic) pianos, piano lesson programs, educational features of digital pianos, iPad apps, and computer software, and ways to shop that will help you make the right buying decision and save you money in the process! Many of the top name brands I review include Roland, Kawai, Casio, Yamaha, Samick, Korg, and Kurzweil just to name a few. I also review off-brands such as Suzuki, Williams, Adagio, Artesia, and others that are found at Costco and large local consumer or music stores, or on-line stores in various places.
WARNING - Please Read This!
It's good to be aware that there are some digital piano review sites on-line which are either out of date, show discontinued models as the newest models, give high marks to some bad digital pianos and those "reviewers" have not actually played those pianos, or the pianos are reviewed by people that absolutely do not know what they are talking about (they pretend to know things) in my opinion...and I see it all the time. There are even some review sites that give "rankings" and "scores" for digital pianos, as if you could actually do that. There can be no such thing as a objective score or ranking given to a specific digital piano because they all vary in so many ways and have different prices and are made for different purposes. Digital pianos are either (overall) good or bad.
If you see anything like that then we encourage you to STAY AWAY from those reviews as they are likely done just to get you to purchase them on Amazon and other web sites that pay those so-called reviewers a "commission." If you see Amazon or eBay buying links on those review sites, then that is a BIG RED FLAG and you should be careful! Making money by selling pianos is one thing, but recommending vastly inferior pianos or telling people things that just are not true on pianos they have never played so they can make money, is quite another thing! Those people really don't care about you, they just care about the money. Be careful out there and be sure you contact us first before making a buying decision and we'll give you the advice you need, and we do not charge for that advice. It is a labor of love and after nearly 40 years of working around and playing digital (and acoustic) pianos for a living, and seeing two of my children become accomplished piano teachers and musicians, I still love it:).
What is a Digital Piano?
A digital piano is generally thought of as having an 88-key piano keyboard with piano weighted keys that move up and down like an acoustic piano. Digital pianos can also be referred to as an electric piano although the term digital piano is the world-wide accepted description. This instrument can be lightweight and portable, stationary with built-in internal speakers, having no speakers, having an upright piano shape, grand piano shape, or smaller compact piano shape, as well as being a hybrid version with a combination of acoustic and digital piano features.
Digital Keyboards
A keyboard is missing one or more of those digital piano elements. It may sound like an acoustic piano, but not feel like one (unweighted or semi-weighted keys). It may feel like an acoustic piano but not sound like one, or it may feel, sound, and operate like a digital piano but not have 88 black and white keys (maybe just 49, 61, or 76). Please go to the following link to learn more about the differences between digital pianos and digital keyboards: Digital Keyboard vs Digital Piano - What's the difference?
Why Choose a Digital Piano vs. Acoustic Piano?
Choosing between a digital piano and traditional acoustic piano can be a bit confusing because there are different opinions out there depending on what a person's musical experience is. A piano teacher you talk with may have a different opinion than another experienced piano teacher. A piano store salesperson may differ with a general music store salesperson, whereas a professional musician may agree or disagree with all of them. So it really just depends upon your musical goals, skill level, budget, and expectations when it comes to playing piano for yourself and/or for your children. I happen to like both acoustic and digital pianos but I am more fond of digital pianos when it comes to overall music learning and piano playing pleasure. However, playing on a top quality real acoustic grand piano is a fabulous experience especially if that grand piano is a Steinway, Yamaha, Kawai, Bosendorfer, Boston, Essex, or any fine grand piano. However unlike digital pianos, you cannot plug in headphones to a regular acoustic piano for private practice, you need to regularly tune an acoustic piano, and you are limited to just one single piano sound as opposed to a variety of great piano sounds and features that good digital pianos have these days. Go here for more info on differences between an acoustic and digital piano: Digital Piano or Acoustic Piano - What should you buy?
Which Digital Piano Should I Buy?
Everyone has different goals when purchasing a digital piano which is based on your experience, how you intend to use it, budget factors, and many other reasons. We openly encourage all readers of this blog who are considering buying a digital piano to contact us first. We can help you get the lowest price on the new digital piano the best fits your needs and your budget no matter what it is. Check out our shopping tips article at the following link Shopping Tips. You can also email us directly, or call us if you live in the US. Again, welcome to...
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*for a list of ALL my piano reviews. go here: Search All Models
If you want more info on new digital pianos and lower prices than internet discounts, please email me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864.
* I recommend eMedia educational software. If you decide to make a purchase after clicking on link below, I have arranged a big discount for you direct with eMedia for their educational software and that discount price is displayed through this link only! I want to see everyone learn to play and enjoy piano!