Disklavier

J,

I'll take a shot at answering a few of your questions.  I have had a 
disklavier for approximately four years.  My first disklavier was a 
DC3IIXG unit (a Mark II disklavier), and I traded that disklavier for a 
DC3A (Mark III) unit about two years ago. 

<Seriously, does the piano have a great value in learning, I mean some 
of the feature for example allow recording one hand then another, does 
this REALLY help in teaching process ?>

When I retired about three years ago I spent my first year with my 
disklavier as my teacher using software entitled "Teach Me Piano" from 
Voyetra http://voyetra.com/site/products/tmp/serieshome.asp.  I 
completed the entire course of 150 lessons in about 14 months and had 
learned to play all 75 of the pieces in the course.  I found that the 
disklavier's ability to play one part while I played another to be of 
considerable help in learning a piece, especially a piece with rhythmic 
complexities (e.g. dotted note rhythms). The Voyetra software will also 
score your performance of the music in this courseware on both pitch 
accuracy (i.e. did you play the right note) and on rhythmic accuracy.  
The former (pitch accuracy) is 100% reliable.  The later (rhythmic 
accuracy) is not reliable for any but the most simple pieces.  In other 
words, once you start playing pieces with a complicated left and right 
hand, it is necessary to simply ignore the rhythmic scoring that the 
software assigns to your playing.  Bottom line: if you are a beginning 
piano student (as I was) then the disklavier with software such as this 
is a very good way to begin learning to play the piano.  However, it is 
no substitute for a good teacher, as I found when I began taking lessons 
about two years ago from a teacher who uses the Suzuki Piano Method.  
I'll be happy to go into greater detail on any of the above if you wish 
to contact me by private e-mail. 

I cannot hear the solenoids on my DC3A  even when I have the piano's 
control unit set to -10 dB (the lowest setting at which the acoustic 
piano can be played). The only time I hear the solenoids in my DC3A is 
when I turn on the silent feature and set the volume so low that no 
sound is coming from the piano.  Even then, the solenoids are barely 
audible.  I would suggest that the disklavier that you have seen and 
heard needs some work done on its solenoids. 

<When a "human" is playing, does having the disklavier hardware install 
affect the piano action (e.g.. DU1a vs U1)>

No, the design of the disklavier is such that the disklavier hardware 
cannot impact the keyboard action in any way. There is absolutely no 
difference between playing a DC3A disklavier and the same C3 
Conservatory Series acoustic piano, and I speak from both an 
understanding of how the disklavier works and from having compared both 
in considerable detail with my own two hands. 

The software available on the web, while abundant in quantity, varies 
enormously in quality.  Much of it  consists of midi files which have 
been sequenced through step entry note methods or music scanning 
methods.  Neither of these methods can approximate well the piano when 
played by a fine pianist.  However, there are some excellent pieces of 
classical music on the web.  You simply have to search form them.  
Again, I can help you privately if you wish to contact me on this.  
Yamaha and others also have some very very nice classical recordings. 

I hope the above helps.

Tom


jgroarke_uk wrote:

>Hey all
>
>This is a great forum, so I want to pose a question to you gurus.
>
>I have a family heirloom piano, its a zender small cottage style and 
>lacks one octave of a full range. I havent yet hit this limit yet but 
>in the next few years probably will (?). Whilst the piano has certain 
>sentimental value (and would never be sold but passed on within the 
>family), I am considering a disklavier (model DU1a upright) for the 
>following reasons.
>
>1. Its new and looks sexy :-)
>
>2. Seriously, does the piano have a great value in learning, I mean 
>some of the feature for example allow recording one hand then 
>another, does this REALLY help in teaching process ?
>
>3. Does the action of the Disklavier (whilst the unit is playing) 
>prove to be invasive of the overal sound quality (I am one of those 
>people with very acute hearing and unfortunately for me can detect 
>all kinds of nuances - one example is on the one unit i have seen so 
>far I am sure I am hear the solenoids whilst the thing is playing ;-)
>
>4. When a "human" is playing, does having the disklavier hardware 
>install affect the piano action (eg. DU1a vs U1)
>
>5. Lastly software - I checkout the Yamaha site and whilst there is a 
>number of software available, not as much as I would have thought 
>from the classical side, example I am a keen Mozart beethoven lover 
>and would like to see some piano concerto. On this line I have seen a 
>number of sites that provide MIDI files for such concertos. Are these 
>as good ? Certainly when I have played these downloaded files through 
>my computer they dont sound too hot, any advice here ? Maybe they 
>sound better on a "proppa" piano.
>
>Sorry for so many questions, and I would appreciate this groups 
>obvious knowledge on any / all points above !
>
>Cheers
>
>J
>
>
>
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>
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