How is a stage piano constructed?
Keyboard
The weighting and functionality of the piano keyboard play an important role in the playing experience and denote the boundary between stage pianos and keyboards.
Real pianos and grand pianos are fitted with a hammer mechanism, where a hammer strikes a piano string and produces a sound when a key is pressed. This results in the unique playing experience that manufacturers of digital pianos have been seeking to emulate for decades.
Different techniques are used depending on the price class and manufacturer. Less expensive stage pianos typically work with weighted keys, while keyboards and synthesizers often feature only lightly weighted keys. Flagship stage pianos sometimes use space-saving plastic parts to recreate the hammer mechanism, enabling a highly realistic playing experience.
Entry-level models typically feature plastic keys, while more exp6ensive stage pianos are fitted with wooden or synthetic ivory keys to enhance the playing experience. The number of keys used for stage pianos can vary depending on requirements. For live performances, 73 keys are often preferred over the standard 88, making the stage piano significantly lighter and more portable.
Operation
To perform well in hectic live environments, stage pianos require an intuitive control interface that allows sounds to be changed and edited quickly. Manufacturers use different concepts to achieve this, ranging from large (touch) displays to designs that substitute screens for buttons and sliders.
Sound
Most stage pianos are equipped with piano samples, while just a few use modelling technology. These samples typically include sounds from traditional pianos, grand pianos, and electronic pianos such as the Fender Rhodes or Wurlitzer 200. However, depending on the model and price class, some stage pianos also offer harpsichord, stringed instrument, organ, and even synthesizer sounds, plus effects such as reverb, delay, or chorus.
Polyphony
The polyphony describes how many notes a stage piano can produce simultaneously. A polyphony of 128 or more voices is now considered standard among entry-level models.
Accessories and connections
Stage pianos typically come with a simple sustain pedal that allows played sounds to resonate for longer. However, many stage pianos offer connections for additional pedals. For example, an expression pedal can help to control an organ's volume. Triple pedals featuring soft, sostenuto, and sustain functions, as encountered with traditional pianos, are often also available for stage pianos.
As a larger system is typically used for bands performing on stage, stage pianos usually feature line-out jacks allowing connection to a mixing desk. Stage pianos also feature headphone connections for silent practice and typically an audio-in port for connecting external sound sources. Digital connections such as USB or MIDI are now standard features, enabling firmware updates and allowing the stage piano to be used as a master keyboard.
What stage pianos are available? What stage piano brands are available?
There are stage pianos that focus primarily on piano sounds. For example, Casio ,Thomann, and Roland offer a wide range of fabulous instruments crafted to compact dimensions and featuring high-quality keyboards.
Other models emphasise additional sounds, such as organ and synthesizer sounds, and offer an extensive range of functions approximating those of a "keyboard". Clavia, with its Nord Electro stage piano and flagship Nord Stage 3 model, set the tone here. However, manufacturers such as Yamaha and Korg also produce versatile all-round stage pianos, which offer an extensive sound range suitable for any music genre, rendering additional keyboards practically superfluous.
)
)