Digital Piano Terminology
There are a lot of unfamiliar terms when it comes to new technology, and digital pianos are no exception!
Action
The simulated feel of the keys, as if the felt hammers of an acoustic piano were striking the strings
Audio-in jacks
These jacks allow you to play along with a tape- or CD-player. It is best to use a player that has its own output level control, because the volume and tone controls usually do not affect the signal comes from the audio-in jacks.
Audio-out jacks
There is one set of audio-out jacks. They are used to boost the sound levels coming from the piano by hooking them to external amplifiers and speaker systems. They can also be used to hook up to sound systems or PA systems in schools or churches.
Auto accompaniment
This section works in conjunction with the "styles" function on a digital ensemble piano in order to provide you with fully-orchestrated accompaniments when you play chords.
Auto Set-up (Auto Play)
When Auto Set-up is enabled, the keyboard automatically selects appropriate sounds and other parameters (such as effect settings) for style selections. This gives the novice player a jumping-off point to see what sounds would go with a particular style chosen.
Break
If you press this button while a style is playing, a blank fill (or silence) is immediately sustained until the end of the current measure, then the rhythm section returns to the style that was playing.
Brilliance
This is usually a slide control effect to allow the player to adjust the treble and bass parameters as desired. This will brighten or mellow the sound that is currently being played.
Demo
This button gives one or more examples of a given sound, rhythm, or style pattern. For most keyboards, simply select what you would like to hear demonstrated, then push the demo button.
Digital sound
Your performance is reproduced by a sound module as it reads digital data so, unlike a recorded tape, the sound never deteriorates no matter how many times you play back your performance
Display
Usually an LCD (liquid crystal display) screen; the display is on a screen that is either built into the digital piano or connected externally to show you the current sound settings, tempo/rhythm settings, and effects. By having the LCD information center and the buttons around it, you can keep track of everything that is going on while you are playing the instrument.
Effects
This button allows you to select one of the many types of timbres (sound colors) that affect the overall sound. Some of these types are:
- Chorus: the effect of two or more of the same instrument playing together
- Rotary: similar to the tremolo effect provided by a rotary organ speaker
- Echo: a sustaining and/or gradual fading-out of a sound
Fade In/Out
If you press this button while a style is running, the sound smoothly fades out. The style keeps playing silently so when you press this button again, the sound fades back in to the original volume level.
Fill
Press the fill button while a style is playing and a different rhythmic pattern is immediately played until the end of the current measure; then the original style returns. This function should be used at the end of a phrase, or when going into a different variation of background sounds.
Floppy disk drive
The floppy disk drive is a high-density, 3.5" disk drive that allows you to save information onto disks for storage, just like on a computer. These disks can be stored for an indefinite period of time (providing they're not exposed to the elements or corrupted). Floppy disks can also be used to load information in order to play songs or styles that may not be available on your digital piano.
Hammer action
A hammer on an acoustic piano is the tool which, when a key is depressed, strikes the strings inside the piano in order to make a tone. On a digital piano, the feeling of the hammer striking the strings is replicated to make the keys feel more like a real acoustic piano. Hammer action is used to make playing the digital feel more realistic to the advanced player, and to help beginning players develop the muscles in the fingers.
Hard reset
The hard reset button sets all of the sounds and features back to the original factory settings. Be very sure that this is what you want to do, because it will erase everything that you have changed and stored in memory.
Joystick port
This is a connection point in the back of the computer that allows you to connect any digital piano or keyboard to the computer, with the proper cables.
Key start
This button allows you to begin recording as soon as you press any key. This frees up your hands when recording, rather than having to press record and then move your hands to the keyboard.
Key touch
The key touch button allows you to set different response levels of the digital piano or keyboard. In other words, you can adjust the sensitivity of the touch of the keys, or how the dynamics of the sounds respond to key velocity.
Layering
This means a key plays any two sounds (as selected by the performer) simultaneously, allowing a very rich variety of sounds to be created spontaneously, above and beyond the single instrument sound selected.
Left split
This button allows you to split the keyboard into two parts. When you play the keyboard, your right hand plays one sound and your left hand plays another, which gives the impression of two performers instead of just one.
Loop
In the loop record mode, you can record in a continuous loop. This track repeats indefinitely, and each time it repeats, what you play on the keyboard is added to what was already there. This is a common way to record percussion parts.
Menu
The menu button allows you to selected a multitude of different sound and rhythm choices within each particular sound group, as opposed to just hearing and playing the first sound (default) in each sound group. The menu button also allows the user to choose which function of the keyboard the user would like to utilize, such as recording, sampling, layering, and even educational software (if available).
MIDI
An abbreviation of "Musical Instrument Digital Interface," MIDI is an international specification that allows electronic musical instruments to communicate with each other. There are usually three MIDI ports (connection points) located on the back of most electronic pianos. They are:
- IN: Receives MIDI information from other equipment
- THRU: Duplicates the MIDI information received by IN and passes it to other equipment
- OUT: Sends MIDI information to other equipment
This is used especially for connecting to a computer for writing music with appropriate software. It is also used so that two keyboards may be connected to play together simultaneously.
Non-weighted action
This key action is where there is no weight (no "hammer hitting strings" feel) to the keys at all. This is found on all portable keyboards as well as all organs.
Panel set
These are memory locations, each of which allows you to store the musical settings of the front panel controls for recall at the touch of a button. This lets you save your favorite combinations of sounds and styles, or settings that you use frequently for playing or recording.
Polyphony
This is the term for the number of notes the digital instrument will play simultaneously as the pianist is playing. This "window of notes" moves along as the notes are entered. Most electronic pianos have a 32-note polyphony capability. However, higher-end models boast polyphonic capabilities of up to 128 notes. The higher the polyphony, the more runs and arpeggios can be played without losing any pitches that were started at the beginning of the "window."
Punch in
This allows you to switch into recording mode while a track is playing back. What is recorded replaces the part of the track that was there before. You can then
punch out after finishing the newly-recorded section. This is a great way to correct part of a track without having to re-record the entire track.
Reverb
Reverb, short for reverberation, occurs naturally when sound reflects off the walls of an enclosed space. These reflections blend together into a "wash" of sound that adds warmth and ambiance to music. General choices are Room, Stage, Hall, and Symphony.
Ribbon controller
This may also be called the pitch bender. As its name indicates, it allows you to bend the pitch of notes being played, allowing for whammy-bar and slide-trombone effects, among others. This function first came out in the form of a wheel you turned up or down; now, some of the latest models have it out in the form of a ribbon controller where you simply touch or slide your finger to create the bending effect, making it more realistic in sound and feel.
Quantize
This changes the timing of notes in a track so that they align precisely with the beats or specific fractions of beats in previously-recorded tracks. In other words, if you're a bit late playing a note or two while recording, quantization corrects the error.
Sequencer (recorder)
A sequencer records your performance in a similar way to a tape recorder. However, the wonderful difference is that a sequencer will allow you to record up to 16 different times on the same song. Each recording is stored on a track, and you are able to listen to the previously recorded tracks while adding more sounds to the other tracks. This feature enables you to build up a complex arrangement with several different parts playing together, like an orchestral score.
After recording, you can go in and edit your recorded performance (see
punch in). Unlike a tape recorder, you can change the sound or tempo during playback without affecting the pitch or key of the instrument. All the data of your recorded performances can be stored on a floppy disk for easier storage without the chance of wearing out a cassette tape.
Semi-weighted action
This term describes the feel of keys between non-weighted and weighted hammer action. While the feel is more realistic than the non-weighted action, it is not the "true" feel found on the weighted hammer actions. However, this makes for a great step-up digital piano from a portable keyboard.
Soft buttons
These are usually marked buttons just below or to the side of the LCD screen. While these buttons are not usually soft to the feel, they serve as a way to select objects or functions, depending on what is shown in the display. The soft buttons have three general functions: causing an action, choosing a value, or activating a field.
Soft reset
Should you find yourself in a situation where you are unsure of which controls are set which way, you can press some specific buttons (different with each manufacturer) which will reset back to when you first started. This is the same as turning the instrument off and back on again.
Song chain
Similar to a demo button, the song chain will play all songs that you have recorded or loaded from a disk, one right after the other. This allows you to demo your recorded or loaded songs and is a fast way to save all your recorded songs onto a disk.
Split point
The point on the keyboard where the left sound and right sound meet, the split point is also used when playing the auto-accompaniment feature so that you can play chords in left hand and solo sounds in the right hand.
Styles
These are built-in musical background (or accompaniment) tracks that can be used as a sophisticated metronome to play along with, or for fully orchestrated accompaniment with drums, bass, and other background parts.
Tap tempo
This feature allows you to either tap a specific button or use the keys to adjust the tempo. In this way, the time between key presses is measured so that you can set the exact tempo that you want without having to guess at the beats per minute.
Touch sensitivity
This is how the keys respond to a player's touch. This can be set in various levels from lightest, for the young, undeveloped hands or timid player, to the hardest, for the "Jerry Lee Lewis" player. This does not change the weight or feel of the action, but rather the response to touch.
Tracks
This is the area where recorded information is stored for each song. This allows you to record different sounds at different times for one song. Regular recording is done only on one track. However, the sequencer allows you to record many tracks for one song.
Variation
Each of the styles has a variation (embellished) style available that you select by pressing the
Variation button. This variation style often works well for the second section, or for the chorus, of a song.
Weighted hammer action
This is the feel of the keys that gives you the most accurate feel, as if the hammer (in acoustical pianos) were striking the strings (inside an acoustical piano). Most of the time, the feel will have a gradual weighted-hammer feel so that the lower keys are heavier and gradually lighten as you move up the key register. This is the truest feel that a digital piano can offer, compared to that of an acoustic piano. Found mostly on the higher-end models of digital pianos, weighted hammer action is a must for a serious pianist.
