I'm a Gizmodo by all definitions. I love electronics, gadgets, and gizmos. If you ever lose me in a shopping mall or department store, you'll likely find me in the electronics section perusing the latest tech goodness. I love knowing (and having if I can afford it) all about the latest tech and how it keeps expanding into new territories. But there is one area that I don't like technology entering and that is the world of musical instruments. I'm old school when it comes to my musical instruments. My piano technician doesn't use any special equipment to tune the piano, it's all done by ear with the help of a tuning fork. As for performances, I always prefer to use an acoustic piano (even if it's out of tune) over a digital one. So, it's a bit odd for me trying to research and figure out what digital piano I want to pick up.
I'm definitely not going back on my viewpoint that acoustic is better, but in some scenarios, digital just makes sense. It's great that they don't have to be tuned (it gets quite expensive), they are portable, and it's easy to record music from them. That's the main reason why I want to pick up a digital piano, to record from it. I don't think I could or ever would replace my acoustic instruments for digital ones. Even with all the pain and hassles they come with, there is something special in the sound and music that acoustic instruments create. I've always thought that fifty percent of performing well came from the instrument you use. I've heard great performances on poor instruments and poor instruments on great performances. And in both instances I could tell the quality of the performer as well as the instrument. Both matter greatly, which is something people tend to forget.
As I shop around online and at various music stores, I wonder if the age of acoustic instruments is coming to a close, or at least no longer the majority. They said that the Internet wouldn't kill other media outlets like newspapers, yet more and more newspapers are going to an online format only. eBooks are all over the place with the local Borders even selling a wide selection of them rather than bringing in paperbacks. And who thought that your entire music collection would be stored on some hard drive rather than proudly displayed on a shelf. I for one will always hold onto my acoustic roots. Even if it drives me nuts when a key starts to click or some of the keys get out of tune, that's what makes it my instrument and my music.
