by Answerbag Staff on February 8th, 2010

Answerbag Staff

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What is an electric piano?

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  • by Quinten Metatron Plummer on February 8th, 2010

    Answerbag Experts

    Great Answer

    Professionally Researched. (What's this?)

    An electric piano is a variation to the standard, acoustic piano. The difference is: electric pianos use pickups to amplify the acoustic tones of "struck" or "plucked" element creates.

    Significance

    The electric piano is an important piece in evolution of the piano, facilitating the eventual invention of the synthesizer.

    History

    The electric piano was invented in 1867 by a telegraph factory director in Switzerland, simply known as Hipps. The piano used electromagnets to convert sound to electricity and dynamos to convert the electricity to sound.

    Types

    Electric piano manufacturers use various sources to generate acoustic tones, when struck or plucked by the piano's hammers and convert them into electricity. The most common types of sources are steel reeds, tuning forks and traditional strings.

    Misconceptions

    Electric pianos and electronic keyboards are not the same instrument. The difference between electric pianos and electric keyboards is: Electric pianos amplify acoustic sounds, while electric keyboards imitate them.

    Benefits

    The electricity is the main draw of electric pianos. You plug them directly into sound equipment and you can also tweak the electric sound--everything from volume and tone to sustain and decay.

    Source:

    SynthMuseum: Timeline - History of the Synthesizer

    KeyboardCollective: Buying a Piano or Keyboard

    AlphaBeck: Simon's Hall of Electric Pianos

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