# Doper Pianists? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 28, 2013, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-pianists/651672 "2013-02-28T22:27:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BTEzra04](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9f8e36/32.png) [@BTEzra04](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BTEzra04)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-pianists/651672/21 "2013-03-08T02:27:39Z")
I’ve been playing…holy crap, about 12 years, on-and-off. I’m still at the intermediate level, unfortunately, as college has overtaken most of my time. I’ve posted here before about longing for a keyboard of my own after I get outta school. **sandra\_nz** –thank you for posting that link to River Flows in You. It’s exactly what I needed to hear tonight. I’ve been feeling down, and, well, hearing music that sounds like feelings is always the best. I play too much poppy stuff, but need to get into some good classical things eventually. Andrew Lloyd Weber’s (sp?) “Think of Me,” from Phantom is one of my favorites to play. I can also be found fiddling with some of Sarah McLachlan’s stuff (like [Last Dance](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rg9dGl5Zao)) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-pianists/651672/22 "2013-03-08T03:34:21Z")
I am not a pianist, but I have one I keep in a closet. He’s 12 inches high, and I bring him out to tickle the ivories for guests. I got him after coughing in the middle of my genie request, and he misunderstood what I was asking for. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-pianists/651672/23 "2013-03-08T16:28:20Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > **Misnomer** , I’ll ask my teacher about it. He’s never said anything about it. You currently have a piano teacher and you asked _us_ whether calluses on your thumbs are normal? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-pianists/651672/24 "2013-03-08T16:34:07Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > You currently have a piano teacher and you asked _us_ whether calluses on your thumbs are normal? 😕 Hey, he’s just some guy. You’re THE INTERNET. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-pianists/651672/25 "2013-03-10T14:11:03Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > Hey, he’s just some guy. You’re THE INTERNET. 😃 Fair enough. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-pianists/651672/26 "2013-03-10T19:32:31Z")
Spoke to my teacher about this today, and he didn’t seem to think it was any sort of a thing. As he put it, “There’s lots of things playing the piano can give you, and calluses on the sides of your thumbs are pretty mild.” He also seemed to think it was fairly common, though not necessarily guaranteed like guitar finger calluses are. Meanwhile, a bit of piano humor: Rachmaninoff had [BIG HANDS](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifKKlhYF53w). ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-pianists/651672/27 "2013-03-10T21:04:06Z")
Bought a digital piano a while ago, but haven’t had much chance to play it. I’d love to take lessons eventually. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-pianists/651672/28 "2013-03-10T21:09:52Z")
Loved that video, **LawMonkey**! I need some of those boards! ---
**Author:** ![Nocturne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9fc348/32.png) [@Nocturne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nocturne)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-pianists/651672/29 "2013-03-15T00:59:15Z")
Hi fellow pianist! I took formal lessons for many, many years, working my way up to playing ridiculous things like Chopin and Rachmaninoff. These days I’m a keyboardist in a rock band. My classical playing days are long gone. But I love anything with a keyboard–which is why I own an electric piano/synth, and a melodica, and an accordion, and… ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-pianists/651672/30 "2013-03-15T02:48:26Z")
Accordion, huh? Nothing beats Eugene Hutz’s observation on the accordion in [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHC9sBN8jH8). 😃 I continue to bash my head on The Ecstasy of Gold. Rather want to do Colonel Bogey next. Or concurrently. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-pianists/651672/31 "2013-03-15T02:50:14Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > This is definitely piano related. This is on the outside edge, right next to my nail. It’s a very, very small little callus–sort of like a hangnail, I guess, but not. Seems to arise from striking the edge of the (white) keys with my thumb. If I don’t practice for a few days (or if I get the bright idea to start biting them) they go away and it hurts to practice for a bit. I have this (if I understand what you’re saying); sort of a thickening of the cuticle on the outside edge of my thumbnail. When I feel both sides of my right thumbnail, I can definitely tell the cuticle is thicker on the outside edge (this is not true on my left hand). I’m sure this is from playing on that side of my thumb in a very flat manner. I think on my left hand I play on the thumb much more towards the tip, while my right thumb tends to make impact pretty horizontally starting almost at the knuckle. So, anyway, yeah. I’ve got it too. Maybe. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-pianists/651672/32 "2013-03-15T04:07:36Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > I have this (if I understand what you’re saying); sort of a thickening of the cuticle on the outside edge of my thumbnail. When I feel both sides of my right thumbnail, I can definitely tell the cuticle is thicker on the outside edge (this is not true on my left hand). I’m sure this is from playing on that side of my thumb in a very flat manner. I think on my left hand I play on the thumb much more towards the tip, while my right thumb tends to make impact pretty horizontally starting almost at the knuckle. > So, anyway, yeah. I’ve got it too. Maybe. That’s exactly it–a thickening of the cuticle on the outside edge of the thumbnail. If I bite it off or get lax in practicing for a bit, my cuticle hurts until I grow it back. Perhaps is because I tend to hit the very edge of the (white) keys with my thumb… dunno. I’m not too worried about it, anyway, other than to force myself to stop wanting to bite it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-pianists/651672/33 "2013-03-15T05:53:22Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > I’ve got a Casio CDP-120. It’s not bad as an entry-level, but I’m not sure if I’d recommend it. I’ve been doing this less than a year, and I’m already thinking about upgrading to something that sounds and feels a little bit better. What is your price range? > > **Misnomer** , I’ll ask my teacher about it. He’s never said anything about it. The scuttlebut on some keyboards/musicians message boards is that Casio has REALLY upped their game lately. Especially with the newest Privia series (the PX-150, PX-350, etc.). I have played some of these boards and the action is really quite incredible for a sub $1000 digital piano. Depending on which Privia you choose there will be various shortcomings in either/or/both connectivity (audio and MIDI) and internal sound quality. For me, however, it is all about the action. I care not about how good the factory patches are because I can get great sounding patches from virtual piano/electric piano software like Ivory or Pianoteq. The connectivity doesn’t bug me too much either as you can still get decent audio out–even if it is coming from 1/8 inch headphone jacks. And the MIDI connectivity seems alright–some have USB only, some have only the old (I forget what they’re called) multi-pin, round MIDI jacks. I would prefer to have both, but this is a sacrifice you make to save a bunch of money, and still get high-quality action. I used to never even look at the so-called “cheap, home-user digital pianos” until I realized that for $700 or $800 you can get key action just as good (or sometimes better) than $2000 pro boards. And since I only want a controller to use with virtual instruments, that suits me just fine. My only problem is that I keep checking out the Privias but I’m slow to pull the trigger because I want to get it just right (I don’t have much money) and then as I’m dithering, Casio introduces a new, improved line of boards, and it starts all over again. Right now, I’m considering the Privia PX-150 (about $549) but will consider the next step up (PX-350 @ $749) if I discover that the 150 can’t fully do some of the stuff I need. Read up on them. They’re well worth a look. Who woulda thunk it? A CASIO?!?!? ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-pianists/651672/34 "2013-03-15T07:51:52Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > I used to never even look at the so-called “cheap, home-user digital pianos” until I realized that for $700 or $800 you can get key action just as good (or sometimes better) than $2000 pro boards. And since I only want a controller to use with virtual instruments, that suits me just fine. This is the choice I made a few years back when I got my keyboard. I really wanted a Kurzweil PC-88 - phenomenal weighted action, and a good piano sound. But they were just out of my price range, so I got the StudioLogic SL-880 - the same Fatar weighted keybed as the Kurzweil, but just a MIDI controller (which I used with a cheap hardware synth, or a VSTi). I just upgraded my Ableton Live software to the Suite version and got their Grand Piano software sampler - I thought I had died and gone to heaven, the sound was so good. It really was impressive. And when the sound is that good, the keys feel better, too. Probably due to the audible velocity response being more like a proper grand piano. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-pianists/651672/35 "2013-03-15T13:55:10Z")
Hmmm… this is a whole other thing. **I Love Me** , **si\_blakely** , I have, quite honestly, no idea what you’re talking about so far as connectivity and hardware synths and visties and MIDIs and sweets. Me look music, me plunk keys, me make pretty noise. (Well, sometimes it’s pretty.) Care to enlighten me? ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-pianists/651672/36 "2013-03-15T16:07:40Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > Hmmm… this is a whole other thing. **I Love Me** , **si\_blakely** , I have, quite honestly, no idea what you’re talking about so far as connectivity and hardware synths and visties and MIDIs and sweets. **Me look music, me plunk keys, me make pretty noise**. (Well, sometimes it’s pretty.) Care to enlighten me? If that is what you want to do, don’t start down this road … 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-pianists/651672/37 "2013-03-15T16:33:23Z")
> [@si\_blakely](#): > > I really wanted a Kurzweil PC-88 - phenomenal weighted action, and a good piano sound. I have one of those. 😃 I took out a loan to get it, 15 years ago: I love it, and it’s held up amazingly well. That said, though, I haven’t touched it in a year (since I started renting a Yamaha upright). ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-pianists/651672/38 "2013-03-15T16:58:10Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I am not a pianist, but I have one I keep in a closet. He’s 12 inches high, and I bring him out to tickle the ivories for guests. I got him after coughing in the middle of my genie request, and he misunderstood what I was asking for. 😃 Another pianist here. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-pianists/651672/39 "2013-03-15T17:30:56Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > I have one of those. 😃 I took out a loan to get it, 15 years ago: I love it, and it’s held up amazingly well. That said, though, I haven’t touched it in a year (since I started renting a Yamaha upright). They are wonderfully solid - sheet steel. I disassembled one for our church. It had been dropped and had a few broken keys and buttons. Once I had it in bits, I could move keys from the upper register to replace the broken ones. I got the thing working really well, with only 5 missing keys where no-one will miss them (except maybe Rachmaninoff). ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-pianists/651672/40 "2013-03-15T18:58:49Z")
> [@si\_blakely](#): > > If that is what you want to do, don’t start down this road … > > 😃 Well, it pretty much _is_ what I want to do, but all of the crazy intimidating tech talk came up in response to my question about an upgrade. So if I need to know it to make an informed decision, I guess I need to know it. (Also, props to Dr. Mark Crislip, from whose “Me find bug, me kill bug, me go home” I borrowed my description of my pianoing. :)) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-pianists/651672.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-pianists/651672.md?page=3)