In a world of modern tech, we’re quite used to the word ‘hybrid’. If something is a hybrid, it means that it’s a mixture of two different ideas, which gives improved performance over conventional designs.
So, you probably know that a Hybrid car combines petrol and electric motors for cleaner emissions. But, what’s about a hybrid piano all about?
- No Strings Attached.
The keys of an acoustic piano are connected to hammers which hit strings to make the sound. A hybrid piano also has hammers but produces sound electronically. This means there are no strings to tune, and the instrument can be made smaller to fit into living spaces more easily.
- Hammers make the touch more authentic.
Although there are no strings, it is important to keep the hammers. It’s this moving mechanism attached to each key that pianists can feel when they play. If you remove this, as most digital pianos do, the movement of the keys is different (even though the keys themselves might look similar).
GRAND HYBRID PIANOS HAVE MOVING HAMMERS, TO MAKE THE KEY FEEL MORE AUTHENTIC WHEN PLAYING.
- Hybrids have real piano keys.
Most digital pianos have keys that are made of plastic, or a mixture of wood and plastic. This is not true of acoustic pianos, where the key is shaped from specially-grown Austrian Spruce. Casio’s Grand Hybrid pianos have keys made from exactly the same wood, for an authentic feel.
- Hybrids use the same key length as acoustic pianos.
82% of surveyed teachers said that the feel of the keys is the most important part of a piano. But, conventional digital pianos often don’t measure up in this area: their plastic keys are shorter when compared to an acoustic piano. This compromises the key movement and the instrument feels less realistic. With a hybrid piano, the key length is the same as an acoustic piano, which means the travel and bounce of each key is much closer to that of a real Grand.
HYBRID PIANOS HAVE FULL-LENGTH, WOODEN KEYS
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- You can have three different Grand piano sounds in one instrument.
Because the sound of a hybrid piano is produced digitally, without strings, you can make the instrument produce more than one traditional piano tone. Casio’s Grand Hybrid range includes the tone of three of Europe’s most finest brands of acoustic piano, including a £115,000 C. Bechstein D282 piano.
GRAND HYBRID PIANOS HAVE THREE DIFFERENT GRAND PIANO TONES STORED INSIDE THEM, SUCH AS A C. BECHSTEIN D282 (RIGHT)
Irene Veneziano plays “Allegro de Concierto, OP. 46” by Enrique Granados on a CELVIANO Grand Hybrid GP-500BP in the beautiful gardens of Palazzo Gromo Losa in Biella (Italy).
6. You can play them in the garden.
Ok, not permanently, but the serious point here is that a hybrid piano is more resilient than its acoustic counterpart. This means it will live happily in spaces that wouldn’t be suitable for traditional pianos, such as in direct sunlight, a conservatory or summer house, or next to a radiator.
- You can plug headphones in, for silent practice.
Even though hybrid pianos use a lot of acoustic piano principles for their feel, the sound is purely digital, so can still plug in headphones and get the best of both worlds: the touch of an acoustic piano with the convenience of digital sound.
To find out more about Casio’s award winning Grand Hybrid range, visit https://music.casio.co.uk/
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