How much digital piano polyphony is really needed for classical music?
I am looking for my very first piano to learn to play. I have only played a very little bit when I was a kid, and it was with a cheap acoustic upright piano at home. I'm not going to play professionally, but I love piano and good quality music, and wouldn't enjoy creating some obviously low quality sound. I'd like to buy a digital piano, due to all its advantages.
Having read Why digital piano has more polyphony voices than there are keys on the keyboard? and understood why a high number polyphony may be required, I have however a practical question: How much polyphony is needed for classical piano music, without any special electronic effects (even without metronome)?
I can imagine that the maximum polyphony "consumption" will probably come from some fast Liszt-like piece played in four hands? But still there will be just one sustain pedal used.
Is there any number, at which one can say that more is only marginally better (again, without additional effects, which are countless)?
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It would be easy enough to concoct a test that showed the difference between 64 and 128-note polyphony. Maybe harder to tell in practical use. I'd opine that anything over 128 is a gimmick. But be sure you're absolutely clear what the manufacturer (or his advertising copywriter) meams by a "voice". Will hitting a key ever use more than one of them?
Well! Well! Well! I think it is related to the best practice and precision you have on your finger!
I had this very same question.
I have this Casio CDP 130 which has 48 polyphony only and I can play anything on it.
Take a look at this videos and ask yourself if you need anything more than 48 for classical music:
CASIO CDP 130 - Chopin Etude op.25 no.11 "Winter Wind"
CASIO CDP 130 - Frédéric Chopin - Fantasie Impromptu - Op.66
CASIO CDP 130 - Shostakovich Prelude op.34 no.2
One thing that is important to realize is that a note played last alot long than when it is initially struck. If the sustain pedal is hit, a note will last many seconds unless the same key is struck again. That means if you play a quick run of notes with say changing bass chords, it is truly possible to reach the polyphonic limit. One may not reach this limit as a beginner but it as achievable as one progresses. Under no circumstances would I consider less than 128 note polyphony. 192 or 256 is better
There are some tricks to polyphony - the same number on 2 different synthesizers/digital pianos might be different
1) a stereo note sometimes requires 2 voices
2) your favorite sound may be "layered" (more than one sound played at the same time). So that piano plus strings sound could eat 2 or more voices
3) there may be background tracks like drums, strings, bass, guitar, synth, etc, etc. that'll eat polyphony like crazy
But, in general, if you will never want background tracks, and will only play solo piano, 64 is plenty fine. I mean, let's say you're playing every note of the scale, all down the piano (via hold pedal or whatever). That's a polyphony of 52 (and would sound terrible). A 4 note chord in all octaves is about 30.
You can also always swap out your piano's synthesizer for a pc based software synth via midi - those softsynths have tons of polyphony.
The main thing you want to worry about is how it feels. How the weight feels to you. How clacky it is when the keys hit the bed and stop on return. You can't ever change the feel.
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