Preferably both, if that is possible. The new technology performs considerably better than the old technology in all comparative aspects. After all, there are over a hundred years of technical development in between. It's not really an 'or' question, because for anyone with a collector's heart, who is fascinated by old technology, who prefers the unmistakable sounds, smell and also the idiosyncrasies and sensitivities of these old systems, there are no technical advantages or disadvantages. Similar to cars. Those who love classic cars do not weigh up technical or economic details. However, many people who can afford it and like it have a classic car in the garage for occasional trips and a modern car for all-round daily use.
Why a self-playing piano at all? Anyone who loves piano music knows that no music system can replace a real piano playing in the room. The best thing is when you or someone else plays the piano live. If no piano player is available or the desired piece is not in the repertoire, a self-playing piano is still a very good second-best alternative. Many of our customers are great piano players and could play most of the music themselves - and yet, sometimes it's just good to sit back and listen to another pianist. Be it to relax or to study other interpretations.
This article is about...
...a brief overview of modern self-playing pianos and their possibilities. There is so much more to discover, please contact usif you have any questions about our instruments.
Very important: A modern self-playing piano uses digital technology, but is not a digital piano, but a completely 'normal' acoustic piano with hammers and strings so that you can play it yourself - with the additional option of having it play itself. The big difference to so-called digital pianos, which do not produce the sound from the hammer stroke of a string stretched over a wooden soundboard, but where the keystroke produces a synthetic sound that is mixed with real sounds, but always sounds imitated. However, we perceive piano sound not only through the ear, but through the whole body.
In addition, our psyche has a great influence on how we hear and experience music, so the mere presence of an acoustic piano playing or being played creates a different situation. If we go to a bar and there is a pianist playing the piano, it creates a more pleasant atmosphere than if the piano was playing alone, and again, the real piano playing is better than piano music from loudspeakers. We occasionally put a life-size piano player dummy at the self-playing piano, because even that is a better eye-catcher than the piano alone.
So this is about self-playing pianos that can really play themselves with felted hammers and strings.
For over 30 years, we have always said that a good and well-restored self-playing piano from the golden era of 1900-1930 is always superior to a modern self-player. In the meantime, thanks to technical developments, we have long since reached the point where we can also say with a clear conscience that these modern self-playing systems are at least on a par in terms of piano music reproduction and also have clear advantages. For this reason, we have systematically expanded our range and also offer modern Selbstspielpianos und Einbausysteme please
Even if this overview seems rather one-sided, choosing an old reproduction system may be the better choice. As I said before, for vintage fans, nothing beats the old timers. Which piano sound you like better is different. To our ears, the pianos from the golden era around 1900 sound the most beautiful, usually with a very unique and unmistakable character. We have a lot of experience in helping you make the best choice. We have many of the systems and types of instruments in our showroom, as well as many of the best pianos ever built, so you can see, play and hear everything live.
The music makes the difference
Self-playing pianos are only as valuable as the music they play. Modern self-players have a huge repertoire of entertainment, dance and classical music, some of which is already included with the purchase. Music can also be purchased later - or a huge repertoire can be accessed via streaming subscriptions. In the past, individual enthusiasts have also transferred music from old music rolls to Midi, so that the available music seems unlimited.
In our experience, whether a self-playing piano is used a lot and for a long time is less a question of the amount of music available and more a question of the lasting pleasure that such an instrument gives. And that depends primarily on three things: firstly, the condition of the piano, secondly, the ease of use, and thirdly, the beauty of the music. The first is above all a question of good service, the second a question of the system chosen, the third a question of the quality of the music available. It is helpful to occasionally seek inspiration from experts as to what updates and options are available for the piano.
All too often we have experienced that the enthusiasm for the great self-playing instrument only lasts for a short time and then the piano tends to fall silent - which is a great pity. Real piano music can make you happier, help you concentrate and be creative, inspire, uplift, calm and relax, bring back fond memories, distract you from worries and pain - and much more. Of course, the perception of the beauty of music is very subjective. In the case of piano music, however, the quality of the recording as well as the editing is decisive for the corresponding system. We have often heard that listeners - after an initial enthusiasm for the new technology of a self-playing piano - find the pieces of music available for modern self-playing pianos to be rather monotonous light music. This is not due to the self-playing pianos, but rather to monotonously arranged and edited music. However, there is some really great music out there - you just have to find it.
According to the PianoDisc Music Store website, current bestsellers include albums by Billy Joel, Coldplay, Michael Bublé, Beatles, Abba, Adele and - as expected for the time of year - Christmas songs. For the pieces of music in which the piano part is played by the self-playing piano and the other instruments and possibly vocals come from the audio speakers built into the piano, it is advisable to connect it to as good a room audio system as possible, as otherwise the musical experience will not be as good as it could sound.
Bei Yamaha gibt es mehrere sogenannte PianoSoft Angebote zum Download, sowie Disklavier Radio und TV, teilweise jedoch scheinbar nur in den USA und Canada verfügbar. Ähnliches auch bei PianoDisc und QRS.
The great success of the old reproduction pianos was based not only on the world-famous effect of innovation, but above all on the impressive quality of the music of the time on hand-recorded artist sheet music rolls, all the more so when these were recorded by important pianists and composers - and edited by music experts. The popular music of the time, i.e. pop hits, dance music, fox trots, blues, jazz, etc., were also usually superbly arranged.
For years, we have been digitizing thousands of the original music rolls from the golden era and, in collaboration with passionate experts from all over the world, especially Peter Phillips (AUS), have been editing them for modern self-players so that the great masters can be enjoyed on modern self-players in breathtaking quality. With years of expertise in the recording and playback pianos of the time, as well as in the production and operation of the music rolls, our edits produce impressive results. Here is an example played back on a Yamaha Disklavier from 1991 - impressive even with this 30+ year old control.
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As pneumatic and Midi-controlled systems respond differently, editing is necessary to make the piece sound as the original on the music roll dictates. A 1:1 translation of a Midi file created from a digitized music roll will only produce average results. We publish details on this elsewhere on our website. And with this we can make the recordings of S. Rachmaninoff or E. Grieg or G. Mahler or Liszt students and so many others audible quasi live in your home. Of course, this applies not only to classical music, but also to the treasures of dance and popular music, e.g. from the Roaring Twenties. These special edits are only available from us here.
Then as now - creative product names
Self-playing systems in pianos have always been given inspiring (Enspire / Spirio) and wunderkind-like (Prodigy) names, and this is - beyond all marketing - also understandable, as even today most people stand in front of the piano in amazement when it plays 'as if by magic' without a player. Even those who have been playing these instruments for a long time feel the same way.
Even then, for example, Hupfeld (Leipzig) called his first reproduction system 'DEA' ('the divine'), Welte (Freiburg) called his system 'Mignon' (French for 'little heart / darling'), Philipps (Frankfurt) called his system 'Duca' ('duke'), and Popper (Leipzig) called his system 'Stella' ('star'). Other manufacturers took and still take name acronyms ('Ampico' = American Piano Company) oder schlicht die Funktion in die Namensgebung (z.B. Duo-Art, Tri-Phonola, Pianomation, Pianocorder, etc.).
The motivation - then as now - is the prospect of new customers in a shrinking market. At the beginning of the 20th century, the piano market was saturated and piano sales declined due to changes in lifestyle and social conditions. The self-playing instruments and associated music rolls from Aeolian Pianola (1899), Hupfeld Phonola (1902) and Welte-Mignon (1904) as well as others briefly revived the business significantly and in some cases even allowed sales and turnover to reach new heights. In the 1980s, the classical piano business continued to decline and the aim was once again to revitalize the business through the self-players. However, there is no sign of a revival to previous heights or even an increase.
Welte, Hupfeld, etc., also had the self-playing system built into preferred brands, always in an attempt to gain an advantage with customers and business results through the exclusive combination. Also similar to the so-called 'first-mover' effect, i.e. just like Welte at the time, Yamaha was only just the first on the market to gain decisive market advantages, so that 'Disklavier' has become an umbrella term for modern self-playing pianos.
Well before the Yamaha Disklavier, Superscope introduced a digital self-playing system called Pianocorder at the end of the 1970s, which worked with cassettes and was available as a built-in system in Marantz reproduction pianos and as a pre-setter. This was even before the MIDI standard was established (1982, Musical Instrument Digital Interface). We have a separate article on Midi in the works. In 1987 Yamaha took over this piano recorder division of Superscope and launched its own system 'Disklavier', named after the data carrier used (floppy disk) and the world-famous Latin-German term for the piano.
The self-play system 'CEUS' ('Create Emotions with Unique Sound', source: Wikipedia), introduced by Bösendorfer in 2005, was taken over by Yamaha with the purchase of the piano manufacturer Bösendorfer in 2007. Interestingly, the first version of the so-called Bösendorfer 'computer grand piano' was co-developed by engineer Wayne Stahnke as early as 1985, as was the Steinway Spirio in the early 2020s. According to Wikipedia, this early system of the Bösendorfer 'computer grand piano' was 'produced under license by Stahnke from 1986 as the Bösendorfer SE225, SE275, SE290 (SE = Stahnke Engineering) - a total of 37 instruments of this SE type were sold. The rather scientifically motivated CEUS project was not designed for series marketing, but technically it was of the highest quality. Today, the Yamaha Disklavier Enspire Pro System is available at Bösendorfer.
Formerly pneumatic, now electric
The main difference in the construction of the old and the new reproduction pianos is that the old systems function pneumatically (bellows are drawn together by suction air) in the touch and control, and the modern self-playing pianos electronically (cylinder coils, solenoids move plungers by magnetic field). The basic principle is the same for both systems. In order to imitate a pianist's playing, the respective keys or mechanical parts are moved and the felted hammer is thrown against the strings at different speeds, producing different dynamics and volumes.
The timing of the key movement and also the additional functions such as tone length, pedal etc. are controlled by the information on the data carrier. With the old systems this is the music roll with the punched holes, and with modern systems this is the midi file, which can be inserted on different data carriers - or streamed directly from the Internet - depending on the type. One of the above-mentioned advantages of the higher-quality modern systems is that the playing function can be monitored and automatically readjusted so that the playback is and remains as close as possible to the desired quality. And of course, most of these pianos can also be played in silent mode, i.e. the hammer is intercepted before the string and the sound comes through the headphones, for example.
Differences in quality and use
Then as now, the quality of the pianos and the self-playing systems must be considered separately, as they do not always come from a single source. The quality of different acoustic pianos will not be discussed in detail here, but it is undisputed that the two suppliers Steinway and Yamaha, who offer their self-playing systems exclusively with their own pianos, are among the top piano brands.
Other providers such as PianosDisc (Prodigy) and QRS (PNOmation) offer their self-playing systems primarily for installation in any piano - and also only have small own brands. Installation is possible in almost all upright and grand pianos, but a test is required in each case, as there may be a need for more fitting.
Funnily enough, all four manufacturers claim to have the world's leading self-playing system. This is just like Welte, Hupfeld and the others. In our experience, all four systems - always assuming a well-regulated piano and self-playing system - are comparable at a similarly high level with rather subjective advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage of Yamaha Disklavier Enspire and Steinway Spirio as a complete piano from one factory is offset by the advantage of PianoDisc and PNOmation, which can be installed in almost any piano. With careful installation, there is no difference to a factory installation. It is therefore possible to use the modern technology in a piano of your choice, e.g. in an old Steinway, Blüthner or Bechstein.
Regardless of the self-playing technique, the playing and listening result depends crucially on the condition of the acoustic piano. Many self-playing pianos have a weak point here. All too often they are poorly regulated or not regulated at all, as it is difficult for inexperienced piano tuners to correctly remove and reinstall the self-playing mechanism, meaning that the necessary adjustments to the action and keyboard are not carried out. One advantage of modern self-playing pianos is that the playing strength of each individual note can be calibrated differently quite easily - and thus any differences in the flexibility of the piano action can be compensated for. However, almost perfect playing can only be achieved with a consistently well-regulated piano action. Pianos and self-playing pianos need to be played regularly so that the mechanism is and remains well adjusted. If a self-playing mechanism stands still for a long time, it needs a little playing in - or even a service - until everything runs smoothly again.
How much does a modern self-playing piano cost?
Compared to the cost of a reproduction piano at the beginning of the 20th century, they are rather cheap today. However, rather cheap is very relative. The entry-level models of the Yamaha Disklavier Enspire pianos will cost just under 20,000.00 euros in Germany in 2024, and the smallest grand piano just under 30,000.00 euros. The Pro series is only available in grand pianos and starts at over 50,000.00 euros. The large concert grand with Disklavier Enspire Pro DCFX ENPRO is noticeably over 200,000.00 euros. According to our information, Steinway currently only offers the Spirio as a grand piano. A Steinway B with Spirio costs approx. 170,000.00 EUR, without Spirio approx. 145,000.00 EUR. A Steinway D without Spirio costs approx. 225,000.00 EUR, with Spirio approx. 255,000.00 EUR - in each case a surcharge for the Spirio of approx. 30,000.00 EUR. The Steinway Spirio with recording option (Spirio R) only came onto the market in 2022 and costs just under 300,000.00 EUR when installed in the Steinway D, for example. Not for small budgets.
The installation of a comparable PianoDisc Prodigy II or QRS PNOmation in an existing instrument is - depending on the difficulty of the installation - around 10,000.00 to 15,000.00 euros. A cheaper entry level is possible with older used Disklavier, which are occasionally available from private sellers for well under 10,000.00, but then usually require a professional service and - depending on taste - an upgrade of the control unit, which costs an additional 3,500.00. Before deciding to buy a used instrument, it is definitely worth having the instrument and especially the self-playing part tested by a specialist. Of course, the manufacturer's warranty has long expired and there is no certainty as to how long the electronics will function. In addition, spare parts for the first systems are only available on the secondary market to a limited extent. But, as already mentioned, the technology is surprisingly robust - and individual parts can also be replaced with a bit of luck.
Are old Disklavier pianos still good?
Mostly yes. In the meantime, the first Disklavier pianos are almost 40 years old - and most of them can still work very well if the pianos and the mechanism are well regulated. The electronic components are surprisingly durable and can be tested quite easily. Of course, electronics have improved drastically since then, and the floppy disk with the music on it was replaced by the CD, which was then replaced by USB, which in turn has now been replaced by wireless Bluetooth and WLAN technology. The solenoids - and above all the processor performance and software of the control units - have also improved and now allow more convenient operation and noticeably finer playback. In our experience, however, even the pianos from the early 1990s are still very inspiring. The more recent systems can be used wirelessly by replacing the control units and allow finer control of the solenoids, resulting in a smoother piano playing experience.
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A self-playing piano is a joy
We believe that anyone who loves piano music and has or is looking for a piano will enjoy it most and for the longest time if it has a modern self-playing mechanism. We have often been able to observe how the retrofitting of a self-playing system in a piano that has not been used for a long time brings beautiful piano music back into the home. And if you have a soft spot for vintage pianos, you will also enjoy the fascination of old self-playing pianos. Feel free to contact us.
