Electronic piano
An
electronic piano is an entirely
electronic musical instrument designed to simulate the
timbre of a
piano (and sometimes a
harpsichord) using
analog circuitry.
Electronic Piano was also the trade name used for
Wurlitzer's popular line of
electric pianos, which were produced from the 1950s to the 1980s. This article describes the true electronic piano. For information on the Wurlitzer instrument, see
Wurlitzer electric piano.
Electronic pianos and electric pianos are not the same instrument. Electronic pianos work similarly to analog
synthesizers whereas electric pianos are mechanical, their sound being electrified by a
pickup.
Most electronic pianos date from the 1970s and were made in
Italy, although similar models were made concurrently in
Japan. An exception is the range of instruments made by
RMI in the
USA from
1967 to approximately
1980. Most electronic pianos (including the RMI) do not vary their volume based on how hard a user hits one of their keys.
Examples of electronic pianos include:
*
Crumar Compac (Italy)
* Armon (Italy)
* Instapiano (Italy)
* Hillwood (Japan)
*
Roland EP-20 (Japan)
*
RMI 368 Electra-Piano and Harpsichord (USA)
*
Digital piano*
Synthesizer
