Play Piano with Headphones: Hybrid Piano!

Want to play the piano in an apartment without disturbing the neighbors? A hybrid piano lets you do just that. While a mechanism mutes the acoustic part, you can play the piano with headphones, just like a digital piano. Many different systems are available today, from the classic acoustic hybrid piano to hybrid digital pianos and various transducer systems.

Nothing beats the feel of a real piano. However, many people choose a digital piano because of the high volume. Since you can adjust the volume and play it quietly over headphones, it simply makes less “noise”. A hybrid piano is the perfect combination because it combines the best features of both acoustic and digital pianos.

If you don’t want to compromise on the touch and feel of the piano, a hybrid piano is the perfect choice. After all, it is an acoustic piano first and foremost. The leading manufacturers in this market segment are Kawai and Yamaha, who offer a wide range of instruments. Most hybrid pianos are based on conventional upright and grand piano models.

The Berlin piano manufacturer C. Bechstein also offers an extension to the Bechstein Vario digital system for many of its standard models. It can be installed in all upright and grand piano models during manufacturing and can also be retrofitted to the current model series.

How Does a Hybrid Piano Work?

One important and obvious difference from a traditional piano is that a hybrid piano requires a power supply for the electronic components. Otherwise, you can play a hybrid piano acoustically, even without power, unless you use the mute function.

Usually, a mechanism – either using a special lever or simply the sostenuto pedal – activates the mute function. Some higher-end models use an electronically controlled mechanism to mute the action.

When muted, the keyboard and action function normally, but the hammers are prevented from striking the strings. In this case, notes are generated electronically and transmitted to headphones. A sensor system transmits the movement of the keyboard to the electronic sound generation. Like a digital piano, a hybrid piano offers a choice of sounds, including digital pianos and strings. The electronic sound generation is usually a module mounted beneath the keyboard.

Digital Piano Features Included

The electronic part of a hybrid piano is similar in many ways to the functions of a digital piano. There is at least one, but usually more, piano sound, as well as the usual additional sounds from harpsichord to digital piano, strings, and choir.

Some models also include practice aids such as a metronome and a recorder. Newer models also allow you to combine them with modern piano apps on your smartphone or tablet, which makes using the electronic features very convenient.

In most cases, the electronic part of a hybrid piano is a MIDI keyboard that you can connect to a music computer. This allows you to use notation programs or recording software with your hybrid piano.

Piano with Headphones: How Quiet Are Hybrid Pianos?

Even when the piano is muted, playing a hybrid piano is not completely silent. Naturally, you can still hear the mechanical elements – the keyboard, the pedals, and the hammer action. However, it is much, much quieter than the acoustic part. Still, it is best to keep the upright or grand piano lid closed when playing with headphones.

If you are playing the piano in an apartment late at night, you may want to take additional measures to prevent the “knocking” sound of the keys from being transmitted to the floor. Floor protectors such as Jahn IsoFloor are a smart idea here.

How Much Is a Hybrid Piano?

A traditional upright piano can cost well over 10,000 Euros, while good mid-range pianos are available for around 5,000 Euros. When comparing different instruments, it is advisable to thoroughly research each model, as prices can vary greatly depending on the features (hardware, wood, finish, etc.).

Combining an acoustic piano and a digital piano requires some technical effort. As a result, hybrid pianos are generally more expensive than their standard counterparts. For example, a Kawai K-200, an excellent acoustic piano in the upper mid-range (from around €4,500), costs almost €6,800 as the Anytime model K-200 ATX 3. A Yamaha piano with a comparable height would be the b2 SC Silent Piano. It is in a similar price range at around €6,400, while the standard Yamaha b2 model is around €4,300.

Hybrid digital pianos also benefit from certain acoustic piano characteristics. However, a hybrid digital piano is a fully electronic instrument without an acoustic component. Some Kawai hybrid digital pianos are an exception, as they combine speaker systems with an acoustic soundboard system. Hybrid digital pianos generally differ from conventional digital pianos in many ways and are often considered luxury instruments in the upper price range.

Transducer-Driven Hybrid Piano

Acoustic instruments that use transducer technology make it possible to play the piano in silent mode – and add another extremely interesting aspect: You can also play the electronic part at low to moderate volume without headphones. Yamaha has been at the forefront of this emerging technology with its TransAcoustic Piano series. Launched in 2015, its second generation was introduced at Musikmesse 2018. Moreover, Kawai offers the Aures, a hybrid piano with transducer technology.

Yamaha TransAcoustic

The TransAcoustic piano is basically a hybrid piano system, but here the electronic part is also transmitted onto the soundboard. The soundboard in this respect works as a “loudspeaker”. Of course, the soundboard of an upright or grand piano is made of a different type of wood than a typical loudspeaker. Therefore, transducers must mechanically transmit audio signals – these are permanently attached to the soundboard.

In addition to digital piano sounds, you can also play music from external sources. The digital piano sounds take advantage of the acoustic properties of the soundboard and real string resonances. Unlike conventional hybrid pianos, you can combine the acoustic part with the electronic part. For example, you can play an acoustic piano with play-alongs that sound like the piano itself. The system works without additional speakers, making it very easy and convenient to use.

Self-Playing Acoustic Piano

Acoustic pianos in this category take the opposite approach: An integrated sensor system allows you to record the performance of the piano and then play it back using the built-in sequencer. Here, electronic components move the keys and pedals. Interesting for music studios: You can control the acoustic piano with a music computer via MIDI.

Composers can also use this feature to have the acoustic piano play a score written on a computer. Yamaha’s Disklavier and PianoDisc player piano systems make all of this possible. The latter is also available for retrofitting to conventional pianos and grand pianos.

*Affiliate link. These “advertising links” help us finance our website. If you buy a product through such a link, we receive a small commission – at no extra cost for you. The PIANOO.com team says thank you for your support!