What about polyphony ?

Hello everybody !

It's a long time I've registered here, but I've not post any comment topic yet. So there's a beginning for everything...

I plan to buy a digital piano (Yamaha YDP 140, I think) and I have some doubts... I've ever played on real (acoustic) piano (when I were young and learning piano) and I remember that it was "magic". I've never find any instrument (I've got a guitar, two flutes, a violon, a trumpet) who gave me so much pleasure.

My doubt ? It's about polyphony. The Yamaha YDP 140 has got a 64 notes polyphony (excuse my bad english, please). Is it enough to have a rich sound when playing classical, jazz, variety ?

What do you think about this ? Polyphony seems to be important, but 128 notes polyphonic instruments are... quite expensive.

Waiting for your comments.

Good afternoon !
Ronan

64 note polyphony is fine. . . unless u r gona play with some synth instruments. . . .

I've got 80 notes polyphony in my Korg pa588 digital piano and i cant tell i need more.

It is more complex than the straightforward count suggests.
As important, perhaps MORE important, is what happens when the polyphony count is reached.
On SOME sound generating units (whether digital pianos or rack mounted units) there is a simple; "oldest note is overwritten first" rule. On others there is some weight given to frequency, e.g. with only 16 polyphony it is possible to play a low note and have it still sounding after 20 or more higher notes are played.
In the case of a 32 note polyphony instrument you might still hear the low note well after 40 or more high notes have been sounded.

I don't really know how relevant it is anyway.
Sure, it is FUN to hold the pedal down, bang a low chord and run a thumb all the way up and still hear the bass notes sounding.
There are probably valid cases for doing this, other than in cocktail lounges, but I don't know how much it matters whether the count runs out at 32 or 64.
32 seem like a LOT of notes to hold with the pedal.