What would you use

Well, first of all, you have to know what the piano sounds like in the first place. Anyone who has ever heard a Steinway grand knows the unmistakable "Steinway Crash" in the midrange sound when heavy impact chords are being played. A nine foot Bosendorfer has a signature of unmistakable bass power with less noticeable hammer impact. No midrange crash. A pianist or piano aficionado can tell instantly whether a grand piano or an upright or spinet is being played, by the resonance qualities. I could tell you with electric keyboards whether it is a Roland, or a Yamaha, or a Kurzweil, or with synths, an Oberheim, or a Prophet, or an Arp, etc. It is simply a matter of experience. Obviously, the better the recording and playback system, the easier it is to tell what is being played. But if you don't know the sound of the instrument, then you'll never tell what it is by the recording. Most guitar players and even keyboard players like myself can tell when a Les Paul, or a Telecaster, or a Strat, or an ES 335 is being played. On acoustics, a Martin sounds different than a National. Etc,etc....

Onhwy61, I would agree it can be tricky with electronic instruments. However, unless the keyboard man is a real whiz with his sampling and editing, you can still tell. With analog synths, the patches can be similar sounding but the sonic character of each will show through. If the programmer is really good, he can simulate other synths well, but nobody can make anything else do patch 33 on a Prophet 5 and make it sound the same. Oberheims, Moogs, Arps, and others have certain sounds all their own too. Of course, none of this matters if the music is enjoyable to listen to. It is just a challenge sometimes to be able to identify the instrument as kind of a fun thing to do.

Onhwy61, that would be a challenge. I seriously doubt I could even come close. But, in small scale music, I can do it alot of the time. I guess it comes from playing in a band, and always paying attention to the sound of everybody's instrument. Since I was the "techie", I got to do the recording and mixdowns, in addition to playing keys. When you do that, you get pretty familiar with the sound of the different instruments and effects units. Alot of times, I used to suggest the effects patches and stuff for the guitar player. Of course, he always told me that I was a keyboard player, and what do I know? You know how those guitar players are.