A Comprehensive Guide to Buying Piano Keyboard

Comprehensive Guide to Buying Piano Keyboard

A good beginner piano keyboard is a perfect instrument for students just starting out. The best keyboard models are light enough to be moved around, and they teach students skills that they can apply to full-size pianos.

In this guide to buying a piano keyboard, we will look at the different options. This is for people who want to buy a piano keyboard for a student or for adults who want to learn to play.

How to Choose a Keyboard for Beginners

Action: Action is how we talk about how quickly the keys on a keyboard or piano respond when you press them. Each keyboard model is different in terms of how hard it is and how much resistance it offers. Unweighted keys are easier to press down, while weighted keys react like a regular piano. So, a keyboard with weighted keys is a good piano for beginners.

MIDI Compatibility: MIDI stands for "musical instrument digital interface". It is a common language for electronic instruments, which enables them to "talk" to each other by sending and receiving signals. Although you don't need MIDI for a beginner's keyboard, it could be useful if you want to learn electronic music or connect the keyboard to a computer.

Computer Connectivity: Many of the best keyboard brands provide computer connectivity. You don't have to learn to play, but if you want to use music composition programs, it's a good idea to connect your computer. If you buy a beginner keyboard that can connect to your computer today, you might not need to upgrade it in the future.

Sampler/Recording Features: Just as it is important for students who want to compose their own music to have MIDI compatibility and the ability to connect their computers, it is also important for them to have sampler and recording options.

Storage: You can choose to have storage on the device, or you can download new sounds and software updates onto a micro-USB card. When a guide to buying a keyboard talks about storage, it usually means user settings. For example, a keyboard with 100 sounds might have 100 blank settings for new sounds and user presets.

Input/Output: It is unusual to input audio to a keyboard or digital piano, and when you do, it is usually MIDI. Keyboard output is a much more important feature because it allows you to use amps and recording equipment.

Sound: When choosing a beginner keyboard, it's really important to think about the keyboard sound. The best keyboard brands make sounds like a real piano.

Other things to think about include polyphony (the number of sounds a keyboard can make at once) and multitimbrality (the keyboard's ability to play sounds like drums, strings and woodwinds as a background or addition to the tune being played).

Keyboard size: The best keyboard for adults to learn the piano is probably a full-size and weighted piano keyboard. However, such keyboards have fewer sound options. A good beginner keyboard for students interested in electronic music has smaller, unweighted keys but more sound functions.

Buying piano keyboard accessories

As well as the keyboard, you will need something to sit on while they play and a stand for sheet music. If you're a beginner on a keyboard, an electronic sustaining or dampening pedal can be really helpful. It lets you play the piano in the same way that you would play a string instrument, where the strings can vibrate freely. You can often buy stands, seats and other accessories together with beginner keyboards.

Best Keyboard Brands for Beginners

The brand of the piano keyboard you choose will depend on a number of factors. Children's interests and tastes can change quickly. The student who is really enjoying learning the keyboard today might not feel the same way in six months.

The cheapest keyboards (the ones you can find in big shops) tend to have smaller keys than the better ones. They don't sound as good as high-end keyboards and they can break easily.

Luckily, some of the best keyboard brands are surprisingly cheap. Yamaha, Roland and FLYKEYS all have low-cost boards with different key ranges, built-in speakers and a wide range of sound options.

If you are a more advanced or motivated student, you should consider Yamaha or FLYKEYS boards. The adult and any student who is planning on learning traditional piano in the future are good options for the full-size weighted keys of a FLYKEYS keyboard.

Types of Piano Keyboards

The piano keyboards for beginners in the piano are different from the keyboards for students who want to play rock music or electronic music. Although the best keyboard for beginner adults might be a smaller keyboard, children as young as 10 may be more motivated if their keyboards help them play (and create) popular music.

There are literally thousands of types of keyboards. So, which are the best for beginners? Our keyboard buying guide has the answers, so let's take a look!

What Is a Workstation Keyboard?

A workstation keyboard is one of the more expensive keyboards, and it usually comes with its own computer for typing and more advanced features. These keyboards are used by many hip-hop and pop artists to program beats and other parts of a song so that they can play them automatically.

Keyboards used at workstations often have weighted keys. This makes them a good choice for students who are just starting to learn the keyboard. But for composers just starting out, a controller and laptop offer the same tools at a lower price.

The good things about a workstation keyboard.
It's perfect for getting the right composition.
It lets you set up music features to play at the same time.
It has keys that are weighted.
It meets professional industry standards and offers a range of sophisticated play options.
A workstation keyboard has the following disadvantages:
They are usually quite expensive.
The sheer number of features can scare and overwhelm new students.

What is an Arranger Keyboard?

The purpose of an arranger keyboard is to provide auto-accompaniment. Just choose a few songs and the keyboard will put down a backing track to go with them. This lets students experience playing music with other musicians while they play their own compositions.

The good things about an Arranger keyboard
It meets the standards expected by the industry.
It is perfect for composing.
The music plays automatically, which makes students want to play.
Here are some of the things that you might not like about an Arranger keyboard:
These keyboards might cost more than the less advanced ones at first.
There are so many options for beginners that it's hard to know where to start.

What is a digital keyboard piano?

A digital piano is a keyboard that makes the sound and feel of a piano. This is the best keyboard for students who need to focus on practising and improving their musical skills. It is also great for adults who want to learn the piano.

Unlike most keyboards, a digital piano typically has 88 full-size keys. The best keyboards will have weighted and graded keys to make them feel like a real piano, and they will usually have built-in speakers.

Digital pianos rarely have the same range of sounds as synthesizers. They are designed for practising, not for trying out new musical ideas.

The good things about digital pianos
It feels like playing a regular piano because of the different weights and levels on the keys.
It makes a really good piano sound.
It lets you control how loud it is.
It's cheaper than a regular piano and you don't need to tune it or replace any broken parts.
It's great for practising and playing on your own.
A list of the downsides to digital pianos.
These pianos have limited sound options.
They cannot be moved around like synthesizers can.
The lack of full-size eight-inch jacks can make setting up for gigs tricky.

For beginners we recommend the Flykeys 61-key portable electronic keyboard piano

This electronic keyboard piano has 61 normal-strength piano keys, 61 keyboard percussions, 600 sounds, 100 demos and 200 rhythms. The panel has controls for touch, recording, programming and playback. It also has sync and insert functions, a metronome (with master volume, accompaniment volume and beat tempo control), sound expansion and vibrato functions, a transpose function and dual tone and keyboard functions. You can connect Bluetooth and data cables to the Learn APP. There are three kinds of learning functions: duet singing, continuous singing and demonstration singing.

Do You Need an Amplifier for Your Keyboard?

Things to think about:

The number of keys on a keyboard determines what notes you can play. Most keyboards have 66, 72 or 88 keys. If you're just starting out, 66 keys should be enough to learn how to play. You'll be able to play most songs on a 72-key instrument. If you want to play classical piano, it's best to get a piano with 88 keys, especially if you want to play a traditional piano in the future.

Most keyboards have less than 66 keys. This is normal for an electronic organ synthesizer or keyboard. For example, an analog synthesizer only has so many keys, which limits how many notes you can play when making some types of music. Sometimes, professional keyboards can be adjusted to fit specific musical ranges by moving the keys up or down.

 

How Many Keys Should a Keyboard Have for Novices?

Although 88-key digital pianos are the best option for students who intend to study the traditional piano, students can learn to play using a more basic 66-key instrument. And ease of use is not the only consideration: a 66-key instrument is usually cheaper.

If you are not sure that your child will stick with practice, you might prefer to purchase the lower price tag and upgrade to 88 keys later. The best keyboard for adults, though, typically has 88 keys.

 

If you're buying a keyboard for your child or want to learn to play yourself, your keyboard is not worth it if it sits unused in some corner of the room. At School of Rock, the most important thing is that students enjoy playing their instruments.

Once students start enjoying playing, they want to learn more about the bigger ideas of music so they can start performing. When students know they are practising for a real rock concert, they will practise automatically.

We love giving students everything they need to start playing right away. This includes the keyboard, accessories, lessons, day camps, and even that first concert. Our kids and adults start off as complete beginners and end up as performers who get on the stage and go on tour. As they go along, they become more confident and make memories and friendships that last forever with other people who love music as much as they do.