Best Piano Keyboards For Beginners

How Many Piano Keys Do I Need On A Keyboard

This is a common query, particularly when physical space is the main concern. 88 keys are required to play the keyboard effectively.

Beginners, on the other hand, may learn to play 61 or 76 miniature keyboard instruments by mastering the fundamentals.

According to the findings, those with smaller hands may benefit from smaller pianos.

Digital Piano For Beginner

Most beginner keyboards have 61 light-weighted keys, which is ok for beginner or child. But if you are planning to learn playing piano seriously and play on a real acoustic piano some day, you should settle for at list semi-weighted or fully-weighted keyboard with 76 or 88 full size keys thats where digital pianos come in first place.

Importance of weighted keys

Digital piano manufacturers seek to emulate the feel of an acoustic piano. And acoustic pianos have weighted keys, because they have to this is the technique they use: hammers strike one, two or three strings , causing a string to vibrate and make a note. The hammer is connected to the key by a lever tape system, and it causes a natural weight in the key. Actually digital pianos dont need this complex technique and could all have light-weighted keys. The problem is when you play a real acoustic piano or grand piano after several years of training on light-weighted keyboard, it will be very difficult for you to play, so all the professional pianist learn on acoustic or fully-weighted digital keyboards.

How many keys should the electronic keyboard have?

So, what are the best digital pianos for beginners?

The cheapest one I can recommend is Williams Legato. For its price it has 88 semi-weighted keys, includes 5 realistic voices .

Then comes Alesis Recital. It is almost identical to Williams Legato, but has power supply included if you buy it on Amazon.

What’s The Best Way For A Beginner To Learn The Keyboard

Traditionally, if you wanted to learn the keyboard, your first port of call would be a stack of sheet music, books and one to one lessons. Now, this is still a valuable way to start your musical journey, but with giant leaps forward in technology, there are certainly more convenient ways to learn.

There are a wealth of piano learning apps out there that can show you everything from how to sit at your instrument, how to play scales and chords and even how to master your favourite songs. Most of these apps will charge a monthly subscription fee to access a full course of lessons, with nearly all offering a free trial of some description. To find out more, check out our in-depth guide to the best online piano lessons.

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How Many Keys Should A Beginners Keyboard Have

There are a couple of schools of thought on this question. Some people say that the only way to learn how to play the piano is to use a keyboard that has 88 full-sized keys, because this is the best way to learn how to play the entire keyboard. Those on this side of the fence believe that using a keyboard with fewer keys is not going to prepare students for the real thing.

On the other hand, there are those who say that it is actually better to learn how to play the piano on a keyboard with fewer keys. Often, a 61-key keyboard is recommended, because it is a bit less overwhelming for the beginner. But, once you become proficient at playing the keyboard, you are going to want to play more complicated pieces, so you will eventually need to upgrade to a full-size keyboard. This is something that you can worry about later on.

When you come right down to it, most songs that you will likely want to play can be played on a 61-key keyboard, so you wont have to upgrade for some time. You can get a decent quality, 61-key keyboard for as little as $40, which is great for the beginner who isnt sure if the piano is going to be the right instrument for them. You can always upgrade once you start to hone your skills and decide that you want to continue playing.

Best Piano Keyboards For Beginners: Reviews

The purpose of this article is to show you some of the best options for keyboard pianos for beginners. Whether you are the one who is learning, or you are buying a keyboard for another beginner in your life, all of these options are going to be excellent for learning on.

Today we are reviewing five of our favorite beginner keyboard pianos, so you can see the best features, as well as the pros and cons of each.

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Top 10 Keyboards And Digital Pianos For Beginners

James Nugent

James is an USA-based writer and musician with a passion for audio production. Growing up he was surrounded by talented musicians and different forms of music, which set the path for both his personal and private life. He played several instruments during his childhood, dipping his toes into all sorts of musical genres, but once grown-up he discovered that his true calling is music production, rather than creation.

Consordinis articles are written by musicians who independently research, test, and recommend the best instruments and products. We are reader-supported. When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The best keyboards and digital pianos for beginners in 2022 arent always the most obvious choices. You have to understand what you want to get out of an instrument and its features/functions.

Some options will deliver short-term gains, some long-term, and the instruments value depends on the student, too. We are all different, so our top 10 picks include better choices for kids, some that are better for adults, and some fantastic all-rounders. We have everything you need to go from complete novice to a confident musician.

Best Of The Best: How Did We Choose

Our lists favor instruments that offer a perfect blend of quality and playability.

Weve combed through the myriad of eligible options to pick our personal top five picks. If youve already got a budget in mind, feel free to that fit your budget.

Our articles give intuitive details for each choice. Each featured instrument has its own merits, so our top choice may not be the perfect keyboard for you.

By offering 5 choices, we cover more ground and provide extra insight to demonstrate the merits of each choice.

However, these articles are long reads, and while the extra detail will be helpful for some, you might be looking for a quick summary instead.

If thats the case, then this article is for you.

Well be covering both portable- and home-based digital pianos and keyboards from 8 price points, giving you the lowdown on why each topped our lists.

We also linked our Top 5 articles and related reviews in corresponding sections. If you find any category especially interesting, you can jump straight into our more detailed accounts to learn more.

With that out of the way, lets begin.

Here are one of the best keyboards and digital pianos you can get in 2021:

• Best Cheap Portable Keyboard
• Best Beginner Keyboard Piano
• Best Beginner Digital Piano
• Best Intermediate Digital Piano
• Best Professional Digital Piano
• Best Home Digital Piano
• Best Home Digital Piano
• Best Premium Home Digital Piano

Also Check: How To Play Piano For Beginners

The Best Piano Keyboard For Beginners

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Learning the piano is something lots of people express an interest in. If one sticks at it, and learns how to do it properly, it can bring a lifetime of achievement and musical joy. However, quite often, this isnt the case, and many new learners get frustrated and de-motivated to the point where they quit after a few months.

This presents a dilemma for the person who bought them a piano to learn on, that now isnt going to get used. To compensate for this, most financially responsible adults dont go and buy a high-end upright or grand piano immediately the first purchase tends to be a beginner keyboard, and if the learner expresses an interest in progressing with learning the piano after the first few months, at that point they upgrade.

What Im going to go through today are five of the best keyboards for learning the piano. These keyboards will provide everything a beginner will need to get started with learning the piano, while at the same time being not too expensive so that if the learner does decide to quit, theres not been a lot of financial investment into the instrument. Lets get started.

Just a quite note as ever, some of these links below are affiliate links, and I may be paid a commission if you click on a link and buy something from one of my affiliate partners. For more information about this, please click here.

What Should You Look For When Buying A Beginner Piano Keyboard

There are a few key things that youll need in a beginner keyboard to get off on the right foot

Think of it this way: its like taking up a new sport, like basketball. While you wouldnt spend a fortune on basketball sneakers before you knew that you really enjoyed playing, you also wouldnt go out onto the court in a pair of cheap flip-flops! The same idea applies to buying your first piano keyboard.

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Alesis Recital Review: Best 88

Alesis isnt a household name when it comes to the digital piano industry, but theyve made a name for themselves in the realm of digital audio.

While their current product line consists of audio interfaces, speakers, and electronic drum kits, were going to focus on their digital pianos and keyboards.

The name Alesis isnt synonymous with high pedigree, but theyve made a niche for themselves targeting the entry-level market.

With their products, they aim to offer more for your money when compared to their competitors.

That said, theres a reason Alesis isnt as well known, and its not just that theyre new to the scene. Quantity doesnt equal quality, and while experiences are subjective, Ive never found Alesis keyboards to be particularly good.

When Alesis released their new line of keyboards, I was a little worried. Unweighted keys are a lot easier to get right, as semi-weighted keys add a layer of mechanical complexity. Add the Alesis Recitals budget cost to the mix, and I became even more skeptical.

Ill say this though the Alesis Recital has the advantage of being one of the few budget keyboards with semi-weighted keys.

Not many keyboards in this price bracket can make that claim, so its particularly enticing for people looking for a budget practice option.

Thats not as positive a start to our review as usual, but were not here to judge the Alesis Recital based on my prior experiences.

Best Midi: Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol S61 Mk2

Native

Why It Made the Cut: Designed for total control of your DAW, this keyboard comes with a vast library of sounds, as well as a free copy of Ableton Live 11 Lite, which can be tweaked and controlled via two color screens, numerous nobs and control wheels, and a 61-key Fatar keyboard.

Specs: Keys: 61 keys, semi-weighted, Fatar keyboard Polyphony: N/A Connection: Midi in / out, quarter-inch TRS for sustain and expression pedal Weight: 12.12 pounds

Incredible control over DAWs and digital instruments Huge bundled library of synths and voices + Ableton Live 11 Lite Fatar keyboard with semi-weighted keys RGB light guide-along keys

Cons: No speakers, requires midi connection

Total DAW access starts with a simple buy: the Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol S61. This exceptional midi keyboard is made for those who want to jump right into electronic music. Shipping with a massive pack of over 50 GB of downloadable instruments and sounds, as well as a free copy of Ableton Live 11 Lite , this keyboard gives you just about everything youll need to begin making electronic music except for the computer.

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Interested In Buying A Keyboard Or Piano For Beginners Learn About Your Options Of The Best Piano Or Keyboard For Beginners

We hope you enjoy this piano and keyboard buying guide! Some of the links in this guide on buying a piano for beginners are affiliate links, which allow us to earn a commission when you use them to make a purchase. This helps us continue to create fun music learning experiences for everyone to enjoy.

A beginning piano student needs a good instrument. Think about it. If you wanted your child to play soccer, would you send your child out on the field in a pair of cheap flip-flops, or would you make sure your child had a good pair of shoes? Shoes, of course! On the other hand, does your child need professional-quality $100 soccer cleats? Maybe not on the first day.

As a parent, you want to make sure your beginning piano student has a good experience while learning to play, but youre probably not ready to go out and buy a baby grand. Thats fine. To help you decide what will be best for your child and your budget, lets talk about how to choose a piano for beginners.

Roland Go: Keys Music Creation Keyboard

The Roland GO: KEYS Music Creation Keyboard allows the creation of music through its easy-to-use keyboard. Even if you dont have any prior musical experience, you can still create songs with the 61 keys of this innovative keyboard model.

You will have over 500 instrument sounds to play with, record your music, and track your progress as you grow. The keyboard also offers great connectivity options for example, its Bluetooth connectivity for audio and MIDI allows you to connect your keyboard with your tablet or smartphone and share music files.

Its innovative function, which is the Loop Mix function, can help you produce melodic songs in no time. Portable and battery-powered, GO: KEY allows you to enjoy your musical journey wherever you go.

Summary

Beginners can rely on the Roland GO: KEYS Music Creation Keyboard to produce advanced music and engage in songwriting. The most setting-apart feature of this keyboard model is undoubtedly the Loop Mix function that helps create original songs in real-time. Add in effects of the bass, drums, and other instruments to take your jam to a whole new level. With over 500 pro-quality sounds, your songs will sound like theyre being played by a professional pianist in no time.

Also Check: Easy Piano Sheet Music For Beginners

Buy The Best Keys You Can Afford

Once you get past the piano vs synth vs keyboard issue, you’ll find another question:

What kind of keys should you buy?

This is a mighty important question. After all, the keys are the raison d’etre of buying a digital piano in the first place. Cheap keys will kill your enjoyment of the instrument altogether.

Most digital pianos have semi-weighted or fully-weighted keys. This means that the keys have built-in weights to mimic the heft and resistance of acoustic piano keys.

For most beginners, I recommend semi-weighted keys. Yes, fully-weighted keys feel better, but they also have far too much resistance for inexperienced players. You don’t really have the finger strength to play them effectively.

Beyond this, every manufacturer has its own nomenclature for keyboard action technology . Yamaha, for instance, has three classifications for its key action:

• Graded Hammer Standard : The first key action to mimic acoustic piano keys. This is the technology most modern digital piano keys are based off. It’s still popular, especially in Yamaha’s entry-level and mid-range pianos.
• Graded Hammer or Graded Hammer Effect : An improvement over the GHS with better sensors. The most notable difference is in speed of note repetition .
• Graded Hammer Effect 3 : The top tier of Yamaha’s keys. This action-type is found mostly on high-end keyboards. It features even better sensors, faster note repetition, and a lighter playing style.

In general, GH3 > GHE > GHS.

Best Beginner Keyboard Under $300 Yamaha Psr

For the beginners out there, shelling out big bucks for a hobby might seem scary.

If youre concerned about getting as much keyboard as possible for a cheap price, this category is for you. At this price, were not too concerned about realism.

Hammer-action keys and natural sounding samples are crucial for learning proper piano technique, but you cant expect too much at this price.

The prior Casio CT-S300 is an excellent budget option, but if youre willing to go a slight bit higher in terms of spending, you might want to look into the Yamaha PSR-E373.

The PSR-E373 is one of the newer arranger keyboards, being released in late 2020. However, we were blown away by how well it fared at just about everything.

I wont say this keyboard is perfect. When it all comes down to it, this is still a budget keyboard with some cut corners. However, its quality more than makes up for it.

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Bonus Best Midi Keyboards

If youre not necessarily interested in a full-fledged digital piano and simply want to control your virtual instruments and/or produce music using a DAW running on your computer, a good MIDI keyboard may be all you need!

Check out our in-depth guide on how to choose the right MIDI keyboard where we also share our favorite picks in different categories.

To learn more about what MIDI keyboards are how they compare to all other major keyboard types, follow this guide.