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Hi all, my names dan, im new to the forum.

I have decided to teach myself to play piano/keyboard, i have loads of spare time and i pick things up very quickly.

I have a nice stereo and fast laptop, so it seems logical to me to use this to my adavatage and buy a kind of dummy terminal keyboard, basically i want a set of 88 keys with a midi output to a decent external sound card.

I know very little about pianos, but im pretty sure i need 88 keys and 3 pedals.

So i am looking for a full size basic keyboard for playing the piano only (no speakers or fancy buttons) which we allow me to plug in some pedals. I would like it to work with as many pieces of software as possible, so i can pick and choose.

Are there many such devices? can you recommend one? I would prefer to buy one as cheap as possible because i dont have much cash. I am researching possible solutions, but its always best to get opinions from the people with experience.

Thanks for reading, i appreciate any advice given, have a new nice day.

I think most keyboards have some other features like other voices and stuff.

The best for you would be a fully weighted keyboard because it feels closer to a real piano. In my opinion if you had an unweighted keyboard, even if you learn to play that, it's very hard to play a real piano afterwards. The switch is quite a big one.

I'm not sure how much you're willing to spend but you could try a Yamaha CP33 but it's a little over $1000.

You could also try a Yamaha DGX 620 but this one's feel is a little weaker but it's cheaper.

Some Casio keyboards are great as well and they're around the $600ish range I believe. They might be better than the DGX 620 for around the same price.

Thanks for the reply.

Coming to think of it, i dont see a time where i will ever actually play a real piano lol. Its more of a little hobby for when im bored. So the weighted keys have lesser importance in my situation. However, does a weighted keyboard actually create a better sound, ie, are there more output sensors per key for different kinds of key strokes maybe? I think ill have to investigate that.

Upto 5-600$ is my budget currently, ill upgrade at a later date if i really get into it. Also ill be buying a collapsable stand, a permenant one is not an option.

Thanks again!!

Anyone know M-Audio ones are any good?

Check out the M-Audi ProKeys 88sx - it might fit the bill perfectly for you. I have a small M-Audio MIDI controller and have had good luck with it. Here's a link to the 88sx: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ProKeys88sx/

Hope this helps!

You should also check out CME UF80 or maybe the older model, UF8. I've the second one mentioned and I think it's quite nice for a beginner - it's cheap, if you want you can add various sound modules to it, also 3 pedal unit..

daniell, Google "prokeys 88sx" and check out the Utube demo video by Mike Garson!
Also the M-Audio page, and the Harmony Central reviews.
Enjoy

The 88SX already has some sound generation on board. The Prokeys 88SE lacks that and is a kind of MIDI-only version of the SX, and it's a lot cheaper.