Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Touch Sensitive vs. Semi-weighted vs Weighted

Hi! I am still a rank beginner, but I am looking to upgrade from my 61 key Yamaha YPT-220. I guess I should add my understanding of the terms to be sure I have them right:

Touch Sensitive - No resistance to the touch but the harder you strike the key the louder the tone.

Semi-weighted - Lightly weighted. Some resistance but not at all similar to an acoustic piano.

Weighted - Feels at least similar to an acoustic piano. Requires more hand strength to play.

I am hoping to purchase this and find an instructor at about the same time. There seem to be several keyboards in my affordable range for each option. I will be going for a full 88 keys. My real question is which option is best for a beginner. I've been muddling through the Alfred's book on my own but I intend to go back to start once I find a teacher. I also will probably be using whatever I get for a long time so longevity is also a consideration. Thanks for any replies!

Your description of the different keyboards is quite right and you will certainly want a weighted hammer action. Fortunately, virtually all digital pianos have both hammer action keyboards and 88 keys. The difference between a good entry level DP and the one you've been using is great - you will really feel a big difference. You can develop proper piano technique with a good dp, and a teacher to guide you if possible.

Depending on how much you want to spend, and maybe how long you plan on keeping the same piano, you should look at:

Less $:and

Casio PX 360 (and other Casio PX pianos to suit your needs)
Kawai ES100
Yamaha P45 P155 & (w/better keyboard) Arius YDP 162 & P255
Roland F 20 F130R

More $

Kawai CA series (furniture pianos) ES7 (slab type - really good but finishing production, so possible bargain)
Roland HP series (furniture pianos) or FP80 RD800 (stage pianos)
Yamaha CLP range (furniture pianos) CP4 (stage)

If you're looking for a long term investment, this second list is worth considering.

Of course this is just a smattering, but I think they're quite representative. Good luck in your searching!

Thank you toddy! I'll probably be looking at slab types just because I have some dreams of at least playing at some back yard parties some day. So being able to transport it easily is a consideration. Plus it would be useful to be able to move the piano out of the way at home on some occasions.

A couple of notes about the categories...

What you called "touch senstive" is also referred to as "unweighted" or sometimes "synth action."

Within a given category, there is still a lot of variation in what actions can feel like. And so some "semi-weighted" actions are much more playable for piano than others.