Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Recommend a Beginner Keyboard for a Friend?

The travel costs to pick it up would be quite large considering the OP location is New York and the piano is in California.

Mainly the action. To play piano, you simply need a weighted, velocity sensitive action. Similar to if you want to play organ, a weighted piano keyboard is simply wrong. Of course also other factors, for example some at least halfway decent piano sounds (I doubt that a cheap keyboard has those).

Note, that in my eyes there is nothing wrong with playing keyboard, instead of piano (just like there's nothing wrong with playing guitar, or violin, or the flute, instead of piano). From what you write here, it may indeed be entirely possible that she would be happy with a keyboard and keyboard playing.

Only from your OP (where you mentioned her long-ago previous piano experience) I was under the impression that piano was her goal. If that were the case, then my fear would be that if she expects piano sound and feel, but gets keyboard sound and feel instead, she would be disappointed and drop out again, under the impression that "well, after all, piano isn't what I thought it would be, seems I'm not really interested in it", not knowing that the reason for this was simply that she tried it with the wrong instrument (sort of like how you would hate downhill skiing if your first try would be with cross country skis).

But if her goal is simply to make nice music on a keyboard, not necessarily a piano, then certainly, for that a keyboard would be totally fine.

The first question we ask, on this forum, is:

. . . "What's your budget?"

and it's tough to give clear advice when the answer is:

. . . "I don't know."



For playing classical piano music, you _need_ 88 keys -- that's not really a flexible requirement. To get good control over dynamics, most people prefer "weighted" or "hammer" actions (same things) to "synth" or "semi-weighted" or "spring" actions (same things).

The thing you _must not_ get is an "organ action", which (at the cheap end) isn't "touch-sensitive". On an "organ action" (and I've seen that called "piano-style keys"), the sound doesn't change, whether you hit the key hard or soft.

For playing classical piano, or serious jazz piano, people want something that sounds and feels something like an acoustic piano. So it will have a weighted action, and the sound generator will take some trouble to change its tone (as well as its loudness), depending on how hard a key is hit. (The details of these things, we spend a lot of time arguing over).

Lots of jazz and pop is less subtle in its "dynamics" requirements, and much of it uses "non-pianos" -- electric pianos, synths, organs, etc. Extreme pitch range isn't often needed. A lot of it can be played with 61 key, synth-action keyboards. Most of those keyboards can be "split" -- one sound in the bass, one in the treble -- so the jazz pianist can be his own bass player.

So yeah, she could get a 61-key keyboard, and some music books, and start playing pop songs. She'd have a built-in rhythm section, too. She might, or might not, decide:

. . . This action isn't easy to modulate from soft to loud,
. . . and the "grand piano" sound is tinny, without much sustain,
. . . and the electric pianos (Rhodes / Wurlitzer) have no "bite",
. . . and I want to be able to change the sounds to suit my own taste,
. . . and the drum-kit rhythms are really bad:

.. . . . I have to spend more money.

The nice thing about going that route (which I did) is that you _know_ that you have to spend more money, rather than doing it because somebody told you. And sometimes, you _can_ be happy with what you started with.

There are quite a few serious 61-key synths (which include good "grand piano" sounds) and workstations (which include everything on a synth, plus MIDI recording and editing capabilities). But they're not cheap.

A visit to Guitar Center will be educational for both of you. Bring headphones -- good ones. _All_ low-end keyboards have inadequate amps and loudspeakers.

Yes, of course but as it currently stands, an impromotu trip to Cali for $42 may put the keyboard hunt in better perspective.

If you are looking for low end. Try some of the local pawn shops. I got my first 61 key Yamaha at one for $70.

A few thoughts: I went down this road. I wasn't sure I would like piano/keyboard so started with a Yamaha NP11 keyboard with 61 plastic keys for maybe $180 new (the NP12 is the current model). I upgraded within a year to a $500 Casio PX150 digital piano. Going from 0 to $500 was too much of a leap, for me, so can certainly understand the caution.

A couple of models not mentioned include the Yamaha P35/P45 for $350 to $450 new. There is also the Yamaha P71 which is an Amazon.com only unit with a slightly lower price.

A lot of folks get confused between keyboards and pianos. The main difference is the weighted keys, which allow a lot more control over dynamics. Without weighted keys, a unit isn't simulating a piano, it is just a keyboard. Keyboard can be a worthwhile instrument too, but this is a piano forum.

Hmmm... Last time I looked, this was the Digital Pianos - Synths and Keyboards sub forum, No?

I went thru a similar progression as you did, which I explained to her. After giving her all of the options, she went with the Casio 3200.

Thanks.

Reasonable choice. 61 touch-sensitive keys, MIDI-over-USB, lots of sounds, really inexpensive.

Good online reviews from Amazon, Musician's Friend -- "good beginner's keyboard". There are over 1,000 reviews on Amazon.com -- this is a _very_ popular choice.

It doesn't come with a "sustain pedal"; she'll want one. The M-Audio SP-2 is a good bet.

Please tell her (from all of us) to have a good time with it!

Man this is a tough one. I for one can't see anyone actually being able to actually enjoy playing on a simple (cheap) springloaded action. I would think that by itself would turn someone off of wanting to continue with piano studies. Am I wrong about this?

I was re-introduced to playing, when I started to fool around on a Korg X5D (a low-end, PCM-based synth from 15 or more years ago). I'd picked it up at auction, years before, for $60, and it sat in a closet for a long time. It was intriguing . . .

She used to play on an acoustic piano. So she understands what _can_ come out of a keyboard. And she knows that "price" was a important, in choosing what she has. God works in funny ways, sometimes.