Choosing a Keyboard or Digital Piano
If you’re learning piano, choosing your first keyboard can be confusing. There are hundreds of models and an enormous number of features, most of which you probably don’t need.
The good news is that you don’t need to spend a fortune. What matters is getting an instrument that feels good to play, sounds reasonably good and has the basic features you need for learning.
What I Recommend
If your budget and space allow, my first choice would be an 88-key digital piano with weighted keys and built-in speakers.
If you need something smaller or less expensive, a 61 or 76-key keyboard is perfectly fine to get started, but make sure it has full-size, touch-sensitive keys and a socket for a sustain pedal.
Piano or Keyboard?
I used to tell students to forget about all the extra sounds and rhythms and simply buy the best piano they could afford.
I’ve changed my mind slightly about that.
I’ve spent quite a lot of time using the backing rhythms on my Roland piano and I’ve come to appreciate how useful they can be. Playing along with drums and bass is enjoyable, helps you develop a good sense of rhythm and is particularly useful for improvising.
So there are really two main choices.
Digital pianos are designed primarily to feel and sound like a piano. They usually have 88 weighted keys, built-in speakers and a fairly small selection of additional sounds.
Portable keyboards usually have 61 or 76 lighter keys and often include hundreds of sounds and backing rhythms.
There are also instruments such as the Yamaha DGX-670 that give you a bit of both — 88 weighted keys together with a large selection of backing styles.
Which is best really depends on what you want from your instrument.
What Should You Look For?
Touch-sensitive keys
This is essential.
Touch sensitivity simply means that the harder you play a key, the louder the note sounds. Without it, you can’t properly control the expression in your playing.
I wouldn’t recommend buying a keyboard without touch-sensitive keys.
Weighted keys
Weighted keys are designed to feel more like the keys on an acoustic piano.
If you can afford them, I would recommend them. They give you much better control over dynamics and will make the transition to an acoustic piano much easier if you ever want to make it.
Lighter keys aren’t necessarily bad, though. They can be enjoyable to play and are common on keyboards with lots of rhythms and accompaniment features.
How many keys?
A full-size piano has 88 keys, and ideally that’s what I would choose.
But you certainly don’t need 88 keys to begin learning.
A 61-key keyboard will take you a surprisingly long way, and 76 keys gives you a useful compromise between size and range.
Whatever you choose, make sure the keys themselves are full size.
Speakers and headphones
Most home keyboards and digital pianos have built-in speakers.
Better speakers generally give you a fuller and more convincing piano sound, but a headphone socket is just as important if you need to practise quietly.
Sustain pedal
You will definitely need a sustain pedal as you progress, so make sure the keyboard has a socket for one.
I prefer a proper piano-style pedal rather than the little square plastic pedals that sometimes come with keyboards.
USB and Bluetooth
These are useful but shouldn’t determine which piano you buy.
USB-MIDI allows your keyboard to communicate with computers, tablets and music apps.
Some instruments also send audio through USB, which can be very useful if you want to record yourself.
Bluetooth can be handy too, but I would put the quality of the keyboard and piano sound well ahead of any of these extras.
Are Backing Rhythms Worth Having?
I think they are.
They’re certainly not essential, but they can make practising much more enjoyable.
Instead of playing a chord progression on your own, you can have drums and bass playing along with you. It’s particularly useful for the rhythm styles, blues, rock and jazz sections of Pianoforall.
If you like this idea, Yamaha’s PSR range is worth looking at. The PSR-E473 has 61 keys and the PSR-EW425 has 76.
If you want backing rhythms and 88 weighted keys, the Yamaha DGX-670 is an interesting option.
Some Keyboards and Digital Pianos Worth Looking At
Prices change all the time, so I’ve deliberately avoided being too precise here. Use these as models to investigate rather than a definitive shopping list.
Good First Digital Pianos
Yamaha P-145
A straightforward 88-key weighted digital piano and a good place to start if you mainly want to learn piano.
Roland FP-10
Another very good beginner digital piano. The weighted action has a slightly firmer feel than some of the Yamahas.
A Step Up
Kawai ES120
A very good choice if piano feel and sound are your priorities.
Casio PX-S1100
Very slim and compact, which is useful if space is limited.
Yamaha P-225
A step up from the P-145, with a more refined sound and additional features.
Roland FP-30X
A step up from the FP-10, with more powerful speakers and additional features.
If You Want Backing Rhythms
Yamaha PSR-E473
61 keys with a large selection of sounds and accompaniment styles.
Yamaha PSR-EW425
Similar to the E473 but with 76 keys.
Yamaha DGX-670
An interesting choice if you want the feel of an 88-key weighted digital piano together with the rhythms and features of an arranger keyboard.
What About the Yamaha P-45?
The Yamaha P-45 was an extremely popular beginner digital piano and is still a perfectly good instrument if you find one second-hand or at a good price.
It has now been replaced by newer models, so if the prices are similar I’d probably choose the P-145 or compare it with the Roland FP-10.
Other entry-level models worth looking at include the Casio CDP-S110 and Korg B2.
A Few Words About the Main Brands
Yamaha makes excellent digital pianos and also has a particularly strong range of keyboards with backing rhythms.
Roland digital pianos tend to have a slightly firmer key action, which some people love and others don’t. I’ve owned and used Roland instruments myself for many years.
Kawai has a very good reputation for natural piano sound and feel.
Casio makes some excellent compact digital pianos and often offers very good value for money.
Korg also makes some good entry-level digital pianos as well as professional stage instruments.
There isn’t really a “best” brand. Keyboards feel surprisingly different, so if possible, try a few.
What About Cheaper Unknown Brands?
There are plenty of inexpensive digital pianos from brands you may never have heard of.
Some are perfectly usable, particularly if your budget is tight, but the quality of the key action, piano sounds and after-sales support can vary considerably.
If you’re considering one, I’d try it first if possible and buy from somewhere with a good returns policy.
I’d much rather see someone start learning on an inexpensive keyboard than put off learning for two years while saving for the perfect piano.
Just make sure it has full-size, touch-sensitive keys and a sustain pedal socket.
Stands, Seats and Pedals
These aren’t very exciting purchases, but they’re important.
Stand
A simple X-stand is inexpensive and perfectly usable, although some can wobble a little.
If your digital piano has a matching wooden stand, that will usually feel more stable and make the instrument look more like a piece of furniture.
Seat
Ideally use a height-adjustable piano stool or bench.
You want to be able to sit comfortably with your forearms roughly level with the keyboard.
Pedal
Get a sturdy piano-style sustain pedal.
Some digital pianos also support three-pedal units and half-pedalling. These become more useful as your playing develops, particularly for classical music.
Should You Buy Cheaply and Upgrade Later?
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
If you’re not yet sure whether piano is going to become a long-term interest, buying a reasonably priced keyboard and upgrading later makes sense.
The important distinction is between inexpensive and unsuitable.
An inexpensive keyboard with full-size, touch-sensitive keys can be perfectly good for starting.
A keyboard with tiny keys and no touch sensitivity will become limiting very quickly.
Try Before You Buy If You Can
I know it can feel a little daunting walking into a music shop and trying pianos when you can’t actually play yet.
Don’t let that put you off.
If you know someone who plays piano, take them with you. They can play the different instruments while you listen.
Even if you can only play a little yourself, sit at each piano and try the keys. You’ll learn far more about how an instrument feels by actually playing it than you will from watching reviews online.
If the keyboard has backing rhythms, try those too.
One small thing I personally look at is the split function, where you can have a bass sound in the left hand and piano in the right. On some instruments the sustain pedal affects the bass as well, while on others it doesn’t. I prefer it when the bass sustains, but that’s very much a personal preference.
And if you’re a complete beginner, simply tell the person in the shop:
“I’m just starting to learn and I’m choosing my first piano. Could you play a few of these for me so I can hear the difference?”
Most good music shops will be perfectly happy to help.
So What Would I Buy?
If you have the space and can afford it, I’d choose an 88-key weighted digital piano from one of the established manufacturers.
The Yamaha P-145, Roland FP-10, Kawai ES120, Casio PX-S1100 and Yamaha P-225 are all worth comparing.
If you’re particularly interested in backing rhythms, look at the Yamaha PSR-E473 or EW425.
And if you’d like both weighted piano keys and a large selection of backing rhythms, have a look at the Yamaha DGX-670.
But don’t become so obsessed with choosing the perfect instrument that you never actually start learning.
You can learn an enormous amount on a fairly modest keyboard.
Get something suitable, put it somewhere you can easily sit down and play it, and start.
