![]() ![]() Very inexpensive keyboards usually do not. You cannot put the instrument on a table or the arm of the sofa or in your lap. Children, in particular, suffer if the seat is too low.Ħ. A higher or lower seat will hinder learning, force (or allow) incorrect hand position, and cause tendonitis. If you don't have something 19" high, you need to get something that height (chair, stool, or even an end- or coffee table). Does one come with the keyboard? A piano bench is 19" high. The other two notes would not sound, even though you are depressing the keys that should produce those notes.ĥ. Low polyphony numbers mean that some notes in a chord "won't sound" because there "aren't enough circuits to give each note its own." For example, you could depress the keys for five Cs and hear only three of them. This refers to how many notes can sound at once. (Real piano keys actually have disks of lead embedded.) If the instrument has weighted keys but not touch-sensitive keys, I suggest you pass this one by and keep looking.Ĥ. When keys are weighted, it feels more like playing real piano keys. There is also something called "weighted keys." This is not the same as touch-sensitive keys. Without being able to play some keys louder than other keys, it's impossible to play the melody louder than the accompaniment. Lack of touch-sensitive keys is the main reason people change from a keyboard to a real piano. The harder you hit the key, the louder the sound, just as in a real piano. Touch-sensitive keys (also called "velocity"). You must have keys that are the size of those on a real piano.ģ. Playing on one size at home and another size everywhere else will be a real detriment to learning. Some electronic keyboards have slim keys (especially small and/or cheap ones). This should be the same as on a real piano. By the time you're playing Chopin and Beethoven, you'll have purchased (or rented) a real piano.įewer than 61 keys makes the electronic keyboard a toy and useless as an instrument for learning.Ģ. This will take you through a great deal of literature. Do not be fooled by a description of "full keyboard" or "complete keyboard." High-end electronic keyboards have 88, also, but most keyboards that are bought for student or casual use have 61. ![]() Do not go by the photograph! It may "show available features," yet obscure this fact by revealing it in very, very small print and incomplete sentences at the end of a description. ![]() Do not rely on what a salesperson or a friend tells you!ģ. (Is there a jack for this? Two or more? Are cables included?)Ģ. But….is there a way to hear the instrument's sound without earphones? That is, are there onboard speakers? If not, you'll need to hook up the keyboard to your own speakers or computer. Don't assume something that would seem to essential is included in the basic package.įor example, if the description lists "comes with earphones," one reasonably can expect there is a jack into which to plug the earphones. It is likely, as you know, that things not included are not mentioned in the sales description (and certainly not in the spec list). Read the spec list! Do not rely on the sales description! Here are my recommendations of features to seek, features that do no harm, features to avoid, and the brand I think you should give most serious consideration.ġ. If a real piano isn't feasible right now (cost, not enough floor space, need for headphones during practice), go with an electronic rather than put off lessons. Still and all, my advice is to go with a real piano and get an electronic just for fun. And they're perfect to take to Grandma's. Keyboards in and of themselves aren't all bad! They have many "fun functions," such as weird sounds ("aliens"), sounds from other instruments, sounds for several pianos/organs/harpsichords, built-in rhythms/percussion, pre-loaded songs, and so on. Know, however, that you'll want a real piano very shortly into the learning process. If the choices are between learning to play on something other than a real piano and not learning to play at all, it's a no-brainer to use an electronic keyboard. Sometimes apartment dwellers or people whose work/school schedules require earphone use to avoid disturbing others is another valid reason. Reasons cited most as to why a real piano is not be feasible are space and money, with money's being the preponderant answer. I am a firm believer in having a piano if you want to learn to play the piano (or have your child learn to play the piano)! You can't learn to ride a unicycle if all you have is a tricycle, but, yes, having a bicycle is a little help in learning the unicycle. Features to Look for and Avoid in an Electronic Keyboard ![]()
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