Hey, beginners who want to learn keyboard pianos! Have you decided which keyboard piano you want to use? It's okay if you haven't decided yet. Many beginners may wonder about more details of a keyboard piano. Now, this article will show you 5 basic but important things about keyboard pianos.
Is the keyboard piano the best for me?
You may know that pianos can be divided into three categories: acoustic pianos, digital pianos, and electronic keyboards. When choosing the right piano, you should consider three factors: budgets, space, and goals.
It Fits in with Low Budgets
Acoustic pianos are usually more expensive than the other two pianos. The average cost of an upright piano is between $3,000 and $6,500. Entry-level grand pianos range from $7,000 to $30,000. High-end grand pianos can cost between $65,000 and $190,000.
In addition, made of wood and metal, an acoustic piano can be out of tune due to environmental factors such as temperature and humidity. Its owner often needs to pay extra fees for maintenance.
Digital pianos, designed to simulate acoustic pianos, are also more expensive than electronic keyboards. Most digital pianos start around $350, and console digital pianos cost between $500 and $5,000. A high-quality hybrid digital piano can sell for up to 15,000 dollars!
Electronic keyboards, designed for beginners and those who love electronic music, are the cheapest of these three pianos. On average, the cost of a keyboard is around $150. The price of an electronic keyboard starts at about $50 and may range up to thousands of dollars for professional models.
It Requires Small Space
Acoustic pianos are generally large and designed to stay fixed most of the time. Vertical pianos usually measure 58 inches in width and 36 to 50 inches in height. Because of their big size, they usually need to be moved by a professional team.
Digital pianos, especially console and hybrid digital pianos, are heavier and need more space than electronic keyboards. They are usually used at home or in class, so it is not necessary to move them frequently.
Electronic keyboards are very light and easy to carry. If you want to bring your instrument to rehearsals and performances, keyboard piano is probably your best bet.
It Caters for Mutiple Goals
If your goal is to become a highly-skilled pianist, it is good for you to pick an acoustic piano or a digital piano. Digital pianos are made to stimulate the feel of an acoustic piano and they usually come with 88 keys. And they can provide professional experience in piano learning.
If you just want to play the piano every so often or to play electronic music, a keyboard piano is an excellent choice. For beginners, electronic keyboards offer a good introduction to a piano at a low investment point.
Now, are you confirm that keyboard pianos are the best choice for you? If you've decided that the keyboard piano is the right piano, do you know how it makes different sounds?
Why keyboard pianos can produce different sounds?
Beginners may wonder why pressing a same key on the keyboard can produce so many different sounds. The technology behind it is called “MIDI linking”, a digital link between keys and pre-recorded sound samples. Still confused? Let’s break it down word by word.
Sample
A sample is a short (or relatively short) record of sounds. Every single note played on the piano is recorded electronically. The process of recording notes is called sampling.
Why electronic keyboards can produce hundreds of sounds and tones of other instruments? Because sampling is not only used for acoustic pianos but also used for guitars, strings, drums, flutes, strings, and many other musical instruments.
If a keyboard piano wants to emulate the realistic sound of a real instrument, the more samples the better.
MIDI
And now let us introduce MIDI to you. The full form of MIDI is Musical Instrument Digital Interface. This technology has been developed as a means of interaction between two instruments, like an instrument language that allows musical instruments to “talk” to each other by sending and receiving signals.
When a musician plays a MIDI instrument, all of the key presses, button presses, the knob turns, and slider changes are converted into MIDI data. These data transmit instructions such as musical notes and control parameters that tell the MIDI device which note to play and the volume of it.
Using digital control signals of musical notes to record music, MIDI can be understood as "computer-readable music". With MIDI technology, a keyboard piano can accompany itself while playing, which enables a “one-man-band” style performance!
Besides the points mentioned above, does the keyboard piano have other features?
Advantages of keyboard pianos
Stimulating the tones of hundreds of instruments to fit your needs, keyboards can add great variety to your practice. In addition to the portability and multiple timbres, keyboard pianos have two notable advantages.
No Need to be Tuned
Because their notes are recorded in their electronic components, keyboards do not need to be tuned. They only need to be cleaned regularly and kept from being too cold or too hot.
Without Disturbing Others
Performers can play the keyboard piano at whatever time they like because they can adjust the volume. Moreover, electronic keyboards are equipped with headphones, so users won't worry about disturbing others if they practice music in a quiet environment.
Having covered the basics of keyboard pianos, let's choose the right piano keyboard for you!
What piano keyboard is best for beginners?
Action Type
There are 3 main types of key actions that you should know: non-weighted, semi-weighted, and fully weighted. Piano key action determines how much force is required to press a key. It also determines how realistic the action is, compared to the feel of an acoustic piano keyboard.
Unweighted or semi-weighted keys are significantly lighter than acoustic piano keys, which may be easier for beginners. For kids who don't have enough finger strength, a semi-weighted keyboard may be a better choice.
If you want to learn piano on a keyboard piano, a fully weighted keyboard is a better choice because it mimics the dynamics required by an acoustic piano.
Keys Type
The acoustic piano has 88 keys, as do many keyboard pianos. However, some electronic keyboards have keys less than 88, and even have as few as 49 keys. And the range of 61 keys already covers the range of many instruments and is sufficient for most compositions.
For beginners interested in electronic music, it's reasonable to choose a keyboard that has smaller non-weighted keys. And if you want to play the majority of piano compositions, you can choose 88 keys with a fully weighted keyboard.
Once you've decided which keyboard you want to use, let's talk about how to learn the keyboard piano to the master level.
How to learn keyboard pianos?
Learning Methods
In this section, the fundamental but important thing you should decide on is to choose a keyboard piano learning method. There are three teaching methods for beginners to practice the keyboard piano, including Traditional Lessons, Video Tutorials, and Online Private Instruction.
Traditional Lessons
For beginners or children who want to learn the piano systematically, traditional one-on-one instruction may be more appropriate. This approach provides personalized lessons and feedback. And you can get instant answers to your questions.
Video Tutorials
For adults, the most convenient way to learn keyboard piano is to find keyboard piano lessons by searching on the Internet. You can choose a variety of genres or styles you like to learn at whatever time you want to play. And you can watch the piano tutorials over and over again.
Online Private Instruction
If you want private piano instruction and convenience, you can take online private piano lessons. In this way, you won't have to spend time on the way to class, and you can review the content in private.
The Time You’ll Cost
However, regardless of your choice of keyboard instrument and learning method, these factors alone will not make it easy for you to learn to play music. On the way to learning music, only hard practice can make people more and more skilled. As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect.
If learning to play the melodies of popular tunes is your goal, then you can do this in weeks or months. If you want to be able to play music more skillfully, we encourage you to practice at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. The more you practice, the closer you are to your musical dream!
Final Words
Now that you have read so much about keyboard piano, I believe you will have a deeper understanding of it. Playing music can make people happier and reduce their stress. What’s more, music can improve sleep and exercise your brain. I hope you can realize your music dream with the keyboard piano. Just enjoy the music!
