Your child wants to learn the piano but you don’t have one. Should you invest in one or is a keyboard fine to start with? Is it worth buying a more expensive keyboard now or waiting until you know your child will be playing it for years to come?
A good beginner keyboard is the perfect option for many students starting piano lessons. It’s not such a big initial investment and can more easily fit in your living space. An appropriate keyboard also enables the student to practise and develop good technique which can be transferred to an acoustic piano. But what features should you look for when buying a keyboard?
Weighted Keys
When playing the keys of an acoustic piano, you can change the sound by choosing how hard or soft you press down the keys. Each piano key is connected to a hammer. When the key is played, its hammer hits a specific string (or set of strings) which then vibrates and creates the sound. Pressing the key softly creates a quiet sound, while pressing stronger makes the hammer hit the string harder producing a louder sound.
Relying on an internal computer rather than hammers and strings to make the sounds, some keyboards have weights built into the keys to imitate the feel of an acoustic piano. The computer detects how hard the keys are being pressed and produces the appropriate sound automatically.
Unfortunately most budget-friendly keyboards don’t have weighted keys (please note “touch sensitive” is not the same as having weighted keys). While they’re a cheaper option, especially if you’re worried about your child losing interest in the future, an unweighted keyboard won’t allow your child to develop the essential finger strength and a good playing technique, and will actually hinder their progress.
A keyboard with weighted keys will cost more, but the benefits outweigh the price difference making it well worth the investment, and it’s less expensive than buying a good quality acoustic piano.
Number of Keys
The standard acoustic piano has 88 keys while keyboards come in a range of sizes. In the past, beginner piano students tended to only use a limited number of keys for quite some time meaning a small keyboard would have been fine. However, modern approaches encourage students to explore the piano’s full range even from the first lessons.
Smaller keyboards also don’t always have full-sized keys, in other words keys that are the same width and length as piano keys. This can greatly interfere with your child’s development of a good playing technique when switching between the teacher’s instrument and theirs.
To avoid limiting your child and the music they can play, look for a keyboard that has at least 66 keys. Having 88 keys is the best option to be able to play all traditional piano music, 72 keys are enough to play most music and 66 keys are enough to start learning.
Keyboard Stand and Stool
The keyboard stand and an appropriate seat can be completely forgotten when buying a keyboard, but they’re just as important. Being light enough to move around easily, keyboards are often placed on dining tables, desks or even chairs without considering the importance of the player’s posture, and a spare dining chair often takes the place of a more appropriate seat.
You need a stand strong and sturdy enough to hold your keyboard well without any chance of it moving around or tipping over. If you’re buying a new keyboard, check with the supplier if there is a specific stand made for the keyboard you’re buying.
The X-style stand (the legs of the stand form an ‘X’) is the most common type of stand and generally the most affordable. The height can be adjusted with several positions to choose from.
The best seat is an adjustable piano/keyboard stool or bench. It’s important when playing not only to be comfortable but to be sitting at the proper height with your arms at the right level.
Ask Your Teacher
Your piano teacher is the best person to help you choose the right keyboard for your needs. They may also know where to look for good second-hand keyboards or be able to point you in the direction of reputable, reasonably-priced suppliers.
A quality keyboard will last you for years. Just make sure you spend your money on an instrument that will help your child on their musical journey rather than hinder them from the start.