How to choose a piano keyboard
Choosing an electronic piano can be a challenging task, especially considering the wide range of instruments on the market. Whether you’re looking for an digital piano, synthesizer, or MIDI keyboard, there are several factors to consider.
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is suitable for various musical styles. It comes with different presets of sound and tuning buttons, making it an excellent instrument for those who want to create complete music quickly and easily. However, there are several disadvantages to this type of instrument: for example, synthesizers usually have fewer keys (for comparison, a standard piano has 88), which can limit the musician, the key size can also be smaller compared to a real piano. In addition, the feel of playing on the keys is not quite the same as on an acoustic piano, that is why many students that are accustomed to play a synthesizer struggle when arrive to a real piano. Of course, more expensive instruments offer a greater number of keys and even a piano-like playing feel.
MIDI keyboard
MIDI keyboards don’t produce sound directly but send musical information to a computer or other devices. If you want to work with electronic music or with recording software, this option might be suitable for you. Various software offers intensive sound creation and editing, making a MIDI keyboard an excellent instrument for creating electronic music. As a disadvantage, a MIDI keyboard is not an independent instrument, so you will have to connect it to a computer every time you want to play.
Digital piano
A digital piano has several features that may interest you. The most important one is the natural feel of playing the keys and authentic sounds. To make it simple, it is like a real piano, but the hammers strike electronics instead of strings. If you are looking for a feel very similar to playing an acoustic piano, this would be an excellent solution for you (this is the reason why many piano teachers recommend specifically digital pianos). It’s important to add that many models have the ability to choose different sounds (for example, the sound of an organ or strings), many models also have the ability to connect to a computer and use them as a MIDI keyboard for creating electronic music and recording. But to be on the safe side, it’s better to make sure that this capability is available in the specific model you are interested in.