Help – I Need to Buy a Keyboard!
Are you in the market for a new piano or keyboard? Many parents want to provide the best instrument for their child to practice on, but with all the options available today, it’s hard to know what to buy and what to stay away from. Here are just a few things to consider when shopping for a new piano or keyboard.
The first decision you must make is whether you want a keyboard or a piano. Keyboards have many benefits. They are lighter, cheaper, usually portable, and they never have to be tuned. An acoustic piano, on the other hand, is more of a long-term investment. A piano is much larger, heavier, and has to be tuned periodically. If you’re child develops into a piano player though, eventually they will be playing on a piano.
Keyboards and pianos come in different sizes with different numbers of keys. Keyboards today can have random numbers of keys: 33 keys, 61 keys, 76 keys, 88 keys, etc. Your modern, full-size, piano keyboards contain 88 keys – 36 black keys and 52 white keys.
Also, when deciding on an instrument, consider choosing an instrument with weighted keys vs. non-weighted keys. Students who begin their learning on a non-weighted keyboard will later find it difficult transitioning to a weighted keyboard. Just something to keep in mind.
When you begin to shop for a piano or keyboard, decide how dedicated you are to your child’s development on the piano. If you’re in it for the long haul, it’s probably worth the investment for a full-size, 88-key, acoustic piano. If you’re just interested in guaging your child’s level of interest in music, you could probably get away with a smaller keyboard with a smaller number of keys and eventually upgrade later on if you decide to continue their music education.
Always do your research before you plunk down a load of money on an instrument. If possible, check out reviews online. Maybe someone else’s review of their bad experience with an instrument will save you from having a similar bad experience. And of course, the reverse is true.
Now, count the number of white keys and black keys in the picture above. Hint: it’s a full-size piano. 🙂
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