7 Essential Features To Consider When Buying A Digital Piano Keyboard
Key takeaways:
- Digital pianos are becoming increasingly popular among beginners and experienced musicians.
- Digital pianos are designed to recreate the traditional acoustic piano experience, while keyboards offer a more comprehensive range of sounds and features.
- If you’re in the market for a digital piano, there are several features you’ll want to keep in mind before making your purchase, such as weighted keys, size, sound quality, and polyphony.
- Other factors to consider are USB & MIDI connectivity, speakers, and portability.
A digital piano is an electronic keyboard designed to serve as a more affordable and portable alternative to a traditional piano. They are becoming increasingly popular among beginners and experienced musicians. If you’re in the market for a digital piano, there are several features you’ll want to keep in mind before making your purchase.
PianoCraft will review some essential features to consider when buying a digital piano keyboard in this blog post.
How Does Digital Piano Keyboard Work?
A digital piano keyboard uses digital technology to create and store sounds. The digital samples of acoustic pianos are stored on a computer chip inside the digital piano. When you press a key on the piano, the sound is produced by playing back the digital sample through an amplifier and speaker.
Understanding The Difference Between a Digital Piano and A Keyboard
A digital piano is designed to recreate the traditional acoustic piano experience. It has weighted keys, which mimic the resistance of an acoustic piano’s strings. This allows for a more realistic feel when playing. Additionally, digital pianos often include features such as sustained pedal inputs and USB connectivity, making them more versatile than traditional pianos.
A keyboard, on the other hand, is a more general category of instrument that includes digital pianos, synth keyboards, and portable keyboards. Keyboards typically have lighter, unweighted keys and a more comprehensive range of sounds that can be produced. While digital pianos are designed to recreate the acoustic piano experience, keyboards offer a wider range of sounds and features.
Feature To Consider Before Purchasing a Digital Piano Keyboard:
Feature 01: Weighted Keys vs. Non-Weighted Keys
When you push a key on an acoustic piano, the “hammer” (a felt-covered, mallet-like lever) strikes a string or set of strings, generating music. Many digital pianos try to replicate the sensation of this mechanical movement by adding “weight” (resistance) to each note.
The best digital pianos offer fully-weighted keys as well as graded action. The term “graded action,” sometimes known as “progressive action,” refers to the fact that the keys at the lower end of the keyboard have slightly more resistance than the keys at the upper end, simulating the action of a real piano. This can be beneficial if you’re training to play the piano, as it will help you build up the muscles you need to use.
Non-weighted keys, on the other hand, don’t have any resistance. If you’re starting, this can make them easier to play, but some people find them less realistic. Ultimately, it’s up to you which type of key you prefer.
Feature 02: Size
Another important consideration is size. Do you want a full-sized digital piano keyboard with 88 keys, or would something smaller suffice? Many digital keyboards are full-length; however, some are either 76 or 61 keys in length. A 61-key keyboard will be enough for most beginners but will lack the keys required for intermediate and advanced repertoire.
When deciding whether or not you’ll need a full-length instrument, consider the size of your practice area, how vital it is for the keyboard to be easily portable, and whether or not you want to play more advanced music.
Feature 03: Sound Quality
The tone and sound of the piano should be evaluated next. Beginners will not require high-end tones and noises, but the bigger the budget, the better the quality. If you are a starter looking for a digital piano, keep in mind that you will only enhance your talents if you receive an incredible tone and sound texture for your money.
Feature 04: Polyphony
Polyphony indicates how many notes a digital piano can produce at one time without dropped notes or other sound quality issues. If you plan on playing pieces with multiple layers or complex textures, something with higher polyphony will be better suited to your needs.
As long as you have at least 64 notes of polyphony, you should be fine regardless of what piece you’re performing. Entry-level keyboards often have a lower polyphony count, which is sufficient for beginners in most cases.
Feature 05: USB & MIDI Connectivity
Most pianos have USB ports connecting the instrument directly to your computer. This is handy for recording or playing back digital audio files and using the digital piano as a MIDI controller.
Some digital pianos also come with traditional 5-pin MIDI ports for connecting to external MIDI devices, such as sound modules, synthesizers, or computers.
Feature 06: Speakers
The speakers’ size, amount, and power will affect the piano’s audio output, including the quality and loudness. In contrast, as the size of the speakers grows, so does the total weight of the keyboard.
Feature 07: Portability
It is critical to consider portability. If you need a piano for your house, you may get a heavy-weight digital piano. However, get a portable model if you need to travel with the keyboard. The digital piano keyboard has four styles: vertical, contemporary, portable, and stage. Upright pianos resemble acoustic pianos, with the speakers housed in the stand’s casing. Contemporary models resemble a conventional keyboard rather than a piano. Portable and stage pianos are easy to transport and may provide a significantly louder sound for players who want to get the most out of them.
Ending Note:
Purchasing a digital piano keyboard is a big decision, but it doesn’t have to be complicated! By keeping these factors in mind, you’ll be able to find the perfect instrument for your needs without breaking the bank. And who knows—with a bit of practice, maybe one day you’ll be giving concert halls worldwide!
At PianoCraft, serving Montgomery County, Maryland, we provide our customers with a high-quality digital piano experience. Our digital pianos are from reputable manufacturers, such as Celviano digital pianos and Celviano grand hybrid digital pianos.
