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I would like to learn to play the piano and want to start on an electronic keyboard because of the options they offer. Problem is, as a beginner it looks like too many choices for making an expensive decision. Does anyone have any keyboard recommendations for a beginner? Thanks for your help with this.
I would go out and buy a MIDI interface for your computer and the cheapest possible Keyboard to go with it and use computer software. I don't have anything specific, really.
Good suggestion. Also, for under a hundred bucks, you can buy a pretty good starter keyboard at a lot of places. Not so long ago, it cost over a thousand bucks for an entry level keyboard that was monophonic. A hundred dollar keyboard these days is polyphonic, uses sampled voices and even does a pretty good job of teaching a beginner with the built-in display. Try looking at places like zZounds and Musicians Friend.
Adveser wrote on Sun, 14 November 2010 20:14 I would go out and buy a MIDI interface for your computer and the cheapest possible Keyboard to go with it and use computer software. I don't have anything specific, really. Thanks for the suggestion... something I hadn't even thought about and will do more research. Also thanks to you Wayne for suggesting the websites. I was surprised to see how much prices have fallen. When I first started looking about 3 years ago, good boards were at least $300. I am glad to see less expensive options, and it makes more sense to start out at $100 rather than $300.
Make sure it has 88 keys as well. Sure, you won't use some of them very often but it's good to have the capability a piano does. You can also buy a damper pedal that plugs in.
I think you'd be okay with any basic keyboard; it's the supplementary learning material that teaches you how to play that really matters. Try a multifaceted approach for the best chance of success: read books, watch videos, and even consider hiring out a good tutor.
I agree. A 6 octave range (72 keys at the very least) is critical for keyboards. Sometimes they need to be a Bass, sometimes they need to be so thin and treble heavy you can barely call it a note.