Digital pianos are an affordable and light electronic solution that never goes out of tune. Digital pianos today feature full-weighted keys, great sound quality, and life-like reverb effects. However, if you are buying a digital piano, you must be aware of the difference between an imitation electronic keyboard and a working digital piano. When buying a digital piano, look for the following:
Number of Keys
Stick to 88 keys, the standard number on all pianos. On pianos with less than 88 keys, you could end up making two stacks of music. Ditch the smaller keyboard to keep the music.
Simple Features
Check the speaker set-up to see if there are external-facing speakers and if the piano will only make sound with an amplifier. Also, check the inputs and outputs and look for a headphone jack. Ensure the ports are compatible with the amp and/or computer.
Number of Tones and Sounds
Piano manufacturers will try to entice buyers by highlighting the bells and whistles their products come with. However, those extras are nothing if you will never use them. Even some of the best digital pianos on the market like Casio Digital Pianos will collect great samples for the core instruments of the orchestra and throw in another cheap recording to increase the price. Don’t get lured by this. Keep in mind that more sounds do not result in higher quality. Rather, you must concentrate on the quality of the few basic sounds you will use.
Touch Response
Don’t forget about the touch response as you pay attention to lights, dials, and LED screens. Touch response is the most important part of a digital piano. As you press down on a real key, you feel some building resistance until the internal hammers strike the strings of the piano. When you throw out this hammer effect, you will begin to depend on a lousy technique, playing keys in a wooden, up-and-down way and producing a flat sound. In terms of touch response, go for full-weighted. A good digital piano will imitate a real piano’s hammers. Also, the best digital piano will weigh the bass notes a little more heavily, imitating the bigger hammers and strings in the lower octaves of the piano.
A decent piano will almost always beat a digital piano. That is why you must think carefully before you spend more than a thousand dollars on a keyboard. If you are serious about learning to play the piano, ensure you have space for the instrument.
