Digital Piano Recommendations
Many students and their families ask about which piano/keyboard they should purchase for practicing their skill at home. While it is great to have a traditional piano, many student's home don't have space for it, traditional pianos need more maintenance such as tuning it every 6 months (about $100-200 each time), and they are heavy to move! A great alternative is a recent model keyboard which should include the following qualities: 88 keys (at least semi-weighted and preferred fully weighted), and a pedal or the option to add a pedal.
We have been purchasing various keyboards for several years and are very familiar with the popular brands out there. Some might be tempted to buy a piano with less than 88 keys. That might work for a beginner, but very soon, they will out grow the keyboard and even playing basic songs will be limited. We've also noticed that most brands that are less than 88 keys are not weighted (to feel like a normal piano), typically are low quality, and are more of a toy than a musical instrument.
Below are recommendations for keyboards you can find on Amazon, Ebay, and Facebook marketplace and Facebook garage sale sites. I'm starting with the least expensive models first and will go up from there. Remember that musical instruments are an investment that if taken care of will serve you for many years forward. In most cases, you get what you pay for.
Keeping that in mind, there are some great deals if you are willing to buy used. In fact, half of our keyboards were bought used and perform very well. When buying a used keyboard from one of the models we recommend, check the following: make sure that all the keys play and that none of them sound much louder or softer than other keys when played, make sure that the pedal works when pressed down and playing the keys, turn up the volume and play loud and listen for any crackling in the speakers, check the power supply for good solid wires with no fraying, and bring a set of headphones and plug them in to ensure that the headphone jack works. If each of these things check out and the price works for you, then you are very likely getting a good deal!
If you find another brand or model then what we have listed below and need a little guidance, just let us know and we will be happy to assist!
A quick note on weighted keys:
We have been purchasing various keyboards for several years and are very familiar with the popular brands out there. Some might be tempted to buy a piano with less than 88 keys. That might work for a beginner, but very soon, they will out grow the keyboard and even playing basic songs will be limited. We've also noticed that most brands that are less than 88 keys are not weighted (to feel like a normal piano), typically are low quality, and are more of a toy than a musical instrument.
Below are recommendations for keyboards you can find on Amazon, Ebay, and Facebook marketplace and Facebook garage sale sites. I'm starting with the least expensive models first and will go up from there. Remember that musical instruments are an investment that if taken care of will serve you for many years forward. In most cases, you get what you pay for.
Keeping that in mind, there are some great deals if you are willing to buy used. In fact, half of our keyboards were bought used and perform very well. When buying a used keyboard from one of the models we recommend, check the following: make sure that all the keys play and that none of them sound much louder or softer than other keys when played, make sure that the pedal works when pressed down and playing the keys, turn up the volume and play loud and listen for any crackling in the speakers, check the power supply for good solid wires with no fraying, and bring a set of headphones and plug them in to ensure that the headphone jack works. If each of these things check out and the price works for you, then you are very likely getting a good deal!
If you find another brand or model then what we have listed below and need a little guidance, just let us know and we will be happy to assist!
A quick note on weighted keys:
- Non-weighted keys generally are not preferred for piano keyboards. They are sometimes called "organ keys" and are the type you would expect to find on a kids toys or a short keyboard. They are spring loaded and most do not play loud and soft (velocity sensitive), which is critical when playing songs on the piano. Almost all keyboards with less than 88 keys are non-weighted.
- Semi-weighted keys are still spring loaded but allow the player to add loud and soft sounds to the song. The keys are more resistant than the non-weighted keys and are more responsive to touch. These are usually more budget friendly than fully-weighted keys.
- Hammer-action keys are many times called fully-weighted keys. These keyboards have a mechanism that replicates the same hammer action in an acoustic piano. Some are better than others and some good brands that do a good job with fully-weighted keys are Casio and Yamaha.
The Alesis Recital is a great entry level piano keyboard. It is light weight, easy to transport, and easy on the budget! This is the model we use for our piano rentals at the studio because they work so well. They don't have a bunch of bells and whistles but give you the basics so you can practice at home. It comes with a simple two-part music stand on the top for putting your books and allows you to add a sustain pedal as well. It's important that get a sustain pedal because the student will be playing songs that use it, even in the first book. The keyboard can be placed on a table or a stand. Here is one "X" style stand you can buy: Rockjam Heavy Duty Double X Style Stand or an upgraded stand here: Z-Style Keyboard stand. Generic keyboard stands generally cost about $25-50 and many times you can get one used on Facebook marketplace or Ebay. This model takes headphones with a 1/4 inch jack. Most standard headphones are a 1/8 inch jack and you can easily find an adapter for a few dollars. Here is a good one on Amazon: 1/4 to 1/8 inch Headphone Adapter
Finally, a good pedal for sustaining notes can be found here: Donner Sustain Pedal
See a demo of the Alesis Recital in the video below.
Finally, a good pedal for sustaining notes can be found here: Donner Sustain Pedal
See a demo of the Alesis Recital in the video below.
The Casio PX-770 is the latest version of the Privia series by Casio, replacing the previous model, the PX-160 (listed below). The sound quality of this model is outstanding and has a realistic grand piano sound. The keyboard features scaled hammer action functions and seems to have just the right feel for even an advanced student. This model comes standard with the full pedal board and the stand. The entire unit doesn't take up much space and is fairly light weight, allowing a user to easily move it around a room as needed. It comes in black, white, and brown. This keyboard also has a unique feature called concert play that allows the user to play along with 10 pre-recorded orchestral pieces. This keyboard is very much worth the price and is an incredible value.
See below for a demo of the Casio Privia PX-770:
See below for a demo of the Casio Privia PX-770:
The Casio Privia PX-160 is a great keyboard that will last the user many years of great service. It is currently a discontinued model but can still be found on some websites. These models are relatively light, have fully-weighted keys, and come with a variety of options for bundles. Casio makes a furniture stand for this model that can be attached directly to the piano. There is also an option to add a full pedal board to it or you can use a single pedal like the Donner (here) is less than $20. The bundle listed above also includes a nice bench. You have to option to buy each piece as budget allows as well. You can start with the piano itself and add to it as budget allows. You could also use an X Stand or Z Stand with it like the Alesis Recital listed above to save a little money. These are typically found a little cheaper on Ebay (here) and you can get a great price if you are willing to buy used. We have several of this model keyboard and have been very happy with the performance of the keyboard.
See video below for a demo of the Casio Privia PX-160.
See video below for a demo of the Casio Privia PX-160.
Previous Casio Privia Models
Casio did a great job with the Privia series of digital pianos. The reason I'm bringing up these discontinued models is that you can find these on Garage sale sites, Facebook Marketplace, and even on Ebay (here). These models tend to stand the test of time when they have been well cared for by the owner. If you notice in our studio, we have several of these discontinued models and all of them were purchased used. The unique feature about these is that they have a very realistic piano sound, fully weighted keys with hammer action, and they are light weight and easy to move around! If you find this model for sale, make sure you check everything over well for functionality and ensure you play it to make sure everything works. A typical good purchase price for these models is between $200-400, which is quite a deal since these sold for about double that when they were new. Look for model numbers like PX 100, PX 110, PX 120, PX 130, PX 150, PX 200, PX 300, PX 310, PX 320, etc. There are many more.
See video below for a demo of the Casio Privia PX-100.
See video below for a demo of the Casio Privia PX-100.
The Yamaha P45 is a great digital keyboard that has just the features that you need without all the bells and whistles. It is a good entry level piano that is nice and slim and easy to fit in smaller spaces. You will notice that the model listed above has a stand. You can also buy just the keyboard and add a Z Stand or X stand just like other keyboards. I have not seen any of these with a pedal board so you would need a simple pedal added to it like the Donner. The keys are full sized, weighted and graded hammer action. Graded means that the weight changes depending on where you are playing on the keyboard, just like a acoustic piano! I'm impressed with the sound of this model and you can typically find these on Ebay (here) for a bit cheaper price than Amazon, especially if you are going to buy used. We currently own one of this model and found it on Facebook marketplace.
Yamaha Arius YDP-144
The Yamaha Arius YDP-144 has an extremely realistic acoustic piano touch and feel. It comes with a full pedal board and has a premium look to it. The sound recordings that is the brains of this unit replicates the sounds of a 9 foot concert grand piano. The keys are graded hammer action and the sound has a great depth to it. Quite a nice instrument! The furniture cabinet comes in dark rosewood and black, and black walnut. This piano would be suited for a student that is serious about continuing piano and it is worth the investment! You can find this model Here on Ebay and also on Amazon with free shipping. See video below for a demonstration: