A Beginner’s Guide to Buying a Music Keyboard

music keyboard

Choosing a good and quality musical instrument is of vital importance for musicians not only for its durability and longevity but also for its ability to produce the best possible sound. Quality instruments are also gentler on the musicians’ hands especially when it comes to choosing music keyboards. which is crucial for beginners. Given the fact that everything is new to them, choosing a quality yet gentle-to-the-hand music keyboard online/offline will help them feel comfortable while learning to play.

Things to Consider When Choosing a Music Keyboard

music keyboard
source: sweetwater.com

Generally speaking, you should look for a keyboard that’s lightweight and easy to play since this will help you master the keys and learn faster. Nowadays, you can find an extensive range of music keyboard online ranging in size, type and features which gives you the freedom to go over them in order to find the right type for you.

Sound

While the weight of the keyboard is important when it comes to moving it from one place to another, the sound certainly is one of the most important aspects of a good and quality keyboard. When in the search for the best one, make sure to choose one that can provide you with a high-quality sound that is similar to the sound of a traditional piano.

Regarding the sound type, you can choose between polyphony and multitimodality. The polyphony is described as the number of sounds the keyboard can produce at once and the multimodality is described as the keyboard’s ability to play different sounds like string instruments, drums and so on.

Size

You can choose from a wide range of keyboard sizes these days and the best option for adult beginners is considered the full-size keyboard, especially the one with weighted keys. However, you can also choose from the smaller types of keyboards that come with unweighted keys. The latter are certainly a better and much more gentler choice for your fingers.

Recording Options

Whether you’re a beginner or not, it’s great for the chosen keyboard to have recording capabilities since this will help you to record music and listen to it or show it to others when you want. On the other hand, this ability to being able to listen recorded music will help you to find some possible mistakes of yours and improve yourself which is something from which you can benefit a lot.

Types

types of music keyboards
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Synthesizer

This type of keyboard is quite popular especially among beginners because it’s quite small in size which makes it portable. The synthesizer is an electronic type of keyboard that features a range of sounds and sound effects which will enable you to achieve different effects.

Arranger

As the name suggests, arranger keyboards have the ability to automatically play musical parts which is why they’re known as auto-accompaniment. In order to start playing, you’ll just need to select a few different options and let the keyboard put together a track that matches the rhythm, style and tempo. Since there are lots of options to choose from and to try, for beginners this can be a bit overwhelming, so feel free to take your time to learn how to arrange the keyboard in order to get the best out of it.

Workstation

Workstation keyboards are considered the highest quality and most expensive keyboards since they come with their own computer and advanced programming options. These types of keyboards usually have weighted keys and by industry standards, they are considered the best keyboard option.

Number of Keys

The first and most important thing you should know about the keys on these keyboards is that the higher the number, the greater the octave range. Generally speaking, a standard piano keyboard has 88 keys, however, this can range from one manufacturer to another. So, even if you’re a beginner, if you want to become professional or at least great at playing a piano keyboard, it would be better to choose one that has all the needed keys.

Connection Ports

music keyboard
source: sweetwater.com

Headphones

Given the fact that you’re a beginner and you’ll practice playing on your new keyboard, having one with headphone output can be a blessing. This port allows you to connect your headphones, so you can perform in silence without being disturbed or without disturbing the people around you.

USB/MIDI

Once you connect your keyboard to a computer or tablet you’ll basically transform it into a powerful MIDI controller. That way, you’ll be able to record your compositions on your computer with the help of DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). You can even extend the sounds you use with the help of some third-party realistic soft synths, orchestras and more.

MIC Input

This port can be quite useful if you also plan to sing. By connecting a microphone, you’ll be able to project through the internal keyboard speakers.


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