While buying a Digital Piano, you should look for certain factors. Level of learning, features of piano and definitely budget, are the main considerations when you decide on the instrument. It should help you in learning how to play the piano and not confuse you with loaded features or huge size. Few tips are mentioned below as your guidance.
- Key count: 88 or 67?
Traditional Pianos come with a standard number of 88 keys. Smaller keyboards come with 61 keys which are best for beginners. Once you have mastered a certain level of playing, you can move on to the standard 88 keyed keyboard. This will help you in gaining expertise in playing the instrument. It should be noted that anything more than the standard 88 keys should be left for the digital artists or the DJs.
- Weighted or Unweighted Keys?
Weighted keys give the students an advantage over others who do not learn on it. It helps in building strength and muscle structure which is required when you play a traditional piano. Switching from unweighted keys to weighted ones can be a gruesome task as you have to learn how to control the keys for a longer time. If you wish to be a classical pianist you should always go for weighted piano keys, as most classical pianists use traditional piano. You can choose the best digital piano from the market.
- Tone and Sounds
Electronic Pianos come with a range of effects, voices and pre recorded sounds. The specialty of a digital piano lies in the fact that users can add their own tunes in to their instrument. A lot of people boast on having hundreds of instruments, and unique sounds in their instrument which enhance their playing experience. But do you actually need all these? These effects come in use for DJs, until you are one of them, these hardly will be used. So it is always recommended to go for quality rather than quantity. Your focus should be on selecting a piano that comes with a dozen of basic sounds of high quality. You should always check for the bass notes, which should produce sound that is full and rich, of any electronic musical instrument and then only buy it.
- Polyphony Range
Polyphony, a common term, refers to the number of individual notes that a piano can produce at once. It is widely mentioned while discussing Digital Pianos. Polyphonies found in well made digital pianos often range from 64 notes, 96 and 128 notes for a larger selection of effects. 64 notes is standard and anything above 128 notes is mostly gimmick to boost sales.
- Connectivity
People look for connectivity options in any musical instrument. Digital Pianos do not disappoint in this case. The standard instrument comes with a USB port, MIDI IN/OUT function for easy connection to MIDI devices and computers. A Line IN/OUT feature, also known as the Aux In/OUT function, allows you to connect to an amplifier or speaker system and offers you better piano playing experience in larger spaces. Headphones also come as additional accessories which enable you to play without disturbing people around. The recording feature in digital piano helps students to review their performance and thus improve their work.
- Portable
Portability is the main feature that made Digital Piano so popular. Instrument that is light weight, compact and does not take up too much floor space is always preferred by a beginner. Selection of a grand piano for a beginner might be overwhelming and illogical. The standard piano is nothing less than an acoustic piano, its size hence allows it to be placed in any convenient space.
- Pocket friendly
People often start learning piano out of curiosity than genuine interest. If you are not sure of your passion for playing the instrument, then you should leave grand pianos for committed pianists. Its illogical to spend your savings on something which might be a fleeting interest. Rather researching on the basic type, kind and model of a digital piano would be ideal for a newbie before buying one. Most stores have knowledgeable sales stuff to guide you through the process. You can get amazing models within range of $500 and thus should not settle for any poor quality instrument.
Conclusion
Everybody has his/her own list of preferences in mind while buying a digital piano. However, the above points should be able to guide you properly with few basic points that should help you in getting the best digital piano in the market according to your needs.