Keyboard recommendation for a newbie

[Gwen]

Hi there! I hope you're doing great!
I'm a beginner beatmaker. I've started doing this not so much time ago and now I understand, that I need to upgrade my keyboard skills. I like creating melodies very much, but I'm absolutely newbie for keyboards and pianos. Everything I know about keyboards was discovered from 2-3 youtube channels and a couple of guides. I'm certain, that I'll make beats and music all my life because I feel happy and enthusiastic when I'm in the process. I already have small midi-keyboard (friend's gift), but I want to buy a good big keyboard for practicing. If I'm not mistaken this type of keyboards called weighted, if I'm, please correct me. Any pitfalls and recommendations are welcome. What should I draw attention to?
Thanks in advance!

[pops1]

Some keyboards are weighted, meaning they feel like a piano. There are many that are not. If you want to feel like you are playing a piano weighted is the way.

[FredK]

As Pops1 said, weighted keys give you the feel of a piano which is what I prefer. Each keyboard has a different feel. Too, you need to determine if you want a full 88 keyboard or something less. If you can try before you buy, that's the best way to go. If you just want to learn keyboard and working on a budget, you don't need the weighted keys. You can always upgrade later. The only thing I would be a stickler on is having full size keys for a beginner. I know there are others on here that can give much better responses but that my 2 cents worth. Most of all - enjoy the ride!

[Jim Bevan]

The Kurweil SP4-8 (or SP4-7, which has 76 notes) is my favourite digital piano.

That said, nothing beats the real thing.

[David L]

That said, nothing beats the real thing.

Unless you need to tune it, move it, or play it with headphones.

[Doug Brock]

I'm surprised you're asking this question in the Mandolin Cafe. I'm sure there are keyboard players here, but they don't typically talk about keyboards here. I am a keyboard player and have four or five keyboards, but I've never talked about keyboards on this site.

You will find many discussions about different keyboards, pros and cons, reviews, technical issues, etc., in forums like the Piano World forum (probably the biggest and most popular keyboard forum). You can ask your questions there, but you'd do well to read through many of the discussions already posted.

http://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthrea...keyboards.html

(Thanks to the Cafe administrator who said I could post this link to this other forum. Some forums are quite militant about not allowing any mention of, or links to, other forums.)

Good luck!

[dhbailey]

If you want to move the keyboard around, consider whether you want "weighted" keys which make the keyboard very heavy, or whether "touch sensitive" keys will do just as well for you. True, the weighted keys feel much more like an acoustic piano, but the extra weight often means that you need two people to move it around safely. Touch sensitive keys give you the sensitivity (light-touch=quiet-sound/heavy-touch=loud-sound) of an acoustic piano but without the same resistance. But touch sensitive keyboards are much lighter and easier for one person to carry around. Another consideration is whether you want an all-inclusive keyboard (has speakers and an amplifier built in, so there's no need for an external amp unless you want much more volume. Yamaha makes a great selection of keyboards, weighted/non-weighted, some with amps/speakers, some without. Korg also makes great keyboards. Your best bet is to go to a local piano store or to a Guitar Center and try them out for yourself.

[Astro]

I am also considering this as an addition. The two I have researched and narrowed the field down to are:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/keyb...on-synthesizer

[Gwen]

Some keyboards are weighted, meaning they feel like a piano. There are many that are not. If you want to feel like you are playing a piano weighted is the way.

Thanks! I guess I need a weighted keyboard!

If you want to move the keyboard around, consider whether you want "weighted" keys which make the keyboard very heavy, or whether "touch sensitive" keys will do just as well for you. True, the weighted keys feel much more like an acoustic piano, but the extra weight often means that you need two people to move it around safely. Touch sensitive keys give you the sensitivity (light-touch=quiet-sound/heavy-touch=loud-sound) of an acoustic piano but without the same resistance. But touch sensitive keyboards are much lighter and easier for one person to carry around. Another consideration is whether you want an all-inclusive keyboard (has speakers and an amplifier built in, so there's no need for an external amp unless you want much more volume. Yamaha makes a great selection of keyboards, weighted/non-weighted, some with amps/speakers, some without. Korg also makes great keyboards. Your best bet is to go to a local piano store or to a Guitar Center and try them out for yourself.

Thank you for the detailed response! As for the Yamaha keyboards. I found this model, it's said to be a good option to consider, but there are only 73 keys. I know that the most "common" size of keyboards is 88 keys. Is there any disadvantage for me, if I'm just starting?

[John Kelly]

Yamaha keyboards are excellent instruments, Gwen. if youare just starting out with keyboards then the lack of a full 88 key specification will not be a great handicap to you, I would say. If you intend to take it up seriously over time then you may want to consider the cost differential between buying a smaller model then trading it later for a full 88 model, and buying the larger one to start with. Otherwise, you will not miss that octave plus 2 notes. A lot depends on the kind of music you want to create too. the music which features largely in the MC site can be played without access to full keyboard.

[Lucas]

To stretch your budget, consider buying a used keyboard. Then you'll be able to get all 88 keys!