Best Digital Piano for Beginners - Casio PX-S1000, Kawai ES110, Roland RP-30X, & More

Introduction

As we move into 2022 so it's time again for a full review of the best digital piano for beginners on the market.

It's been a very exciting and yet challenging time for the piano industry with lots of delays and shipping problems, but at the same time, the options for beginners have never been better.

This is going to be our overview of what we think are the best keyboards and what we would consider appropriate for a beginner digital piano buyer. Everything on our list has 88 weighted keys, including alternate modes like dual-mode, headphone jacks, a sustain pedal (damper pedal), and a music stand, and is going to be an appropriate option for someone in piano lessons. Be sure to check out the video for an even more in-depth breakdown, as well as some playing examples.

Best Digital Piano for Beginners | Overview

What we've done to create this list is cherry-pick the piano that we think represents the best value for specific reasons across all of the major brands. To avoid playing any favorites here, we're putting the brands in alphabetical order. With that in mind, let's start with Casio.

Casio Digital Pianos

Casio has made some major strides over the last 10 years, especially over the last 5 years in terms of becoming a major player in the home digital piano space. They were always really strong with entry-level products and with professional, portable arranger products, but they have made a concerted push to become one of the dominant giant players in the entry-level digital piano space, along with Yamaha, Roland, and Kawai. They have a few phenomenal values when it comes to digital pianos in that space.

The Casio models we'll be looking at are the PX-S1000 (and the upcoming 1100), the PX-870, and the CDP-350. We'll start with the CDP-S350.

 

Casio CDP-S350

The first thing worth noting about the CDP-S350 is the unbelievable selection and quality of different sounds it offers for the price point. It actually has the same number of tones as the PX-S3000 and the new PX-S3100 with 700 in total.

The quality of the samples on those tones is incredible - you could use this as a sound source for tracking at home or for live performance. To top it off, the action feels solid too, and the speakers are no slouch either.

Casio PX-870

Next, we have the Casio Privia PX-870. This is a non-portable, home-based digital piano packed with a huge amount of amplifier wattage on the speakers for the class. It's got a four-speaker system so you're getting a nice treble from the player's perspective, but it's still filling the room with lots of sounds. The Tri-Sensor Scaled Hammer Action Keyboard action is solid with a triple sensor for good touch response, and the piano tone itself is one of the better ones available in the class, as is the high 256-note polyphony count.

It has many fewer sound presets to choose from than the CDP-350, but the combination of solid action, speaker quality, tone quality, and general cabinet quality, puts the PX-870 definitely on our list.

 

Casio PX-S1000/PX-S1100

And then last but not least, we have the Casio PX-S1000 and its soon-to-be replacement, the PX-S1100 (which includes a free Bluetooth adapter). PX-S1000 was released in the last couple of years to commemorate a major anniversary for Casio. It's very easy to use and it features a totally new design ethos.

The sound is very solid with a lot of user control of different reverb effects, and it also features a newly designed action. An optional stand and three-pedal unit are available, so when you factor everything in, you're left with a compelling option.

 

Wrap Up

Now, all three of these instruments definitely are geared toward beginner players and not professionals. Casio does make some more advanced hammer actions, but the key actions in the pianos on our list wouldn't be particular highlights. It's the overall combination of sound and touch, available for affordable price points, that gets these three models on our list. Casio's Chordana Play App is also awesome. Let's check out Kawai now.

Kawai Digital Pianos

Kawai is a huge presence in the digital piano space. They are also one of the world's largest acoustic piano builders. In fact, acoustic and digital pianos are all that they do. They make some of the most advanced digital/acoustic pianos on the market, but they also have offerings at more of a beginner-friendly price point. First and foremost among those is the Kawai ES110.

 

Kawai ES110

The ES110 is a lightweight, portable piano, with a widely acclaimed action and a stunning onboard tone.

It's also equipped with Bluetooth connectivity, which allows you to connect wirelessly to a portable device or computer, which is of course very handy. It has some onboard recording capability, but the real noteworthy thing here is the combination of getting an EX grand piano sample set with individual 88-note sampling, a good action, and a great set of onboard speakers.

 

Kawai KDP120

The second instrument from Kawai that we have on this list is the KDP120. This was a follow-up to the hugely successful KDP110 which was pretty much impossible to keep in stock. The KDP120 is following suit already.

This is an instrument with 40 watts of speaker power, which like the PX-870, is phenomenal for this price range. Its action has a triple sensor, which makes it great for touch sensitivity and MIDI input. The acoustic piano tone is killer, and there's some really great headphone technology available as well. The whole package includes a cabinet, an integrated triple pedal, and a complimentary bench. You can't forget that sometimes that bench adds $50 to $100 to the cost, so it's nice that Kawai includes one.

 

Wrap Up

The two Kawai pianos on our list are going to be a great fit for those focused on an instrument that best replicates a real piano for an authentic piano playing experience. Let's move on to Korg now.

 

Korg Digital Pianos

Korg makes a wide range of digital piano products and they have a few different actions that they use. Korg's RH3 is the most impressive and is one of the better plastic actions out there (no relation to Kawai's RH3 action.) We're going to include a couple of Korg models that use this action.

 

Korg LP380

The LP380 includes the high-quality RH3 action and also happens to offer beefy 44-watt speakers. The piano sound is quite nice, and the package also includes a stand, triple pedal and bench as well.

 

Korg D1

The Korg is a full-size portable keyboard that also happens to include the RH3 action. It's technically a stage piano and doesn't feature any built-in speakers, so you will need an amp if you go with the Korg D1.

 

Wrap Up

We love the Korg RH3 action and realistic sound so we definitely had to include a couple of models here on our list. Let's move on to Roland now.

 

Roland

Fourth on our list is Roland. Roland's musical instruments have been a favorite of professional musicians for decades. Roland, just like Casio, made the decision that they were also going to get into the home digital piano market and do it right. And boy, have they ever succeeded.

The Roland FP series is one of their staple lineups, and there are two absolute killer digital pianos for beginners in this series - the FP-10 and the FP-30X.

 

Roland FP-10

The FP-10 has been with us for a couple of years now, and while it is a fairly limited offering in terms of its functionality, if a good weighted keyboard action is the priority, this is the best action available for under $1,000, hands down.

Roland's PHA4 action is one of the best plastic actions on the market and is used in Roland models up to 3x the price of the FP-10 with a couple of really functional tones around basically just the PHA-4 action. The version of the SuperNATURAL engine they're using here is also one of the stronger sound engines for the price point.

 

Roland FP-30X

For people who are looking for something that's a little more full-featured and balanced, the FP-30X is a welcome update to the FP-30. Roland has addressed, added, and improved upon so many areas based on user feedback that they've turned this into potentially one of the best offerings of the portable digital world of 2021.

The FP-30X now has discrete 1/4-inch outputs, Bluetooth audio as well as Bluetooth MIDI, and the sound quality has been improved with the BMC sound chip. The PHA-4 action returns to round out this excellent instrument.

 

Roland RP-102

The last model from Roland we're going to add to our list is the RP-102. This model has been out for several years now, but because it's still using the PHA-4 action and you can access the whole general MIDI 2 soundbank and full accompaniment through Roland's apps via Bluetooth, this instrument is still one of the best pianos for the price even in 2021 going into 2022.

We do expect an update from Roland on this model at some point in the next 18 to 24 months, but for now, we're still ordering and selling tons of the RP102. The price point is very attractive rather, and since it includes a stand and triple pedals, it's strong from a value perspective.

 

Wrap Up

Depending on what you're looking for, odds are one of these three Roland options should check a lot of boxes for you. Let's move on to our last piano maker now - Yamaha.

 

Yamaha Digital Pianos

Last but not least best digital piano for beginners is the Yamaha entries. Yamaha has a wide range of stationary, portable, and professional products just like some of the other brands on our list. Standing out amongst all of their offerings are two models - the DGX-670, as well as the P-125. Both of these models have huge followings around the world, and we've actually reviewed both of these models on the YouTube channel.

Yamaha DGX-670

The 670 is a follow-up to the popular 660 and is an all-in-one ensemble performer unit. It really stands out for several reasons. For one, the sheer quantity of the selection of sounds like pianos, electric pianos, organs, synths, and many others, and two, a host of arranger features, like a multi-track recorder and playback, easily navigated with an LCD screen.

This would work really well for rehearsal pianists, choir directors, or even just hobbyists who want to play around with numerous sounds and features. It can be used as a slab, but a keyboard stand can be added as well.

 

Yamaha P-125

The Yamaha P-125 has been around for several years and is the more advanced version of the popular Yamaha P-45. In a lot of ways, broke new ground when it came equipped with a USB audio interface (USB port for USB connectivity) and a great set of onboard speakers. Both the P-125 and DGX-670 feature the GHS action, which while dated and not as good as some of the other actions on our list, is still serviceable. The sound engine features very high-quality samples of the Yamaha CFX concert grand and Bosendorfer Imperial concert grand.

An extra on the P125 that not many portable pianos in the price point include an auto-accompaniment feature. This is a really fun feature, especially compared to a metronome, if you like to play along with a bass, or drummer, and cycle through some different styles.

 

Wrap Up

Yamaha is always going to be a safe choice since you know you're getting a well-made product with industry-leading warranty coverage. Are some of the digital keyboards on our list providing a better value? We would argue that the answer is yes, which is why we omitted the popular Arius line, but Yamaha is about as safe a choice as there is.

 

Closing Thoughts

That's it for our list of the best digital piano for beginners that have impressed us at Merriam Music that don't have heart attack-inducing price tags. Everything on our list would be a good fit for a first-time learner, or even someone looking to get back into piano after a hiatus with a solid 88-key keyboard. We hope that this has been a helpful review.

There are of course some other popular 88-key digital pianos on Amazon like the Alesis Recital that are worth a look as well, but we decided to keep this list to the tried and true big digital piano keyboard manufacturers.

Thanks for reading!

 The post Best Digital Piano for Beginners - Casio PX-S1000, Kawai ES110, Roland RP-30X, & More first appeared on Merriam Pianos

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Best Digital Pianos for Under $1,500 | Brands, Models & Features

In a way, we’re kind of in a new golden era in the piano industry these days, especially with regard to how realistic digital pianos have become. The amount of high-quality, convincing options with great piano sound available for under $1,500 is truly remarkable.

Today, we’re going to go through our essential list of the best digital pianos available for under $1,500.

Best Digital Pianos: Brands & Models

For people who are already familiar with our site and YouTube channel, you're likely to recognize most of these models on our list. On the other hand, for people who are completely new to the whole piano universe and have perhaps just browsed Amazon so far, this should be a helpful lay of the land in this popular price range.

Roland

Roland easily makes the list of manufacturers that have a strong presence in this part of the market, and really, the entire market as a whole.

Our resident piano reviewer and company President Stu Harrison is of course a huge Roland fan and even gigs on an RD-2000. In this price range, there are two big reasons why Roland’s models - the RP102, FP-10 and FP-30X - stand out.

Roland's PHA4 Action

The first is definitely with regard to the key actions. All three of the above-mentioned models use probably the best digital keyboard piano action available in this price range - Roland’s PHA-4 hammer action.

The PHA4 features things like a triple sensor for accuracy, escapement, and a nicely textured keytop - all hallmarks of actions found on models twice the price of the models we’re looking at here.

Bluetooth Connectivity

The second reason Roland really stands out for this price point is their solid integration with apps via Bluetooth connectivity. Bluetooth connectivity gives the user fast and seamless connection to a smart device where many free and highly useable apps are present.

Roland’s own apps also greatly expand the functionality of both the FP-30X and RP102. Now a little more on the specific models.

Roland FP-10

With the FP line in general, you're looking at a set of well-built, portable, and versatile digital pianos. The FP-10, in particular, is one of the lowest cost, highest value instruments on the market as you're essentially getting a PHA-4 action wrapped around a very compact case.

It’s lightweight, easy to transport, easy to use, and still includes Bluetooth MIDI.

The SuperNATURAL sound engine is very solid, and there’s 96-note polyphony to work with, which is just plenty for solo piano playing.

The speaker system itself is a bit underpowered, but some sacrifices have to be made given the price that an FP-10 can be had for.

Roland FP-30X

Moving up to the FP-30X (recently replaced the Roland FP-30), which basically takes everything already great about the FP-10 and simply adds more.

A huge upgrade is the addition of discrete quarter-inch output jacks, which makes the FP-30X a truly viable option for gigging musicians.

Bluetooth Audio gets added to the mix in addition to Bluetooth MIDI, the speakers are much more powerful, and Roland adds their BMC chip which takes the sound quality to a whole new level, expands the polyphony to a staggering 256 notes and delivers a wonderful grand piano tone, electric piano sounds and stable of other tones as well.

Roland RP102

The RP102 is a perennial favorite that Roland has had around for several years now, but it’s still delivering a lot of value to the marketplace. The PHA4 is again present, but in this case, you’re also given a nice cabinet with an integrated triple pedal unit.

On-board features are limited, but via Roland’s apps, the features greatly expand with tons of sounds and rhythms suddenly made available.

For many folks, the RP102 checked enough boxes that upgrading to the Roland F-140R just didn’t make sense.

Yamaha

No list of the best digital pianos in the sub $1,500 category is going to be complete without at least a couple of entries from Yamaha.

Yamaha is an industry juggernaut, and there are some super popular options on this list that are definitely worth considering.

There are two models that we’ve chosen to highlight today - the P125 which has been with us for a few years and has been one of the world’s best-selling portable digital pianos since its release, as well as the DGX-670, which is a new update to the DGX660.

Yamaha P125

The P125, the little sibling to the Yamaha P515, delivers a combination of features that were first to market and have since been adopted by other manufacturers.

For starters, the P125 is equipped with a built-in USB audio interface which allows you to send audio information directly to a DAW without additional gear.

Secondly, the P125 raised the bar with its excellent speaker system that really brings crisp, clear audio. Add in the great CFX sound engine, and the P125 is definitely one of the best-sounding portable options in the class.

Now, the FP-30X has probably objectively exceeded what the Yamaha P125 is offering since it’s a newer model, but the FP30X also costs more.

The GHS from Yamaha has been out for a long time and as such, is probably the most basic key action on our list, but it is still a serviceable graded hammer action and won’t be a detriment to a beginner.

Yamaha DGX-670

The DGX-670 is a very different beast from the P125. Both pianos use the same GHS action, but the DGX-670 is more of an arranger keyboard as opposed to a musical instrument geared towards solo piano playing like the P125.

Being essentially an arranger keyboard, the Yamaha DGX-670 comes with numerous recording capabilities, onboard auto-accompaniment and hundreds of sounds. It’s a completely different experience than the P125 overall.

The DGX-670, while being hypothetically portable, is likely to be found more in stationary situations since it’s quite heavy.

Other notable Yamaha options also worth exploring include the Arius series Yamaha YDP-144 and Yamaha YDP-164. The Clavinova series of digital instruments, while hugely popular, exceed the $1,500 price point.

Kawai

If Kawai is known for one thing at this price point, it's going to be the quality of its acoustic piano tone. While their high-end digitals are known for their industry-leading keyboard actions, there’s no doubt that the biggest selling feature and point of value in this category is their sound engines.

There are four Kawai models we’re going to explore here - the KDP75 and KDP120 home digital pianos, along with the portable ES110 and ES520.

Kawai KDP75

The KDP75 is a home console digital piano, meaning it comes with a built-in stand, triple pedal, and Kawai also includes a free bench in the box. The KDP75 is a new update to the KDP70 and with that, they have improved the key action’s cushioning which enhances the playing experience.

They've also updated the core acoustic piano sample and improved on the polyphony. You can think of the KDP75 as a great alternative to the RP102 - a preference will come down to which combination of tone and touch speaks to you.

Kawai KDP120

The KDP120 replaced the critically acclaimed Kawai KDP110, and it maintains the killer 40-watt-rated amplifiers, which makes it one of the most powerful instruments on our list in terms of the sound system.

Like the KDP75, the KDP120 also received an upgraded action with improved cushioning with the new RHCII action. This is another triple sensor action with nicely textured keytops that is only bested by Roland’s PHA4 on our list.

The well-regarded PHI sound engine offers a stunning rendition of the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX real acoustic piano. While both the KDPs are a little light on other features, the focus here is on the home piano experience, especially with regard to sound.

Kawai ES110

Kawai’s ES line matches up against the Roland FP line and Yamaha P series. The ES110 has been around since 2017, but it still delivers Bluetooth MIDI, really strong speaker performance, and 88-note individual samples on the EX Concert Grand with a quarter-inch line out.

All in all, the ES110 is functional, lightweight, easy to play, and provides killer acoustic piano tone in a small package with a respectable, dual sensor action.

Kawai ES520

The ES520 is a newer release from Kawai that represents a step up from the ES110 but still costs quite a bit less than the professional level ES920.

For people who are looking for a much beefier speaker performance, a more substantial tone chip with a wider variety of different sounds, and an improved triple sensor action experience, you'll want to check out this ES520.

You can think of it as a deluxe version of the ES110 with virtually every aspect upgraded.

Casio

Casio has the most entries on our list with a total of 5. This isn’t to say that we like Casio any better than the other manufacturers, but it speaks to the fact that this category is Casio’s bread and butter, even if they’ve expanded all the way to the high-end market, especially with their Celviano grand hybrids, in recent years.

Casio Privia PX770 and PX870

The Casio Privia PX line is an absolute mainstay for the home digital piano category.

The PX770 and PX870 are very similar but serve up slightly different offerings. The PX770 is probably most comparable with the Kawai KDP75, while the Casio PX870 matches up against the KDP120.

The big difference from the 770 to the 870 is that the 870 has a nicer cabinet, and features a 4-speaker system with a killer 40 watts of power. The power output is the same as the KDP110, but the addition of the two extra speakers provides better upper partial harmonics.

Compared to the Kawai models overall, the Casio options don’t have quite the same level of tonal complexity. On the other hand, the Casio’s do cost less than their Kawai counterparts and feature tri sensor actions, so the value that Casio brings is undeniable.

Casio PX-S1100 & PX-S3100

Casio’s portable PX-S1100 and PX-S3100 are also very popular in this price range. Both have really sleek-looking cabinets and are slim and very lightweight.

The 1100 emphasizes piano tone while the 3100 is almost a full-fledged stage piano with easily assignable knobs, a couple of modulation wheels and an enormous number of onboard sounds, all of which are remarkably high quality (especially the synthesizers).

Both pianos have a very solid set of speakers, as well as Bluetooth MIDI and Audio connectivity. Even though the actions use a dual sensor, the touch sensitivity is still very good due to some new smart technology from Casio.

Casio CDP-S350

The final model on the Casio end is the CDP-S350. This is a very interesting little beast as they've essentially taken the content of the PX-S3100 and put it in a more simple frame, with less complex processing power.

The sound is lower fidelity than the S-3100, as is the polyphony and the action is simplified, but otherwise, this is a feature-heavy instrument with 700 sounds for a very affordable price.

For people who are looking for a low-cost, super high-value, all-around performer, the CDP-S350 deserves a very long look.

Korg

Our final mention is going to be a bit of a general rundown on Korg. Now here on the channel, we haven't done many Korg digital keyboard piano reviews, but we nonetheless have great respect for the company

The lines to take a look at in this category are the SP and LP lines. The SP series tends to be on the portable side, while the LP series has quite a bit of resemblance to Roland's old F-140r or even to Casio PX-770 or 870.

Final Thoughts

We really hope that this has been a helpful roundup and some top-level broad strokes about some of the best digital pianos to keep an eye on in the under $1,500 class.

Some of the models we’ve discussed are more entry-level, while others would be considered more mid-range options.

It’s an exciting time to be a piano shopper with more quality options available now than ever before.

The post Best Digital Pianos for Under $1,500 | Brands, Models & Features

first appeared on Merriam Pianos

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How to Choose the Best Digital Pianos for Beginners in 2020

 

Introduction

When it comes to beginner digital pianos in 2020, the market is not lacking for options. A quick browse of Amazon will show just how many products are currently available in the entry-level price range. In this buying guide type article, we're going to offer some tips as to what your focus should be on when considering an 88 key digital piano to help you in making a purchase you can feel great about. While we're not going to tell you what we think the best beginner digital piano is, hopefully, this article will give you the tools to make that determination for yourself.

Best Digital Pianos for Beginners in 2020 Review Video Transcription

If you've clicked on this article, there's a good chance that you're in the marketplace for a beginner keyboard piano and you're looking for some guidance. There are quite a few options in this part of the market, and you'll see models come up like the Yamaha P-45 Digital Pian, Yamaha P-125 Digital Piano.,the Roland FP-10 Digital Piano, the Roland FP-30 Digital Piano, Kawai's ES10 Digital Piano, and maybe the Korg B1SP is on that list. Casio Privia has a few notable entries as well, like the Casio Privia PX-160 Digital Piano and the PX-S1000 Digital Piano. There's probably a list of 12 or 13 models that you are going to be trying to research through and understand what those differences are. The point of this article is to distill some of that information down and provide some advice as to what your main considerations should be, rather than recommending one specific piano, to help you in making an informed decision. With that being said, here are three key focus points to keep in mind as you're researching and shopping.

Focus Point 1: Key Action:

There are certain things that it makes sense to prioritize when you're looking through lists of features and specifications when trying to understand what's going to be the best keyboard fit for your son or your daughter, or even for yourself. Key action is of critical importance. There are a lot of piano teachers who are going to tell you that a good quality piano action is probably the most important thing that you should focus on when you're shopping for a portable keyboard, portable digital piano, or home digital piano. I totally agree with the above statement and this is why; when someone is first starting to learn piano, the process is very mechanical and essentially a rote type of process for the first several months or so as the student is starting to figure out how to move their fingers and make the associations between music notation on a page and the sound they're hearing, along with the mechanical motion of the key.
One of the great things about the piano as an instrument is the player's ability to change the volume depending on how hard or how soft the key is hit. A touch-sensitive key with the right resistance, weighted keys, a graded hammer action and the right number of keys are going to give a student much more feedback in terms of what they're doing with their fingers than one where there's either very little resistance of touch response or where the touch sensitivity is extremely basic, such as what you'll find with basic piano keyboards and synthesizers. A regular full-size acoustic piano has 88-keys notes, so an 88-key weighted action digital piano ensures that the student will be developing the right type of muscle control.
Two actions that I really enjoy as a piano player that are available in inexpensive models are the Roland PHA-4 action (starting in the Roland FP10), as well as Kawai's Responsive Hammer Compact action (starting in the Kawai ES110). Both of these actions boast triple sensors which are important for accuracy, and both are well regarded in the industry in terms of overall reliability and durability. Without spending thousands and thousands of dollars, these are the actions which I strongly believe are going to simulate a real piano very well for somebody who's just starting out.

Focus Point 2: Piano Sound Quality:

After making sure the action in the pianos you're considering is something that is going to give those young fingers a good sense of control and dynamic range, the second thing that I would suggest focusing on would be a really great concert grand piano or upright piano tone. This is something that I think is relatively common once you step-up into the $1,500 range or $2,000 range, but there's obviously going to be a huge part of the buying public out there that doesn't want to spend $2,000 on their very first electronic keyboard. If you're wanting to be under a thousand dollars and close to the $500 mark, focusing on something that's got a great onboard piano sound engine is going to just lead to more engagement from the student. The closer that their piano at home sounds like the teacher's piano, or the closer it sounds to a piano that they're going to hear on a recording, the more it's going to feel like they're in front of a real instrument instead of kind of a toy.
When it comes to getting a good piano sound,  the onboard speaker system doesn't necessarily have to be great as there's a good chance a student will be doing some practicing with headphones. Regardless of speaker quality, playing with headphones ensures high quality sounds every time. Polyphony is something you'll see come up often, but I wouldn't worry too much about it as it's not going to matter much for solo piano playing, especially for beginners.
The piano sound is quite subjective at a certain point, so it's a good idea to consult with the teacher or friend who knows pianos and can help advise with regards to sound. I have my personal favorites, I happen to think that Roland's FP-10 is a killer piano for the price, especially in terms of the type of tone it delivers. But it's not the only one out there in that range and you can go and find some others.

Focus Point #3: Don't get Distracted by Bells & Whistles

This is an important one; try not to get distracted by how many other onboard features or sounds a given digital piano might have. These are things that can easily be simulated with external devices, with a simple connection via Bluetooth in many cases. When lots of extra features are included on-board at the beginner price point it's often at the expense of the musical instrument experience by sacrificing the quality of the action and sound. In some cases, you'll have teachers that will argue that all of those onboard features create more distraction than engagement. That's more of a philosophical difference and I'm not going to wade into that argument, but its important to keep that perspective in mind, and critical features like a sustain pedal and built-in metronome are included in virtually every digital piano on the market these days.
To be clear, it's not that I don't think that accompaniment features or tons of different sounds, such as electric piano, strings, and woodwinds could be fun, but electing to go with an instrument that has those things onboard at the sacrifice of either good action or good piano tone doesn't make sense because you can replicate these features easily with an external device. In the year 2020, you can get great action and great piano sound if you do your shopping and research well, certainly well under the $1,000 price tag, and good action and sound are the most important aspects for learning piano successfully.

Conclusions

I hope these thoughts have been helpful. I wish you the best of luck with your shopping. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us via our website or by phone if you have any questions as we would be happy to help!

The post How to Choose the Best Digital Pianos for Beginners in 2020 first appeared on Merriam Pianos

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How to Choose a Digital Piano for Beginners - Digital Piano Buyer's Guide

Introduction

Selecting an entry-level digital piano can be daunting for parents who don't have a lot of musical background; there are lots of models to choose from, with plenty of opinions floating around. What's more, only in the last few years has this category received any sort of musical credibility, so opinions are changing quickly on whether these under $1000 units really should be thought of as 'musical instruments' (hint: the answer is YES). In this video/article contribution by Stu Harrison at Merriam Pianos, we'll be covering what you need to know about weighted keys, hammer action, stage pianos vs digital pianos, and how it all compares to an upright piano or grand piano.  We'll also cover some of the offerings from Korg, Roland FP Series, Casio Privia, Yamaha P series, and Kawai ES and KDP series.  More expensive options like the Clavinova from Yamaha, or the CA series from Kawai isn't covered here, but many of the principles still apply.  Also, all the recommendations or instruments discussed are 88-key digital pianos, we don't get into shorter keyboards.

How to Choose a Digital Piano for Beginners Video Transcription

Can An Electronic Keyboard Like a Yamaha / Kawai / Roland Replace An Acoustic Piano?

Hi, everybody and welcome to another piano video here at Merriam Pianos. In this video, we're going to be addressing the question "How to choose the best digital piano for a beginner?" "Will it be good enough so that we don't have to buy an acoustic piano"?  Well, before you hop over to Amazon to pickup the the latest and greatest new piano, have a read below.  We've presented a short "Buying Guide" to buying a basic digital piano here, so you know exactly what to prioritize in this price range. My background is as a piano player and educator, as well as being an industry professional for around 15 years - and consequently, I've had literally hundreds of conversations with parents that start out with that question, how do I know what to choose for a beginner? And so, I have sort of gathered a lot of that feedback and I'm going to try and pass it along to you today. So, as a piano player, one of the things that cannot be changed once you buy an instrument is the feel. My very first piece of advice is that buy an instrument that has the best feel either that your son or daughter really enjoys playing on or if you're working with the teacher possibly to help you to give you some expert advice. If you yourself don't have any experience with pianos that's what I would say is, you can with MIDI and Bluetooth connections, you can always extend a keyboard's functionality with other apps. If it doesn't have the speakers you want, you can always put it through an amplifier. If it doesn't have the right music stand...there's virtually anything you can do to sort of workaround shortcomings in any other area. But you can not change the action. Once you buy the instrument, the action is what it is. When I'm talking about the action, of course, I'm referring to the feel of the piano keys, and whether they feel like a real piano (or how close it gets to the feel of an acoustic piano), as well as how well the sensors interpret what you're doing and turning that into sound. So generally, we mean the entire responsiveness of the instrument. Therefore, always buy the best action that you think you can afford and if you need to sacrifice in other areas, that would be my suggestion.

Suggestions for Great Key action in an digital / electric piano

So, in the kind of the entry-level category for digital piano, there's a few that really stand out to me as having exceptional actions for the budget. And so, I'll mention that there's not one single instrument I'm going to try and focus on, but I will name a few that we've had really, really good success with here. One of them is the Roland FP-10 or Roland FP-30. The FP-10 stands out to me for the exact reason that we were just mentioning. It has an exceptionally good action for its price. It has the PHA for action from Roland, which is the same action that they put in FP-30, the FP-60, the RP501, the F140. So, it has the same action as instruments three times it's price. But as a trade-off, you are getting it in a relatively small case. It doesn't have a whole lot of other features on top of that, but it does have an exceptional piano tone as well, if you're going to use speakers or headphones, but the action on that FP-10 is great. FP-30 is basically just the FP-10, but like the frills version of the FP-10 is the no-frills version. So, those are two potentially to check out, keeps the budget in a reasonable range and really delivers a high-quality feel. Kawai KDP110 is another one that has just a sensational action for the price. Both the KDP110 and the FP-10 and FP-30 have what's called a triple sensor. So, it's really accurate. It's really sensitive feel. They're well-built. They've been out in the market for several years and we can see that they're robust and they're, you know, not coming back with all kinds of warranty claims. So, those are two possibilities for you to go and check out that, in my opinion, have excellent feel, excellent touch, excellent build quality in the action for something in the entry-level range.

Prioritize Higher-Quality Piano Tone

The second thing that I think needs a consideration is the quality of the piano tone as well. Digitally mimicking Because yes, you have some of these models with all kinds of features and you can hook it up to your tablets and you can do this and we do that. But I have found that to have an instrument where it's literally you just turn it on, you sit down, you start to play and it's got great sound quality, essentially right out of the box, just leads to a more engaging experience and there are fewer barriers, there are fewer steps to go through, to just sit down and start making music, whether it's for fun or if you're a student, you're just having to sit down and crunch out 15, 20, 30 minutes worth of practicing. And so, getting something that has a really great piano tone that you enjoy is also excellent. Now, there's less agreement out there, or I should say there are fewer ways in which two objectives we say that one piano tone is better than another piano tone. So, you're just going to have to get out there and compare some of them side by side. We've done some comparison videos on the channel that might be helpful in this regard. We've done some Yamaha P-125 versus a Roland FP-30 or no, Roland FP-10. We've done some Kawai ES110 versus some Rolands and Yamaha. So, we've done a lot of comparisons of the instruments in the range that we're discussing right now. Perhaps you want to check those out. It might be helpful for just comparing some piano tone. Specs such as polyphony or the type of tone engine can help to objectify sound, but it is ultimately a personal preference. As long as you're dealing with quality sound, and it reasonably replicates an acoustic instrument, that's pretty much the point of any digital keyboard / piano.

Features and other Considerations

On top of those two considerations, the things to me that sort of fall lower on the priority list now become things like features, and those features are going to take the form of, I would call them almost "edutainment". These are rhythm accompaniment options or built-in integrations with book systems so that you can use an Alfred's book along with it. These are conveniences and these are kind of enhancements to the playing experience, which to the right student and the right player absolutely can be worth it. But in my view, if you were buying it for beginner who is going to be working with the teacher, I would never sacrifice action and piano tone for some of those other features. There are going to be players out there and they're going to be teachers and parents out there who will disagree with that. And I totally appreciate that. Totally respect that. My opinion is coming from the place of a pianist and somebody who's worked with younger students before. And that's just what I think is a really important thing to focus on. So, some of those features that I'm talking about that would be a lower priority for me, I already mentioned the rhythm accompaniments. It also might be like the number of sounds because some instruments really promote that like, oh, it has 300 piano sounds or 200 sounds or, to me I don't care if it has 15 sounds. If the sounds that are on there are high quality, that's important to me. The fourth thing really would be kind of cabinet style and whether it needs to be portable or not portable. If you don't need the instrument to be portable, I would highly advise getting a cabinet which is sturdy, which isn't very wobbly and is going to feel substantial. If you get an instrument that's portable and it's sort of feeling like it's loose or the stand is a little bit tippy, it's going to feel like a toy. And in my experience, it's something that kind of gets treated, even if it's subconsciously, kind of gets treated less seriously than an instrument that's sitting in the house that physically has a more dominating presence. I have not done scientific research on this. So, this is totally anecdotal. But I have noticed it in a number of family situations where I was working with the parents and this was the feedback, is when they went to a more substantial instrument, they just noticed that there was visually more interest from the student in being in front of that instrument that was just physically a little more imposing in the room. I felt like it was a larger investment, felt more important that it was a signal with from the parents. So, this doesn't mean spending more money necessarily. I would just say if it doesn't need to have portability, make sure that it looks, you know, official, it looks like a real instrument. It doesn't look like a toy. It doesn't look like it's something that's temporary. So, in addition to the earlier models I mentioned, here's a few more that you might want to put on your list. I've played them and they're definitely worth a consideration, whether or not they're at the top of list or not. So, that would be the Yamaha P-125 digital piano, I think delivers a good value. I also think that the Casio PX-160 and the new 1000 model, what is it? PS X-1000. Don't know if I got that quite right, but somebody can correct me. You know, I think Casio Digital Pianos deliver a pretty good value as well. So, make sure that you get out there and test them out. Kawai in 2019 still producing the ES110, which I know there's a big fan base for that instrument that would argue hardly that it has the best piano tone and action for a sort of an entry-level price point. So, you know, continue to do some reading and get in front of as many as you can. But like I said at the beginning of the video, I hope that these observations help you to make a more informed decision. If it is the first time to the channel, we'd really appreciate if you did subscribe. It'll help you stay up to date with all things piano. So, thank you so much for watching. We hope to see you back for another video. My name is Stu Harrison. You've been watching Merriam Pianos. Have a great day. Browse all of our digital pianos here.

Definitions:

Acoustic Piano / Traditional Piano

A mechanical, non-electronic musical instrument configured with 88 notes, which correspond to 88 different pitches which are assembled in order of ascending frequency.  Every 12 pitches, the frequency doubles, or what's called an 'octave'.  The acoustic piano creates its tone when a key is depressed, which sends a felt hammer travelling towards a steel or copper string. The resulting vibrations from the string activates wooden parts in the piano that then resonate and create sound waves.  Acoustic pianos don't use any electronics to function, and require regular maintenance. They are considered superior to digital pianos in the following ways: their dynamic range (volume range) is far greater, the control over that dynamic range is more precise, and the tonal complexity is greater with more nuance. They also last for decades. Digital pianos on the other hand are maintenance free and often cost much less, making them more accessible and easier to own.

Damper Pedal / Sustain Pedal

Both acoustic and digital pianos have sustain pedals. The function of the sustain pedal is to cause all notes on the piano to be sustained (or continuously ring on) even after the key is released, which allows for a wide variety of musical effects. For digital pianos, sustain pedals with "half" pedalling are preferred, as are pedals that are full size and properly weighted (vs. small plastic foot switches).

Digital Piano / Digital Keyboard / Synthesizer

Digital Pianos are musical instruments which attempts to mimic the sounds and action of an acoustic piano by simulating the overall piano experience as closely as possible, in a smaller, typically lower-cost package.   Digital Keyboards can offer up the sound of a piano, but are normally shorter and have less keys than a full piano, such as 61 notes or 73 notes. Synthesizer is a term more associated with the creation of non-organic / acoustic tones, such as sine waves, modulators, LFO's etc, and effects overall. HOWEVER, it should be noted that none of these terms are strictly observed in the industry and at times they are used interchangeably.

Escapement/Let-off

With an acoustic piano action, there is a point in the downstroke of the key where a part called a jack stops pushing the hammer towards the string, so that the hammer is free to hit the string and bounce back without any physical contact with other parts. The moment that the jack 'disconnects' with the hammer is called the let-off or escapement, and produces a slight sensation on the finger of a small ridge, or even a small "speed bump". On many early digital pianos, this sensation is missing. More advanced digital pianos have started adding this to their action mechanisms, and it's called both Escapement and Let-Off. They are interchangeable terms.

Keyboard Action

A keyboard action refers to the mechanism and attached keys that is supposed to simulate the physical feel of an acoustic piano, as well as translate that motion into digital information. Keyboard actions come in a wide variety of configurations, from 100% plastic spring-loaded 'waterfall' actions, to wooden key actions with proper hammers and let-off/escapement.

Metronome

A basic tool - either analog or digital - which allows a user to set a specific tempo in Beats Per Minute (BPM), which is normally heard or indicated by a constant short beep or click. For example, a metronome marking of 60 BPM will produce a click exactly once per second (since there are 60 seconds to a minute)

MIDI

A universal 'open' language that allows digital musical instruments to communicate with one another. The most common application is the use of a digital piano as an input device into a computer or smart device / smart phone for either recording purposes, or the use of software instruments. This connection can be made three ways, depending on the device: a traditional 5-pin MIDI connection, a USB port, or Bluetooth MIDI.

Sostenuto

The middle pedal on an acoustic grand piano is normally called the sostenuto pedal (in a few cases the middle pedal has a different function, such as bass sustain). Sostenuto allows a player to selectively sustain individual notes, unlike the sustain pedal which universally sustains all notes on the piano without discretion. It is a seldom used function in contemporary music, with advanced classical pianists usually being the only users of this pedal.

Polyphony

Refers to the maximum number of sounds that a digital instrument can simultaneously produce. A Max. Polyphony of 128 means that 128 notes can ring at one time before it needs to start 'shutting off' notes.  Higher polyphonies have become increasingly necessary as sound engines have started layering multiple elements to create a single 'note'. For example, the note itself, combined with string resonance, damper resonance, and cabinet resonance, might actually use up 4-5 polyphony on a single note. Which means playing 4-5 octaves of scales with the pedal down has completely used up the 128 note polyphony. Generally speaking, the higher the number, the better!

Tone Engine / Sound Engine

The sound engine is the digital piano's internal computer. It's job is to take the pitch, velocity, and after-touch information from the key, and generate a wave signal based on each manufacturer's proprietary algorithms and samples. It then sends this wave signal to amplifiers which either power the onboard speaker system, or headphones. Modern sound engines are capable of producing thousands of different sounds, and with alarming accuracy. Sound engines are also responsible for adding effects such as reverb, chorus, tremolo, amp 'drive', and other popular effects.

Sequencer

A sequencer is a MIDI-driven non linear editor / recorder which allows for multiple recordings to be layered and played back simultaneously. The basic MIDI language allows for 16 tracks, where DAW software such as logic can permit hundreds. It is used as a composition tool.

Speaker System

Refers to the amplifier and speaker box / speaker cones on a digital instrument. The signal is received from the sound engine, which is then amplified and projected through the onboard speakers or to the headphone jack. It is essentially like an internal pa system. Most digital pianos have two speakers, although it is becoming more common for higher-end digital pianos to come with 4 or more speakers to better simulate the acoustic experience of playing a piano.

Touch Sensitivity

When a piano key can detect whether it has been pressed down soft or hard (or slowly or quickly) and send that information to the sound engine, it is referred to as 'touch sensitive'. Sensitivity is normally assessed by the key sensor as a number between 1 - 128.  The softest possible reading being 1, and the hardest / fastest being 128. The more accurate the sensor, the more responsive the instrument normally feels.


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