My daughter came home one day and told me that she would like to learn how to play the piano.  I find her interest in wanting to learn a musical instrument a wonderful thing.  However, there is one slight problem, I don’t have thousands of dollars to invest in a grand piano or an upright piano at the moment.  There is a solution to this problem, she can easily learn how to play keyboard instead.   Not only are keyboards more cost effective, but there are many other advantages as well.

Cost

The cost of a keyboard is significantly less than a traditional piano.  There are many types of keyboards to choose from as well as a wide range of prices.  My recommendation is to choose a keyboard that you can easily afford.  Keep in mind that there are keyboards on the market for less than $150 dollars; however, it may not have all the features that you need such as AC Adapter, foot pedal, auxiliary output, ect.  These features aren’t necessary for playing keyboard around the house for fun, but they are important if you ever want to potentially play the keyboard at weddings or other special events.

You can find keyboards for less than $50 dollars at many local stores; however, for someone who is serious about learning how to play the keyboard this isn’t the best solution.  Most of these keyboards are cheaply made and they wear out or break quickly.  They also have less keys than a traditional piano.  So in my opinion, it would be wise to spend a little more money and invest in a quality keyboard.

Increased Portability

A keyboard is a lot smaller than a traditional piano.  A keyboard can easily be stored under a bed when not in use or left up in a small space in your house.  Because they are much smaller, they are also portable.  You can easily transport a keyboard in a car, truck, or SUV so that you can play the keyboard at events or other places.  However, you still need to use caution when transporting a keyboard to prevent it from being damaged.

A case would be ideal for transporting a keyboard around on a regular basis.  You can find a wide variety of cases ranging from nylon to hard cases.  When finding a keyboard case, it is important to find one that is going to properly protect your keyboard.  You will want to make sure that your keyboard sits in the care properly and doesn’t move around.  If it moves around too much, it will defeat the purpose of having a case.

Weighted vs Non Weighted Keys

Not all keyboards are created equally, some keyboards are made with light weight plastic keys while others are made with heavier keys.  Keyboards with heavier keys are similar to a real piano.  Weighted keyboards cost a bit more, but they are easier to play and help avoid problems with your hands and wrists.  This is important if you want to avoid carpel tunnel syndrome.

Sustain pedal

A sustain pedal for a keyboard is similar to the pedals that you see on a traditional piano.  The foot pedal is used to sustain a note or chords.  However, not all keyboards have this input, so when you are purchasing a keyboard you will need to ensure that it has a pedal input.  If it doesn’t have a pedal input then  you won’t be able to use a sustain pedal on your keyboard.

So how can we help you learn how to play the keyboard?