How to Choose the Correct Keyboard or Piano That Suits You Best
To choose the right keyboard, decide how many keys and what action you need, make sure it has touch response, then check polyphony, multi-timbrality, MIDI and computer connectivity before picking a portable keyboard, workstation, digital piano or MIDI controller.
Key points
- Pianists should aim for 88 keys with weighted or hammer action; non-pianists can choose smaller, lighter keyboards.
- Always buy a keyboard with touch response so you can play with dynamics.
- Check for MIDI or USB ports so the keyboard can connect to a computer.
- Polyphony, layering, splits, wheels and aftertouch matter more for keyboard players who use many sounds.
- Main types are portable keyboards, workstations, digital pianos, MIDI controllers and acoustic pianos.
This guide from Nathaniel School of Music, presented by Jason Zac, helps you choose a keyboard or piano that fits your style of music, your playing needs and your budget. It is for beginners buying a first instrument and for players planning their next upgrade. It was made in 2014 using models such as the Yamaha PSR-E323, Kurzweil K2600, M-Audio Keystation Mini 32 and Roland A-88, but the buying principles still apply.
Features to check before you buy
Number of keys
Serious piano players should look for 88 keys, the full range of a piano, which almost every major manufacturer offers. If you are not mainly a pianist and want something portable for triggering chords and synth sounds, 61, 49 or even smaller key counts work well. A tiny controller can fit in a normal backpack.
Action
- Weighted or hammer action feels like a real piano. Graded hammer action usually costs more.
- Semi-weighted feels close to a piano but lighter.
- Synth action is light and very easy to play.
Touch response
Touch means the keyboard gets louder the harder you play and softer the gentler you play. Some entry-level keyboards lack it. If you are serious about playing, avoid any keyboard without touch, because without it you get no dynamics at all.
Polyphony and multi-timbrality
Polyphony is the number of notes the instrument can handle at once. Higher polyphony matters if you use rich orchestral patches or high-quality piano samples. Multi-timbrality lets you layer several patches, such as piano with strings, and control each one's volume. A related feature is the split, where for example the left hand plays a bass line and the right hand plays a melody or horn section.
MIDI and computer connectivity
Almost all music production now happens on a computer, so check the back of any keyboard for MIDI In and MIDI Out ports or a USB port. MIDI sends your performance, meaning the notes you play, not the sound itself. Usually you only need a driver. If you record on the keyboard itself, transfer that work by USB or FireWire rather than an audio cable, which can lose quality. Some keyboards also act as an audio interface, with an XLR microphone input or a guitar input, saving you from buying a separate sound card.
Controllers and user interface
A pure piano player mainly needs a sustain pedal and perhaps a foot switch for changing patches. Keyboard players who shape sounds will want a pitch wheel and modulation wheel, and possibly aftertouch, where pressing further into a key changes the sound, useful for organ and synth playing. Also check how easy the screen or companion computer app is to use.
Storage, expansion and extras
Look for internal storage or support for an external drive, and ways to grow the instrument through sound cards, software or firmware updates. Pads for triggering sounds, chords or drum loops, and an arpeggiator that loops a chord into a pattern, are worth having if they suit how you play.
Types of keyboards
- Portable keyboard: light, affordable, usually 61 keys, with built-in speakers, dual and split sounds, beats, sustain pedal input, battery power and MIDI. Most students start here; Yamaha is rated highly at this level.
- Workstation: lets you build an entire song on the instrument, with many more sounds and many layers. The Kurzweil K2600 shown has 76 keys. Arranger keyboards are similar but more geared to live use.
- Digital piano: for players who just want piano, with 88 keys that feel like a piano and a good piano sound. Brands mentioned include Yamaha, Nord, Kurzweil and Korg.
- MIDI controller: has no built-in sounds. It sends performance data by USB to a computer, where software produces the sound. Small ones suit non-pianists; full 88-key weighted ones suit pianists. This is Jason Zac's own preferred choice.
- Acoustic piano: upright or grand, more expensive and needs tuning and maintenance.
How to use this guide
Before visiting a shop, list the features from this page that matter for your music, and check each one on the instrument. Knowing what you need beforehand stops you discovering a missing feature after you have bought it.
Questions about this lesson
How many keys should my first keyboard have?
If you want to play piano seriously, choose 88 keys, the full piano range. If you mainly want portability or to trigger chords and synth sounds, 61 or 49 keys, or even a smaller controller, can be enough.
What is touch response and do I need it?
Touch response makes the sound louder when you play harder and softer when you play gently. Serious students should avoid keyboards without it, because they give no dynamics.
What is the difference between a digital piano and a MIDI controller?
A digital piano has built-in piano sounds and speakers or outputs, designed for piano playing. A MIDI controller has no sounds of its own and only sends note data to a computer, where software produces the sound.
What does polyphony mean on a keyboard?
Polyphony is the number of notes the instrument can handle at the same time. Higher polyphony lets it handle richer piano samples and orchestral patches.
Practise it
- MIDI Piano VisualizerPlay a MIDI keyboard or load a MIDI file to see piano notes, chord names and staff notation together.
- DAW MentorExplore REAPER lessons, scripts and guided help for recording and production.
- Piano classes at Nathaniel School of MusicLive online or in Bangalore, with a teacher.
- All free music apps40 practice tools for harmony, rhythm, ear training and more.
Related lessons
- Which Digital Piano Should You Buy? Yamaha CK88 vs Roland RD88The Yamaha CK88 suits players who want graded hammer action, dedicated organ drawbars, MIDI in and out, Bluetooth, battery power and three-part layering, while the Roland RD88 suits players who want a simpler live layout that works from day one with a good pedal and adapter in the box.
- 10 Instant Melody-Writing Strategies for Pianists and ProducersTo write a melody quickly, Jason Zac suggests starting from at least two chords, using chord tones and landing notes on strong beats, building rhythm first, displacing beats, using the pentatonic or a smaller subset scale, singing and transcribing, turning practice patterns into tunes, and borrowing ideas from favourite songs.
- 10 Rhythm Patterns That Make Chord Inversions EasyTo make chord inversions musical, play the root position, first inversion and second inversion of a triad such as Bb major or C major through real rhythm patterns like block chords, oom-pah, waltz, broken chords, arpeggios, the tresillo, the Charleston, dual-speed arpeggios and floating inversions.
- 10 Types of Cadences Explained: Theory, Ear Training and PianoA cadence is a short chord progression of two to four chords, such as V–I (authentic), IV–I (plagal), V–vi (deceptive) or i–bVII–bVI–V (Andalusian), used to end, extend or redirect a musical phrase.