Which is the best keyboard?
Keyboards for children and beginners are available for under 100 euros. Even inexpensive instruments offer a wide range of sounds and rhythms.
The size and type of the instrument is also an important factor when buying a keyboard. Some models for children have smaller keyboards with narrower keys, and a range of only a few octaves. Of course, adult beginners should make sure their new keyboard has full-sized keys and the necessary range to ensure a lifetime of enjoyment and musical creativity.
For a good playing feel, it is also important to have touch-sensitive, velocity-sensitive, or dynamic keys. Ultimately, these terms all mean the same thing: That the volume of the notes you play is controlled by how hard you play them, just like on a piano. This enables a much greater variety of musical expression, making full use of a keyboard's range of sounds. Even an instrument for children or beginners should include this important feature – begin as you mean to go on!
Another feature to look for in any good keyboard is a powerful speaker system. Optional functions include an integrated recording mode, a microphone input, or a USB or MIDI port for connecting to a computer.
Which keyboard is best for beginners?
- For children and adults, we recommend a keyboard with a keyboard range of at least five octaves (61 keys) and touch-sensitive keys.
- Inexpensive keyboards without dynamic keys should not really be an option, even for beginners; you will find that the instrument quickly begins to limit the learner's potential.
- As always, the more you pay, the more options you will have. For children in particular, however, it's best to begin with an instrument that has a manageable range of functions.
What should you look for in a keyboard?
- The most important features of a good keyboard for beginners are a touch-sensitive keyboard, a large selection of high-quality instrument sounds and rhythms, a good speaker system, and a headphone output.
- Your new keyboard should also have a connection for a sustain pedal.
- Other features such as a recording function, a song player, and learning programs are also useful for beginners.
How does a keyboard work?
A keyboard reproduces the sounds of various instruments electronically, a process referred to as sampling: Individual notes played on real instruments such as a piano, guitar, or synthesizer are recorded digitally and stored in the keyboard's memory banks. Selecting a specific instrument and playing a certain key will play the recorded note, thus mimicking the sound of the original instrument.
Automated accompaniment is another of a keyboard's important functions, offering pre-programmed rhythm patterns in many different musical styles that can be adapted in real-time by playing chords on the keyboard.
Many keyboards also have a song player able to play full songs in MIDI format. Beginner keyboards usually offer a selection of pre-programmed songs, which can often be used in conjunction with a learning tool or program. Many mid-range and high-end keyboards are often capable of loading and playing songs via USB stick.
What components and features does a keyboard have?
Keys
A keyboard's keys are very similar to those of a piano. However, the keys on a keyboard usually aren't weighted as heavily as on a grand piano or digital piano. The reason a keyboard's keys are lighter has to do with the variety of instruments it can emulate: A lighter keyboard is better suited to sounds such as organ or synthesizer, where a heavy response would be more of a hindrance. Lighter keys are an ideal compromise. The touch-sensitive dynamic keys of a keyboard ensure that the volume can be controlled by the strength of your keystrokes.
Some keyboards for children are equipped with light-up keys, which are used as part of the instrument's integrated songs and practice functions: The keys light up and show which notes are to be played next. Functions like this are fun, but not strictly necessary from a musical perspective!
Sounds
All keyboards have a large selection of sounds. In addition to traditional instruments such as piano, guitar, bass, and drums, many keyboards include at least some synthesizer sounds. Drum sounds are usually organised so as to emulate an entire drum kit – each key on the keyboard plays a different instrument, such as the bass drum, the snare drum, or a cymbal.
Automatic accompaniment
The automatic accompaniment of a keyboard consists of pre-programmed rhythm patterns in various styles. When you play the keyboard, the chords you play are incorporated into the automatically generated accompaniment. This creates basslines and chord accompaniments that match the piece you are playing and the style you have chosen. The accompanying rhythms will be more or less complex depending on the quality of the keyboard. There are usually two to four variations per rhythm, as well as all the necessary intros, endings, and fill-ins (transitions).
Split/Layer
Many keyboards allow you to layer several sounds on top of each other, or play different sounds using different sections of the keyboard. For example, you can mix a piano sound with strings, or play a double bass sound with your left hand and a trumpet with the right. These functions are generally referred to as split and layer.
Polyphony
The polyphony of a keyboard determines how many notes can be generated at the same time. In addition to the notes being played on the keys, a keyboard must also be able to generate the sometimes complex sounds of the automatic accompaniment – so additional voices are required. For this reason, a 32 or 64-voice polyphony should be the minimum, although 128 voices are the ideal number.
Connections
The most important connector on a keyboard is the headphone output, which allows you to switch off the built-in speakers and play silently. If you want to hook up your keyboard to an amplifier system, a line output is also recommended.
A connection for a sustain pedal is almost always included as standard. A sustain pedal, which either comes with the keyboard or can be purchased separately, maintains a note or series of notes long after you have stopped pressing the actual keys (another reason polyphony is so important). Sustain will add a lot to your playing, so don't buy a keyboard without it!
Many keyboards also offer USB and/or MIDI connectivity, enabling you to connect your new instrument to a computer, which will let you play the keyboard as part of a music software suite or control digital instruments using the keyboard's keys. MIDI additionally lets you use the keyboard to control other MIDI-capable instruments or audio modules.
)
)