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Keyboard/Piano

RiboflavinRiboflavin Registered User regular
I'll keep this short.

One of my son's is a Freshmen in College and taking an intro to Piano course.

1. He wants a Keyboard so he can practice, I know nothing about them.

2. I don't want to spend alot. I don't know what alot is for keyboards.

3. I need something that will replicate a Piano sufficiently.

4. He is not going to be doing performances with it.

5. It needs to have a headphone jack to avoid annoying the roommate.

A friend recommended the Rockjam 61 key keyboard for $109 on Amazon but the cheap price makes me suspicious.

Posts

  • Hahnsoo1Hahnsoo1 Make Ready. We Hunt.Registered User, Moderator, Administrator admin
    I wouldn't buy anything from Rockjam, for what it's worth (they tend to break easily). For cheap models, Alesis is about the bare minimum I would go. Donner, I've had less success with, but it's a similar price range and quality level. If you want a decent and durable keyboard with good weighted action, Casio or Yamaha are good bets.

    Because it sounds like he's going to be a beginner, I don't think he necessarily needs a hammer-action keyboard (which simulates the internal mechanics of actual piano keys). Weighted keys feel great and make it feel like you aren't playing on a toy, but may not be necessary for beginners, either, but they are nice to have.

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  • RiboflavinRiboflavin Registered User regular
    Thanks, I hate to pester but what about the : Alesis 88 Key Keyboard Piano with 480 Sounds, Speakers, USB MIDI, Carry-Bag, Stand, Headphones, Pedal and Piano Lessons for Beginners

    Its 169 on Amazon. I think $250-300 would be the very high end of what I want to spend.

    I don't know what to look for in specs which makes it hard.

    Can you hit two keys and get a blended sound or does one overlap the other?

    Is an 88 key what he needs since it mimics a piano or is that less important?

  • Hahnsoo1Hahnsoo1 Make Ready. We Hunt.Registered User, Moderator, Administrator admin
    You might want a 61 key keyboard for space reasons. Beginners can usually get away with a 61-key keyboard, but it really depends on what the course requires. Nearly all beginner piano courses only need 3 octaves, at most (which is 36-41 keys). 88-key is regular piano size, but more importantly, the quality shoots up a bit once you start looking at 88 key models. So you might want 88 keys just to be safe and ensure it matches the course and also meets a minimum quality standard.

    I think that price maps to an Alesis Recital Play 88, which is a perfectly fine keyboard for a beginner. It has touch sensitive semi-weighted keys, and nearly all pianos at that price range have 88 note polyphony (you can hit all 88 keys at the same time and get them all to play).

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  • Space PickleSpace Pickle Registered User regular
    The Alesia will do fine IMO.

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