I'm looking to purchase a keyboard for my 5-year old child. I'm looking for something basic with minimal bells and whistles, but with a minimum of 61 keys and semi-weighted keys. When looking on websites of keyboard companies, they seldom indicated if a model is weighted or not so I'm not sure which ones are semi-weighted.
beginner portable keyboard for 5 year old
- Thread starter slastarr
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happyrat1
Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
You won't find any starter keyboards with 61 weighted keys no matter how you look.
Even in pro gear, 61 keys is usually unweighted.
Pretty much all keyboards these days are velocity sensitive or "touch sensitive" though so no problem there.
If you're looking to keep it under $200 I'd advise going with a Casio. They have a better selection of models and they have come a long way with sound quality these days. They're even producing pro gear these days. They also offer better bang for the buck when compared with Yamahas in the same class.
My advice is to also avoid models with lighted keys. General consensus is that they are a gimmick with little to no real educational value.
Your child would be learning all the wrong things if he or she learned to "follow the blinking lights."
I'd recommend the Casio CT-X700 as a decent quality starter keyboard that your child would not outgrow for at least a decade.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...ctx_700_ct_x700_61_key_portable_keyboard.html
This is the latest technology starter keyboard they offer unless you'd prefer to opt for a more toy like model such as the SA76.
Gary
Even in pro gear, 61 keys is usually unweighted.
Pretty much all keyboards these days are velocity sensitive or "touch sensitive" though so no problem there.
If you're looking to keep it under $200 I'd advise going with a Casio. They have a better selection of models and they have come a long way with sound quality these days. They're even producing pro gear these days. They also offer better bang for the buck when compared with Yamahas in the same class.
My advice is to also avoid models with lighted keys. General consensus is that they are a gimmick with little to no real educational value.
Your child would be learning all the wrong things if he or she learned to "follow the blinking lights."
I'd recommend the Casio CT-X700 as a decent quality starter keyboard that your child would not outgrow for at least a decade.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...ctx_700_ct_x700_61_key_portable_keyboard.html
This is the latest technology starter keyboard they offer unless you'd prefer to opt for a more toy like model such as the SA76.
Gary
Welcome
I am going to suggest something totally different to Gary and one that does not have the bells and whistles that Yamaha or Casio beginner keyboards do.
When my Grandkids go on my Arranger keyboard (similar to the Yamaha and Casio models but far more sophisticated) they are not interested in learning to play, they only play with the mass of buttons and get as wierd a batch of sounds out of the system as they can, so your idea of avoiding bells and whilstles is very sound.
Roland GoKeys.
Far better quality than similar priced Casio and Yamaha models and will be good for years of use and it will be far easier to transport to a Music Tutor than the other makes.
I am going to suggest something totally different to Gary and one that does not have the bells and whistles that Yamaha or Casio beginner keyboards do.
When my Grandkids go on my Arranger keyboard (similar to the Yamaha and Casio models but far more sophisticated) they are not interested in learning to play, they only play with the mass of buttons and get as wierd a batch of sounds out of the system as they can, so your idea of avoiding bells and whilstles is very sound.
Roland GoKeys.
Far better quality than similar priced Casio and Yamaha models and will be good for years of use and it will be far easier to transport to a Music Tutor than the other makes.
happyrat1
Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
Not to belittle your suggestion Col but the GoKeys costs more than 50% more than the CT-X700 and plus I don't think the extra bells and whistles are a distraction for young players but rather a way to keep them interested in the instrument far longer than simply having to hit the right keys in the right order day after day after day.
To be honest, if you really want to get your child to play proper piano style in the hopes of nurturing a young Rachmaninoff then you're better off looking on your local craigslist where at any given time there are dozens if not hundreds of acoustic pianos looking for a good home for nothing more than the cost of hiring a piano mover and a piano tuner to set it up once it arrives.
Plenty of people out there own acoustic uprights which they are willing to part with for the cost of hauling it away.
Since the child in question is 5 years old I presume he or she will not have unsupervised access to the board anyway.
After a 45 minute practice session of scales and chords, the funky sounds can be offered as a small reward to the child to allow them to cut loose a bit and have some fun.
Otherwise I fear that after a year or two of lessons the kid will become bored with the limited sounds of the GoKeys and end up relegating it to the storage closet.
Just my thoughts on the subject.
Gary
To be honest, if you really want to get your child to play proper piano style in the hopes of nurturing a young Rachmaninoff then you're better off looking on your local craigslist where at any given time there are dozens if not hundreds of acoustic pianos looking for a good home for nothing more than the cost of hiring a piano mover and a piano tuner to set it up once it arrives.
Plenty of people out there own acoustic uprights which they are willing to part with for the cost of hauling it away.
Since the child in question is 5 years old I presume he or she will not have unsupervised access to the board anyway.
After a 45 minute practice session of scales and chords, the funky sounds can be offered as a small reward to the child to allow them to cut loose a bit and have some fun.
Otherwise I fear that after a year or two of lessons the kid will become bored with the limited sounds of the GoKeys and end up relegating it to the storage closet.
Just my thoughts on the subject.
Gary
happyrat1
Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
Buy an Aranger and a kid will faff around dabbing in a non structured way unless they are supervised all the time.
If the interest is not there even with a 5 year old then they will loose interest very soon.
If you yourself wants to learn hown to play keys when your child is not using it or so you can both learn together then Gary’s suggestion of the X700 is a great one.
But for just a 5 year old’s use then a $50 Casio SA 76 will be more than good enough and if they then loose interest it can be donated to a local Children's Charity.
If the interest is not there even with a 5 year old then they will loose interest very soon.
If you yourself wants to learn hown to play keys when your child is not using it or so you can both learn together then Gary’s suggestion of the X700 is a great one.
But for just a 5 year old’s use then a $50 Casio SA 76 will be more than good enough and if they then loose interest it can be donated to a local Children's Charity.
Thanks to both of you for your experienced information and recommendations. I have given up the criterion of weighted keys--that will have to come later if she shows sustained interest in learning music. I am not interested in buying a toy but I do want her to enjoy the keyboard and to learn some basics of piano playing. So I like the suggestion of letting her play around with it AFTER she has done her practicing. Again, thanks.
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the choice must be so good for beginners for good practice imo.
That is why for kids an Arranger is not necessarily the best keyboard since they may well have the tendency like my Grandkids just to faff around creating sounds and nonsense rather than actually learning to play in a structured manner hence for kids a keyboard which only has a limited range of features may well be a better option. That is why the GoKeys could be a better option.
For others to learn then I would suggest that a Casio from the X model range or Korg EK50 will be a much better choice.
For others to learn then I would suggest that a Casio from the X model range or Korg EK50 will be a much better choice.
SeaGtGruff
I meant to play that note!
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I'm not so sure that buying an arranger will result in someone faffing around on it. I have several low-end arrangers, and I have no interest at all in faffing around with their auto accompaniments.
On the other hand, I can certainly faff around playing with my keyboards' synth-ish features-- changing the voice parameters to create new sounds, and fiddling with the arpeggios. Yep, a synth or synth-like keyboard is definitely conducive to faffing around.
By the way, I had to look up the meaning of "faff" before replying, so Col has taught me a new vocabulary word today!
On the other hand, I can certainly faff around playing with my keyboards' synth-ish features-- changing the voice parameters to create new sounds, and fiddling with the arpeggios. Yep, a synth or synth-like keyboard is definitely conducive to faffing around.
By the way, I had to look up the meaning of "faff" before replying, so Col has taught me a new vocabulary word today!
Faffing
Its a Brit thing and one our Grandkids are particularly good at, whatever they are doing.
We all had Bosses who used to faff about, that is seemingly being very busy yet doing absolutely nothing.
Its a Brit thing and one our Grandkids are particularly good at, whatever they are doing.
We all had Bosses who used to faff about, that is seemingly being very busy yet doing absolutely nothing.
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few best keyboards to get it started,
1. YAMAHA YPT-260
2. YAMAHA PSR-F51
3. CASIO SA-46
best of luck.
1. YAMAHA YPT-260
2. YAMAHA PSR-F51
3. CASIO SA-46
best of luck.
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I realize this thread is over 7yrs old but I can’t help but chime in….
I have given beginner piano lessons to my kids and friend’s kids from church. In my experience the most important thing for a beginner is NOT the weighted keys or realistic sounds. The main thing is that the kids HAVE FUN, learn notes and chords, gets lots of repetitions, and that they pick up the discipline of keeping time.
For that reason we’ve had great luck with full-size-key arrangers. I have the kids pick out their own favorite songs. Then I write out the lead sheet. The kids learn the melody and then we learn to play that melody in different “styles”. That forces them to listen to the rhythm and the beat and to try to play their tune within that. And to do it 20x a day each time with a different rhythm. (So…. a Taylor Swift song - or Baby Shark- in jazz, big band, bossa, reggae, rock, EDM, etc etc). This approach keeps the kids engaged, practicing, experimenting, and learning their notes and timing.
After a year of that if they have the interest and talent, Daddy can buy them a Steinway and they can start “real” lessons with Dr McGillicuddy from the local university’s institute of music.
Probably 5 of the kids I’ve worked with have gone on to become “serious musicians”. But every single one is at least still able to sit down at a keyboard or piano and have some fun. So that’s a win I think.
I have given beginner piano lessons to my kids and friend’s kids from church. In my experience the most important thing for a beginner is NOT the weighted keys or realistic sounds. The main thing is that the kids HAVE FUN, learn notes and chords, gets lots of repetitions, and that they pick up the discipline of keeping time.
For that reason we’ve had great luck with full-size-key arrangers. I have the kids pick out their own favorite songs. Then I write out the lead sheet. The kids learn the melody and then we learn to play that melody in different “styles”. That forces them to listen to the rhythm and the beat and to try to play their tune within that. And to do it 20x a day each time with a different rhythm. (So…. a Taylor Swift song - or Baby Shark- in jazz, big band, bossa, reggae, rock, EDM, etc etc). This approach keeps the kids engaged, practicing, experimenting, and learning their notes and timing.
After a year of that if they have the interest and talent, Daddy can buy them a Steinway and they can start “real” lessons with Dr McGillicuddy from the local university’s institute of music.
Probably 5 of the kids I’ve worked with have gone on to become “serious musicians”. But every single one is at least still able to sit down at a keyboard or piano and have some fun. So that’s a win I think.
Nice 
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I know it's an old post, but....
As some of you will know, my wife and I moved house recently. So I can't say I concur with the idea of a upright piano Sorry Gary.
We unfortunately 'inherited' a very old upright piano which although visually pleasing as an item of antique furniture, was of zero use to us as a instrument. It was desperately out of tune, even as a honky tonk offering.
We rapidly found out what we knew already.
You can't sell them
You can't give them away
They weigh a ton
They will be full of spiders, cobwebs, dust and detritus built up over several decades.
So we decided it had to go.
So last Sunday, wearing steel toe capped boots and armed with a Flat Head screwdriver, I went to work.
Within half an hour, I had added a long wrecking bar a pair of very stout industrial gloves, safety glasses and strong wire cutters.
Then added a hammer, followed by a sledge hammer.
You see, these old behemoths do NOT come apart without a fight to the death. They are EVIL, SPITEFUL THINGS
The screws are all seized, the brass screw heads have years ago been DAMAGED the tuning pegs have been concreted into the carcass, and the sheer weight of the thing is incredible.
But I persevered. I sweated, and my wife learned quite a few new words.
The cast ironframe itself weighed around 100 Kg. It took 3 of us to carry it out and break it into more manageable pieces with the sledge hammer.
It took 2 trips to our tip to remove it.
So forget upright pianos. Nobody is going to pay around £100 to remove them. Nobody wants the poxy things. The effort of humping one of these things into a van will give you a hernia or a heart attack.
Break them up. Get shot.
Buy a nice cheap Casio. Your 5 year old will love it. You will enjoy watching her learn, and if she really finds that music isn't her thing... Then no big shakes.
But the idea of letting young children within a country mile of my Arranger keyboards to FAFF AROUND (I know what you mean Biggles).
Not a chance!! No siree.
As some of you will know, my wife and I moved house recently. So I can't say I concur with the idea of a upright piano Sorry Gary.
We unfortunately 'inherited' a very old upright piano which although visually pleasing as an item of antique furniture, was of zero use to us as a instrument. It was desperately out of tune, even as a honky tonk offering.
We rapidly found out what we knew already.
You can't sell them
You can't give them away
They weigh a ton
They will be full of spiders, cobwebs, dust and detritus built up over several decades.
So we decided it had to go.
So last Sunday, wearing steel toe capped boots and armed with a Flat Head screwdriver, I went to work.
Within half an hour, I had added a long wrecking bar a pair of very stout industrial gloves, safety glasses and strong wire cutters.
Then added a hammer, followed by a sledge hammer.
You see, these old behemoths do NOT come apart without a fight to the death. They are EVIL, SPITEFUL THINGS
The screws are all seized, the brass screw heads have years ago been DAMAGED the tuning pegs have been concreted into the carcass, and the sheer weight of the thing is incredible.
But I persevered. I sweated, and my wife learned quite a few new words.
The cast ironframe itself weighed around 100 Kg. It took 3 of us to carry it out and break it into more manageable pieces with the sledge hammer.
It took 2 trips to our tip to remove it.
So forget upright pianos. Nobody is going to pay around £100 to remove them. Nobody wants the poxy things. The effort of humping one of these things into a van will give you a hernia or a heart attack.
Break them up. Get shot.
Buy a nice cheap Casio. Your 5 year old will love it. You will enjoy watching her learn, and if she really finds that music isn't her thing... Then no big shakes.
But the idea of letting young children within a country mile of my Arranger keyboards to FAFF AROUND (I know what you mean Biggles).
Not a chance!! No siree.
A softball sized chunk of C4 would have accomplished that in 1 second...
Probably not very practical though
Probably not very practical though
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Don't tempt me....
Plenty of people want rid!!!
Love it
Plenty of people want rid!!!
Love it