Recommendation for a beginner

[Fred Coulter]

Okay, I'll be a counter heretic here.

[...]

I have both an acoustic piano and a Casio keyboard. I like both, and use each for different reasons.

[...]

• If you go the keyboard route, be sure to get one with 88 keys if your long term goal is to move to piano.

Which Casio do you own? My daughter has an 88 key Casio piano in her dorm. She finds it a great time saver rather than having to fight for practice room space. (She's still stuck in the practice rooms for the organ, but there's a lot less call for organ time so that's not a problem. Heck, the organ isn't even in the music building.)

I'd disagree on the 88 notes. The vast majority of piano music, especially the music played as a beginner, uses far less of the keyboard. If you can find a 61 note keyboard with weighted keys, it'll be enough for a few years as a beginner. I'm just not sure they make such a thing. This means that the OP would get by (and possibly save some money) if the OP looked at 73 and 76 note weighted keyboards as well as 88 note keyboards.

To make life even more interesting, Korg just released an 88 note keyboard that's not weighted. I wouldn't touch that thing with a ten foot pole, although others who aren't interested in actually playing piano might find it interesting. (It's also still very expensive and doesn't have aftertouch. I really don't see the point when comparing it to a stock Kronos 88.)

 

[ptooner]

Okay, counter counter. ;-) I have a 6'1 grand as well as quite a few keyboards - mostly Roland. I don't know anyone who tunes a piano more than annually, and I don't even do mine but about once or twice a year and I do it myself. If you are a club or perform on it everyday then you need to tune it more often, we usually recommend twice a year depending on your climate. Temperature doesn't matter, humidity does. In my area (Florida) the going rate for a tuning is $70. Check on what it is in yours. Also, for a beginner tuning is hardly critical. Most people can't really tell the difference until it gets really awful. Anyway, all of these are things to consider.

 

[Greg Barker]

Which Casio do you own?

I'd disagree on the 88 notes. ]

I own a PX-140, which has been replaced with I believe the PX-160, although 140s were still available last December.

Okay, on the number of keys, lets say it would be helpful for Damian to know the kind of music he's heading towards. I've got Gershwin, Brubeck, and Rachmaninoff in my répertoire, and they use all the real estate available. I play a Mozart sonata that would fit well within Fred's suggestion. And I agree, for the first year or two of initial learning, fewer keys would be fine. So, if Damian got a deal on a keyboard with fewer than 88 keys with it in mind that he was going to see where it goes, he could keep his investment light, then trade up when it became apparent that he needed more.

 

[Greg Barker]

While tuning may not be critical to a beginner's learning, it can be important to the care of the piano, particularly in areas like Florida. If you let a piano get way out of tune, you have to nurse it back gradually. Its better to get it tuned on a regular basis. Obviously, we aren't far out of synch on this, as we get our own instruments tuned on the same interval.

I'm in what is considered a rural area and piano tuners are few and far between. If ptooner is in a larger urban area, that would explain why tuning is more economical.

I've learned how to do simple repairs and adjustments myself, but piano tuning is an art, and a good tuner has an ear just like in the fragrance industry there are people with "the nose." I'll tune a celtic harp or dulcimer or guitar, but I wouldn't take on tuning a piano without getting coached by an experience tuner and determining whether I have the knack. OMG, ptooner, now you've done it, you've planted the idea in my head and I won't be able to rest until I've determined whether I can tune my own piano!!

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Speaking only of the Yamaha models mentioned, I would not recommend anything in the PSR-E2xx/YPT-2xx line if you're looking for a touch-sensitive keyboard, because those models do not have touch-sensitive keyboards.

However, if (and only if) I were looking for a cheap keyboard that I could play non-velocity-sensitive voices on (such as organ sounds), or could use as an inexpensive (albeit low-polyphony) XGlite sound module, then I might consider getting either a PSR-E233/YPT-230 or a PSR-E243/YPT-240. Those models are identical as far as available voices, but the PSR-E243 has a USB-MIDI port whereas the PSR-E233 has MIDI In/Out ports. I personally would not get a PSR-E253 or PSR-E263, because they have no MIDI connectivity at all. Then again, I might consider one of those models if I didn't plan to use MIDI with it, such as if it were going to be used just for non-velocity-sensitive voices and the only recording I intended to do with it were audio recording.

On the other hand, the PSR-E3xx/YPT-3xx line does have touch-sensitive keyboards, as well as more available voices than the PSR-E2xx/YPT-2xx line. Furthermore, the soon-to-be-released PSR-E363 (which has 61 keys) and PSR-EW300 (which has 76 keys) both have 48-note polyphony, as well as USB audio output.

One thing that the Yamaha PSR-E models have that the cheaper Casio CTK models do not is the ability to respond to MIDI Control Change messages for attack/release times and filter cutoff/resonance. The more expensive Casio CTK/WK models do have that, but not the less expensive models. So you may or may not want to factor that into your considerations, depending on whether or not you'd like to be able to modify the ADSR and LPF settings of the built-in timbres in the manner of a synthesizer.

 

[cpcohen1945]

What SeaGtGruff says:

. . . DO NOT get any keyboard that's not "touch sensitive".

Playing is much more enjoyable with touch-sensitive keys. None of your original list of 4 keyboards has them, I think.

Look around for a used Yamaha PSR-E3xx keyboard, or the next-level-up Casio (CTK-4400, right now).

MIDI functionality (or "MIDI over USB") might be useful for you in the future. But that's not a "must-have" for your first keyboard.

Yes, the CAsio "WK" series is more expensive, and has features that you may never use.

. Charles

 

[Fred Coulter]

MIDI functionality (or "MIDI over USB") might be useful for you in the future. But that's not a "must-have" for your first keyboard.

Not now, but when you're ready you'll need to think about what you're going to connect to. If you want to connect to another keyboard, you'll need to make sure your keyboards have the round MIDI jacks. On the other hand, if you're going to only connect to a computer or use the computer as a MIDI router to the other keyboard, then MIDI over USB is more convenient. If you're doing both, then you can use the round plugs with an adapter for the computer, or spend the big bucks and get a keyboard with both.

 

[stratusrt001]

Personally I think you'd have a lot more fun if you spent a few more bucks and got a Casio WK-6600 or WK-7600

Not only do they have larger keyboards to play with but they also have so many voices you'd never get bored with them and they'd last you a lot longer before you outgrew them

If you look around on craigslist these days chances are you'd find one selling used in good condition for under $200.

Gary

well i havea 7600 keyboard i love it it is true that itisa work station and does have accompaniment excuses my spelling but there is options to ot use the rthymn section if you dont want to you can use the drum beat instead and still learn the left hand.