Welcome.
There is so much choice in the beginner keyboard market it can be difficult making a choice.
Casio have introduced a new range of keyboards and whilst the 3500 is OK there are now better models, but they do cost more.
Yamaha produce good keyboards but the inbuilt learning programmes are not very good and the included learing manual is more geared for piano playling rather than keyboard playing (yes, there is a difference).
That said, the Yamaha will provide well for your needs for a few years.
Better still but twenty Euro more expensive is the Casio CT X700 which is a brand new model and has a sound engine that has received excellent reviews, Thomann list it at €191, do check it out via online reviews.
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Following is some general information that may help in understanding the differences.
Do you want to play a Piano or Keyboard?
That is the question my Teacher asked when I took up playing keys after years with a guitar and bass.
He qualified it by stating, there is a difference in how I teach you and in how you will develop.
Piano.
At its most basic level LH plays the Bass lines and chords, RH plays the melody.
Independent LH & RH playing actions will need to be developed.
A Digital Piano is just that 88 weighted keys with a variety of Piano sounds to call upon to be used, other sounds can also be incorporated within the unit.
Keyboard.
Two basic types, Workstation and Arranger.
Both start with 61 keys and as the models increase in complexity and cost 76 key and 88 keys versions become available as budget increases.
Each type of unit has hundreds if not thousands if instrument sounds that can be used as an example there can easily be over thirty different types of Piano sounds available to be selected.
Workstation.
Highly customisable, often with inbuilt recording, looping, and the ability to set sequence patterns of sounds that can be called upon at the touch of a button.
Usually over one thousand instrument sounds available to be used.
Orchestral sounds can be built up by layering one instrument on top of another to produce a Combination that can be saved into a User area and assigned to a Favourite button.
Watch a Band and the person on keys will probably be playing a Workstation, if they have more than one unit then a digital Piano is likely to be there unless your name is Rick Wakeman then the number of keyboards he uses is often in excess of ten.
Arranger.
A keyboard that typically incorporates onboard amplification and speakers for a fully self contained unit.
Instrument sounds or voices are categorised into families with typically thirty specific instrument sounds available.
These keyboards include Auto Accompanying of styles that are or can be triggered by the left hand.
The keyboard is electronically split (adjustable and can be switched off) so the Accompanying sounds are played with the LH and RH plays, melody lines, arpeggiated chords, improvisation, melody accompanying lines, syncopations etc.
A beginner to keyboards will probably start off learning on a low value Yamaha or Casio unit and then progress to more complex keyboard.
Synthesizer.
Is an electronic sound generator, it can be a keyboard or non keyboard model.
With all the above keyboard types, there is a considerable degrees of overlap and incorporation of functions within each category.
The choice of which type will be best for you is dependent upon what you want to play, the style and long term plans.
If you have doubts or just want to dip ones toes in then an Arranger will probably be the best unit to go for. With the auto accompaniment feature it will enable you to produce music relatively quickly.
Technicals
Polophony, this is the number of different instrument sounds that a keyboard can play at the same time.
Styles, there are hundreds of presets arrangements including in an Arranger keyboard, each Style will have a specific number of musical instrument sounds included and when the Style is initiated it will provide sounds and rhythm related to a music genre like dance, r n b, waltz, rock, ballad etc
Songs, some keyboards have a specific style, rhythm and instrument sounds that are intended to produce a sound similar to a popular song such as Ed Sheeran’s Thinking out loud, John Lennon’s Imagine, Elvis Presley The Wonder of You, Glenn Miller Moonlight Serenade etc songs that span many decades of music to cater for all ages.
Sustain pedal, a foot operated on/off switch that if it is pressed and held as a key or keys are pressed the note(s) continue to sound until the pedal is released.
