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CASIO MUSIC KEYBOARDS
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KEYBOARD MUSIC STORES
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Want to buy a
MUSIC KEYBOARD?
Read the top guide
on MUSIC
KEYBOARDS and
FIND WHAT YOU'RE
LOOKING FOR!
Want to learn how to play the piano or
music keyboard? Maybe you are a
musician trying to figure out how to
choose the right piano or music keyboard.
Possibly, you’re in search for just the right
keyboard for your friend or family member.
High quality music keyboards have
incredible sound, come with a plethora of
features and are very affordable. So what
are you waiting for? Whether you’re
learning how to play the piano or you’re a
seasoned musician preparing to compose
your next hit song, our music keyboard
guide can help you decide which music
keyboard to buy.
Today's world of music keyboards offer
much more than the classical piano. There
are music synthesizers (synths), samplers,
workstations, organs and an expanding
category called "portable music
keyboards." With the right combination of
music keyboards, you can make the sound
of just about any other music instrument.
And there's something powerful about a
music keyboard , big piano, organ, or
sampler filling a room or an auditorium
with a great sound. Want to buy a Music
Keyboard?
So you want to learn how to play a music
keyboard. But does it have to be a piano?
The black and white keys are arranged the
same way on several music keyboards,
including the piano, organ, synthesizer,
and sampler. Of course, there are major
differences in those music instruments. A
piano just doesn't sound like an organ, for
instance, and when you play it, it feels
different from any of the other music
keyboard instruments. Someone who
learns on the piano often says that music
keyboards have a feel slightly different
than the piano.
But the wonderful thing about all the
different music keyboards, regardless of
the way they feel, is that once you know
your way around the black and white keys
on one, you know your way around on all of
them. Your fingers hold a C chord the
same way on any music keyboard, and they
play the C major scale the same way, for
instance. Want to buy a Music Keyboard?
Choosing your music keyboard
There are a few ways to look at which
music keyboard instrument would be best
for you to begin on. First, which sounds
best to you? Second, do you plan to be in a
band later? Third, where will you take
lessons to learn this new musical
instrument? Fourth, what can you afford?
What you can afford is, of course, is very
important. Electronic music keyboards
tend to cost less than a piano, and 61-note
music keyboards make electronic music
keyboards more affordable than 88-note
music keyboards. Surprisingly capable and
good-sounding portable music keyboards
are available for $500 and up. Want to buy
a Music Keyboard?
Beyond price, you might want to think of
where you would like to learn this music
instrument. Go to the local music store, or
check the phone book's listings under
musical instruction, to find an instructor.
Some may recommend that you get an 88-
note music keyboard, regardless of
whether it's a piano or anything electronic.
Some may have no difficulty with you
learning on a 61-note music keyboard.
Your teacher might recommend that if you
don't play a piano, that you get an
electronic music keyboard with weighted
keys, meaning keys that feel like a piano,
instead of the lightweight plastic ones in
most electronic music keyboards. Your
local music dealer can help you to find
one. Want to buy a Music Keyboard?
Why does a piano keyboard feel different
from an electronic music keyboard?
A piano uses a unique system in its
keyboard, where the key is on a long piece
of wood that acts as a lever, which is in
turn connected to other moving parts, one
of which has a small wooden, felt-tipped
hammer that hits the strings inside the
piano. Every time you press on the key, the
hammer hits the strings and quickly
"escapes" from the strings so that they
can ring out. Because of all the wood and
mechanical parts that the key attaches to,
there's a weight and a solid "feel" to the
keys. Because a piano uses hammers to
strike the strings, it's actually classified as
a percussion instrument.
Electric organs, which came long before
synthesizers and samplers, didn't need all
of that mechanical stuff because to make a
note, all you needed was an on/off switch
for each note. So the keys were made of
lightweight plastic, and they had a type of
electrical contact underneath that turned
each note on or off. Unlike a piano, which
makes a louder note if you strike the key
harder with your finger, an organ's notes
were all at a preset volume. The note was
either on at this volume or off, regardless
of whether you pushed the key gently or
hit it with a sledgehammer (don't try this at
home!).
When music synthesizers came along, they
used organ keyboards, and then so did
samplers. A lot of music keyboard players
complained that there weren't any
dynamics under the player's control.
Dynamics are the "louds" and "softs" that
a player introduces by playing harder or
lighter, and which give music a lot of its
drama. Most current music synthesizers
have a "velocity sensitive" keyboard,
which is a techie way of saying that it has
dynamics. If you play a key softly, the
volume will be soft. If you really whack it,
it'll be loud.
Separating sound from feel
In addition to the feel of the keys is the
sound that comes from the music
instrument. A music keyboard is an
excellent interface, the connection
between you and the sound, but you have
a lot of choices in the sound. Boy, do you.
You know what a piano sounds like, and
probably are aware of what it feels like to
push down on its keys. The sound of a
"real" piano is great, but it comes with a
big, heavy box that is far from portable. In
addition, you can't really adjust its volume
(unless you play softer). Want to buy a
Music Keyboard?
Electronic music keyboards offer tons of
choices when it comes to sounds, and they
almost all have headphone jacks or
volume controls (or both). They're also
very portable, for the most part (except for
some digital pianos that are designed
more like furniture than road-worthy band-
on-the-run music keyboards). Some digital
pianos sound incredibly realistic, using
sampled piano sounds that many people
can't tell from the real thing. The beauty of
a digital piano, though, is that it's easier to
fit into a room, easier to move, and
requires no maintenance (a true piano
needs to be tuned occasionally). Many
digital pianos also include sampled sounds
of other music keyboard instruments, such
as organ, making them more versatile.
Samplers likewise have very realistic
sounds because they have samples
(complex recordings) of many sounds in
them. Orchestra instruments, guitars,
drums, bells, and just about anything else
that you can think of are sampled and
stored inside the instrument, waiting for
you to press a key with your finger to
unleash them. Many samplers are
designed so that you can sample your own
sounds and play them back, or buy
cartridges or CD-ROMs with sampled
sounds and feed them into the machine.
Music Synthesizers produce sounds
completely electronically, and often don't
use sampled sounds. Instead they have
circuits that produce tones and more
circuits that shape the tones. Some can
sound a lot like samplers (many of the
waveforms are based on sampled sounds),
and yet they can also produce sounds that
don't exist in nature, making them great for
soundtracks and music that defies
description. Music Synthesizers cost about
the same as most samplers, about $1500
and up for roadworthy gear, so it's more a
matter of your preference that will make
you decide on a synthesizer instead of a
sampler. Note that some samplers have
synthesizers built in, so you get the best of
both worlds.
But are all these sounds good for you as a
learner? The jury is out on this one. Many
teachers prefer a solid, basic sound like a
piano as your sound of choice because it's
easy to relate to, and it sounds pretty
much the same whether you're on your
music keyboard or on your teacher's or
your school's. Samplers and synthesizers
have personalities of their own, and each
sound can require a completely different
playing technique. You'll spend more time
messing around with sounds, but as long
as you put in the time to learn to play,
what's the harm, eh? Want to buy a Music
Keyboard?
Finally, the feel of the music keyboard
might be more important to you (and your
teacher) than the ton of tones inside a
music keyboard. At this stage, your best
guide is your teacher or the music
keyboard specialist at the music store,
who can point you at a good learning tool
(yeah, that's what it is) that will help you to
give learning the keys your best shot.
Later, after you've learned your chords,
scales, and other basics, you might want to
move up to a more versatile music
keyboard instrument. At that time, you'll
have the capability to use those different
sounds and to develop the techniques to
make them musical.
It's possible to buy a music keyboard that
is just a music keyboard--without any
sound-making capability--called a
"controller music keyboard." (Many of
these come with a piano-like keyboard that
has a "weighted action," which tricks most
people's fingers into believing that they're
playing a real piano.) You can hook up a
sound module using MIDI (short for
Musical Instrument Digital Interface) to it
and get whatever sounds you want,
controlling all the features of the module
from the keyboard. As time goes by, you
can purchase different sound modules,
but stick with your music keyboard,
continuing to enjoy the way it feels and the
way your hands work with it. Want to buy a
Music Keyboard?
Why are there different numbers of keys
on some music keyboards?
You'll notice that some music keyboards
have 88 keys, while others have 76 or 61. If
you look around, you'll find some that as
few as 37 or 25 keys. A musical octave
including sharps and flats is twelve tones,
so the argument could be made that more
than 12 keys is overkill. What do you need
for learning? Many teachers will want the
full 88 keys, but if you already have a
shorter music keyboard, or if it's all you
can afford, then your teacher will have to
meet you halfway. If the teacher you
contact won't work with you because you
have a shorter music keyboard, find
another teacher. You don't want to start off
on the wrong foot with a teacher who
already doesn't want to work with you.
Most of what you learn, in terms of scales,
chords, and reading music can be done on
a very short keyboard anyway, and then
played on bigger ones if you ever want to.
Talk to someone who plays a music
keyboard, especially a piano or organ
teacher, and check in with the music
keyboard specialist. These people will
have strong opinions based on years of
playing, which will help you make your final
determination regarding which type of
music keyboard will work best for you.
Want to buy a Music Keyboard?
Return to Homepage
See more top product guides
MUSIC KEYBOARD?
Read the top guide
on MUSIC
KEYBOARDS and
FIND WHAT YOU'RE
LOOKING FOR!
Want to learn how to play the piano or
music keyboard? Maybe you are a
musician trying to figure out how to
choose the right piano or music keyboard.
Possibly, you’re in search for just the right
keyboard for your friend or family member.
High quality music keyboards have
incredible sound, come with a plethora of
features and are very affordable. So what
are you waiting for? Whether you’re
learning how to play the piano or you’re a
seasoned musician preparing to compose
your next hit song, our music keyboard
guide can help you decide which music
keyboard to buy.
Today's world of music keyboards offer
much more than the classical piano. There
are music synthesizers (synths), samplers,
workstations, organs and an expanding
category called "portable music
keyboards." With the right combination of
music keyboards, you can make the sound
of just about any other music instrument.
And there's something powerful about a
music keyboard , big piano, organ, or
sampler filling a room or an auditorium
with a great sound. Want to buy a Music
Keyboard?
So you want to learn how to play a music
keyboard. But does it have to be a piano?
The black and white keys are arranged the
same way on several music keyboards,
including the piano, organ, synthesizer,
and sampler. Of course, there are major
differences in those music instruments. A
piano just doesn't sound like an organ, for
instance, and when you play it, it feels
different from any of the other music
keyboard instruments. Someone who
learns on the piano often says that music
keyboards have a feel slightly different
than the piano.
But the wonderful thing about all the
different music keyboards, regardless of
the way they feel, is that once you know
your way around the black and white keys
on one, you know your way around on all of
them. Your fingers hold a C chord the
same way on any music keyboard, and they
play the C major scale the same way, for
instance. Want to buy a Music Keyboard?
Choosing your music keyboard
There are a few ways to look at which
music keyboard instrument would be best
for you to begin on. First, which sounds
best to you? Second, do you plan to be in a
band later? Third, where will you take
lessons to learn this new musical
instrument? Fourth, what can you afford?
What you can afford is, of course, is very
important. Electronic music keyboards
tend to cost less than a piano, and 61-note
music keyboards make electronic music
keyboards more affordable than 88-note
music keyboards. Surprisingly capable and
good-sounding portable music keyboards
are available for $500 and up. Want to buy
a Music Keyboard?
Beyond price, you might want to think of
where you would like to learn this music
instrument. Go to the local music store, or
check the phone book's listings under
musical instruction, to find an instructor.
Some may recommend that you get an 88-
note music keyboard, regardless of
whether it's a piano or anything electronic.
Some may have no difficulty with you
learning on a 61-note music keyboard.
Your teacher might recommend that if you
don't play a piano, that you get an
electronic music keyboard with weighted
keys, meaning keys that feel like a piano,
instead of the lightweight plastic ones in
most electronic music keyboards. Your
local music dealer can help you to find
one. Want to buy a Music Keyboard?
Why does a piano keyboard feel different
from an electronic music keyboard?
A piano uses a unique system in its
keyboard, where the key is on a long piece
of wood that acts as a lever, which is in
turn connected to other moving parts, one
of which has a small wooden, felt-tipped
hammer that hits the strings inside the
piano. Every time you press on the key, the
hammer hits the strings and quickly
"escapes" from the strings so that they
can ring out. Because of all the wood and
mechanical parts that the key attaches to,
there's a weight and a solid "feel" to the
keys. Because a piano uses hammers to
strike the strings, it's actually classified as
a percussion instrument.
Electric organs, which came long before
synthesizers and samplers, didn't need all
of that mechanical stuff because to make a
note, all you needed was an on/off switch
for each note. So the keys were made of
lightweight plastic, and they had a type of
electrical contact underneath that turned
each note on or off. Unlike a piano, which
makes a louder note if you strike the key
harder with your finger, an organ's notes
were all at a preset volume. The note was
either on at this volume or off, regardless
of whether you pushed the key gently or
hit it with a sledgehammer (don't try this at
home!).
When music synthesizers came along, they
used organ keyboards, and then so did
samplers. A lot of music keyboard players
complained that there weren't any
dynamics under the player's control.
Dynamics are the "louds" and "softs" that
a player introduces by playing harder or
lighter, and which give music a lot of its
drama. Most current music synthesizers
have a "velocity sensitive" keyboard,
which is a techie way of saying that it has
dynamics. If you play a key softly, the
volume will be soft. If you really whack it,
it'll be loud.
Separating sound from feel
In addition to the feel of the keys is the
sound that comes from the music
instrument. A music keyboard is an
excellent interface, the connection
between you and the sound, but you have
a lot of choices in the sound. Boy, do you.
You know what a piano sounds like, and
probably are aware of what it feels like to
push down on its keys. The sound of a
"real" piano is great, but it comes with a
big, heavy box that is far from portable. In
addition, you can't really adjust its volume
(unless you play softer). Want to buy a
Music Keyboard?
Electronic music keyboards offer tons of
choices when it comes to sounds, and they
almost all have headphone jacks or
volume controls (or both). They're also
very portable, for the most part (except for
some digital pianos that are designed
more like furniture than road-worthy band-
on-the-run music keyboards). Some digital
pianos sound incredibly realistic, using
sampled piano sounds that many people
can't tell from the real thing. The beauty of
a digital piano, though, is that it's easier to
fit into a room, easier to move, and
requires no maintenance (a true piano
needs to be tuned occasionally). Many
digital pianos also include sampled sounds
of other music keyboard instruments, such
as organ, making them more versatile.
Samplers likewise have very realistic
sounds because they have samples
(complex recordings) of many sounds in
them. Orchestra instruments, guitars,
drums, bells, and just about anything else
that you can think of are sampled and
stored inside the instrument, waiting for
you to press a key with your finger to
unleash them. Many samplers are
designed so that you can sample your own
sounds and play them back, or buy
cartridges or CD-ROMs with sampled
sounds and feed them into the machine.
Music Synthesizers produce sounds
completely electronically, and often don't
use sampled sounds. Instead they have
circuits that produce tones and more
circuits that shape the tones. Some can
sound a lot like samplers (many of the
waveforms are based on sampled sounds),
and yet they can also produce sounds that
don't exist in nature, making them great for
soundtracks and music that defies
description. Music Synthesizers cost about
the same as most samplers, about $1500
and up for roadworthy gear, so it's more a
matter of your preference that will make
you decide on a synthesizer instead of a
sampler. Note that some samplers have
synthesizers built in, so you get the best of
both worlds.
But are all these sounds good for you as a
learner? The jury is out on this one. Many
teachers prefer a solid, basic sound like a
piano as your sound of choice because it's
easy to relate to, and it sounds pretty
much the same whether you're on your
music keyboard or on your teacher's or
your school's. Samplers and synthesizers
have personalities of their own, and each
sound can require a completely different
playing technique. You'll spend more time
messing around with sounds, but as long
as you put in the time to learn to play,
what's the harm, eh? Want to buy a Music
Keyboard?
Finally, the feel of the music keyboard
might be more important to you (and your
teacher) than the ton of tones inside a
music keyboard. At this stage, your best
guide is your teacher or the music
keyboard specialist at the music store,
who can point you at a good learning tool
(yeah, that's what it is) that will help you to
give learning the keys your best shot.
Later, after you've learned your chords,
scales, and other basics, you might want to
move up to a more versatile music
keyboard instrument. At that time, you'll
have the capability to use those different
sounds and to develop the techniques to
make them musical.
It's possible to buy a music keyboard that
is just a music keyboard--without any
sound-making capability--called a
"controller music keyboard." (Many of
these come with a piano-like keyboard that
has a "weighted action," which tricks most
people's fingers into believing that they're
playing a real piano.) You can hook up a
sound module using MIDI (short for
Musical Instrument Digital Interface) to it
and get whatever sounds you want,
controlling all the features of the module
from the keyboard. As time goes by, you
can purchase different sound modules,
but stick with your music keyboard,
continuing to enjoy the way it feels and the
way your hands work with it. Want to buy a
Music Keyboard?
Why are there different numbers of keys
on some music keyboards?
You'll notice that some music keyboards
have 88 keys, while others have 76 or 61. If
you look around, you'll find some that as
few as 37 or 25 keys. A musical octave
including sharps and flats is twelve tones,
so the argument could be made that more
than 12 keys is overkill. What do you need
for learning? Many teachers will want the
full 88 keys, but if you already have a
shorter music keyboard, or if it's all you
can afford, then your teacher will have to
meet you halfway. If the teacher you
contact won't work with you because you
have a shorter music keyboard, find
another teacher. You don't want to start off
on the wrong foot with a teacher who
already doesn't want to work with you.
Most of what you learn, in terms of scales,
chords, and reading music can be done on
a very short keyboard anyway, and then
played on bigger ones if you ever want to.
Talk to someone who plays a music
keyboard, especially a piano or organ
teacher, and check in with the music
keyboard specialist. These people will
have strong opinions based on years of
playing, which will help you make your final
determination regarding which type of
music keyboard will work best for you.
Want to buy a Music Keyboard?
Return to Homepage
See more top product guides
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hourly.
Visit us daily to
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