Buying a piano is a significant investment.It requires large space and regular maintenance which can be costly. Hence, many people often opt for keyboard to learn to play, at least in the beginner phase.
Read our Best Keyboards for Beginners on a Budget – a comprehensive review.
If you are wondering whether you can start with a keyboard or need a piano, this article is perfect for you.(answer is yes!!!)
Keep reading to learn more about learning piano on a keyboard.
Basic theory
Essentially, a keyboard is a piano. The technique is exactly the same, and the notes are subdivided in the same way on the keyboards. If you learn how to play the keyboard, you will also be able to play a synthesizer and an electric organ. There are some differences between keyboards and pianos, but it’s mostly a matter of how they sound and how they feel versus how they are played.
Keyboard versus Piano: what is the difference?
Keyboards are electronic instruments, and have fewer octaves than a piano but keyboard comes with the option to switch octaves electronically via a button.
One of the most fundamental differences between playing the keyboard and playing the piano is most definitely the feel of the keys.
A piano has weighted keys, which are a bit more sensitive to your playing dynamics. This means that you’ll be able to feel a huge difference, whether you are playing very soft or very loudly.
By contrast, most keyboards have non-weighted or semi-weighted keys. For this reason, they are less sensitive to your pressure and to the intensity of your playing. Some of the cheaper keyboards don’t even have dynamic sensors, so they cannot tell whether you’re playing softly or energetically at all.
However, it is possible to buy more expensive keyboards featuring keys that are exactly like those on the piano. They are usually a bit more pricey, but it is definitely going to be worth the investment if you wanted to get more familiar with playing at different dynamics.
Absolute beginners do not really need to be concerned with this. A cheaper, basic keyboard is really good to get started because it allows you to focus on learning about the notes and where they are placed, as well as trying to understand how to play your very first melodies and chords.
Once you reach a more advanced level, you could consider switching to a keyboard with a better set of keys so that you can experiment with the intensity and with the dynamics of your playing.
In some cases, a cheap keyboard can also be an instrument to buy before you make up your mind on whether you want to continue playing the piano or not.
In fact, many students start off with a cheap keyboard or even portable small instruments such as the melodica or the glockenspiel. Later down the line, they transition to more involved instruments, such as piano.
Benefits of Keyboard over Piano
Benefit of practicing with a keyboard is the fact that these electronic instruments often feature a metronome or a backing track.
A metronome is a device that will allow you to follow a steady tempo.
You can set the speed of the metronome to any beats per minute you want, and then play along to the click sound that comes with it. This is a fundamental exercise because musicians need to be able to play along in a steady tempo and follow a rhythm without too much variation.
The tempo is like a guideline that every musician needs to follow in order for them to play together and match up with what they are doing.
To make it even more fun, you could even practice with backing tracks because some keyboards have a selection of built-in background music and different genres for you to experiment with.
This can be a really practical way to practice lead melodies and even chords, especially if you have no one to play with.
Another benefit of playing with a keyboard is the fact that you could probably use headphones and play at any hour of the day.
You can practice for hours on end, without bothering your friends, neighbors, or family!
Final Thoughts
Playing keyboard and piano can be a lot of fun. In fact, there are many people who really like to play both. They rely on the same basic fundamental techniques, but they can provide a huge range of different sounds. The piano has a beautiful, natural, and timeless sustained sound.
On the other hand, keyboards can be very fun because they usually store various presets that emulate different tones such as different piano sounds, woodwinds, string, and even human voice for you to choose from.
