Buy an electric piano (digital piano)? Read this article first!

Earlier we dove into the general differences that exist in the field of pianos. In this article we want to give you more insight into the possibilities of digital electric pianos. There are many different models for sale from different brands, but where should you pay attention when purchasing? We help you further!

To look back on the different pianos that are for sale, we made a simple overview below.

• Midi keyboard

A midi keyboard only provides the keys, without sound. With a midi keyboard you need a source of sound such as software on a computer. With the MIDI keyboard you only control the MIDI notes and these trigger a digital sound.

Basically the same as a keyboard for a computer, without a computer there is nothing to control.

• Acoustic piano

A good example is a grand piano. Often there are no electronics built in, but all sounds are generated in an acoustic way.

• Digital piano

The digital piano is the more accessible version of an acoustic piano. The sound is copied with electronics so that they are generally a lot more compact and affordable.

What should you look for when purchasing an electric digital piano?

Think carefully about the different reasons why you want to buy a digital piano. The function of your piano has a lot to do with the parts that you should pay attention to when purchasing a digital electric piano.

Down below a number of components that you can take into consideration!

Touch sensitivity

The touch sensitivity is important for your feeling when playing the piano. With a digital piano there is no further acoustic technique behind it and this has been replicated, depending on the quality you will notice how good it feels. A key also gives a kickback, so that they return to the spot. This often happens with a spring under the key, in which they give resistance but also recoil, this is called semi-weighted. Weighted keys are more like those of an acoustic piano. In terms of feeling, these techniques are very important. Hammer action comes closest to an acoustic piano. Is this important? Yes and no ... Do you want to work towards playing a real grand piano? Then it is important that you opt for hammer action, for example. This is because otherwise you will have a lot of trouble playing on a grand piano, the difference is too big.

Price & transfer to another piano

If you want to play the piano for a longer time, it might be wise to make a good investment right away. Are you still not sure about your adventure on tests? Then simply start with a simple entry model.

Consider for yourself whether you want to sell your piano again after a few weeks or months to buy a better model that plays better.

You can always sell your digital piano.

Number of keys

The number of keys is important and of course also determines the length of the digital piano. Smaller versions with fewer keys are often in a lower price range, this is not what you can use to save money and space. Do you really want to get started with learning to play songs on a piano? Then we recommend that you choose 88 keys.

Built-in sounds

The advantage of an electric digital piano is that it contains different sounds. This way you can select more than just a piano sound but also a guitar or organ for example. This is nice to change things up so that you can also experiment with other sounds.

Display

A nice built-in display where different data is visible is not too much to ask for! With the more expensive types, much attention has been paid to this and you get a display where you can see everything well and clearly.

Think of volume, type of sound and the menu. So check if you are comfortable with the quality of the display and the the size.

Pedals

Most basic models have 1 pedal included and also only have the option to connect 1 pedal. The function of the piano pedal is that you can determine reverberation and the time how long a key reverberates. If you release the pedal, the note will stop, if you hold the pedal a little longer, the note will reverberate.

2 or 3 pedals is very difficult and good pianists themselves will not always use this, so consider for yourself if you need this.

Polyphony digital piano

Common polyphony of digital pianos are 32, 64 or 120. Polyphony is the number of sounds that a piano makes at a time. So if you play complex songs and the polyphony is low, then you can hear this in the quality of audio. With complex pieces you play a lot of keys at the same time and you also have keys that you already release and reverberate, it is nice if you have some space in it. Our advice is to look at 32 or 64, the higher - the better the piano is for the future, as you play more complex pieces.

Speaker

Also look carefully if there is a built-in speaker, these are often not of high quality. Then also look at the setup that you want to use with speakers or good headphones. Wattage of the piano is important because it must send audio to your speakers.

Stand & seat for your digital piano

Finally, it is important to ensure that you adopt a good posture. Hereby a good seat is key and an adjustable piano stand is handy. Your posture determines a lot about how long you will last and how comfortable you will play, which is very important when playing the piano.

Try it on your desk first or look directly at a good chair and piano stand!

Do you have any questions? Let us know in a comment below this article.