Choosing the Best Musical Keyboard for You 🎹 | Keyboard Lesson

[@sweetwater]

Did this video help you in your search for your next keyboard? Let us know which keyboards are inspiring you in the comments 👇 Don't forget to like and subscribe for more!

[@jamaroquibrown7474]

Yes Jacob! I'm getting back, into keys...after nearly 2 decades, have passed by. You guys, have shown me...it's a great time, to get into music! With loop, sequencing, and the myriad of computer integrated, software options. This day, and age...literally gives you limitless, creative options. I'm looking for a fully weighted, 88 key piano...that will still give me, USB connectivity; and be portable enough, to occasionally, play live. (You've got many, great instruments, in this category…now, if only it were as easy, to decide! :-) ) I will be using Sweetwater, for my keys, and accessories. Thank you again, for the on-point advice!

[@joshuagarcia2642]

New musician looking for a good keyboard to practice at home and have a lot of features like different tones and stuff.

[@Am71919]

I prefer unweighted keys, I've been playing piano and organ for almost 30 years and with an unweighted keyboard, I get the sound of a piano and the feel of an organ in the same instrument, I don't have to pound on the keys as hard as I would on a weighted keyboard so there's less wear and tear on the instrument overall, besides, even lower level synths have piano samples that are just as(sometimes more) convincing than a weighted board and they last FOREVER, also, due to the lack of weighted keys on synths, they also encourage VERY precise playing, runs, trills and arpeggios will be a lot easier and more fun to do, I can't see myself ever going back to weighted keys

[@scotttaylor7733]

Excellent video, very helpful! Thank You so much!

[@sweetwater]

Thank you for watching, Scott!

[@boldcautionproductions9203]

Great share. Don't expect to future-proof your decision. Adult learner. Williams Allegro III was great, but too light of action for practicing on an acoustic grand my instructor used. Rebuilt a Kawai MP8II from craigslist, wooden keys. Lots of work to rebuild, but action is great and now all cleaned up, on Z-Stand. Elbow grease was worth it. Now go practice : )

[@christiannsumbu49]

Very Good video and advices

[@wendyzaruba4504]

Great video, glad I found it, you really did have great questions for me to think about, as I didn't even know some of these things came on a keyboard. So now I really need to think of what I really do want to purchase. Thanks again for making this video.

[@lovestyle642]

Loved this thanks my dude 🎹

[@SpacePatrollerLaser]

The full 88 key controller has uses for more than just piano. What if you watn a full 61 not organ and two octaves of bass, or the same upper with a lower to play chords or chord/accompaniment where you play the chord and the instrument generates bass, drums and other instruments? or a full keyboard organ and play bass on a piano?

[@winddealer1]

Hi Jacob, great list of the most important questions to help get someone the best keyboard. Surprised that the question of: "Is there budget do you need to work within?" didn't make the process right up front of the short list of questions. For many, budget is one of the first ways of immediately and rapidly driving the product considerations down to the short list. As you clearly outlined in the video there are many considerations to make besides starting with budget. Curious about why budget was near the end of the list of qualifying questions. Gratefully.

[@sweetwater]

Dan Drew I decided to focus more on features and uses of the instrument, rather than price. I also think these questions tend to be valid regardless of price range. I believe you can get an instrument that works for your needs in any price range; it just might mean letting go of a few extra features for something more affordable, for example. I also showed filtering down by price in my Sweetwater.com demo at the end of the video. Budget is also something most people think about when buying anything. The things I focused on here are specific for getting a keyboard. I do agree that budget is important. Thanks for watching! Jacob Dupre Sweetwater Keyboard Artist

[@JohnRoyZat]

Very helpful. Thank you !!

[@maryanne2025]

Really helpful

[@peterchung623]

excellent my friend, thank you, clear well thought out, gonna check ya site out.

[@jjrusy7438]

I must admit, I do not like the graded action on my mx88. that is strictly a phenomenon created by the physical limitations of a real piano having to energize big heavy strings (there are 3 per note if you ever looked in a real piano) I think it is silly to bring the physical defects along just for realism. you just need the bounce, and trust me, after playing boogie left hand for an hour practicing, my hand is smoked, so i'm still learning the fine details about key beds too

[@Persun_McPersonson]

As someone who can't afford an acoustic piano but wants to own one someday, graded action is good for me since it'll help me develop the proper technique for when I finally get my hands on an acoustic. Someone who was already a pianist would also prefer a graded action, since it's what they've become accustomed to.

[@jjrusy7438]

@@Persun_McPersonson i am already a pianist. it isnt the same. on a real piano all the piano keys go down the same. you just have to hit them harder to get more volume. graded action is like tar is in the keys. as i said in my original comment, you just need the bounce of piano keys edit: i do like the mx88 sound

[@Persun_McPersonson]

@@jjrusy7438 Ah, interesting! I now wonder why some pianists prefer graded action... So do you think it would be better to get weighted keys but just without the graded action?

[@jjrusy7438]

@@Persun_McPersonson if you look inside a piano, you see an even row of wooden/felt hammers and straps etc attached to each key. the highest note and the lowest note are identical. The soundboard with the strings looks like a big sideways harp and those low strings are massive, but the hammer is the same size for all strings. I would say weighted action with some volume reduction of lower strings would be more realistic, but i dont think they do that, so yes, weighted action is essential. that is the feel of the piano. IMO graded action was bad design. it's not real obvious, but it does wear my hand out worse than the regular piano. but definitely weighted for piano feel. that's why i got it vs synth/organ action. HTH edit: before you buy anything, try playing a piano and check out what im trying to describe. that might really help you decide what feel you want

[@Persun_McPersonson]

@@jjrusy7438 Sorry for the late reply, but thank you very much for the advice! Also, is just plain weighted action enough or do you think hammer action (just not graded) would be a little better in terms of feel? As a side note, I'm a little confused about something: everything I've read in regards to acoustic pianos describes (most of) them as having hammers that increase in size and weight as you move towards the bass. Are we in alternate realities?

[@davidpomella6786]

This is by far the greatest product information and instructional video that I have had the pleasure of watching. Thank you Jacob, I now know how to use Sweetwater's menu for finding the product that will best suit my (our) needs. I am the the person that purchases what everyone needs to perform at their level of expertise and within budget and on time. My wife has been playing the piano since age six and she still does not know how to buy one , mostly because of it's very difficult to find the tone of the acoustic piano that suits her voice and the rapid changes in technology.

[@sweetwater]

Thanks for watching, David! 😊👍🎹

[@LimeGreenTeknii]

As it turns out, I want all of the professional gigging musician features on an amateur hobbyist budget. 🤷

[@manuelandre8476]

Very. Informative

[@tristan_840]

I want an all-around keyboard. I'll be using it for home, gig with a cover band, covering piano songs. I prefer 88-keys, semi-weighted, an X-stand and do have built-in speaker but can be plugged with amp and also headphones for private practicing. Any recommendation/s?

[@sweetwater]

Hi, Tristan! Our team would be glad to dig into these details with you. When you have a moment, please give us a call at [phone] or email us at [e-mail]. Thanks for the message!

[@franciscopeyre795]

Talking about digital pianos. I was watching a video about Yamaha P-115, and a person of the company said “This piano works very well for beginners, but I think it isn’t enough good for intermediate level ”. What characteristics does my piano have to have to be suitable for an intermediate or high level?

[@franciscopeyre795]

Thanks!!

[@Persun_McPersonson]

@@franciscopeyre795 What did they say...? I'm wondering the same thing you had.

[@mrteera88]

Really good content

[@mohdzariyan6708]

Which is the best keyboard resist to carbon brutally hits keys

[@ScorgeRudess]

Size its not so trivial, I am a professional musician, 15 years rocking in a band for a living, With a Yamaha PSR-S9xx series is more than enough to make a very good living out of it... its not about the size, its more about your skills, charisma, etc. you dont really need an 88 key keyboard MOST of the time. Looking forward to the PSR-SX Series... typing in the search field is just what I need

[@richie_rich_3]

Love your video. I just had issues with how you pronounce "pianist." :)

[@richie_rich_3]

I actually listened to all 25 minutes of your video. Great idea on how to sort/decide what to buy at Sweetwater! I love Adam Vaughn. Tell him I said hi.

[@misterrandom3544]

what is the keyboard in the thumbnail?

[@bitflux2]

what happend to hammer action?

[@misterrandom3544]

i'm look for a keyboard for my music production *MY REQUIREMENTS* -49/61 Keys -under 1,000 -either Roland or Yamaha -has knobs and faders -has drum kits if you suggest anything under these requirements, please let me know!

[@donnorris1497]

Very interesting

[@carolynspell4733]

Thank you for the help , was very helpful{*🎹👍🌻🎹👍✨🎻🦋🙋🏻😊

[@aight365]

i need a hybrid between everything you said hahah

[@hezekiahdaggett2179]

It wouldve been nice if u provided some mor examples of like keyboards along with the questions.

[@fbnflaviusbroadcastingnetw6786]

Me, I want to arrange edit record and produce songs and music with the keyboard. I want it budget friendly, and want excellent sound, options, and, quality! I’d love options, styles, voices, and instruments to choose from, and want that accompaniment. I want a keyboard that has harmony reverb tremolo and other choices, as well as sequence and filters and such. I’d love something that has both vintage and newer choices, but with realistic sound. Maybe something with built in speakers, but has output capability for a speaker as well. I want this thing to compliment GarageBand, yet can do it all on its own. I am for older genres like pop and rock orchestra and folk. I want the ability to plug into a Mac Pro as a midi, or just play as is. I want the options for recording singing or live instruments onto the keyboard, and have several banks to record tracks onto the keyboard for gigs or just to edit the songs for export into a Mac with usb or a mp3 file card. I like it professional yet simple. Which should I get, do you think?

[@nesto7292]

Hey jacob!😁 I just wanted to ask if sweetwater ships to philippines?

[@sweetwater]

Hello, Pepe! There may be some restrictions on shipping certain gear internationally, but we'd be glad to look into it for you. When you have a moment, please give us a call at [phone] or email us at [e-mail]. Thank you for the message!

[@noelinecahill3630]

Hello Jacab, A great explanation from you, I have a question I have been using the Roland G1000 workstation keyboard which sadly is in its last days I used standard midi files for backup for my singing via floppy disc which I found invaluable, I am now at a loss as to what to buy I only really want a good keyboard for piano 76 or 88 and if possible connect a USB loaded with my standard midi files similar to what the Roland G1000 could do, I don't like the idea of messing with computers, can you help very much appreciated thank you regards Noeline

[@sweetwater]

If you want to stick with Roland, I’d check out the Roland E-A7 or Roland BK-5, but I’d encourage you to look at Yamaha, as well. The Genos is a top choice among arrangers, but you could also look at the more affordable Yamaha PSR models such as the PSRSX900, which is like the little brother of the Genos. If you want to go for a full workstation rather than an arranger, I’d check out something like the Yamaha Montage, Roland FANTOM-8, or the Korg Kronos. Korg also just introduced the Korg Nautilus this week, which is a more streamlined version of the Kronos. Thanks for your question and good luck finding your next board! Jacob Dupre Sweetwater Keyboard Artist

[@jjrusy7438]

You forgot to mention one very important facet: DURABILITY. Piano action can take a royal beating. synth action can not and the keyboards break. I broke my korg keybed playing boogie-woogie. So, not being rich, I looked for the cheapest decent quality piano action that sounded good. I ended up with a Yamaha MX88 and bought the carrying case so I could haul it around. I love the default piano sound and I have been beating the crap out of it for almost 2 years now learning boogie-woogie. plus somehow Sweetwater got that giant turd shipped from ft wayne to the Cleveland suburbs IN ONE DAY in a custom stapled cardboard box that was almost as big as the fed ex driver. PS..the proof that I was paying close attention is that I noticed you said "73". you must have been playing boogie-woogie too haha

[@FanaticDrummer]

Now wheres the Siri Keyboard where it plays what I want to play lol

[@noemiwelford5250]

I could not hear because the music at the back was to loud

[@mixocrian]

terrible video

[@StLouis-yg8jp]

I thought it was great and very informative. What didn't you like about it?