10 Best Starter Keyboards in 2024 [Buying Guide] - Music Critic (2024)

Beginner Piano Keyboard Buyers Guide

‘Every home should have a keyboard’, a wise person once said. Do you agree? We’re pretty sure you do after a quick look at these wonderful instruments. Our list includes everything you need to make a decision, but if you still feel like you would like to try some keyboards out before you make your purchase we recommend you to go to a music shop and try out a few.

If you don’t know how to play yet the staff will most likely be able to play some tunes for you so that you can hear different sounds, and even if you don’t know much about keyboards you’re quite likely to find one or two favorites among the different models.

Even if trying different instruments in a music shop is the best way of selecting a keyboard, it can be really good to know a couple of brands and products you’re interested in to narrow it down, there’s so much to choose from!

What to Look for When Buying a Beginner Keyboard

One thing that is good to decide on before you buy a keyboard is how many keys you need. This mostly depends on the skills of the player. To give an example you don’t need many octaves of keys to play ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’. The number of keys you need depends a little bit on the genre you will play as well.

If you are going to not only play pop and rock, but want to play classical piano music as well, it’s probably a good idea to find a keyboard with as many keys as possible. A regular piano has 88 keys, however, most pianist rarely use the highest and the lowest keys. You should also be aware that many keyboards have smaller keys, that are not weighted, which might be annoying when you play classical music.

You also need to think about how many sounds you’ll need, most keyboards on our list have a few hundred, which is probably more than you’ll ever use, but it’s really nice to be able to find the exact sound you want.

We would recommend you not to worry too much about which keyboard has the best built-in lessons, lighted keys, and so on. Even if these features are nice and can help your kid or yourself progress, it’s a really limited way of learning and chances are it’s only fun the very first week. If you want to learn how to play but can’t afford lessons it’s better to watch YouTube videos and learn that way.

What Keyboard is Best for a Beginner?

All the keyboards on our list are great. It’s impossible to answer which one is best because every beginner is different and needs and wants different things. If you read through our reviews and watch the linked YouTube videos, you’ll be able to determine which keyboard is best for you.

What Kind of Instrument Is a Keyboard Piano?

Many people feel confused when it comes to keyboards. What’s the difference between a keyboard and a digital piano? The simple answer is: a keyboard has many sounds and is perfect for pop and rock, while a digital piano is what you buy instead of an acoustic piano. It has less sounds to choose from and is just a more convenient instrument to keep at home than a big, bulky piano.

Number of Keys on a Piano Keyboard?

Keyboards can have different numbers of keys, it all comes down to what you prefer and need.

Do I Need A Touch Sensitive Keyboard as a Beginner?

First, let’s establish what it means that a keyboard has touch sensitive keys. This simply means that the keyboard senses how hard you press, the harder you press, the louder the tone, just like a real piano. This is not a feature that you necessarily need as a beginner, but if you can afford it, it will enhance your music automatically. You will also feel the need for touch sensitivity as you improve.

Do I Need A Full-Size Piano?

If you are going to use your keyboard for pop, rock and similar music, you probably won’t need a full-sized keyboard.

Expert Tip:

The keys should be cleaned at least once a week. You can use a cloth and a natural cleaning product and wipe them off. Dusting isn’t enough to kill off germs!

Did You Know…

That an electric piano is a completely different kind of instrument. They work like acoustic pianos and are electro-mechanical, the sound from the strings are converted into electrical signals.

For a great beginners guide on starting the piano click here.

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