Entry Level Keyboard (Casio Ctk, Wk, Yamaha Np11, etc) vs Entry Level Midi Controller (Alesis V61, M Audio Oxygen, Samson, Korg etc)

[MikJames]

Which would you say is better for learning piano? Do the midi controllers offer any benefits like more sensitivity levels, better action/playability? I would like to have something with built in piano sounds but not at the cost of playability or quality.

[AnotherScott]

Just for learning piano, there is no advantage to a plain controller. But there is a big advantage to a weighted action whose keys fell more like a real piano's. I would try to stretch to something like a Yamaha P35 or a Casio 88.

[MikJames]

I am not looking for fully weighted keys at this time.

[RockPianoman]

I'd get a Yamaha NP-31 if you don't need weighted keys....I have an NP-30 which is almost the same and it has acoustic piano sounds that are almost the same as my Yamaha P-70 (very good acoustic piano sounds)......the P-70 is almost identical to the Yamaha P-35 that Scott mentioned.....whenever I get a new board that has action that I'm not used to, I like to do a lot of major scales to get used to the feel of it.....major scales also help with accuracy so they are definitely worth the time.....

 

The NP-11 only gives you 61 keys and the NP-31 gives you 76....you'll be glad you got the extra keys....

 

A nice bonus with the NP-31 is you get a nice Rhodes type electric piano and a DX7 type electric piano too...you can layer 2 sounds on each other too (piano and strings layered are really nice).....you can even set the balance between the 2 sounds to get a good mix....

 

This video shows you what the NP-31 sounds like (it was made with the NP-30 which is pretty much the same):

 

 

 

 

Don't be fooled by how they describe the action on these....it is definitely unweighted action....very springy but once I got used to it, I really liked it....

[progfan]

Which would you say is better for learning piano? Do the midi controllers offer any benefits like more sensitivity levels' date=' better action/playability? I would like to have something with built in piano sounds but not at the cost of playability or quality. ...I am not looking for fully weighted keys at this time...[/quote'] In my opinion, if you want action and playability for learning piano, as you say, that means weighted keys. Otherwise, you won't really be learning piano. You can learn notes, chords, theory, etc, but you won't learn to play the piano.

[RockPianoman]

I agree that weighted keys is a better choice.....a Yamaha P-35 piano has 88 weighted keys, outstanding acoustic piano sounds, weighs about 30 pounds and costs $450 with no tax and free shipping....it also has MIDI which allows it to play any MIDI keyboard or module from the weighted keys

 

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/P35B

 

Demos

 

 

 

 

[the_big_e]

If you want to learn 'piano' you need weighted keys. If you want to learn keyboards, not so much and organ, probably not at all. Just because the user interface (the keyboard) looks the same does not mean they are the same to play, to play so treat them as different instruments.

So, step 1. Decide what instrument you want to learn.

[MikJames]

I think I may have asked that question the wrong way.

Ideally I would like something in between piano style weighted and no weight at all.

So what would you say is a good middle ground between piano weighted and synth style keys?

The Alesis q88 seems like a good deal at 200$ but it sounds like it might be to far toward the synth side rather than a good middle ground?

[Mmmmqac]

Playability (for me at least) is greatly affected by where on the key mechanism its pivot is situated. My DX7 and Korg Z1, which have the same Yamaha keys, pivot deep within the case like a real piano. However, my M-Audio's keys pivot right at the point where the keys enter the case, and is difficult to control.

 

The problem is most pronounced when playing a chord that requires my thumb and little finger to press black keys while another finger has to play a white key. You move your hand closer to the pivot so that your thumb and pinky can reach, but with the M-Audio your other fingers are so close to the pivot that you cannot press them down with any degree of care. Probably OK for an organ, but terrible for a touch sensitive instrument like piano.

[AnotherScott]

I think I may have asked that question the wrong way.

Ideally I would like something in between piano style weighted and no weight at all.

So what would you say is a good middle ground between piano weighted and synth style keys?

Nothing short of a weighted action is great for piano playing, but that said, some un-weighted and semi-weighted actions are better than others. Something to keep in mind is that this is not actually weight per se that makes the difference. The Yamaha NP30 mentioned above is an unweighted action, but it is better for piano than many semi-weighted actions (again, don't expect anything great, but there are a lot worse). The higher end CTK/WK models that have what they call "piano style keys" are also above average, at least based on the ones I played (I don't know if they're necessarily all the same). And I think the Numa Compact is a good choice here.