This guide provides an updated version of ‘Introduction to buying a digital piano‘ from Piano World, with the goal of providing information that is more than a decade more up-to-date.
Matching the player’s needs
Over the past couple of decades, like with most technology, digital pianos have improved in quality whilst at the same time have become more affordably priced. Just as with computers, you should no longer expect to be stuck for the next decade with the same digital piano that you purchase today. Importantly though, this does not mean that you should purchase a low-end / inferior model today with the plan of upgrading to a better instrument ‘once you are sure that you enjoy playing‘. You see, unless you grow to love the instrument you are playing – then you are more likely to give up playing piano altogether, and you definitely will not progress as fast as you could. You must therefore always invest in the highest quality instrument that you can reasonably afford – this is especially important for beginners! A professional player is both already in a strong, secure relationship with piano playing and is also used to negotiating the occasional recalcitrant instrument and still managing to enjoy their redeeming qualities! A beginner has no such patience in either of these areas!
With that in mind, always value the opinions of beginner players – and any potential future beginner players – when you take into account the various features and prices of the digital pianos that you are comparing. Below are some important parameters to consider before making your decision. I have ordered these roughly from most important to least-important, however their importance will vary from person to person and from family to family.
1. Cabinet style
Even for residents that are not going to be playing the piano, having a piano in any shared living area is going to impact everyone that shares that space – both in terms of the volume of space that the piano will consume, and also how the piano’s appearance will effect the aesthetic look and feel of the space. It is therefore essential to consult with all adult residents before proceeding with your piano purchase.
Digital pianos are available in three main cabinet styles: portable (smallest), upright, and grand (largest). Whilst the upright and grand style cabinets attempt to mirror their acoustic piano counterparts, they usually both also available in sizes that are smaller than any acoustic piano. Portable pianos are the smallest of the three styles, however they can still be attached to solid stands that give them equal stability and features to their upright and grand siblings. The main trade-off that portable pianos make is in the area of speaker size and resulting speaker sound fidelity. Therefore if players are going to mainly play using headphones then portable pianos are well worthy of consideration. A second trade-off is that, if you wish to play from piano sheet music, you will need to invest in a separate music stand unless you wish to develop of C-shaped, hunchback posture! A third trade-off is that even the premium model portable pianos from Roland, Kawai, and Yamaha never have the top-of-the-line key action inside them, instead the premium-level portable pianos generally have the second-best key action that their manufacturer makes.
2. Price
Entry level
Whilst you can purchase a new entry-level portable instrument for around AUD $600 (USD $400), this is only the keyboard by itself – it does not usually include a stand, seat/bench/stool, dust cover, or 3 pedals. To maximise the enjoyment derived from the instrument (and to protect your spine/posture), a reasonable quality stand and seat/bench/stool (ideally adjustable height) is essential. Often it is better (cheaper and easier) to purchase these items at the time of purchasing the piano. Indeed, manufacturers often sell complete kits (piano + stand + 3-pedal unit) with their entry-level instruments at around the AUD $1,000 (USD $700) price point. Remember also to budget for a quality pair of headphones if you plan on practising in silence very often. In total, a minimum budget of AUD $1,200-$1,500 (USD $800 – $1,000) will give you the best entry-level outcome.
Premium level
For around AUD $8,000 (USD $6,000) you reach the top end of the digital piano spectrum. These premium instruments are the ones you should be comparing against acoustic pianos in the same price range (e.g. the Kawai K-300J, Yamaha U1J, and Steinway Essex EUP-116E). If your budget allows, it is this end of the market you should focus on when you start your shopping adventure – as it is only premium level digital pianos that provide the best touch (key action feel), tone (sound experience), and combination of those two to deliver the ultimate experience for the player (and also the audience).
Mid-range
If your budget cannot stretch sufficiently to afford a premium digital piano then there are still many options in between. Note however that none of these will provide the same touch (key action feel), tone (sound experience), or combination of those two as their premium siblings. The reason for this is obvious: all digital piano manufacturers want to entice people into purchasing their top of the line models.
3. Portability (size, weight, and build quality)
If you plan on performing on a stage or frequently moving your piano between venues (or even between rooms) then its size and weight are important considerations. Some premium model digital pianos cannot be easily disassembled, or doing so may void your warranty. Additionally, the ruggedness of construction is another important factor if you plan on moving around a lot with your piano. The more sturdily built stage pianos often have hard-cases available to purchase and these provide essential protection from damage caused in transit or storage.
4. Touch (key action feel)
J.S. Bach only played a piano on a few occasions (he composed music only for harpsichord and organ), however when he finally did have a chance to meet with a piano he complained that its action was far too heavy and cumbersome to play enjoyably.
It is important that we all listen to Bach’s advice: heavy or sluggish actions are very rarely desirable or useful (probably never).
The most important thing to note in the touch department is that you must play each model for at least 45 minutes to an hour in a single session in order to fully gauge whether an action is too tiring for you. A common mistake is to only play an instrument for 15 minutes – just about every action will feel fine if you play on it for such a short period of time as it takes a while for fingers to tire out. Also, if possible try to test each instrument on different days to ensure that you can determine which instrument was that one that tired out your hands – whereas if you test two instruments back to back on the same day then your hands might be tired from the first instrument and that would then adversely interfere with your experience and evaluation of the second instrument.
Lastly, note that acoustic pianos are designed to have as small of a weight difference as possible between their top key and their bottom key. The top key on a Fazioli has a touch weight of about 46 grams, and the bottom key is about 50 grams (a 4-gram spread across the entire keyboard). A Steinway (they also manufacture the key actions for Fazioli) has very similar key action weighting: about 46 grams at the top key, and about 49 grams at the bottom key (a 3-gram spread across the entire keyboard). Unfortunately most digital piano models have inferior key weighting, e.g. the Casio GP-310 and GP-510 models have a touch weight of 40 grams at the top note and 60 grams at the bottom note – a 20-gram spread across the entire keyboard: almost 7 times more than acoustic pianos!
5. Tone (sound experience)
Tone is the sound of the instrument, and there is a very wide variety of piano tones in existence – these vary by brand of the instrument, style of the instrument (upright versus grand), how the instrument has been tuned, and also the vintage of instrument! Indeed rarely do any two instruments sound identical – even instruments of the same model and year and produced in the same factory.
The good thing about digital pianos is that they can play many different tones, and even better: you can add an unlimited number of tones – both now and in the future – if you connect them to a computer, tablet, phone, or other device (e.g. a Raspberry Pi). This is why tone is below touch in the list of key priorities when you are deciding which piano to purchase: you can always enhance or upgrade the sound later. Indeed, your tone taste preferences may change in the future as you mature as a player. Different tonal flavours also suit specific styles and moods of music, so you are likely to want multiple tones eventually.
Just considering acoustic grand pianos alone, there are many high quality brands each with their own unique tone that have attracted thousands of fans and ambassadors – here are half a dozen of my favourites (it is very difficult to dislike any of these brands):
Fazioli F308 (Italy 🇮🇹) – favoured by classical concert pianists like Bruce Liu and Daniil Trifonov, jazz pianists like Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea, and also by Freddie Mercury.
Shigeru Kawai SK-EX (Japan 🇯🇵) – the second-favourite piano amongst classical concert pianists.
Yamaha CFX (Japan 🇯🇵) – favoured by Ben Folds, Richard Clayderman, Elton John, and Lara de Wit (lara6683).
C.Bechstein D 282 (Germany 🇩🇪) – favoured by Stephen Hough, Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington, Fasil Say, András Schiff, and Vladimir Ashkenazy.
Blüthner Model 1 (Germany 🇩🇪) – often used by the Beatles, and favoured by Arthur Rubinstein, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Claude Debussy (and me if that counts for anything!).
Steinway Model D (USA 🇺🇸) – favoured by Billy Joel, Tiffany Poon, and 郎朗 (Láng Lǎng), it is the third-favourite piano amongst classical concert pianists.
Yamaha digital pianos include samples from both their Yamaha CFX and Bösendorfer concert pianos, and other Yamaha pianos.
Kawai digital pianos include samples from their Shigeru Kawai SK-EX concert piano and other Kawai pianos.
Roland digital pianos include modelling of both the Hamburg Steinway Model D and the New York Steinway D concert pianos.
Casio digital pianos include samples from C.Bechstein D 282, Bösendorfer, and Hamburg Steinway D concert pianos.
Korg digital pianos include samples from Fazioli F308, Hamburg Steinway Model D, Yamaha CFX, and Bösendorfer concert pianos.
As mentioned, there is nothing stopping you from playing all of these piano tones on any digital piano you choose – the only difference between models is the setup complexity (discussed next).
6. Connectivity
Whilst all of the latest digital piano models all offer myriad fun and useful features, connecting your digital piano to a computer, tablet, smart-phone, or other device can unlock many additional possibilities.
All of the latest digital piano models can be connected to other devices either via USB cable or wirelessly via Bluetooth. Doing so can let you record directly to the device (e.g. via USB Audio), playback any piano tone (or other tones) you like (e.g. via USB Audio), record the notes you play (MIDI), play back the notes previously recorded by you or someone else (MIDI), or take music lessons or learn from an app. (via MIDI).
Bluetooth Audio playback is also starting to become standard across all brands and models. This turns your digital piano into a Bluetooth speaker system, and at the same time lets you play along on the piano.
USB Audio
USB Audio lets to you accomplish two things:
a) Easily upgrade the quality and variety of sound that your digital piano can play. All digital pianos can have their sound improved by connecting to a computer, tablet, phone, or other device (e.g. Raspberry Pi). However using USB Audio makes this much easier by enabling transmission of audio data in both directions (in addition to regular MIDI data). So if you ever want to upgrade to a better audio experience from your piano, then USB Audio is both the easiest and best quality way to achieve this.
b) Record high-quality audio (CD-quality or higher) directly to a computer, tablet, phone, or device. Until USB Audio was available about a decade ago, the only way to record your digital piano was either via a microphone, analogue output (e.g. RCA cables), or by recording to a USB drive plugged into the piano. USB Audio makes recording your piano an order of magnitude easier by allowing you to record directly to a computer, tablet, phone, or device using nothing more than a single $0.50 USB-B cable (a USB printer cable).
Using USB Audio saves you the hassles of:
Plugging a USB drive into the piano.
Selecting record on the piano (and potentially selecting the USB drive / option).
Unplugging the USB drive from the piano.
Plugging the USB drive into a computer.
Finding the USB drive on the computer.
Finding the file of the recording on the USB drive (usually by sorting by the timestamp as the piano’s automatically-generated file name will likely be meaningless!)
Copying the file of the recording from the USB drive onto the computer.
Opening the file of the recording in a DAW or audio editor to edit it.
Deleting or renaming raw recordings on the USB drive before you forget which one is which.
Using USB Audio avoids those 9 painful steps – steps that must be performed every single time you want to make each new recording. It also ensures that your recording quality 100% matches the original performance, i.e. the quality is not degraded which is the case if you were to record using analogue output (line-out).
If you see yourself in the future needing to perform either of those two activities above, then first consider digital pianos with firmware that supports USB Audio from Roland (since 2020), Yamaha (since 2018), Korg (since 2021), Kurzweil, Dexibell, and Studiologic (Numa Compact 2). Note that, as of 2023: Casio, Kawai, and Nord digital pianos do not yet support USB Audio.
7. User interface
The method of configuring and controlling the features on each digital piano varies from brand to brand and model to model. Manufacturers tend to include less buttons and therefore more complicated controls on their entry-level models and reserve richer, friendlier user interfaces, like screens and touch panels, for their premium models.
However if you connect a reasonably modern Apple or Android tablet or smart-phone to your digital piano it is likely the manufacturer has an app. available that gives you full control over all of the piano’s features via a touch-screen interface. Doing this means you can focus your choice of digital piano on those 6 more important criteria above.
8. Warranty and support
In many countries the warranty for a digital piano will be much higher on the list of importance. However here in Australia a piano’s warranty period is determined by statutory law (based on reasonably expected lifespan), and is not dictated by the manufacturer. That said, many digital piano manufacturers are promising 5 or 10 year warranties (e.g. Kawai and Roland). Support can take a number of forms, from online support in piano forums (hi James!), support through dealers, to direct phone support provided by the manufacturer’s regional offices.
9. Stand (for portable pianos)
If the other criteria have resulted in you deciding to purchase a portable digital piano then there are a few choices for stands:
a) Manufacturer’s matching stand (usually wooden) – these are usually very sturdy, and are designed for home, studio, and classroom use. They are generally not very portable, requiring you to purchase an additional stand if you plan on taking your piano to other venues very often.
b) U-shaped stand – these are portable, and are the most sturdy of all portable stands. However they are usually not height-adjustable so you can’t play whilst standing. E.g:
Roland KS-G8 (available in black or white)
VANPHY (available in black, grey, or white)
c) Z-shaped stand – very sturdy and being height-adjustable, these suit people who may want to stand up whilst playing. E.g:
Roland KS-10Z (available in black or white)
Liquid Stands (available in black, chrome, light blue, or purple)
Stellar Labs (black)
d) Table-style stand – very sturdy and height-adjustable, although not quite as sturdy or as stylish as the U-shaped and Z-shaped stands. E.g:
Xtreme KS-141
e) X-shaped stand – whilst these are the cheapest type of stand to purchase (often USD $15-$25), they are the least stable type of stand and make it difficult to play when seated because your knees may hit the bars of the stand. I would only recommend using an X-shaped stand for temporary venues where you will be standing up whilst playing. These are also very dangerous stands to use if you have small children under 6 years old as they are easy to pull over and the weight of a digital piano can easily injure, maim, and/or kill (indeed Yamaha include topple-prevention feet on their wooden stands to reduce the risk of their pianos being knocked over).
10. Bench / stool
Whilst cabinet-style digital pianos usually come with a basic matching bench, and grand-style digital pianos usually come with a matching adjustable-height bench, it is worth noting that there are a wide range of options available. Choice of bench is important because the height a player sits at effects their posture, and no one wants their spine to end up C-shaped! Also portable digital pianos do not usually include a bench with them, so you will have to purchase your bench separately for these. Here are half a dozen options:
a) Gas-lift / hydraulic adjustable-height bench – these are extremely useful if you have multiple members of the family sharing the same piano. Starting around USD $120. E.g:
Xtreme KTW23
On-Stage KB9503B
b) Manually-adjusted adjustable-height bench. Usually USD $70 – $100.
c) Fixed-height bench. Usually around USD $50.
d) Drum throne. Starting from around USD $30.
e) Premium fold-away bench – more comfortable – more padding and usually wider – than the budget benches. Starting around USD $30.
f) Budget fold-away bench. These are the cheapest style of bench. Starting around USD $15.
Coda
Now that you are up to date with the latest information about digital pianos, you are well-informed and ready to embark upon the joyous and cathartic experience of piano shopping! Always remember to visit stores and play all of the instruments you are comparing, and other competitor instruments, so you can hear, feel, and see for yourself their multi-dimensional spectrum of differences.
If you would like even more information before you embark upon your piano buying journey, below are some trusted online reviewers. Note that these are piano sales people – so their expertise is focussed mainly in pianos, and not in digital technology. Therefore for any digital technical specifications (e.g. USB, USB Audio, Speaker power output, and even key weighting) – it is important to only ever trust the piano manufacturer’s official user guide / user manual / instruction manual. Even the trusted reviewers below (Stu, Ted, and Patrick) regularly make mistakes in these areas. On that note, also never trust text on web sites / online information for digital technical specifications – even a manufacturer’s web site – as these are usually written by marketing or advertising people who also lack the necessary expertise in digital technology!
Trusted Reviewers
Stu Harrison (Merriam Music, Toronto, Ontario, Canada):
Top 10 mistakes made when buying a digital piano
10 reasons why more pianists are switching to digital
Cheap versus expensive digital pianos
Stu reviews most models released by Roland, Kawai, and Yamaha – both individually reviewing each model as well as providing comparison videos between models in nearby price ranges. Stu also has interesting videos about software/virtual pianos and also acoustic piano brands.
Ted Barsalou and Patrick Marr (Alamo Music Center, San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A.):
Are discontinued digital pianos worth considering?
Top 10 mistakes made when buying a digital piano
Are premium digital pianos worth the purchase?
Ted and Patrick review most models released by Kawai and Yamaha – both individually reviewing each model as well as providing comparison videos between models in nearby price ranges. They also publish many amazing videos about the history of acoustic pianos.
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