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Do I need weighted keys as a beginner?

music.casio.co.uk - Weighted Piano Keys: Why They Are Important for a Beginner.

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Weighted keys are a feature that digital pianos (and some keyboards/portable pianos) include in their design to help mimic the action of an acoustic piano. You can see from the example above that by pressing a key on an acoustic grand piano, a series of mechanical parts are set into motion with the aim of throwing a hammer at the string(s). This creates the familiar sound of a piano and provides a pianist with the level of control that is required to produce an array of expressive possibilities.

WHY ARE WEIGHTED KEYS BETTER FOR BEGINNERS THAN THOSE OF A KEYBOARD?

Weighted keys will bring the beginner pianist closer to that of an acoustic piano, helping them feel the sensitivity required to push down the keys with different levels of control, as opposed to those on most keyboards that are unweighted. Unweighted keys do not provide the resistance that is needed to develop piano playing skills. To make a good start in developing their piano technique, the learner needs to feel that they are pushing against they key to play a note, and also experience the sensation of the key pushing back up when returning to its resting position. On a larger scale, this is a little like the sensation of being sat on one end of a seesaw. The unweighted keys that you get on many keyboards, don't provide this sensation, and will result in a pupil practising on an instrument that doesn't resemble the key resistance of an acoustic piano. This often presents them with quite a shock when they start to play for their teacher on a weighted action for instance. The evenness of their playing can be affected due to their fingers not building up the strength to move from one key to another, which in turn will also affect the dynamic level and tone they produce from the instrument.

WHAT SORT OF PIANO WOULD BE GOOD FOR A BEGINNER ON A BUDGET?

For beginners who are on a budget, and/or may be limited for space, they may like to consider an instrument that is portable like a keyboard, but includes the type of weighted action that has been spoken about above. Many manufacturers offer a beginner 'entry range' of portable, weighted keyed instruments that provide a good basis for building a piano technique. One such instrument (at a very affordable price I might add) is the Casio CDP-S90. See the short video below for an overview:

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Yamaha Psr-S770 Arranger Workstation Keyboard at Rs 74500 | Ambarnath | ID: 16607831430.

indiamart.com - Yamaha Psr-S770 Arranger Workstation Keyboard - IndiaMART

The PSR-S770 is equipped with a host of powerful performance features, flexible audio playback functions and a Mic/Guitar input, making it ideal for live use on stage, in the studio or at home.830 Voices, including Super Articulation voices and Organ flutes, 36 Drum/SFX kits, and 480 XG voices2 Live Controllers for dynamic real-time control assignable to any combination of parameters including filter, arpeggio and more360 Styles, including all-new DJ stylesMic/Guitar input for use when singing or collaborating with other performersNew Arpeggio function for instant access to a library of arpeggiated synth phrases and moreAuthentic Voices and Styles from around the worldUSB audio playback with time stretch, pitch shift, and vocal cancel functions

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