Photo: Paolo

Which keyboard is best for church worship?

Best Keyboards For Worship/Church 1) Korg SV-2 – Best Overall. 2) Yamaha CP88 – Great For Organs In The Church. 3) Roland RD-88 – Best Budget Option. 4) Arturia KeyLab 88 MK II – Best Controller Option. 5) Roland GO 88 – Extreme Budget Option.

keyboardkraze.com - 5 Best Keyboards For Worship & Church In 2021

How many chords do I need to know?

So you've been wondering: how many chords do you need to know to write a song? Well, I have good news! The topic of chords is huge, but the answer...

Last updated Jan 25, 2022

What is the difference between a U1 and a U3 Yamaha piano?

The first thing you will notice is that the U3 model is taller (131cm) than the U1 (121cm). The taller the piano is, the longer the strings can fit...

Last updated Jan 19, 2022

Join almost HALF A MILLION Happy Students Worldwide

Promotion

Whether your a gospel musician or a church owner, you have probably wondered what the best keyboards for worship are? I wanted to write this article as I have a lot of experience when it comes to touring and playing keyboards that are great for the church. When it comes to playing in the church, you will most likely be wanting to look for the following in a keyboard:

Good organ sounds

Good piano sounds

Good electric sounds

Warm pads

The above is part of the criteria I used to figure out exactly which keyboards I wanted to recommend for church/worship. I know that gospel music typically takes advantage of the above sounds.

Quick Picks

Here is the rest of the criteria I used in determining the best keyboard for the church.

What To Look For In A Keyboard For Church

Sounds: If you’re going to be playing for people in the church, you’re going to want a keyboard that has your quality sounds that I listed above. The number of keys: I would recommend 88 keys for most keyboardists who are going to playing in a church. If you have a nice organ that is 73 keys, obviously this is fine. Type Of Keyboard: You can go a couple of different routes when it comes to picking a keyboard these days. You can go the MIDI controller route, the keyboard workstation route or the stage piano route. Price: Some keyboards are very expensive, especially when you get into looking at the more professional keyboards. I have listed options that cover each price range from low to high.

Best Keyboards For Worship/Church

1) Korg SV-2 – Best Overall

Best Stage Piano For Worship Korg SV-2 4.5 The Korg SV-2 boasts impressive pianos, towering organs, and beautiful electric pianos, making it my top choice for playing in church. View Price At Sweetwater View Price At Guitar Center We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. When it comes to electric pianos, organs, and acoustic piano sounds, I believe that Korg SV-2 is currently the best option. With this being said, a lot of this is preference and people can mark arguments for others that are also great. What I personally love about the SV-2 is that I believe the sounds truly are a little bit better than other staples such as the Nord keyboards. Nord keyboards are incredible machines, however, there is something I truly enjoy with the SV-2. The SV-2 has 88 keys with keyboard action that truly resembles that of an acoustic piano. You can also tweak sounds incredibly easy with this instrument. This is definitely for serious pianists or for a church that has a good budget as it is expensive. With this being said, I don’t believe it really gets much better for keyboards in the church world.

Note: If you love Nord, this is a great Nord keyboard alternative.

Pros

Incredible electric piano sounds

State of the art acoustic pianos

Create your own patches and save easily

Great RH3 key-bed

8 different velocity curves

128 note polyphony

Amazing for gigging

Cons

How much is 1kg of ivory worth?

The price currently paid for raw ivory in Asia, according to an investigation by the Wildlife Justice Commission, is currently between $597/kg and...

Last updated Jul 29, 2021

Can small keys be duplicated?

Most keys a locksmith can create a duplicate for. Some of the more common options include: Yale Key - This is a standard, smaller key and can be...

Last updated Nov 1, 2019

Promotion

Expensive

2) Yamaha CP88 – Great For Organs In The Church

Runner Up Yamaha CP88 4.5 The CP-88 is one of my favorite keyboards. It's very similar to the Korg SV-2 when it comes to performance. The electric pianos and feel of the keys on the CP-88 are incredible, making it one of my top picks. View Price At Sweetwater View Price At Guitar Center We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. When it comes to playing gospel music, I would say that the Yamaha CP 88 is easily one of the best keyboards you can get for internal sounds. The Yamaha CP 88 is designed for professional musicians who desire extremely strong electric pianos, acoustic pianos, and organs. I believe that the CP 88 truly matches that of the Nord keyboards, and even surpasses them. There are 3 different pianos on the CP 88 that all have their own qualities to them. I am very surprised by how good these sounds are. With the CP 88, you’re not getting as many sounds as some of the options that I would recommend for the church, however, almost all of these sounds are great.

Key-Bed

The key-bed on the CP 88 is one of my favorite qualities about it. The natural-wood provides a great weight to the keys and it really helps them emulate an acoustic piano. The keys are also weighted graded hammer action keys, which are known for emulating a real piano.

Pros

Amazing electric pianos

High-quality acoustic pianos

Beautiful organs

MIDI I/O

Triple-sensor NW-GH key-bed

Fantastic key-action

Cons

Expensive

Doesn’t have a ton of sounds

3) Roland RD-88 – Best Budget Option

Roland RD-88 4.0 The Roland RD 88 is a fantastic option that is a little bit cheaper. I own this keyboard and play it on the daily. The electric pianos and feel of the keys are the selling points in my opinion. View Price At Sweetwater View Price At Guitar Center We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. The Roland RD 88 is a Roland’s latest stage piano that is built for musicians on a budget. With this being said, it’s not the cheapest keyboard that you can get, however, it is also quality. The RD 88 is packed with over 3,000 different sounds as well as controls to allow you to tweak sounds immediately. This keyboard was built for touring musicians. Everything about it has been streamlined to suit the needs of those playing gigs frequently and I think that Roland nailed it. One of the things Roland did really well with this keyboard is that they made it very lightweight. This is great for touring and it something a lot companies actually get wrong.

Pros

Lightweight(29.8 lbs)

Over 3,000 sounds

Effects: Chorus, delay, reverb, compressor

Chorus, delay, reverb, compressor Master EQ

Master compressor

MIDI out

Great key-bed

Fantastic key-action

Excellent for gigging

Cons

Sounds might not be as good as the SV-2

4) Arturia KeyLab 88 MK II – Best Controller Option

Best 88 Key MIDI Controller Arturia Keylab MK2 4.5 The MK2 is built like a brickhouse. It's not extremely heavy, it gives you a ton of control for both live and studio, and it is the most durable controller I've played to date. View Price At Sweetwater View Price At Guitar Center We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. The Arturia KeyLab 88 MK II is one of the best 88 key MIDI controllers currently available. It is extremely durable, easy to use, and very practical.

Is perfect pitch genetic or learned?

Perfect pitch is also observed to run in families, which suggests it's at least partially genetic. Perfect pitch is more common in cultures where...

Last updated Jun 19, 2021

What happens if you give the Glinstone key?

To enter the Academy of Raya Lucaria, you must find the Glintstone Key. This allows you to pass through the magical barrier at the South Raya...

Last updated May 4, 2021

Promotion

If you’re a keyboardist who is looking to play gigs frequently for something like worship, I would highly recommend the KeyLab 88 MK II. It is a MIDI controller, meaning that it isn’t designed for its internal sounds, rather for being able to control virtual software. If you have a laptop, then you can use your MIDI controller to control as many virtual instruments as you would possibly like. This is where the KeyLab 88 MK II shines. It has a great key-bed for a MIDI controller and it also is one of the best current options. This keyboard weighs only 32 pounds and it is loaded with 16 drum pads, 9 rotary knobs, and 9 faders. I would recommend this to a keyboardist who wants to quickly change between sounds and be able to fully customize them. Note: This is a MIDI keyboard and there are no internal sounds on this keyboard.

Pros

Built for gigging

16 drum pads

Weighted key-bed

Durable

Lightweight

Aftertouch

Full DAW integration

Included VST software

Cons

No internal sounds

Not for those who aren’t good with laptops

5) Roland GO 88 – Extreme Budget Option

Budget Choice Roland GO 88 3.5 The Roland GO-88 is a great choice for those on a tight budget. While the sounds aren't as solid as the top picks here, it offers a wide variety of sounds for church performance. View Price At Sweetwater View Price At Guitar Center We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. The Roland GO 88 is a great Roland keyboard for beginners. The reason why I think this works for worship is that it has quality sounding instruments that are used for gospel such as the organ, strings, piano, and electric piano. I don’t believe that this keyboard competes with the others on the list, however, it is also extremely inexpensive. There aren’t a ton of sounds and there’s not a lot of customization with this keyboard, but you’re getting the quality sounds you need. The main thing that could be an issue for keyboardists would be that the keys aren’t weighted. To me, I wouldn’t love this, however, if the budget is stopping you then it shouldn’t be a complete deterrent for this keyboard.

Pros

Inexpensive

Easy to use

Lightweight

Quality Sounds

Cheaper keys

Limited sounds

Conclusion

There are a lot of options when it comes to deciding on the best keyboard for worship. I believe that these are 5 solid options for different price points.

Let me know if you have any questions below!

keyboardkraze.com - 5 Best Keyboards For Worship & Church In 2021

Is 14 too old to learn piano?

“All piano takes is dedication, an instrument, and a little bit of time. You're never too old to start learning piano; you may, however, get to a...

Last updated Sep 9, 2018

What is Adele's lowest note?

When we take into account all of her song releases (without studying each and every live performance), her lowest note sung is a C3 in the...

Last updated Nov 30, 2019

Promotion

How old was Rod Stewart when he fathered his last child?

Was there ever a prouder father than Sir Rod Stewart? The Rodfather, now 72, has eight offspring. His paternal adventures began at the age of 17,...

Last updated Sep 6, 2019

Promotion

What fruit do Boy Willie and Lymon come to sell?

Boy Willie, Doaker's nephew, knocks at the door and enters with his partner, Lymon. Two have come from Mississippi to sell watermelons. Willie has...

Last updated Feb 9, 2021