Increase Piano Speed – With Playground Sessions

  Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I’ll earn a commission, at no additional cost to you. Read my full disclosure here. Learning to increase piano speed is often what stops a person from pursuing to learn to the piano. What I mean is that moving forwards … Read more

Benefits From Learning Piano

Did you know that there are many benefits from learning the piano other than the satisfaction of learning to play a musical instrument or being able to show off to friends and relatives? Every time you sit down at the piano beneficial explosions are set off all over your brain. Should you have practiced enough … Read more

88 Key Digital Piano Keyboard – Why It Mattered To Me

showing a digital piano

When I decided to learn to the piano more seriously I already had a small keyboard and I wanted to replace this with an 88 key digital piano keyboard that would enable me to learn the same skills I would learn on an acoustic piano. I felt that this was important to help accelerate my learning and I didn’t want to waste time learning on the wrong instrument that may hinder my overall standard.

If I was going to get piano lessons from a piano teacher and travel to their home for lessons I didn’t imagine that they would have a little keyboard like mine to teach me. I presumed that they were more than likely to have a decent upright piano or maybe even a grand piano or baby grand piano. I hoped, should I decide that I wished to get a piano teacher that they would at least have a full sized keyboard like the one that I eventually decided to buy.

Advantages Of A Full Sized Piano Keyboard

The main advantage for me was that I knew that with a full sized keyboard that should there be a piece of music I wished to play then I wouldn’t be limited by the number of keys available on my piano. A full sized acoustic piano has 88 keys, seven octaves, plus three lower notes (B, B flat and A).

I don’t dispute that it is possible to learn to play the piano with fewer keys and for a beginner 66 may be sufficient when learning to play. A compromise however, would be the 72 key keyboard on which most pieces of music can played.

Another important factor when buying a full sized piano keyboard was that as an adult they would come with full sized keys as apposed to the slightly more compact keys found on smaller keyboards. This was why I decided on a digital piano. The keys are identical in size to an acoustic piano and it also imitates the sound perfectly. It is therefore recognised as the best reasonably priced keyboard for those who wish to practice musicianship and can be the best keyboard for adults who wish to learn to play the piano.

Many students like me, who are not able or willing to invest in an acoustic piano but wish to invest in an instrument that will take them beyond the beginner playing standard decide upon the digital piano. This is because it is affordable and helps us to experience a very similar feeling to playing an acoustic piano.

This brings me to the importance of full sized weighted keys.

Piano Weighted Keys – How they work

Acoustic pianos are made with hammers a leverage system and strings. This means that when a hammer hits a string the frequency at which the string vibrates when hit with the hammer makes the noise and note that we hear quieter or louder.

The hammer that is used to strike the appropriate string is attached to a key by a lever system. Think of this leverage system like a see-saw. The more weight or force that is put down on one end of the see-saw so the faster and more forcefully the other end of the see-saw rises.

The amount of force that a key is played with then results with a matching force with which the hammer hits the string. The weight system can be felt when the key or keys are pressed down with force or with control.

Pushing down the key in a more delicate controlled fashion will prevent the hammer from striking the string with much force and the resulting note will then be heard with little volume.

If the key is played harder so the hammer is then forced to hit the appropriate string with greater force and this subsequently results in the note heard at a greater volume.

88 Key Digital Piano Weighted Keys

Weighted keys are a superb feature of digital pianos (and some keyboards/portable pianos). Their design enables them to mimic the action of an acoustic piano and remove the unweighted feature found in many keyboards. The familiar sound of an acoustic piano is then created and so too is the ability to now have the same level of control to produce a variety of expressive possibilities.

Being able using weighted keys now enables the beginner to play with sensitivity and emotion as the keys are pushed down with different levels of force and control. Such a feeling is not provided by unweighted keys and therefore when learning without weighted keys an appreciation for controlled play cannot be found that is required on an acoustic piano and therefore doesn’t help develop ones playing skill.

My Decision

This takes me back to my original point which was that if I was to learn to play more seriously and played a keyboard that didn’t provide the right acoustic piano sensation then I knew that I would soon lack the enthusiasm to play may well give up.

If I wasn’t provided with the same feeling, sound and level of play that I had experience from playing an acoustic piano this would result in having a negative impact on my learning ability.

Without the right size keys and the right resistance of each key the evenness of my play could be affected. The strength in my fingers may not build up as required to move rapidly from one key to another and this would also affect the dynamic level and tone that I could produce from my piano play. I didn’t wish for this to happen and so I decided to buy a full size piano keyboard with weighted keys.

About Mike

Hi everyone and welcome to my Piano Supermarket website.

Music has been a passion of mine all of my life. I initially started my journey playing music by playing the piano, the trombone and then as a teenager, the guitar. I reached a reasonable standard in the trombone, receiving lessons at school in the UK. The guitar and the piano I taught myself to play.

My passion now is the piano and I continue to learn and endeavour to make a little progress every day. Now at the grand age of forty nine I decided to buy myself a full size Roland keyboard which I believe has improved my skill and my enthusiasm for playing hugely.

A Little Story About My Piano Playing

I remember when I was younger that my parents rolled an old unwanted upright piano down the road from a neighbours house to ours. It was a sight to see and probably did little for the piano’s tuning.

I spent hours on this old, bright orange painted piano and remember being so delighted when able to play ‘The Entertainer’ by Scott Joplin that was used for ‘The Sting’ movie starring Paul Newman.

It was so much fun to be able to play and remember playing it to my younger cousins who then went on to become very good pianists reaching Grade 8.

WHY YOU WANT TO HELP PEOPLE

Now with a full size digital keyboard, the internet and the availalbe software online to learn, my passion for the piano has returned.

I have taken it up again relatively late in life but I have as much enthusiasm as I did as child.

There is much to be learnt and I wish to share this with you and for your enthusiasm for the piano to grow as it has with me.

THE GOAL OF YOUR SITE.

I want to save you the time and effort in deciding what to buy and why to buy it.

I hope that no matter what your experience of piano playing, the advice I give may be of benefit to you.

If you ever need a hand or have any questions, feel free to leave them below and I will be more than happy to help you out.

All the best,

Mike

Founder of Piano Supermarket