Which keyboard would you choose for a young beginner

gken74

Hi All,

Happy New Year!!

My 9YO daughter has been asking for a keyboard for a while and has even saved some of her Xmas money so I said I'd go halfers with her and so I've been looking around and I'm stuck between these 3...

Yamaha YPT340 - £150
Yamaha EZ-220 - £150
Casio CTK-6200 - £159

The 340 was the first I'd seen in Costco and it got decent reviews when I'd checked at first, then I'd found the EZ-220 and it seems perfect for a beginner with the light up keys but the Casio just seems a better all round keyboard & bang for our $$$ but maybe a bit too advanced for my daughter at this stage, hence my hoping some of you experts can point me in the best direction.

If there is something I've missed instead of the ones I've listen please do let me know.

Thanks
Gary

Supersonic

I have a Yamaha Piaggero NPV80 and my two youngsters love it.

They are both learning piano and use ours for their taught material and proper practice but they have more fun on the Yamaha. They can record and use different sounds, play along to MIDI file tunes. You can even split the keyboard so they get half each and can do a duet.

Sounds pretty good too. Unfortunately I think second hand would be your only option.

Did you get a keyboard already? Only just saw your post.

Leo31291

Can I bump this ?

Got a sudden urge to learn an instrument and have fallen for the piano. In an ideal world a 88 key full size digital piano with hammer action would be nice but I'm not sure if I want to spend that much to start off with as most start at £300  (even though they keep their value and I'm sure I could sell it on for a small loss if I lose interest).

Is it really worth it for a beginner to have those features ?

mikeybabes2

A weighted keyboard will help you develop the right techniques when playing the keyboard. It is all too easy to fall into to bad habits of technique that are difficult to 'unlearn'.

You don't need to spend a fortune, and I'd avoid all the fancy gimmicky keyboards whilst your are learning. Ebay might be a good bet. At the start progress can be slow, but put the time in and you will simply not believe how rewarding it will be...

Heres one I found in 5 minutes...

Casio Privia PX-110 Digital Piano and stand, Full size 88 fully weighted keys  | eBay

Leo31291

Just got a new headunit for the car so I'm out of monies this month but I'm gonna keep my eye out for the mean time for a good deal on the ebay. I did a lot more research and I really like the piano sound of the Roland FP30 and it's keys are apparently really nice to the touch. 2nd option would be the Yamaha P125. I haven't done too much reading on the casio range. Want to get something half decent so I stick with it.

noiseboy72

My wife's a music teacher and has a Casio digital piano alongside her teaching piano. She really rates it, as it sounds good, has a small range of alternative voices, can record and loop tunes and has excellent hammer action - not just touch sensitivity.

Both the Yamaha and Rolands are good keyboards, but none of them will hold their value from new. They can often be picked up 2nd hand for sensible money and then don't tend to depreciate too much.

I am duty bound to suggest you get a good teacher!! My wife has taught everybody from a 3 year old (He was not a prodigy) to an 88 year old who wanted to start playing in a blues band! She also had a 30 something who wanted to learn a specific tune so that he could play it to his boyfriend on one of the St Pancras Station pianos as he proposed to him! A teacher will give you the confidence and impetus to continue, so worth the money - about £15 - £20 for a 30 minute lesson.

Leo31291

I wasnt sure about lessons but you're right. I dont want to think I'm playing well by myself when really I'm picking up bad habits. How often would you recommend the lessons to be for a beginner ? I had a search for local teachers the other week and theres one within 2 miles who charges £30 with good reviews.

noiseboy72

Weekly is good, but my wife has a few students who do every other week, but do 1 hour lessons rather than 30 minutes. This tends to be better for adults, as kids loose concentration after about 20 minutes or so.