Keyboard & Piano, DIFFRENCE BETWEEN KEYBOARD & PIANO Options

[obii01]

Could any one tell me in simple words what is diffrence between digital keyboard & digital piano? I am a complete novice in music but my eight year old just registered for keyboard lesson. I will like to buy her a digital keyboard or piano something the whole family will enjoy and keep for a while. All suggestion will be highly appreciated.

Cheers

[another crazy pianist]

As far as I know, a digital piano is the electronic imitation of an acoustic ("the normal") piano. It has one or a few different piano sounds, sometimes any other like organ, harpsichord, choir and strings. It has also two or three pedals, and the same type and number of keys as an acoustic piano.

A keyboard is like a synthesizer, but the latter one has more programming features. Keyboards don't have the touch quality of piano's, they have usually less keys and there ar no pedals (but you can plug in a sustain pedal). But you do have a large quantity of diverse sounds : imitations or samples of acoustic instruments of all types as well as typical "synthesizer" sounds.

[obii01]

As far as I know, a digital piano is the electronic imitation of an acoustic ("the normal") piano. It has one or a few different piano sounds, sometimes any other like organ, harpsichord, choir and strings. It has also two or three pedals, and the same type and number of keys as an acoustic piano.

A keyboard is like a synthesizer, but the latter one has more programming features.  Keyboards don't have the touch quality of piano's, they have usually less keys and there ar no pedals (but you can plug in a sustain pedal). But you do have a large quantity of diverse sounds : imitations or samples of acoustic instruments of all types as well as typical "synthesizer" sounds.

Thanks :D

[Trebor]

As far as I know, another crazy pianist has got it right. Keyboards also tend to be smaller and lighter than a digital piano and so more portable. A keyboard has more modes and may provide more "family fun", but will be much less useful for "seriously" learning to play piano.

[Tess]

We have a Clavinova which we were told by the Yamaha seller is a digital piano. The keys are weighted so it's supposed to "feel" like a real piano.

[janexxx]

As far as I know, another crazy pianist has got it right. Keyboards also tend to be smaller and lighter than a digital piano and so more portable. A keyboard has more modes and may provide more "family fun", but will be much less useful for "seriously" learning to play piano.

I think the portability is key thing weighed up against a real piano feel of the keys. You need to decide which is best for you. You certainly can't transport a clavinova around easily, but it does have a near piano feel, with lots of other voices (depending which range model you go for).

[maggiemay]

We have a Clavinova which we were told by the Yamaha seller is a digital piano. The keys are weighted so it's supposed to "feel" like a real piano.

Yes - I have a clavinova and can confirm that's right. It's a digital piano, not a keyboard, although clavinovas also have some of the fun features of a keyboard, eg , different voices, maybe a rhythm section etc, depending on model.

An ordinary keyboard often does not have weighted keys, and of those that do, I have not played one that "feels" like an acoustic piano. Also the sound quality can be poor, and some of the cheaper ones don't even have proper size keys - this could potentially be more of a problem than the precise length of the keyboard itself.

[katyjay]

You certainly can't transport a clavinova around easily, but it does have a near piano feel, with lots of other voices (depending which range model you go for).

Actually a clav's not too bad to transport - I've taken mine to venues where we haven't had a decent piano to use (including the Chertsey Adult Learners' Concert). The base comes off and dismantles (and reassembles) very easily (the designer could give IKEA lessons ;) ) and the top is OK weight-wise for two people to carry.

Granted it's not as portable as a keyboard - but much more so than an accoustic piano :D

Cheers

Katyjay

[Nocturne]

but will be much less useful for "seriously" learning to play piano.

A keyboard is indeed not suitable to learn the piano. However as you said your eight year old registered for keyboard lessons, (s)he will probably need a keyboard. Playing keyboard requires a different technique than playing piano, and you can't just adapt the one to the other. If you want to play keyboard a keyboard is required and if you want to play piano a piano is required, It's just as simple as that :D .

[crazy_purple_piano_freak]

We have a Clavinova which we were told by the Yamaha seller is a digital piano. The keys are weighted so it's supposed to "feel" like a real piano.

I have a Clavinova too and i agree with what's already been said. I play the Clavinova like an ordinary piano, though the 'fun' keyboard effects (different voices, sample songs and recording capability) are also helpful. It is more difficult to 'get the feel' of a keyboard or play 'musically' as keyboards dont have the 'weight' of a piano.

[off_lady]

I started to learn and practise piano at a piano company during the first two years, and had a keyboard (Yamaha) at home for home practice as at that time had not decided whether I would find the interest to stay on with piano playing.

Having a keyboard at home was good at the beginning stage when you still had to struggle with which key sounded what. Even though the key size of a keyboard was not exactly like a piano, the touch/weight was different and the sound differed a bit, it has the merits of controllable sound volume, various built-in features to play with sound effects and recording as well. It was really fun for the whole family. Most of all, it is portable as Trebor said.

However, after passing through the stage of better mastering the technical skills of keys, I began to dislike the keyboard, feeling that it was like a toy and did not meet my expectation to move on with piano playing anymore. Therefore I bought the acoustic piano to replace it.

O_L

[sarai]

I think the keyboard is kinda like the modern piano. Its smaller, portable, and have more functions. :unsure:

[another crazy pianist]

But the keyboard will never take the place of the piano ! ;)

[spaceman]

A digital keyboard is a broad term.
A digital piano is just one type of digital keyboard instrument, specifically intended to try and directly emulate an acoustic instrument.
Some instruments which are not sold as digital pianos may still work well as such if they have 88 weighted keys and a good piano sound (e.g. synthesizers such as a Korg Trion or Yamaha Motif).
In my case I have an 88 note MIDI controller and separate MIDI piano module and external amp. which work fairly well together as a "digital piano".