Which keyboard should I buy my child?
Which keyboard should I buy my child?
We don't have room for a regular piano but which electronic keyboard should we buy?
Do you have a young child who has shown interest in piano lessons? You may be wondering which keyboard is the best quality and value for money.I am asked this question quite often and am happy to be able to give you a fairly easy answer. If you have an older beginner, for instance ages 10 and above, I would be tempted to purchase an 88 note electronic keyboard which has its own substantial stand. Older beginners will use more of the keyboard sooner and will more quickly out grow a 61 key keyboard like the one in the photo above.BUY LOCALFor smaller fingers I recommend any 61 key keyboard make that has a good reputation and is sold at your nearest music store. The reason I prefer to shop locally is that if your piano teacher does not buy books for you, you will be going there quite a bit and it is a real advantage to get to know the staff. You can ask questions about how to use the keyboard, rather than have to sort it all out at home via the manual. Local music shop staff can help you with internet connectivity, cables, software programs, online learning programs and any other extra interest you or your family have with music.BRANDINGYamaha is my first choice in musical instruments of any sort, closely followed by Roland in keyboards. I believe Casio has come a long way since the early days of electronic keyboards, so I should not hesitate to see what they have in stock. Do be aware that each music store may have their preferred buyer and may stock more variety of their product.ADVANTAGES OF BUTTONS and larger LED SCREENS"Buttons" are the old fashioned way of selecting sounds, beats and songs on the older brands of keyboard. I love buttons, but you may prefer to select, enter and select again via the more modern rotating wheel system.Most keyboards have LED screens with information about the style, voice or other setting you have selected. Some keyboard screens are very small making you try to remember what function you chose to get to the one you are now in. This can be frustrating if you are not using the functions often enough to become familiar with them. The Yamaha PSR series has a large enough screen to show you not only the treble and bass clef notation but another 4 to 5 functions as well. Some functions are "embedded" in the "function" and you have to dig deeper to change some setting such as the volume of the accompaniment, but with other makes such as Casio, you have to start digging even to do more regular tasks.Its up to you whether you prefer a simple lay out. I guess I am used to it...I've always had Yamaha keyboards and they have served me well.VOICE/SONG/STYLE SELECTIONSYoung kids get a lot of fun out of playing the same song in different ways. Keyboards make it a cinch to change the sound. You child's favourite song will get practiced over and over if he or she can play it with "synthetic lead" and make it sound like a Martian walking on the moon! They can then quickly and easily add a beat to it and viola "Mary Had a Little Lamb" on steroids! Good luck with your purchase and call me if you need any more help. Have a great day! 0418 563 226
