Which Digital Piano
is the Best One for You?
Nadia Dandachi, 09/02/2020
It's normal to sometimes feel lost between all the different kinds of pianos and brands. Buying a piano can be a big investment, and choosing one based on quality is not the only key factor to making your decision! You also want your piano to always continue to challenge and amaze you, with the beauty of its sound and touch.
Of course beauty is subjective, and one piano can sound more beautiful to one than others! However based on my experience, I have personally ranked these top-rated pianos for you based on this following criteria, to help you make your decision:
Quality
The material and design of a piano completely affects the experience of playing and hearing it. Pianos made of higher quality wood produce better sound for example, and higher quality pianos aim to give the pianist the experience and feel of playing on a real acoustic grand piano.
Technique
A good piano will challenge the player to improve their level and performance constantly. A more technical piano is one that has a very high key response, so depending on how hardly you press on the keys, you can control how loudly or softly the sound is produced. For more advanced levels and playing difficult technical pieces, the keys must have a rapid sensitivity response, to produce music as accurately and as quickly as the pianist's light and fast playing on the keys.
Please keep in mind, that pianos have 88 keys. Some keyboards are smaller or incomplete pianos, with only 61 keys or less. These pianos are very poor in technique.
Flexibility
Pianos are usually the kings in the room, they have their own special place, and prefer not to be touched or moved around. However, you may not have enough space for a piano, so you might prefer a much lighter one that you can move, prop up on a wall, or even transport to different locations. High flexibility rating is based on lightness, and it is especially useful for musicians and music producers.
Let's begin!
1. The Yamaha Clavinova and the Yamaha Arius Series
Quality:
Yamaha is a world famous and respected brand, which makes world-class acoustic pianos. They put a lot of their expertise into making digital pianos, which feel and sound like real acoustic pianos. Clavinova, Yamaha's premium digital piano, is an excellent choice for young learners who have a deep interest in learning to play the piano very well. Although it is a digital piano, the Clavinova and Arius piano has the heart, feel, and sound of a grand piano, which attracts even advanced players to enjoy it. Arius has an equally fine sound quality and control, and is cheaper and more affordable than Clavinova, making it the perfect choice for people willing to invest time and money into learning this beautiful instrument.
The Yamaha Clavinova was my very first piano, and 20 years later still performs beautifully!
Technique:
The grand piano-like feel of these pianos make them perfect for students who want to seriously pursue learning the piano! Beginners will develop an excellent technique from the start, and continue to learn, grow, and be challenged for years. That means these pianos are perfect for any skill level.
Flexibility:
Because of its very high quality, and how similar it is to a real acoustic piano, a piano from the Clavinova or Arius series will be heavier than most other digital pianos. Although it has all the modern specs needed to record music straight to your computer, this heavy digital piano will need to be placed permanently in one place.
Clavinova is mainly only available in music stores
but you can purchase the Arius piano easily here:
2. The Roland FP 30 digital piano
Quality:
I currently have the Roland FP 30 portable digital piano, and I am extremely happy with it! It has excellent quality, and its keyboard offers a very pleasant sensation while making you feel as though you were playing on a real acoustic piano. Its sound tone and depth is beautiful, making you forget you were playing on such a light digital piano.
Technique:
The keys on this piano have just the right heaviness, and are highly sensitive to touch and speed, making it perfect to musically express yourself at any level of skill. If you buy important accessories with it, like the stand, stool and pedal, because naturally for good technique you must also sit properly, I believe it becomes the perfect instrument for anyone who wants to start learning the piano, or to continue learning at a higher level, while paying less and gaining more flexibility.
Flexibility:
I specifically bought this piano myself because I wanted a digital piano that is light enough to transport and move around with me, and still advanced enough to match my skill level and high quality standard. I was not disappointed! This piano is perfect for pianists who also enjoy recording or making their own music.
Find the piano below:
3. The Yamaha P-125 digital piano
Quality:
Technique:
Flexibility:
This piano has it all, and is very very similar to the Roland FP 30 described above!
The YAMAHA P-125 is light, portable, and offers the most beautiful experience when playing it.
The choice between the Yamaha P-125 or the Roland FP 30 is a matter of your own taste. Yamaha pianos and Roland pianos tend to sound subtly different, with Yamaha generally producing brighter and higher pitched sounds, and Roland usually producing a more velvety and deeper sound.
This Yamaha model is ideal for musicians who want to take this piano on stage. It has several separate line outputs (more than Roland) and is lighter to carry. Although the Roland is heavier, it is also sturdier and can tolerate hard knocks better, making the Roland a better quality piano.
You can purchase this piano here:
Additional Notes:
Many more brands produce different models of digital pianos, but the ones I recommend in this article are, in my opinion, the leading pianos of their kind in the world. They are ranked the highest globally in terms of their quality, technique, and flexibility, and have hundreds of other positive reviews from all over the world.
Although Kawai is a known Japanese brand that is said to make pianos as good as Yamaha, I personally do not enjoy the sound or feel of Kawai pianos. Kawai’s tone sounds a little metallic and dark to me. The sound reminds me of a toy piano, and the keys don't feel as comfortable on the fingers. Squeaky like plastic, almost.
For this reason I personally do not recommend Kawai pianos.
Casio is another famous Japanese brand, which is perfect for people who don't want to invest too much in a piano, while learning just the basics and having fun with the beats and songs that come with it. Some Casio keyboards are smaller or incomplete pianos, sometimes only containing 61 keys or less (a full piano keyboard consists of 88 keys). These smaller keyboards are not real pianos, and while they are cheap they can be great for young children or for people who are still unsure about learning the piano.
In the end, remember that music is a matter of personal taste!
A piano that I love may not necessarily be the perfect one for you too. If you can, visit a piano store near you to try different pianos yourself. Keep in mind what you're looking for in a piano, how far you want to develop as a player, and what your budget for the piano is.
Good luck!
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