There are various kinds/types of electronic/digital keyboard instruments such as arranger keyboards, synthesizers, workstations, midi-keyboards, and digital pianos. They may further vary depending on the number of keys and other features. Understand the differences in terms of features and other parameters so you can choose an appropriate one for your needs.
Types of Keyboards and Pianos for Various Needs
There is a wide range of music keyboards available in the market, and different terms are used to describe these, which can be quite confusing, especially for newbies looking out for their first keyboard.
It does take time to understand the various types and figure out the uses of each of these types.
Users of keyboard instruments can be categorized as learners, hobbyists, experienced players, performers, arrangers & composers.
The requirement of each of these categories varies. That is why the top keyboard manufacturers have a product line-up that caters to the users in each of these categories.
Over the years, different types of keyboard instruments came into existence based on the various demands and needs of musicians, both professionals as well as amateurs.
Things like transportation, space available, cost, and features are some of the factors that most buyers look into. In most cases, it was just that a practical design made more sense, and became popular.
For example, digital pianos are more popular today because of their portability and practical uses. Midi controllers, on the other hand, are more apt for music composers. Please note that the term ‘digital’ is used mostly to refer to pianos and not as much while referencing keyboards.
Thinking of buying a keyboard instrument? You can choose one of these:
- Electronic Keyboard: Portable keyboards with several sounds and styles.
- Digital Piano: These come with weighted keys and may or may not come with built-in rhythms.
- Synthesizer: Used mostly by working musicians for gigs.
- Music Workstation: Used for performance as well as for music production.
- MIDI controller Keyboard: These do not come with a built-in sound engine. These are used by composers for music production.
These keyboard instruments are basically digital instruments and make use of samples (except for acoustic pianos), and there are a lot of similarities between these various types.
So basically, you get keyboards that are designed for beginners (for learning) or for fun playing and for entertainment. You get keyboards for onstage use as a music performer. You also get keyboards that are designed for complete music production.
As a beginner who is just starting out, it takes time to understand the various types of keyboards and their real purpose.
Here’s more on these electronic/digital keyboard instruments.
Electronic Keyboards (Arranger Keyboards)
This is your normal portable electronic keyboard which everybody knows about.
These come with several Rhythms / Accompaniment Patterns and instrument sounds. These are available in various numbers of keys but 61-keys are the most popular among beginners.
You can read more on electronic arranger keyboards here.
Digital Pianos
Top-end digital pianos are practical substitutes for acoustic pianos (they replicate the keyboard action, touch, expressiveness, and even the size to some extent); they look like real pianos (upright or grand piano look), have a fully weighted keyboard (electronic keyboards have spring-loaded keys), the pedals look real, and they have excellent piano sounds.
While it’s true that musical keyboards and digital pianos are two different categories, the fact is that most high-end digital pianos nowadays incorporate a lot of features that you find on arranger music keyboards.
Digital pianos are more affordable compared to acoustic pianos. Here you have options of pianos with arranger-type features or just simple piano without all the bells and whistles that comes in an arranger. You also have options of semi-weighted keys or the proper piano like graded weighted keys.
Synthesizer Keyboards
Synthesizers are usually used by users who have been into music for some time and are involved with Music Production / Recording. Also known as a Synth, it is a sound-generating machine that provides you with tools to alter all the parameters associated with sound so that you can produce some mind-blowing sounds.
Most arranger keyboards come with bread-and-butter sounds (the more commonly used tones) but with synthesizers, you can create unique sounds. These are also available in a various number of keys to appeal to various musical needs. Read more on Keyboard Synthesizer here.
Music Workstations
This is the most powerful keyboard; it is a portable studio and is designed for professionals! You get all the tools to create a song from scratch; it is a synthesizer, sequencer, sampler, and music keyboard, all rolled into one. You have tools for editing and you can even copy your final product on a flash-drive. More on Music keyboard workstation here
MIDI Controllers
If you want to compose/create your own music, you can go either the hardware or the software way i.e. you can use either a music workstation to create your music or you can use software that can do the same stuff for you on a computer.
If you choose a computer to do all your music production work, you really do not need a keyboard with all those rhythms, effects, editing features, and other features.
You just need a plain keyboard that can copy/send the notes that you play onto the computer.
MIDI controllers are keyboards that have the capability to send your notes via MIDI.
They do not have the capability to produce any sound from within; they just inform the computer what note needs to be played/recorded and the computer generates the sounds.
Read more on midi controllers here.
You get MIDI Controllers in smaller-sizes as well; perfect for the mobile composer who just need his laptop, soundcard and MIDI controller. Just put them in a bag and carry along to the studio.
MIDI Keyboards
A MIDI keyboard is actually not another type of electronic keyboard; it only means that it supports MIDI, which is the ability to communicate to your Computer / Digital device.
All the keyboards that we have discussed above support this feature and as such, they all are MIDI piano keyboards. Read more on MIDI Keyboard here
Electric Pianos
Technically speaking, an electric piano is different from a digital piano; an electric piano produces sounds similar to how an electric guitar would produce (using pickups). These electro-mechanical instruments do produce sound mechanically, but then the sounds are converted into electric signals using pickups, which is then fed to the amplifier to produce the sound. These are bulkier compared to the modern keyboard instruments, but these were introduced several decades back, and back then size did not matter as most acoustic instruments were anyways huge.
The first electric pianos were made around 1940-1950s, which were then further modified by Leo Fender. The company Fender Rhodes, which makes cutting-edge synths and electric pianos, is named after them. In the 1970s, they built an 88-key electric piano which went on to become quite popular. Most of these electro-mechanical instruments have been replaced by the modern-day digital keyboard instruments & synthesizers, primarily because of the size. Rhodes Music Corporation does produce a small number of electro-mechanical pianos though, catering to a small crowd. Now that you know what is an Electric Piano, check out this video showing the New Rhodes Mark 7.
To sum it up, there is a wide range of digital/electronic keyboards available on the market and different terms are used to describe these keyboards. I have explained the differences between the various types of digital keyboard instruments in order to eliminate any confusion concerning these instruments.
Besides, the distinction between synthesizers, workstations, and arranger workstations, is getting thinner by the day and they all can do most things nowadays. I hope you now have a better understanding of what keyboard instrument to choose for your needs.
KeytarHQ editorial team includes musicians who write and review products for pianists, keyboardists, guitarists & other musicians. KeytarHQ is the best online resource for information on keyboards, pianos, synths, keytars, guitars and music gear for musicians of all abilities, ages and interests.
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