There are so many different keyboards
to choose from. How are you supposed to know which one to pick? Luckily, there's
just a few things that you need to look for when finding a keyboard. Be sure to stay to the
end where I tell you how to find one for cheap. Before we get started, be sure to hit the
subscribe button and the bell to be notified every single time I post a video about how to
learn the piano quickly so that you can begin to play your favorite songs. I've been teaching piano
lessons for over a decade and have a music school of hundreds of students, so trust me, I've heard
this question so many times. You'll want to make sure to check over every single one of these
must-haves because, if you miss one of them, you could learn the piano with really bad
technique. You really don't want to do that because you're going to waste your time.
So let's get started. First, you could get a real piano. If you have the
space for it and the budget for it, then definitely you could go ahead and just get a
real one. The main thing you really want to think about is how often you need to tune that piano.
Most people should tune it at least once a year, but probably more like twice a year. So definitely
factor that in if you decide to pick a real piano. But most of you are going to be looking for a
keyboard. So if that's what you're looking for, you're going to want to make sure that you have
weighted keys. This is the most important thing that you must have on your keyboard. Why?
Because if you don't have weighted keys, you truly are not going to learn the piano correctly.
A real piano has some weight when you press down the keys. So many keyboards feel like nothing
when you press it down. You're just not going to be able to play the piano correctly, and
even since there's no weight on those keys, you're going to mess up a lot because it's going
to be so easy to play the other key. Definitely, have some weight. Do not skip out on this one.
Another reason you might want it is because you're going to build stronger fingers and get a lot
more accuracy when you're learning how to play the piano. I've seen some keyboards say semi-weighted.
I still don't recommend this. It's semi-weighted just like how it sounds. Just get weighted keys.
This is what's going to feel like a real piano, and after all, you're wanting to learn how to
play the piano. The next thing to look for is 88 keys. A real piano has all of the keys, 88 keys.
Now, I'm not going to say this one is required, but it is highly recommended. If you have the
space, go ahead and get 88 keys. If you truly do not have enough space, then you can get around 61,
I believe is the next number under that. So that means the keyboard's going to be smaller in the
width, but definitely if you can get 88 keys. The reason for that is there's a bigger range of notes
that you can play if you have all of the keys, and that way you won't have to adjust some of
the songs you're learning. If you don't have all the keys, you might have to make some changes to
how the song is played to make that work for you, and that can sometimes be unfortunate.
The next thing to look for is a sustain pedal. Now, most keyboards come with
a sustain pedal that looks like this. We do not want that. We want a sustain pedal
that actually looks like a real sustain pedal on a piano, something more like this.
Now, the problem is most keyboards don't come with the right kind of sustain pedal, so you have
to go and buy that separately. You can easily find them online for about $20. And by the way, I'm
going to link some of my favorite keyboards and sustain pedals in the description of this video. A
real piano is going to have a set of three pedals, and you can also purchase this separately, but
I do not necessarily recommend that. The only pedal that you need is the sustain pedal. Some
other really important things to consider is how you're going to set up this keyboard. I've seen a
lot of people putting their keyboard on a table, on a desk. Please do not do this. Be sure to
buy a keyboard stand and a piano bench. This is, again, really important for getting the correct
technique. One option is to make the keyboard look like this. This is on a stand and it has a piano
bench, and some of them are set up a bit nicer, which will make it look more like a real
piano. And they're set up like this. Again, I have some links in the bottom
of this video in the description with these different types of stands. It doesn't
really matter too much which stand you get, especially as you're just starting, but
definitely get a stand. Don't put it on a desk or just a table because the height
of your keyboard really matters. We don't want it to be too high. We don't want it to be
too low. You want to set it up correctly. Now, I'm going to take you on a little tour of my music
school and some of the different types of pianos and keyboards that we have and why I got them
and what's the difference between them. Hello and welcome to my music school. I'm going to give you
guys a really quick tour of a couple of different pianos and keyboards that we have and why I
bought them and what I honestly think about them. The first one is a real piano, as you can see
here. Now, fun fact about this is I actually rented it first and then I purchased it. Now, of
course, like I said, getting a real piano is going to be a great option for you. Just make sure it's
tuned and that's going to be something that you need to think about because sometimes you do need
to tune it. Probably at least once a year, but ideally every six months. This is an example of
a keyboard I don't recommend getting for learning the piano specifically. This is a really old
Yamaha that I have sitting on the floor because we don't use it for teaching. Maybe you could use it
for synth sounds in a rock band, but do not learn the piano on something like this. Why? Because it
does not have ADA keys. They're not weighted and it didn't come with the correct kind of sustain
pedal. So you're going to see this everywhere. Not enough keys, not weighted, not a sustain
pedal. Please do not learn the piano on this. If you feel like you want to use this because it's
less expensive, you're going to hurt yourself in the long run because you're not going to be
able to learn piano correctly on it. Okay, as you can see, this room has lots of digital
pianos. Now, the one that we put into this room is Casio Privia. They're not going to be the most
updated ones. I got these a few years ago, but I think I recommend this one the most to beginner
learners on the piano because it is a lower end on the price, but it has everything that you're going
to be looking for. So it's got the weighted keys, it's got 88 keys, and you do have to purchase the
sustain pedal separately. That's totally normal, and they're about 20 bucks. But this keyboard,
the Casios, Casio Privia, this is it. Here is the next keyboard that I have at my music
school. This is the Yamaha E125. I really love this keyboard. I'd say the biggest thing that's
different about this between the Casio Privia is that it feels more like a real piano. The keys
have more of a real touch to it. This is going to be a few $100 more than the Casio Privia because
it is a little bit nicer, and I would say that is the biggest difference. I don't think beginners
have to start on this. Again, you can start on the lower end like the Casio Privia and be totally
fine. Hello, we are no longer at the music school anymore, but we are at the Piano Lead Recording
studio, which has my very favorite digital piano, which is a Roland. This is an HP-507 Roland. This
is a digital piano. This is on the higher end, and I've had it for over a decade. This is
a piano that you really don't need to get unless you are starting to become advanced.
Otherwise, these other keyboards are going to totally work for you if you are a beginner. But I
do really love my Roland because it feels so much like a real piano. I never have to tune it and
the touch just feels really great. So if you're going to look for a digital piano that's really
high end, Roland is the one that I recommend the very most. Now that we've covered some of my
favorite keyboards, which one do you think you would get? Comment below. Now, the moment you've
been waiting for, how do you find a keyboard or digital piano for cheap? The truth is that many
people are trying to get rid of their pianos and keyboards all of the time. I get phone calls about
this almost every single day from neighbors trying to get me to buy their piano or just simply take
their piano. There are so many people out there, sadly, who are trying to get rid of them, but
what you can do is you can really latch onto this and benefit from it by using a couple
of different websites to find that keyboard. I recommend using Nextdoor. That's my favorite one
to use. If your country has Nextdoor, definitely use it. Again, I'm going to link these websites in
the description. Nextdoor is a website that links you to all of your neighbors, and you can easily
go on there and type, "Hey, is anyone getting rid of their piano or keyboard?" And I've had so many
of my students find a neighbor who was like, "Oh, I want to get rid of mine." Or another thing
you can do with Nextdoor is go to the Buy and Sell section. In that section, you're likely
to find a piano or a keyboard. Lots of people, if they're getting rid of their piano, they will
get rid of it for free as long as you pick it up. If you decide to pick it up, you need professional
movers to pick up your piano, and that is going to cost you a couple of 100 bucks most likely. So
that's something to think about. Other websites that you could use for people who are selling
their piano or keyboard would be Facebook. There is a place where you can buy and sell
things on Facebook. Or you could also use Craigslist. There's people who are buying and
selling pianos and keyboards there as well. My number one recommendation is to use Nextdoor. Look
in their Buy and Sell area, and also type a post out to all of your neighbors saying You're looking
for a piano or keyboard, and you're very likely to find someone who's getting rid of theirs and you
can just have one that is used. But don't forget, if you're going to do that, to look for the three
things. Now, what were those three things? They were weighted keys, that is a requirement. 88
keys, not a requirement, but highly encouraged, and a sustain pedal, required. And, lastly, be
sure to set it up correctly on a keyboard stand with a bench. The very last way to potentially
get a piano or keyboard in a cheaper way would be finding a local business that rents them.
Actually, this piano in my music school was rented for a while at first, so if you have a business
like that, Google it, search it, and you might in your local area. If you're struggling to learn
the piano and you just don't know where to begin, you've been bogged down by music theory and
children's songs, but you really just want to play the songs you love, be sure to schedule
a call. There's a link in the description if you would like to go from zero to playing your
favorite songs in less time. Again, all of the links to things mentioned in this video will be in
the description below. Be sure to subscribe and if this video helped you, and also comment below and
let me know which keyboard you think you're going to get, and if you think you're going to try to
find one for cheap. And I will see you next time.
