Which is better a piano or keyboard?

[d_jman01]

Im just wonderingwhich one is better a keyboard or a real non electric piano? I have noticed that the keys in a non electric piano is harder to press than in keyboards.. Does it really matter? On your opinion which one performs best?

[sexytwin101]

i have both and i personally prefer the sound of a piano, my old teacher has an electric micro-grand so the keys are heavier but a keyboard in general never has as good as sound in my opinion

[mad_max2024]

Do a search on the forum and you'll find loads of stuff about that.

[pianisten1989]

A piano. A keyboard sucks if you want to preforme classical repertoar... or any repertoar at all, exept bad sound and like 70's... And I am serious.

[smiggy]

I would use a piano. A keyboard doesn't sound as good.

[odd_wanderer]

You should consider that not all digital/electric and acoustic pianos are the same. I think that a Yamaha CP300 digital piano sounds better and has a nicer feeling action than many cheap acoustic upright pianos, not to mention that you will probably not find a better feeling or sounding acoustic piano within the CP300's price range. Of course, a Steinway D will (had better) sound better than a cheap keyboard found at say, Wal-Mart.

You should also think about what you are going to use the piano for. Do you need portability?

[gerryjay]

dear d_j:
it depends of some factors, basically what you need from an instrument, and how much cash do you have to pay for it.

first, analyse how many keyboard instruments are there: piano (an upright acoustic one, for that matter), electronic piano (such as a clavinova), sequencer, midi controller, standard electronic keyboard, electric organ, electronic organ...well, the list is really long.

to determine what do you need, first come the repertory you want to play. assuming that you are classic-oriented, the best call would be an upright or a clavinova (in other words, an instrument with 88 weighted keys and pedals). however, if you are into rock music, a standard keyboard (such as a yamaha psr) can handle the situation for some time. if you are into electronic music, or digital recording, or composing music at the computer, a midi controller could be the right choice.

next, if you want an instrument for classical music, come the decision about acoustic or not. if you live in an apartament (or many other places for that matter), an acoustic could limit your time of practice, or even cause you problems. furthermore, cheap instruments are just that: cheap. consider that a good electronic is a thousand times better than a poor acoustic.

finally, i must disagree completely with pianisten. when you say that a keyboard is not able to play

any repertoar at all, exept bad sound and like 70's...

you could be anything but serious. there are countless great artists of many genres (including classical) that use electronic keyboards of many kinds. a discussion about that would be very off-topic, but "like 70s" is a terrible oversimplification.

best!

[saekwolth]

Hello!

In my opinion, it depends of the piano or the keyboard. For example, a Yamaha P90 with an Ivory Piano Library conected through MIDI can sound better than a vertical regular piano, but what it's true is that a digital sampler will never substitute a Steinway, Bosėndorfer or Yamaha... grand piano. Every original instrument will sound better than a sampled virtual instrument. But if the original instrument is a low quallity one, maybe it can sound better a high quallity virtual instrument.

If you live in a flat, I highly recomend you a high quallity virtual piano with a hammer action digital piano, than buying a vertical piano because:

     A digital piano:

              -will let you play at night with no bothering your neighbours
              -is easier to change of place if needed
              -is easy to move if you change your address. In case of a real piano, quallified personal will be needed to move such a precission machine as a piano.
              -is much cheaper than an original piano.
              -doesn't need to be tuned...
              -is not affected for changes of humidity (except if you throw a glass of water over it hahaha)
              -the touch is not that similar than a piano, but a vertical piano touch is not that similar to a grand piano one, so we find a similar problem...

Some examples of Ivory sound in this link:

https://www.ilio.com/synthogy/ivory/

Some examples of Bosėndorfer Vienna Symphonic Library (Anyway I prefer Ivory):

https://vsl.co.at/en/211/442/478/449/671/388.htm

Anyway, I insist that there's nothing as an original grand piano sounding... the rest are confort factors...


hope being useful,

Saekwolth

[gerryjay]

dear saekwolth:
very useful, dude. i was not aware of this ivory soft, and it sounds amazing. a bit costy, but thinking as a part of a digital piano investment, is not that much. i'll look further for that.
thanks, btw. 
best!

[Petter]

Getting ivory if you already have a decent computer is actually alot cheaper then buying an expensive digital piano.

[richard black]

I'm just wondering which one is better a keyboard or a real non electric piano?

If you want to learn the piano, learn the piano. If you want to learn the keyboard (which is a perfectly good instrument in its own right) learn the keyboard. Keyboards are occasionally useful to pianists in desperate straits when, for instance, you can't accommodate a real piano for reasons of space or noise - in previous centuries pianists used a clavichord or even a silent keyboard in such situations - but it fundamentally isn't the same thing.

[saekwolth]

No doubt about the preference of a real piano when playing. Anyway, if you want to record yourself or just to play at home with a good digital sound... Ivory is quite a good tool...

best

Miguel

[mlhf_michelle]

I prefer piano than keyboard. Piano has 88 keys while keyboard has less so it would be troublesome to play a long ranged key piece.

I think getting an electric piano is better than the original piano because you can control the volume of the piano if you want to practice till late night. But the problem is electricity of course.

If you prefer portability, get a keyboard.

[lynno]

I absolutly think the ordinary piano is always better than the keyboard
I mean its the real piano ...you feel your playing real ,besides the composers like Bach,Chopin didnt have the keyboard  and u know how they were fantastic players .
you can say that the keyboard is maybe easier thats why everybody is using it but the sound in the real piano is much better...

[vongoldschmitz]

Good points made here.
But i think there is no general "better".
In some cases an acoustic is better and in some a digital is better.

Can you stand the volume of an acoustic while you practice? Even for many hours?

In my case i prefer a digital piano right now for long practice and for playing i use an acoustic.
I practice a lot and a digital can turn its volume down. An acoustic can't do that very good. 

[scottical]

If you are pursuing a classical repertoire, I would recommend a piano.  You don't need a grand, just a traditional acoustic piano.  This is the most important investment you will make if you choose to begin your studies in piano.  A keyboard will not offer you the scope a "real" piano will.

If you are more interested in pop, gospel, or jazz, either will suit, but an electronic keyboard will be much more cost-friendly, depending on the brand and model.  A keyboard will allow you to control the musical voice you want as well as the volume of the pitch. 

Remember, you should only commit to a purchase once you've decided you are serious about your instrument.  You don't want to waste your money.