digital piano

[Bachwannabe]

Let me first say hello to everyone.  I found this forum while searching for info regarding the purchase of a digital piano of some sort.  I have decided to begin to learn to play this year and I need the ability to play silently (plus, I don't have enough spare $$$ to buy a nice piano).  Does anyone have any suggestions as to specific models?  I couldn't care less about sampling, MIDI, etc, but I wouldn't mind having an "organ" and a "harpsichord" to play around with, especially since, as my username implies, I am most interested in Bach and other baroque music.  Right now I am leaning toward a Kurzweil SP88X.  Do these "weighted" keys really work?  I realize that it is much better to learn on a real piano, but given that I cannot at the moment, is the keyboard better than nothing or should I perhaps learn the cello instead?

Thanks in advance for the advice.

[88keys]

I don't have a suggestion for a specific model, but I do have a few general suggestions:

Despite what so many people say, I whole-heartedly believe that a high-quality digital piano is quite enough for a piano beginner.

True, it is not exactly the same as a real piano. But some of them get pretty close.

Secondly, even if you like Bach, don't look specifically for a digital piano which can function as a harpsichord or an organ. Your aim is to get the best sounding, most natural-feel digital piano for serious study, rather than a toy you can play with. It is likely that a good digital piano will have these options anyway, but they should not be a factor in your purchase decision.

Thirdly, a few things which you should look for in a digital piano:

1. Weighted keys with touch - Practicing on a non-weighted keyboard will do you more harm than good.

2. Good, realistic, sound quality. Also remember that pianos tend to sound differently at the open space inside the store... So if at all possible, compare the sound of the digital keyboards to the sound of the 'real' pianos sitting in the same store.

3.  Look ONLY for digital PIANOS. Avoid synthesizers and other electronic keyboards - even if they sound great, they are not specially designed for piano playing. (I happen to own one of these, but this is because I'm doing heavy sequencing work with my computer. As a piano, my keyboard is not that good at all)

4. Make sure the keyboard has the full range of the piano. This means 7 octaves and a minor 3rd (88 keys). If you find a truely excellent instrument, you may settle on 85 keys (7 octaves), but under no circumstances buy anything smaller.

Hope this helps

Eighty-Eight