2020-07-20
Electronic keyboards
Once in a while, I get the question "can I or my family member start keyboard study on an electronic keyboard?" Given the preponderance of digital pianos and portable keyboards, this is a significant question. On one hand, we want as many people to receive the gift of music by learning how to play as possible. On the other hand, digital keyboards have limitations that bear investigation.
For someone of any age to begin piano study, I personally think a digital piano/keyboard is adequate. Digital keyboards have real advantages... they are much, much less expensive than a quality acoustic piano. They are portable! So you can practice anyway in your home and even when you travel. You can bring it with you to play with friends. You can put on a good pair of headphones and play as long as you like without disturbing the neighbors (not too loud, though! Always protect your hearing.) Most digital instruments come with a variety of preset sounds, so you can vary the timbres with which you play.
The disadvantages come along once a learner develops some facility. By and large, digital keyboards are not constructed to last. I have a high quality digital piano in my studio that I have given much care and played a normal amount for 20 years, and it has basically aged to a place where the components all need to be replaced. (Plastic is plastic -- it degrades!) Sometimes, learners are tempted to mark their keyboards because they are "inexpensive", a perennially bad idea as it interferes with the player's experience of navigating the keyboard. There is no comparison, and never will be, to the quality of sound that even a modest acoustic piano provides. Acoustic instruments, by definition, do not require amplification. Most importantly, however, the "action" of most digital instruments, that is, how the keys interact with the sound source and how keys respond to rapid playing and how the keys feel under the hand, is always inadequate. (If you are going to spend the money to get a digital piano with sufficiently high quality action, you might as well check out an acoustic instrument. Like a pipe organ, if you take care of it, it will be just as fine in 100 years as it is today!)
So, as you can see, the answer is more complex than one might guess. If you have more questions about this topic, don't hesitate to contact me and we can chat.
K