Piano, pianissimo.

July 9, 2009 6:17 PM

Crazy old guy filter: Picking a keyboard. Learning to play the piano. How best?

A friend was throwing out a bunch of books while moving, and I picked up "Piano for Dummies" by Blake Neely. I thought "how about delaying senility by exercising the old brain"?

So, I'd like to learn to play the piano - just a little. I realize the insanity of the ambition, but my excuse is that I have no illusions whatsoever, and I'm just having fun. I realize I'm never going to be wowing crowds, merely annoying the cat.

What I'd like to accomplish: learn enough, so that I can doodle out some melodies that rattle about in my head. You see, the extent of my insanity is such, that I'd like to pursue - purely for fun - some electronic music composition. I'm a life-long music lover, but have never ever played any instrument, not even a little. I'm also in my 40's. Yes, I am nuts. But I'd like to have some fun with this, and I am willing to put in the time and effort (60-90 minutes daily practice) for a long time without getting discouraged by meager results.

My evil plan: buy a keyboard, use the book to learn the basics.

The book is old, so I cannot follow any recommendations in it about specific keyboards. I need to go the electronic route on account of space and my ambition to produce some music down the road.

I gather that I need a keyboard, but I'm clueless as to what would work best given my goals (learn basics of piano playing + have something that can be useful in electronic music production).

Would it be a synth? A sampler/sequencer? An X? Which brand, model, configuration? I'm vaguely aware of features such as weighted keys and multi-note polyphony, but really, I'm an utter novice, so speak to me as if to a 5 year old. Is my plan horribly flawed?

Budget for the keyboard: $1,000 or less. Preferably not the size of a couch.

Specific recommendations very welcome!

posted by VikingSword to education (15 comments total)

I bought a M-Audio Prokeys 88 keyboard used on Craigslist for $350. It's $700 new I think. I'm very happy with it. It has weighted keys that sort of feel like a piano. Sort of. It sounds pretty good. Not amazing but pretty good. I'd recomend it. You need some sort of a stand for it.

Even new I think it'd be a pretty good buy.
posted by sully75 at 6:22 PM on July 9, 2009

Would it be a synth? A sampler/sequencer? An X?

It would be, I think, a digital piano. Having similar ambitions to yours, and following recommendations on AskMe and elsewhere I bought a Korg SP250 and am very happy with it indeed. They come in around $800-$900.
posted by game warden to the events rhino at 6:45 PM on July 9, 2009

Actually my ambitions may not have been the same as yours w/r/t the music production stuff. The Korg is an excellent piano, with MIDI compatibility, but you should check with others that it'll do what you want it to do production-wise. I don't know about that.
posted by game warden to the events rhino at 6:50 PM on July 9, 2009

When I wanted to pick up playing the piano again, I bought this Yamaha YPG-625. It has weighted keys and sounds great (and looks decent in the home). It might be overkill for you but I've played on a lot of digital keyboards/pianos and I ended up liking this one the best.

Looks like the current model is the YPG-635, which will run you around $900.
posted by wongcorgi at 7:11 PM on July 9, 2009

Thanks for all the answers so far, and I welcome more, more, more!

@sully75: do you have an opinion about the axiom pro 61?

@game warden_+_: since owning the Korg, have you gone into, say, GuitarCenter and tried any other KB's?

@wongcorgi: The YPG-635 looks interesting, it is my understanding it's the same thing as the dgx-630 which is a tad cheaper at around $830. One thing was not clear though, are the voice banks expandable? And can I plug in my own sounds? Sorry, if I'm asking a dumb question.
posted by VikingSword at 8:37 PM on July 9, 2009

Nope. I have no opinions. I just got a good buy on this.

You could look for a used Yamaha Clavinova. The old ones don't sound that great, but they are nice and sturdy. If I saw one for $300 I'd probably take it. They are more like furniture...the stand is built in.
posted by sully75 at 8:43 PM on July 9, 2009

So, I'd like to learn to play the piano - just a little. I realize the insanity of the ambition, but my excuse is that I have no illusions whatsoever, and I'm just having fun.

Don't sell yourself short. I came to music late, went in with the same assumptions, and I'm now writing songs regularly and performing occasionally. Leave yourself open to the possibility that you will turn out to have talent (but don't nurse the "and be famous" part, you're right to leave that out of the equation.)

This appears to be the updated version of what I bought around nine years ago. If you want my opinion, this is what you want, with a stand, a small bench to sit on, and the optional sustain pedal. It's slightly out of your price range, but they make models that don't have built-in speakers, or you can get the outdated models for a bit less. I paid $1200 (and this model linked here is the same amount) but I've since seen mine as low as $899.

For me personally, the must-haves are:

1. Graded-hammer keys. That means they're not only pressure-sensitive and weighted like a real piano, but the low keys are weighted much more heavily than the high keys, with a smooth transition in weight between each adjacent key (again, just like a real piano.) There's nothing like that feeling to make you sit down and play, or just touch it as you walk by. Plus, you'll be able to play on a real piano if you happen across one, and the subtleties (which quickly become necessities) of playing a "real" piano make the extra cost over a synthesizer fully worth it.

2. 88 Keys, please. Sometimes you'll start playing just because you walked by and felt like pounding on the lowest and highest keys. There's something wonderful about hearing that range, even though you don't always use it; or learning a new chord, then playing it across the octaves.

Good luck, have fun, don't hesitate to pick up a ukulele too, and don't worry if you never learn to read music -- you can do a lot just by ear. Listen to my (random) songs in MeMusic, and know that I can't read anything but the treble clef (and have to do that by counting up from middle C one step at a time.)
posted by davejay at 8:50 PM on July 9, 2009 [1 favorite]

Oh, and the sustain pedal is also a must-have.
posted by davejay at 8:51 PM on July 9, 2009

Davejay's advice is solid. I learned piano on a Kawaii grand at my parent's house, then got a crappy Yamaha PSR-530 when I moved out. It seems neat for a while to have a piano with 500 instrument effects and all the bells and whistles, but you sacrifice key action. As a general rule of thumb, the more gadgets the piano has on it, and ESPECIALLY the more instrument types the piano has on it, the more it will suck. Also, as a general rule, piano with build-in speakers are usually not very good.

I've got a basic Clavinova I inherited from a friend. It's got maybe 16 instruments max on it, but great key action. Nothing fancy, but as far as non-real pianos go it's about the closest feel to my parent's grand piano.
posted by Happydaz at 11:35 PM on July 9, 2009

The piano is not this big scary thing! I think it's crazier to think that it's crazy to want to try to play! You don't have to be good, you just ought to focus on having fun, even if that is randomly bashing the keys (which is pretty good fun!).

I have a basic Roland electric piano that I bought in the UK through the Arts Council 0% interest payments over 10 months; I would not have been able to afford it in one lump otherwise. It was about £700 and has great features such as connecting by USB to a computer and it will transcribe your playing onto sheet music and can play it back - awesome!

Remember, have fun! And I thought you said old man filter - I think 75+ is being an "old man" and even then I would encourage someone of that age to play!
posted by lilyflower at 3:12 AM on July 10, 2009

DEfinitely get a sustain pedal, you'll want it soon enough.

Good luck :) I've played for many years, memail if you want any tips!
posted by greenish at 5:10 AM on July 10, 2009

I've played piano my whole life. For the past 10 or 12 years (since I moved from home), I've had only a digital piano. Always 88 keys, always fully-weighted, always a nice keyboard. I've probably practiced for a total of about 30 hours in that 10 years.

Since I moved a week ago and finally get to live in the same house as my recently-acquired (1891 Steinway upright grand) piano, I have practiced piano for about 20 hours.

Maybe it's just me, but having a real piano makes me want to play SO MUCH MORE. And it's not the size of a couch...it's much bigger. :)

That said, digital pianos are great. I've always been a fan of Rolands, as they feel the most like a real piano to me. I recommend going to a piano store, playing around with some real pianos to get a feel for them, then playing some digital pianos to see which ones you like best. Then, shop around and get a used one, as digital pianos, like cars, lose half their value as soon as they leave the showroom floor.

As far as being useful for electronic composition, I doubt you'll need all the bells and whistles of a MIDI controller. A nice digital piano (they pretty much all have MIDI inputs and outputs, but you should check) should do you just fine, as you'll be able to hook it up to Reason/Ableton/Garage Band/whatever via a MIDI interface and play softsynths/samples/record phrases/whatever you want.

Most of all, enjoy! I relish the attitude you take toward music and wish that there were more folks like you.
posted by nosila at 6:45 AM on July 10, 2009

A huge big thank you and internet hug to all you great answer providers!

I feel a lot more confident about the options now, and I'm going to see if I can try a few KBs at a music store.

Fair warning: I may be back with more questions, as my ignorance is practically unlimited.
posted by VikingSword at 11:38 AM on July 10, 2009

88 weighted keys with pedals are required if you really want that real piano feeling.

However, if you just want to casually goof around with keyboards, you could consider something from the Yamaha PRS Series, with 49 plastic keys. It sounds kinda like a piano, plus harpsichord, organ, and synths, with a beatbox built in (most other instruments mentioned here have these features). One advantage is that you can pick it up and carry it to your friend's house without annoying your back. Low-end models start at less than $200.

Many people say that when you learn a new instrument you should buy something nice and expensive. I disagree. I think you should fiddle with something cheap and simple, and see if you like it. If you do, this gives you something to look forward to: the thought of buying nicer instruments in the future.

Learning from books is important, but picking out tunes by ear and improvising is also important. Most important is jamming with your friends. Even if you suck at first, you learn quickly that way, if you keep your ears open.
posted by ovvl at 5:44 PM on July 10, 2009

Many people say that when you learn a new instrument you should buy something nice and expensive. I disagree.

I agree with you, with one caveat: buy something that is a good instrument. I've told the long, boring story before about my mother learning her crappy public school-provided french horn was the problem, not a lack of talent on her end, just before she gave up music for good -- but the lesson I got from her experience, and from others with similar stories, is that if you cheap out to "see if you'll like it" and get a sub-par instrument you'll end up hating it and it will defeat your good intentions.

Doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune. I'll use a ukulele to illustrate this: go out and spend $25 on a ukulele and you will likely end up with one that cannot be tuned because the neck is poorly constructed. Spend $50 and you may end up with one that cannot hold tuning for very long, because the pegs are designed poorly. That doesn't mean you have to spend $210 on a high-end uke, but somewhere in the $75-$150 range will get you a good instrument that won't interfere with your ability to enjoy it.
posted by davejay at 8:11 PM on July 10, 2009