A keyboard that will teach me to play songs I actually want to play?
January 12, 2014 12:16 AM   Subscribe

I'm looking for a keyboard that a) lets me play along to lit-up keys and b) allows me to either add my own music for it to decipher or tell it which keys I want to light up when I play a song.

I'm re-learning the keyboard after several years of vacation and I'm looking for a keyboard that can help with muscle memory. I'm not at all familiar with portable keyboards; the only thing I have is a piano but after playing around with a friend's keyboard it seems I learn a lot faster that way.

The main thing I care about is being able to add my own songs and have it teach me how to play them. Having a screen tell me which key/note I'm playing helps too.Also, I'd prefer it to be ~$300. However many keys you can fit on in that price range is fine, but the more the merrier.

Is there anything out there like this? I've found plenty of light-up keyboards but I'm stuck when it comes to finding ones that let you add your own music. Thanks!
posted by Autumn to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (3 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: The Casio LK-280, according to this amazon review. It's 61-key, and currently ~$220.
posted by sebastienbailard at 1:28 AM on January 12, 2014


Better than a keyboard with lights is software: Synthesia. You connect any MIDI keyboard with the software and off you go. Amazing!
posted by oxit at 7:51 AM on January 12, 2014 [1 favorite]


It's unclear what you mean by "adding your own music". If your hope is to take an mp3 or a CD, stick it in the keyboard, and have it tell you how to play the song, that's not going to happen.
Any feasible solution will involve finding and acquiring versions of those songs in a format that describes what the notes are and when to play them. MIDI files are the de facto standard.

So, before you invest in a keyboard that may or may not do what you expect it to, be aware that if you can't find the songs you want to learn in MIDI format, you will not find a keyboard that does what you want.
posted by blue t-shirt at 8:32 AM on January 12, 2014


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