Cannot agree more Robert. The change between my electric piano, with weighted keys, and my instructor's grand piano, was ludicrous. Pieces I could play perfectly would become mush because I just wasn't used to the difference in requirement. Absolutely love your videos, have done for years and years.
Keyboards usually come in 3 different actions. Synth, semi-weighted and weighted. I’d always recommend weighted to build up finger strength Incase you want to play acoustic piano too but you can usually go fast for lead runs on digital keyboards with synth action after playing awhile on weighted keys if that’s your thing.
I learned on unweighted keys for 3 years. The first time I touched weighted keys I thought the piano was broken 😂. I played on it for about 1 hour that first day and it was REALLY hard. The next day I played for about another hour and I had already adjusted a bit. The third day I played for another hour but this time i didn't feel the same weighted keys impacting me as much. I got used to it in a week or less so don't be discouraged if you were like me. Also, I would like to point out what I learned really quick. Most of the 'strength' I used in order to play on weighted keys came from my arm and not from the fingers like I was used to. That one difference really changed everything.
This is so true, my first digital piano was 76 keys and soft graded, it was so light. Then I got a hammer action Yamaha P95 88 key and the difference was incredible. My fingers would ache at first. Now I have a Yamaha acoustic piano and it meant I could play it without issue from-the-off. In fact I’d say my upright has a lighter action than my digital weighted keys.
Also if you opt for a keyboard make sure the keys themselves are full size. Some keyboards have smaller keys which leads to problems when switching to a piano.
For the first two or three years after I got my Yamaha KX-8 controller, I would check in every few months with a local piano owned by these guys who let me hang out in their place even though I wasn't "in the market", just to see how my setup compared with their grands. One of those times was when I discovered that one thing their piano actions had which my KX-8 action didn't have, that double escapement thing I notice if I pressed the keys slowly, which I had vaguely remembered from when I was studying and playing in practice rooms all the time. I've since made my peace with the fact this difference in key travel makes my KX-8 materially different in at least that one way from playing an acoustic piano, especially since I don't really notice that difference if I'm playing at normal speed. I agree with the point you made here, that as long as I can go from my keys to a midsized grand and have it not feel too different, that my setup works fine for practice.
I use a digital piano with weighted keys because I do not have the space or money for an acoustic piano. But a good digital piano is the very next best thing.
Preferred a toy 61 key action when getting started & evolved to not being able to play anything but a full piano action in a year. It took a long time, many years scrounging around university practice rooms, before finally owning a Yamaha CP33. Never forget the desperate years when taking your instrument for granted.
Of course I totally agree with you. My Steinway M doesn't go to gigs. For that, my 24 lb. Casio Privia has 88 weighted and graded keys. The newer Casios have very short keys and, as a result, they are unsatisfactory for serious performance. My older Casio, with longer internal key length, does go with me almost like a guitar or trumpet!
Any new piano requires adjusting to the new sound and touch. Once you become acclimated to a piano with weighted keys, it will make playing other pianos a more seamless experience.
Tend to find Yamaha upright has heavier action than many other pianos. Recently played an old upright in a second-hand store (at least 30 years old). The action feels light and similar to the Yamaha DP at home. Some pianos you can just sit down and feel comfortable playing right away. Others you need a few minutes warm-up to get used to the action.
Regarding digital pianos: When I was shopping for a synthesizer in 1987, I was checking out the digital pianos. The salesman directed me to a particular Yamaha one. He said to play a loud chord, let go of the keys, and immediately step on the damper pedal. I could hear the strings faintly vibrating. I couldn't believe it! Now, that was 1987. So what other exciting features have been implemented since?
There are a number of affordable 88 key weighted action digital pianos that are adequate for starting piano studies. Here is one: livingpianos.com/can-you-play-expressively-on-a-portable-piano/ Yamaha and Roland also have good options for you.
well you know FAR more about the piano than me. i've always thought the weighted keys' best feature is to be able to play softly and evenly. with synth keyboards, i always end up banging notes and playing unevenly. and since i bang them i almost have to just play loud. which is pretty lame. piano means soft.
That can be a great factor if you're use to weighted keys or acoustic pianos. I too dislike playing on a nonweighted action for the exact same reason🎹🎶
On the road I like to have a keyboard that I can move easily. But there is no weighted hammer action keyboard which is easy to move. My Kawai MP11SE for instance weights 35 kg. Therefore, I have the Studiologic Numa Compact 2x with semiweighted action. It‘s weight is 7 kg an it has the Fatar TP9Piano keybed. And you know what? It needs more strength to play than a real piano.
Wow. A lot about how the piano works here. More complex than I thought! Now, I have a synthesizer (Korg DW-8000 from 1987, with the original battery!) and find it extremely difficult to play softly. The difference between the softest and loudest I can play on it is very limited compared to an actual piano. If it had weighted keys, I bet I could do better. Well, there may be some other limitation causing this problem. I need to get something with weighted keys, hopefully a digital piano I can use to feed my Korg via midi, but I don't know if that's even possible.
Unfortunately, every modern weighted/hammer action keyboard I've played in the past 20 years has been either way too stiff, or way too heavy, or both. Only keybed I feel extremely comfortable on is my trusty, ancient, RD-1000.
Just curious -- which digital instruments have you tried? Adjusting some of the settings on the digital instrument can change the perceived "weight". For example, I have a Yamaha P125. Setting the touch to "hard" and turning the volume slightly down below the middle makes the action feel "heavy", whereas setting the touch to easy and turning the voume up makes the action feel extreamely light (difficult to nuance and play softly). I like to practice on a somewhat heavier action in order to be able to transfer easily to an acoustic piano, so I set the touch to hard and turn the volume just slightly below the middle; this gives me a good workout and going to the acoustic grand is easier since it feels lighter by comparison.
@@aBachwardsfellow A lot of them. Yamaha's P-series (most recently the P515, which I found to be far too heavy, slow, and sluggish), my church's CP300 which has gotten worse over time), Korg's RH3 action (Kronos, SV1, Grandstage), Roland's RD2000. I haven't found a weighted action I've ever gotten along with, even when messing with the velocity curves. The keybed on my RD1000 felt extremely natural to play, even when playing at the back ends of the keys. Also, having had carpal tunnel surgery 5 years ago, my hands have not been the same since.
@@justinhavu interesting - thanks for your reply. I think there's a level of playing where the digital instruments cease to be adequate. I've been following DariaPiano as she has been through several digital instruments as well as using acoustic instruments, and while she was doing very well on a digital (P515) there is no comparison to hearing her play the same piece on an acoustic grand. The shades of nuance are worlds apart and simply not achievable on the digital instrument. Compare Chopin Op. 10 No. 1 here - th-cam.com/video/V11YxaDgFEg/w-d-xo.html 0:46 - and here: th-cam.com/video/yNdE9kQR_Yo/w-d-xo.html
@@justinhavu hmmm??? I haven't played a P515 yet, however I did get a chance to press the keys. To me they weren't that heavy. I guess everyone's different. If you want a light action how about trying the Kawai ES110🎹🎶
Well regulated is a very tricky term. There are extremely few people who know how to "well regulate " a piano. Years of experience have proven this. A properly regulated piano, which involves at least 15 exacting adjustments, has between forty and fifty thousandths aftertouch. Aftertouch is the downward key travel after escapement. It is entirely true most pianists have never played a well regulated piano just as most have never heard a truly well tuned piano.
![เปิดบ้าน นาราเครปกระเทย 1 ไร่ ขายขาดทุนหลัก10ล้าน เอามาใช้หนี้!!! l [Nickynachat]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0jz84VFWVP4/mqdefault.jpg)
Cannot agree more Robert. The change between my electric piano, with weighted keys, and my instructor's grand piano, was ludicrous. Pieces I could play perfectly would become mush because I just wasn't used to the difference in requirement. Absolutely love your videos, have done for years and years.
Keyboards usually come in 3 different actions. Synth, semi-weighted and weighted. I’d always recommend weighted to build up finger strength Incase you want to play acoustic piano too but you can usually go fast for lead runs on digital keyboards with synth action after playing awhile on weighted keys if that’s your thing.
I learned on unweighted keys for 3 years. The first time I touched weighted keys I thought the piano was broken 😂. I played on it for about 1 hour that first day and it was REALLY hard. The next day I played for about another hour and I had already adjusted a bit. The third day I played for another hour but this time i didn't feel the same weighted keys impacting me as much.
I got used to it in a week or less so don't be discouraged if you were like me.
Also, I would like to point out what I learned really quick. Most of the 'strength' I used in order to play on weighted keys came from my arm and not from the fingers like I was used to. That one difference really changed everything.
Theres a lot of comments here on youtube, who peoplpe had the same experience. This keep me wondering to switch to weighted keys, too.
I came from semi weighted to weighted keys. Big difference. The semi felt like a toy afterwards.
This is so true, my first digital piano was 76 keys and soft graded, it was so light. Then I got a hammer action Yamaha P95 88 key and the difference was incredible. My fingers would ache at first. Now I have a Yamaha acoustic piano and it meant I could play it without issue from-the-off. In fact I’d say my upright has a lighter action than my digital weighted keys.
Tremendous amount of great learning on this channel!
Happy to hear that!
@@LivingPianosVideos That is well-deserved. Thank you so much!
Great info! Thanks and shared this. Thanks!
Also if you opt for a keyboard make sure the keys themselves are full size. Some keyboards have smaller keys which leads to problems when switching to a piano.
For the first two or three years after I got my Yamaha KX-8 controller, I would check in every few months with a local piano owned by these guys who let me hang out in their place even though I wasn't "in the market", just to see how my setup compared with their grands. One of those times was when I discovered that one thing their piano actions had which my KX-8 action didn't have, that double escapement thing I notice if I pressed the keys slowly, which I had vaguely remembered from when I was studying and playing in practice rooms all the time. I've since made my peace with the fact this difference in key travel makes my KX-8 materially different in at least that one way from playing an acoustic piano, especially since I don't really notice that difference if I'm playing at normal speed. I agree with the point you made here, that as long as I can go from my keys to a midsized grand and have it not feel too different, that my setup works fine for practice.
I use a digital piano with weighted keys because I do not have the space or money for an acoustic piano. But a good digital piano is the very next best thing.
Preferred a toy 61 key action when getting started & evolved to not being able to play anything but a full piano action in a year. It took a long time, many years scrounging around university practice rooms, before finally owning a Yamaha CP33. Never forget the desperate years when taking your instrument for granted.
Of course I totally agree with you. My Steinway M doesn't go to gigs. For that, my 24 lb. Casio Privia has 88 weighted and graded keys. The newer Casios have very short keys and, as a result, they are unsatisfactory for serious performance. My older Casio, with longer internal key length, does go with me almost like a guitar or trumpet!
Very helpful Robert, thank you very much
Do certain brand of pianos require heavier hammers than other brands? Seems my Baldwin L has much bigger hammers than my checkering and Steinway.
Will using a keyboard without weighted keys affect me in the future if I want to get a piano with weighted keys?
Any new piano requires adjusting to the new sound and touch. Once you become acclimated to a piano with weighted keys, it will make playing other pianos a more seamless experience.
Thanks Robert, are you still developing and using your hybrid digital?
I have 2 prototype modular piano systems which I don't currently use in my videos, but enjoy playing them!
Tend to find Yamaha upright has heavier action than many other pianos. Recently played an old upright in a second-hand store (at least 30 years old). The action feels light and similar to the Yamaha DP at home. Some pianos you can just sit down and feel comfortable playing right away. Others you need a few minutes warm-up to get used to the action.
Regarding digital pianos: When I was shopping for a synthesizer in 1987, I was checking out the digital pianos. The salesman directed me to a particular Yamaha one. He said to play a loud chord, let go of the keys, and immediately step on the damper pedal. I could hear the strings faintly vibrating. I couldn't believe it! Now, that was 1987. So what other exciting features have been implemented since?
Do You Need a Weighted Action Keyboard?
If you want to play piano: yes
If you don't want to play piano and just live your life: no
What portable one is good for learning
There are a number of affordable 88 key weighted action digital pianos that are adequate for starting piano studies. Here is one: livingpianos.com/can-you-play-expressively-on-a-portable-piano/ Yamaha and Roland also have good options for you.
well you know FAR more about the piano than me. i've always thought the weighted keys' best feature is to be able to play softly and evenly. with synth keyboards, i always end up banging notes and playing unevenly. and since i bang them i almost have to just play loud. which is pretty lame. piano means soft.
That can be a great factor if you're use to weighted keys or acoustic pianos. I too dislike playing on a nonweighted action for the exact same reason🎹🎶
On the road I like to have a keyboard that I can move easily. But there is no weighted hammer action keyboard which is easy to move. My Kawai MP11SE for instance weights 35 kg. Therefore, I have the Studiologic Numa Compact 2x with semiweighted action. It‘s weight is 7 kg an it has the Fatar TP9Piano keybed. And you know what? It needs more strength to play than a real piano.
I recently got a Kawai K35 (1961) and it's heavier than Yamaha U3 or Yamaha YUX. I think I'd need a lot of time to get used to it😂
Wow. A lot about how the piano works here. More complex than I thought! Now, I have a synthesizer (Korg DW-8000 from 1987, with the original battery!) and find it extremely difficult to play softly. The difference between the softest and loudest I can play on it is very limited compared to an actual piano. If it had weighted keys, I bet I could do better. Well, there may be some other limitation causing this problem. I need to get something with weighted keys, hopefully a digital piano I can use to feed my Korg via midi, but I don't know if that's even possible.
Unfortunately, every modern weighted/hammer action keyboard I've played in the past 20 years has been either way too stiff, or way too heavy, or both. Only keybed I feel extremely comfortable on is my trusty, ancient, RD-1000.
Just curious -- which digital instruments have you tried? Adjusting some of the settings on the digital instrument can change the perceived "weight". For example, I have a Yamaha P125. Setting the touch to "hard" and turning the volume slightly down below the middle makes the action feel "heavy", whereas setting the touch to easy and turning the voume up makes the action feel extreamely light (difficult to nuance and play softly). I like to practice on a somewhat heavier action in order to be able to transfer easily to an acoustic piano, so I set the touch to hard and turn the volume just slightly below the middle; this gives me a good workout and going to the acoustic grand is easier since it feels lighter by comparison.
@@aBachwardsfellow A lot of them. Yamaha's P-series (most recently the P515, which I found to be far too heavy, slow, and sluggish), my church's CP300 which has gotten worse over time), Korg's RH3 action (Kronos, SV1, Grandstage), Roland's RD2000. I haven't found a weighted action I've ever gotten along with, even when messing with the velocity curves. The keybed on my RD1000 felt extremely natural to play, even when playing at the back ends of the keys. Also, having had carpal tunnel surgery 5 years ago, my hands have not been the same since.
@@justinhavu interesting - thanks for your reply. I think there's a level of playing where the digital instruments cease to be adequate. I've been following DariaPiano as she has been through several digital instruments as well as using acoustic instruments, and while she was doing very well on a digital (P515) there is no comparison to hearing her play the same piece on an acoustic grand. The shades of nuance are worlds apart and simply not achievable on the digital instrument.
Compare Chopin Op. 10 No. 1 here -
th-cam.com/video/V11YxaDgFEg/w-d-xo.html 0:46
- and here:
th-cam.com/video/yNdE9kQR_Yo/w-d-xo.html
@@justinhavu hmmm??? I haven't played a P515 yet, however I did get a chance to press the keys. To me they weren't that heavy. I guess everyone's different. If you want a light action how about trying the Kawai ES110🎹🎶
For me escapement feel isn't really a need on a digital piano adtion because I barely even feel it on a well regulated grand piano action🎹🎶
Well regulated is a very tricky term. There are extremely few people who know how to "well regulate " a piano. Years of experience have proven this. A properly regulated piano, which involves at least 15 exacting adjustments, has between forty and fifty thousandths aftertouch. Aftertouch is the downward key travel after escapement. It is entirely true most pianists have never played a well regulated piano just as most have never heard a truly well tuned piano.
@@rogershaffer1 I played A brand new Steinway M and a Brand new Yamaha C5X both feel very smooth and responsive to me🎹🎶
Kawai MP11SE
Jeez, I have to struggle on a plastic ES920... 😆
Paul, you are absolutely right about Kawai. The best digital piano currently.
That doesn't have onboard speakers. Still I'd love to try one though🎹🎶
I think I just need to lose weight