For all those who are beginning to learn to play the piano, the question arises, which piano you should buy to start classes. Our experts and piano teachers recommend buying electronic pianos for their price, much cheaper than an acoustic piano, and to be able to improve your learning at home based on perseverance in the study.
Having a piano at home will help us evolve much faster and, above all, it help you to not get frustrated as a beginner. All the pianos in this guide have been tested by piano teachers and experts with unbiased views for different pockets. And they are perfect for any student, from toddler to senior, who is interested in learning to play the piano.
All are relatively light, so we can carry it if necessary. And these pianos are not limited to beginners, professional pianists may also find this selection of pianos useful for practicing in small spaces and without disturbing the neighbors.
The recommended piano according to teachers and experts for beginners is the Yamaha P-45 for its design, price and features.
What you need to Consider:
Experts recommend buying an electronic or digital piano to improve your learning and progress. Not all brands are the same, it is important to note that electronic piano brands also have a quality acoustic piano division and are leading brands. Such as: Yamaha, Kawai, Roland, Casio, etc.
The only difference between an acoustic piano and an electronic piano is the sound production system. An acoustic produces the sound by the action of the hammer on the string. Electronic pianos use an electronic system to reproduce the sound recorded when we press the keys.
And acoustics are instruments that require much more care and maintenance. They need to be tuned from time to time, hammer checks, etc. The electronics do not need much maintenance and offer a very realistic sound, in the most professional models, and a mechanical system that imitates grand pianos.
If money is not a problem, we have space at home, some neighbors who do not mind listening to the piano and we are not worried about maintenance … we recommend an acoustic piano. But if that is not our case, we have little space, a tight budget and also, we want to record ourselves to practice, the best option is an electronic one.
We do not recommend “stage” pianos as they are intended for live music, are more expensive, and include options that we will not be using. We also do not recommend poor quality acoustic pianos, being acoustic does not mean it is better.
It is important to buy top brands, seek advice from the piano teacher and try it before buying. For electronic models we recommend 88 keys with a weighted key and a sustain pedal.
A digital piano is a mix between an acoustic piano and an electronic keyboard. Digital pianos allow sound modification, giving it a wider variety of sounds. It uses either an electronic synthesized emulation of the piano sound or a sampled piano sound, amplified by its built-in speakers, which gives it a better sound quality. According to the study piano Music reduce the stress level in human body
They also tend to have weighted or semi-weighted keys which makes them feel like an acoustic piano when played. Read the Difference Between the Weighted Keys, Semi Weighted Keys
How to choose a Digital Piano
Key considerations in choosing a digital piano:
- Skill Level. For beginners, a low-cost model with some built-in learning tools may be enough to start with. For experienced pianists, a more advanced digital piano with more features may be suitable.
- Size and dimensions. It is important that the digital piano you have in mind will fit the space you have available. Also, depending on who will use it, adult or child, check for adjustability just in case you need it.
- Portability. If you are planning to move around or move places a lot, choose a digital piano that can be easily stored, is not too heavy and durable enough to withstand constant traveling.
What to look for in a Digital Piano
- Keyboard action. Typically, acoustic piano keys have resistance due to the mechanical components including the wooden hammers that strike the strings inside. The degree to which a digital piano simulates an acoustic piano’s action creates a big difference in its playability.
- Touch response. A good quality digital piano is capable of sensing slight variations in velocity that concludes the attack and volume of each note.
- Sound quality. In judging sound quality, pay attention to the sustain and decay of the notes as well as the overall realism of the sounds produced. Sounds produced by a good-quality digital piano should also emulate the sound of acoustic instruments as closely as possible.
- Polyphony. This is the number of notes a digital piano can produce at one time. A 32-note maximum polyphony is the bare minimum, a 64-note is acceptable and 128-note is the best.
- Amplification and speakers. Look for a digital piano that is adequate for your needs. If you need it for home use, look for one with a built-in speaker that produces a pleasing sound. For outdoor use, be sure that it has output options readily available for external speakers etc.
- Other features. Some digital pianos also come with features that assist the pianist, such as a built-in metronome for improving rhythmic ability, displays that show chords used, etc.
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Product Name: |
Product |
Price |
Rating |
Yamaha DGX 650B |
Yamaha DGX650B Digital Piano | $$ | 4.8 / 5 |
 |
Yamaha DGX650WH Digital Piano | $$ | 4.8 / 5 |
 |
Casio PX860 BK Privia Digital Home Piano | $$$ | 4.9 / 5 |
 |
Casio Privia PX-160 Digital Piano Bundle | $$ | 4.6 / 5 |
 |
Casio PX760 BK Privia Digital Home Piano | $$ | 4.8 / 5 |
 |
Yamaha YDP142R Arius Series Traditional Console Digital Piano with Bench | $$$ | 4.6 / 5 |
| Yamaha PSRE253 61-Key Portable Keyboard | $ | 4.3 / 5 | |
| Yamaha DGX-660 88-Note Digital Piano | $$ | 5 / 5 | |
| Williams Symphony Grand Digital Micro Grand Piano With Bench | $$$ | 5 / 5 | |
| Williams Legato 88-Key Digital Piano | $ | 4.3 / 5 |
Yamaha DGX650B Digital Piano
The Yamaha DGX650B digital piano, although a bit heavy, is considered a portable digital piano. It is a quality instrument with interactive features that makes learning and playing music for pianists of all skill levels easy. It also features an acoustic piano feel and sound sampling from the Yamaha CFIIIS full concert grand piano. Yamaha dgx 660 is another advance version of the DGX 650 in the series offers you better sound and features.
Features of the Yamaha DGX650B Digital Piano:
The weighted keyboard action mimics the hammers inside an acoustic piano. Like the keyboard of an acoustic piano, the Yamaha DGX650B digital piano has keys with a heavier touch on the low end of the keyboard and a lighter touch required in the high end.
- Damper Resonance DSP. Also known as string resonance. This is an important feature to consider when buying a digital piano. This mimics the sound produced, wherein the combination of all the sounds of the notes pressed are heard, making it sound full and vibrant, just like an acoustic piano. For the same range of expressive effects produced by a real piano, an option to connect a three-foot pedal can be bought separately. Read more about the Half Damper Function, Damper Resonance Effects
- Grand piano sound sampling. This digital piano boasts of undergoing a meticulous process of sampling the Yamaha CFIIIS full concert grand piano, thus producing realistic sound sampling with a wide range of classical piano sounds.
- Auto Accompaniment. The Smart Chord technology automatically detects the right chord you intend to play. By playing one key or the base note on your left hand, this feature will automatically fill in the remaining chords for you, which is actually a good way to help beginners learn.
- Has over 500 pre-installed songs. The Yamaha DGX650B Digital Piano has various songs installed in its song bank. You can learn to play these songs with the Yamaha Education Suite (Y.E.S) which will help you learn and practice at your own pace.
Pros
- A high quality sampling from the Yamaha CFIIIS full concert grand piano ensures a realistic sound, much like an acoustic piano.
- The weighted keys will give you an acoustic piano-like experience while playing.
- The Smart Chord feature is ideal for beginners during practice as they are still learning the chords and this will help them get familiarized with how the song should sound when played.
Cons
- Although advertised as portable, some users who reviewed this product found it slightly too heavy for a portable digital piano.
- No access for MIDI.
Verdict
For the price range this digital piano is at, the features it offers are all functional with additional learning tools that may be useful for both beginners and skilled pianists.
Read the Complete Review Here Yamaha DGX 650 Black Digital Piano
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Yamaha DGX650WH Digital Piano Review
The Yamaha DGX650WH Digital Piano features a wide range of interactive features for learning, playing and sharing music. This digital piano boasts of a Graded Hammer Standard action and PureCF sampling, which includes recordings of a Yamaha concert grand piano.
Features of the Yamaha DGX650WH Digital Piano:
- 88-note, weighted Graded Hammer Standard action. Mimicking the hammers inside an acoustic piano, it offers a weighted action with a heavier touch in the low end and a lighter touch in the high end. This helps the pianist in transitioning smoothly from a digital piano to an acoustic piano if needed.
- Pure CF-sampled piano. This features a carefully-recorded sampling of Yamaha’s well known CFIIIS 9 foot concert grand piano. Accurately tuned under a strictly-controlled environment, it generates the true resonance and tone of the CFIIIS grand piano with remarkable mimicry.
- 128-Note Polyphony. Provides enough horsepower to ensure no notes are dropped off even while layering two voices and playing two-handed sustained chords accompanied by heavy pedaling.
- USB Audio (WAV) Recording and Playback. Record performances or MIDI songs as uncompressed, CD-quality audio to a USB flash drive.
- AUX Line Input. Any device with an audio output can be connected to the Yamaha DGX650WH and heard through its built-in speakers, making it a great speaker system for any sound source.
- Smart Chord. Ideal for beginners, the Smart Chord automatically detects the correct chord based on the notes pressed by the left hand, providing a perfect-sounding accompaniment.
Pros
- Auto accompaniment. This is ideal for beginners still learning musical chords.
- Acoustic piano-like keyboard. Its Graded Hammer Standard keyboard not only produces an acoustic piano-like sound, the weighted keys enables pianists to transition between digital and acoustic pianos smoothly.
- Reliable speaker system. The speakers of the Yamaha DGX650WH digital piano are contained in a large enclosure and consist of separate tweeters and woofers that deliver a powerful bass sound and a pure treble with a dynamic control.
Cons
- Some people who reviewed this product found it quite heavy as opposed to it being advertised as a portable digital piano.
- There is no MIDI port.
- Some people also found the pedals to be stiff, which does not allow for adjustment.
Verdict
A sound investment for people who are in the music industry who needs their music to be as good-sounding as possible. However, its price tag may be too expensive for beginners.
Read Full Reviews of Yamaha DGX 650 WH Digital Piano Reviews
Might be you like this Comparison Yamaha DGX 640 vs Yamaha DGX 650
Casio PX860 BK Privia Digital Home Piano
The sound of a grand piano meticulously replicated in a compact digital piano, the Casio PX860 BK Privia Digital Home Piano boasts of its AiR sound technology known in Privia models but with new and improved features for a better digital piano experience.
Features of the Casio PX860 BK Privia Digital Home Piano:
To replicate the sound of the finest acoustic grand pianos, the AiR processor uses grand piano samples recorded at four dynamics sampling to produce grand piano sounds with long natural decays and expression.
- Acoustic and Intelligence Resonator (AiR) Sound Source. The sound quality of this digital piano is very much like that of an old grand piano giving you an authentic piano playing experience. With the hall simulation feature, the pianist can simulate the echoing sound one can get when playing in spacious areas like concert halls or stadiums.
- Three Keyboard Sensitivity Levels. The 88-note keyboard features three sensitivity levels to capture the dynamics in a performance with speed and accuracy. This also allows the user to feel even the slight strength changes in responsiveness. The keys are also weighted enough to give a piano-like feeling. Read More About touch sensitive keyboard vs weighted keys
- Built-in music library. This digital piano features 10 classical tracks recorded live which you can play along with according to the speed you want it played.
- USB MIDI It also has a USB port that you can use for music sharing or storage. A Class Compliant USB MIDI is also available to connect with computers without any need of a driver.
- Lesson function. Demo songs are available to play with assisted left and right hand lessons to practice each hand first before playing both hands simultaneously.
- Split mode. This allows the pianist to play two different instrument sounds on each hand within a keyboard to give the effect of different instruments being played simultaneously at once.
- Layer mode. This allows the pianist to be able to play two different sounds simultaneously on one key. Read the differnce between Layer mode and Split Mode
- Duet mode. With this mode, you can divide the keyboard into two separate keyboards with the same octave which is useful for piano lessons.
Pros
- Connecting with this digital piano is easy since it has a USB port available and also MIDI.
- Designed to be compact without compromising the sound quality.
- Since the keys are weighted, pianists will not have any difficulty transitioning in between an acoustic piano and a digital piano.
Cons
- The unit can be a little too heavy to assemble by yourself.
Verdict
With all the features and instrument quality considered, the Casio PX860 BK Privia Digital Home Piano is guaranteed to be worth the money spent. This is a digital piano that will satisfy all your piano needs and also give you that old grand piano feel when playing it.
Read the complete review here Casio PX 860 BK Privia Digital Piano Review
Casio Privia PX-160 Digital Piano Bundle
The Casio Privia PX-160 is the new and improved version of the Privia PX-150. Significantly enhanced compared to its predecessor, the Privia PX-160 boasts of improved speakers, weighted keys, MIDI recording and other useful features.
Features of the Casio Privia PX-160 Digital Piano Bundle:
Included in the bundle is the SP-33 pedal three-pedal unit which provides a sustain pedal, a soft pedal and a sostenuto pedal. It also features an extended-damper function that simulates a pedal being pressed down halfway.
- 128-note polyphony. Polyphony is the number of notes that can be played together simultaneously. A 128-note polyphony will give you the ability to play more complex compositions with as many as 128 notes possible to be sounded together simultaneously.
- Multi-dimensional AiR Sound Source. The Acoustic and Intelligent Resonator (AiR) technology features natural-sounding digital mimicking of a grand piano’s sound and properties.
- Sequencer (2 tracks x 1 song). This feature allows you to record your own compositions onto the instrument (MIDI).
- Scaled Hammer Action II with Tri-Sensor Keyboard. An improved keyboard weighted with small hammers for a realistic touch sensitivity like that of a grand piano. The weight of the keys are designed to be heavy on the low keys, decreasing in weight as the keys go higher. The Tri-Sensor keyboard is designed to detect the intensity with which the key is struck.
- USB Interface for PC. A port for a USB cable is available to connect the digital piano with a PC for data sharing purposes or MIDI.
Pros
- Compared to other digital pianos in this price range, this model offers a wider and more expressive sound with hammer response, damper noise and damper resonance included which adds to the authenticity of its sound.
- The synthetic ivory and ebony material help absorb sweat which prevents fingers from slipping.
- It comes in a bundle that is affordably-priced.
Cons
- The three-pedal board included cannot be used apart from attaching it to the furniture stand.
Verdict
The Casio Privia PX-160 Digital Piano Bundle is recommended for users who want a simple digital piano with useful features. Also, the inclusions are worth the money, especially for beginners who are on a budget.
Read the Complete Review Here Casio PX 160 Digital Piano Review
Read the Difference Between Yamaha P115 and Casio PX 160 Digital Piano
Casio PX760 BK Privia Digital Home Piano
The Casio Privia PX760 is a part of Privia’s line of digital upright pianos. It has a built-in three-pedal unit which is an important component in an upright piano.
Features of the PX760 BK Privia Digital Home Piano, Black:
The Casio Privia PX760 is an improved version of the PX750 model with all of its features still present, plus a few notable ones added.
- Acoustic and Intelligence Resonator (AiR) Sound Source. To replicate the sound of the finest acoustic grand pianos, the AiR processor uses grand piano samples recorded at four dynamics sampling to produce grand piano sounds with long natural decays and expression. With three times the memory of previous Privia versions, the Air processor simulates the sound of the open strings when the dampers are raised by the pedal.
- Responsive Keyboard. Three sensors are provided for each key that detects the intensity with which the key is struck to replicate how a grand piano responds. The Tri-Sensor Scaled Hammer action has keys designed to replicate an acoustic piano’s where the keys are heavier at the lower end of the keyboard and getting lighter on the way up to the higher keys. Like a real piano, it also features ivory and ebony keys designed to keep fingers from slipping when in use.
- 128-note polyphony. This is the number of tones or voices that an instrument can generate at the same time. This capability is significant when playing on an advanced level or using pedals or timbres at the same time.
- Built-in three-pedal unit. Classic pedal unit similar to most upright or grand pianos: 1x damper pedal, 1x sostenuto pedal and 1x soft pedal.
- Concert play is an added feature which includes a music library that features 10 classical songs you can play along with. However, this added feature requires the user to be able to read music to be able to play along.
- Other functions include: split mode, layer mode and duet mode.
Pros
- Because of the connectivity that the USB port offers, user experience is enhanced.
- The Split Mode feature enables the user to play different instruments on both hands within the same keyboard.With the duet mode feature, the user is allowed to split the keyboard into two separate keyboards on the same chromatic scale. Layer mode allows 2 different sounds to be simultaneously played on one key.
Cons
- According to some users who reviewed this product, it is quite heavy and may require additional help during assembly.
Verdict
It is pretty much the same as its predecessor, the Casio Privia PX750, which is also a good-quality digital piano. This digital piano is recommended for people looking for an entry-level piano with mostly basic features offered.
Read the Complete Review of Casio Privia PX 750 Digital Piano
Best Piano for Beginners: Yamaha P-45
The Yamaha P-45 offers real piano sound and allows you to enjoy the reverb of a grand piano. It is a perfect electronic piano for beginners or an intermediate level and for most pockets. It is difficult to find the same quality for such a limited price.
It can last up to 3-4 years until we want to move on to a higher quality piano. Its touch, which provides an authentic piano experience, and its sensitivity change gradually according to the register, giving a feeling of greater weight when playing bass parts and lighter when playing treble parts.
It has a natural touch and allows you to adjust its settings very easily with a button to be able to change the timbres, play the demos or configure the metronome.
This digital piano includes a sustain pedal and music stand for reading music, as well as the power supply and the instruction manual. It comes in black with 88 keys and its measurements are 132.6 x 29.5 x 15.4 cm with a weight of 11.5 kilograms. It requires little space and is comfortable to transport.
Its only weak points of the Yamaha P-45 are its pedal that does not allow to use the half pedal and that it does not come with a cabinet. We recommend buying it with furniture or with a stand in the shape of yamaha P45. It also does not have integrated recording, an external sound card would be necessary to record.
This Yamaha has a duet mode that allows two people to practice on the same pitch range at the same time. This is a great feature to practice with the teacher next door. However, the P-45 only has a headphone output, so we will need a splitter so that both teacher and student can use headphones while playing the piano.
This connector is located on the back panel of the piano, making it more difficult to access than with front connectors like the Casio PX-160.
It also includes 10 grand piano voices, electric pianos, organs and strings. There are reverb and chorus effects.
Best pedals: Yamaha FC3A and M-Audio SP-2
Piano experts and teachers recommend the Yamaha FC3A pedal which is of great quality, allows continuous sustains equal to that of an acoustic piano and compatible with half a pedal.
The best combination: piano, pedal, cabinet and bench
The perfect combination to start learning to play the piano would be to choose the Yamaha P45 electronic piano, with the Yamaha FC3A pedal and the Yamaha L85 stand.
The Casio PX-160 model is a very good alternative to the Yamaha P-45, although Casio does not have an acoustic piano division, this model has a great, very realistic sound and an accurate keyboard feel at an affordable price. With 88 keys, measures 29.3 x 14.1 x 132.2 cm and a weight of 11 kilos.
The keys have a more real piano feel than the rest of the keyboards selected in this guide. It offers the best combination of key feel, sound, and useful functions for students and their teachers.
It uses three sensors instead of two that is usually the most common. This makes the keyboard more responsive to repeated notes, since you do not need to return to its resting position before playing it again.
In addition, like the Yamaha P-45, the Casio PX-160 simulates the difference in weight on the keyboard in the lower notes being heavier and the higher notes feel lighter.
This piano can also be used as a controller by connecting it to the computer via USB to be cable to record and create music with the computer.
It has a duet mode that divides the keyboard into two halves. Each half is the same octave range, about three and a half octaves per side, so the teacher can demonstrate on one side while the student can practice on the other in the same key.
Includes two headphone jacks for both teacher and student. It comes with the SP-3 sustain pedal that gets the job done but is far from an authentic piano experience. As we have previously recommended the M-Audio SP-2 pedal is more pleasant to play and does not slip as much.
Casio also offers the PX-160 piano with the SP-33 pedal that has a three-pedal configuration (sustain, sostenuto, and a chord) and with duet mode, the left and right pedals serve as damper pedals for the respective sides of the keyboard. . The downside to this pedal is that it needs the Casio CS-67 bracket.
Of our picks, the Alesis Recital Pro is by far the easiest to use and sounds pretty good. All instrument selection is done with six buttons on the console (two sounds per button).
It provides buttons for modulation, chorus, and reverb effects, and there is a screen that shows all the settings and parameters. Unlike our other picks, the Alesis metronome function can be adjusted from 30 to 280 BPM.
The effects, on the other hand, are excellent, and there are plenty of them: eight different reverbs, eight choruses, and three modulation effects (tremolo, vibrato, or rotary speaker). The piano stores its effect settings for each of the 12 sounds in memory, so they will be restored when that sound is selected again or the piano is turned off. These are likely to be less important and useful to a beginner than the basic sounds, although the effects may appeal to those looking for an inexpensive piano.
The Alesis duo mode, called Lesson, has an adjustable split point, which can be set for any key within a three-octave range. As with the Yamaha P-45, there is only one headphone output, and it is on the rear panel. Using two headphones will require a splitter.
Unlike our other picks, the Alesis Recital Pro doesn’t come with a sustain pedal of any kind. For which we recommend getting an aftermarket pedal, such as the M-Audio SP-2 or the Yamaha FC3A, this isn’t a huge loss, and the piano’s low price compared to the other picks makes up for it.
The music rest is a wire stand. If we use a music book or a folder, we should not have any problem, but if we put a single sheet of music, they are likely to bend and fall out the back.
Casio CDP-130 Digital Piano:
If we have a very tight budget, the Casio CDP-130 is the most interesting option of affordable electronic piano and with a quality similar to the Yamaha P-45. Featuring 88 keys with good sensitivity, weighted weights, and built-in metronome (0 1 ~ 9 beats (range: Quarter tempo = 30 to 255). Includes digital room reverb effects, sustain pedal, USB port, headphone output (not included) ), 48 voice polyphony and 5 demo songs.
It is a good recommended option to start studying piano or as a substitute for a second home. In addition, when you buy it you bring a 3-month subscription to the Skoove service to learn piano with interactive lessons online.
It is practical and easy to transport, with dimensions of 132.2 x 28.6 x 12.9 cm and about 9 kilograms of weight. Touch and tone can be adjusted. Its weakest point is the sound from the speakers that could be improved.
Yamaha YDP-163 Digital Piano:
This piano is recommended for those who have been playing for a few years or for those who want to make an investment in the future. The YDP-163R is the best of the intermediate range of Yamaha somewhat cheaper than the YDP-143 model but worse in performance and touch sensitivity.
The YDP-163 has 88 weighted keys with a very realistic key feel, with its new improved mechanism and an impressive sound that includes: keyboard, cabinet and 3 pedals (sustain, sostenuto and a chord). Beginners usually use only the sustain or sustain pedal but as we improve, the rest of the pedals are usually used.
Its disadvantages are its price that requires a very high investment, although the quality and performance of this piano is unmatched. It also does not include integrated recording, although it can be connected to an external sound card.
Kawai CA-78 digital piano
Kawai CA-78 digital piano is one of the best electronic pianos out there. It is used by professionals with limited spaces, it has a good design and is robust so it can last for many years. Its closest Yamaha model would be the yamaha CLP-685.
Its keys imitate the pulsation of grand pianos, great sound quality less bright and softer than the sound of Yamaha. It has a touch screen to choose the piano sound and to adjust the acoustic characteristics of the piano.
It allows recording with high quality and with an audio output system so that we can record with an external sound card.
Its price is its great disadvantage, since it is very close to that of a second-hand acoustic piano.