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There are many piano keyboards out there, but which ones fall into the category of the best budget digital piano? In this article, we give you some suggestions and insights on what to pick.
Digital pianos can come at various prices – some are expensive while some are budget-friendly. You don’t necessarily have to spend a lot of $$$ for a decent sound, especially if you’re still a beginner or would just like to have one for practice or while traveling. Some digital pianos nowadays that are low-priced can have almost the same features as some middle to high range priced ones out there!
How Much Does A Keyboard Piano Cost?
Keyboards usually cost between $100 and $500 (USD) depending on the following criteria:
1. Brand
Cheaper ones usually come from brands that aren’t like Yamaha, Casio, Korg and the like, but most products of these unknown brands still work well as a keyboard, anyway. However, you may also encounter cheaper models from such brands, which are usually aimed for beginners or for travelers, so it’s not very hard nowadays to look for a budget digital piano!
2. Features and specifications
Digital pianos that have more features, such as more presets, dual voice modes, weighted keys, MIDI compatibility and the like, will usually have a higher price tag as compared to the less expensive ones. Always take note of the features between digital pianos that you’re choosing and compare them. It may not be wise to just pick the one with the cheapest price but doesn’t have the features that you want.
3. Included accessories
Does your keyboard include a stand? An AC adaptor? A songbook, lesson set, headphones and the like? That might add to the price. If you see two products that are the same and the only difference is that the other one is a complete set, you might want to think twice before you buy. Consider if you really need those extras (or if you already have them at home) and buy just what you need to reduce the overall price.
Best Cheap Keyboard Piano
If you’d like a cheap keyboard piano, we’d like to suggest the Yamaha DGX230, which is a 76-key piano keyboard that’s pretty portable to carry around. Although it’s not an 88-key, all of its keys have a soft touch or weighted keys, which still makes it a good keyboard piano to practice on, to play on and to have at a very low price on Amazon.
The cool thing about this digital keyboard piano is that you can mix your own tracks with up to 6 layers of instruments, and you can also fine-tune your mix with the use of the master EQ! The stereo speakers also provide a good output of your sound wherever you go. There’s a set of 489 tones (voices) to choose from so you won’t have to be stuck with piano sounds all the time!
The reason that we picked this cheap keyboard is not just because of the really low price – it’s also because of its many different features and specifications that you’ll only most likely encounter in higher-priced keyboard pianos out there, so it’s kind of a great deal!
What is a good starter keyboard for learning piano?
Starter keyboards are usually made with a simple interface, without too many fancy sounds, so that you won’t get confused and you’ll just need to learn the basics of playing the keys.
A good starter keyboard would be the Yamaha P71, which is also equipped with weighted keys. Because it’s an 88-key keyboard, it’s not just for beginners but also for those who are of the intermediate or expert level. It has a very simple design that will be alright for beginners who may be too confused with lots of buttons to press on most keyboards.
Its dual mode is also a great thing to have for beginners since it will help you to add more voices (e.g. strings) to your music. The operation on the controls are very easy and can be quite easy to learn. Added to that, the quality sound engine of Yamaha’s keys can get you more enthusiastic in learning. Many musicians note that the better the sound of the instrument, the more you’ll be interested in practice and practice!
The reason why we picked an 88-key keyboard for beginners is that if you ever get to more advanced lessons that require more keys to play, you don’t have to buy another keyboard again – you can already use this 88-key piano keyboard at hand! Congratulations, you just saved nearly a hundred dollars or more with that tip!
What keyboard is most like a piano?
If you’d like a digital piano keyboard that’s almost like a piano, you can try an upright digital piano, which is much bigger and already comes with a stand. A good example would be the LAGRIMA digital piano, which also has 88 keys for you to play. This aesthetically-colored white upright digital piano already comes with a pedal, an easy-to-read screen and a ton of demo songs, voices and rhythms to choose from.
Having this kind of keyboard sets you off for a real piano, since it’s also made with weighted keys to make them more realistic, so that when you move to a real piano (e.g. a concert grand or a real upright piano), you’ll have less difficulty in adjusting, along with the use of the included pedal. Any keyboard piano with a pedal system will help you to learn how pedals work on a real piano.
And because it is still technically a digital piano keyboard, you can select different presets and use the keyboard split function to play two instruments at the same time! It’s also MIDI-compatible so you may even want to use it for your music production or recording!
Conclusion
Not all digital pianos are expensive – some are actually economical and still pack a lot of features at hand. We hope this guide on the best digital piano has helped you to pick the one that might be ideal for your small budget.
