Last updated: November 8, 2018

The Best Digital Pianos in 2018 – for Beginners and Advanced Pianists Alike

As a piano teacher of 14 years, I’m often asked for recommendations of digital pianos.

I spent the last year researching and writing this comprehensive guide. I hope it serves you well.

Note: This post is long – about 23,000 words! It’s essentially a book that I’m publishing here on my blog.

On a mobile device, this post looks best in landscape (side to side) mode, rather than portrait (up and down).

On a desktop, you might want to use the Floating Table of Contents (to the left) to quickly find the info you’re looking for.

If you have questions like, “What kind of digital piano should I buy?,” this post is for you.

Acoustic Pianos vs Digital Pianos

There’s some debate among pianists about whether digital pianos are appropriate instruments for serious piano study.

In my experience, some digital pianos are appropriate for serious piano study, and many are not.

A few things to consider:

• Most electronic keyboards on the market would not be suitable for a piano student. But some digital pianos (also known as electric pianos) range from sufficient to impressively good. Deciphering a good from a not-so-good digital piano can be difficult. It’s advisable to research the territory before you buy.
• Most university music departments nowadays have “piano labs” – rooms full of digital pianos where piano classes are taught. (Music departments I’ve studied in have used Yamaha and Roland digital pianos.)
  

  Berklee School of Music’s Piano Lab

  Once students are at the level of a college piano major, they’ll be practicing some of the time on a world-class acoustic piano (something like a top-of-the-line baby grand). But before then, the difference is inconsequential.

  .

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  And this is a screenshot from the website of M.I.T.’s Music & Theater Arts program:

  

M.I.T. uses Yamaha YDP-142, Arius digital pianos in its piano lab. They cost $999.99, and have Yamaha’s entry-level, Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) action – which I like and recommend.

The Yamaha Arius line is nice, in that the stand is console-style (with the look, feel and stability of an upright piano); there are three pedals (for playing more advanced material); and there’s “half pedal” support (also helpful for playing more advanced music). The stand also holds the pedals in their proper place.

The Yamaha Arius YDP-142.
Here it is, with its cabinet stand, three pedals and Yamaha bench,
for $999.99 & Free Shipping on Amazon.

Summing Up the Debate

Alden Skinner, in “A Brief History of Digital Pianos” (from the book, A Natural History of the Piano) adds this to the acoustic piano vs digital piano debate:

But is it a real piano? If you define the instrument by how it works rather than what it does, then no. But if you define the instrument by its role – allowing a player to perform any music written for the piano, with a result that sounds like a piano – then a digital instrument is simply a different kind of piano. No more, and no less. (305)

I think you’ll want to play well-regulated acoustic pianos sometimes (to understand any minute nuances and differences – even between different acoustic pianos). But for day-to-day practice, if it’s more convenient, a good digital piano is completely fine.

How do you find a good digital piano? This post attempts to go into more detail than you’d even want to know.

Let’s start with a few sound recommendations of digital pianos for piano students – instruments to help with proper development of strength and technique, at the lowest cost:

An aside: Most of the links to digital pianos in this post are affiliate links – where I make a small commission, at no cost to you, if you click and then buy. Please only make a purchase if you feel that an instrument will help you achieve your goals.

Best Digital Pianos for Beginners

Based on my research into the proper weighting of piano actions, these six digital pianos are my top choices for beginners and piano students. They range in price from about $400 to $2,000. (Or just over $500, including a stand and bench.)

Each instrument is properly-weighted – with a downweight of about 62-72 grams at Middle C (not too heavy a feel, and not too light). And each has appropriate realism – so one can transition seamlessly to and from these instruments and acoustic pianos.

If I was looking for a digital piano for a piano student, I would honestly buy whichever of these was comfortable for my budget.

The Yamahas are appropriate for beginning and intermediate students. And the Rolands would be good for anyone; they’d be great for beginners, and even impressive to pros.

Best Digital Piano Under $500

If you or someone in your family is just starting piano studies, you might find yourself in a situation where you need an instrument, but might not want to invest a lot of money before knowing if they’ll stick with lessons.

I’ve got a great recommendation for you…

Beginners don’t need the refinements that make some digital pianos more expensive (features like double escapement, 10 speakers and authentic ebony key tops!).

Also, many people (including kids) do best on an instrument with keys which aren’t too heavy.

The Yamaha P-45 (aka P-71) digital piano ($399.99 & Free Shipping) – which is Yamaha’s entry-level digital piano – fits these criteria to a “T.” And a bonus: It’s Yamaha’s least expensive digital piano *.

(* The Amazon Exclusive, Yamaha P-71 is just a re-named P-45, but is discounted by $50. More about the P-45 vs P-71 debate, below.)

We can use its two model numbers interchangeably…

The P-45 contains Yamaha’s Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) action. It’s a realistic-feeling action on the lighter side – perfect for beginners, kids and everyone. (The GHS action, in my opinion, is actually better than many of Yamaha’s more expensive actions – like the GH, GH3 and NW – which I feel are too heavy.)

Aside: The pedal that comes with the P-45 is a square rubber pedal.

For additional realism (good if you’re taking piano lessons), you could get a piano-style pedal like this one – the M-Audio SP-2 Universal Sustain Pedal ($21.95).

The M-Audio pedal is shaped and weighted just like an acoustic piano’s pedal. The pedal itself is metal. And it has a grippy rubber pad underneath, which keeps it rock solid, even on a floor.

Bottom Line on the Yamaha P-45

Yamaha’s P-45 is a great instrument. Its Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) action allows for development of proper technique and muscle strength.

And it feels great to play.

The only caution: It’s important to know that the P-45 is great, but entry-level. If one’s piano studies continue to an advanced level, it might be helpful (after a few years) to move up to a pro-level instrument – a well-regulated acoustic piano, or a top-of-the-line digital piano – as your “lifetime” piano.

Higher-end digital pianos like these tend to cost about $1,500+.

However, there is one digital piano I’m aware of, which is pro-level, for less: The Roland FP-30 ($699.99 & Free Shipping). The all-in price for the FP-30 – with the official stand and pedal board – is $875.97 (& Free Shipping). (Here’s my in-depth review of the FP-30, above.)

What is a Piano’s Action?

According to Mario Igrec, M.M. – pianist, former head piano technician at Louisiana State University and author of Pianos Inside Out: A Comprehensive Guide to Piano Tuning, Repairing, and Rebuilding:

Image by Mario Igrec, M.M. (PianosInsideOut.com). Reprinted with permission.

A piano’s action is basically everything from the keys to the hammers – all the moving parts that combine to make the sound in an acoustic piano.

A heavier action means it takes more force to press the keys. And a lighter action means it takes less force to press the keys.

There’s a trade-off with the weight of a piano’s action:

• Too heavy an action can make one prone to injury;
• while too light an action will respond less to nuances in one’s playing.

Hammer Action

In an acoustic piano, the hammers are what plunk the strings to make the sound.

The best digital pianos actually reproduce this mechanism of levers and hammers. These types of digital pianos have what’s known as hammer action.

Having hammer action is one marker of a better quality digital piano. (Other digital pianos and keyboards reproduce a piano’s action with different mechanisms, like springs – and typically have a distinctively non-piano, “electronic keyboard” feel.)

Graded Hammer Action

In an acoustic piano, the strings toward the bass end of the piano are more thick. And correspondingly, the hammers for those strings have to be bigger.

This results in a slightly heavier action in the keys toward the left side of the piano; and a slightly lighter action on the keys toward the right.

The best digital pianos reproduce this effect – and the technology is known as graded hammer action.

Touchweight

This calculation is used by piano technicians in their work balancing the mechanisms of a piano’s action.

I find, when evaluating digital pianos, downweight is an especially helfpul metric. It doesn’t necessarily tell us an instrument is great. But downweight can help us to rule out certain digital pianos – if we’re looking for an instrument that has keys with a similar weight to a well-regulated acoustic piano.

Many non-realistic electronic keyboards have a much lighter downweight than a piano.

This includes the $100 “cheesy synth” kind of instruments (don’t worry, I have one, too!), up to some high-end “MIDI controllers” which aren’t designed to feel pianistic.

And many digital pianos, bizarrely, have been made with much heavier actions than most acoustic pianos.

So, I start my evaluation by seeing whether a digital piano has a downweight at Middle C at or near what’s considered ideal. It’s one quick metric that can tell us a lot.

Downweight

Downweight is defined as the lightest amount of weight it takes to press a piano key.

Traditionally, downweight is measured with gram weights, set back 13 mm from the front of a key; and with the piano key starting depressed 4 mm from its resting position. (Source: Igrec, 276)

The damper pedal is pressed when taking downweight measurements, to remove the weight added by the piano’s dampers.

Upweight

Upweight is defined as the most weight a key can lift – depressed from 7-8 mm, up to 4 mm.

The two-minute video below – made by Eric Johnson RPT (a Registered Piano Technician in the Piano Technicians Guild) – shows how touchweight is measured on a piano key:

Ideal Touchweight

Igrec (in Pianos Inside Out, p. 276) suggests these as ideal touchweight measurements at Middle C:

A downweight of 48 grams
An upweight of 23-24 grams

He adds: “A downweight over 55 g will be perceived as heavy.” And: “A downweight of 45 g or less will feel light.”

So, a downweight at Middle C in the range of 46-55 grams is ideal for an acoustic piano.

Now, we have to adjust this metric when we consider downweights of digital pianos. That’s because acoustic pianos have their downweight tested with the damper pedal pressed – which removes about 12 to 23 grams of weight from the keys.

Since digital pianos don’t have dampers, pressing the pedal doesn’t remove any weight.

A Piano’s Dampers and Damper Pedal

Dampers are felt cushions which rest against an acoustic piano’s strings. This keeps the strings from constantly resonating and making sound.

Dampers are lifted off of the strings while playing. When a damper is lifted off a string, the string will continue to sound (in a sustained way) for some time.

Dampers can be lifted off of the strings in two ways:

• When a piano key is pressed, the damper lifts off of only that key’s string(s). The damper stays off of the strings as long as the key stays pressed. And just that note is sustained.
• When the damper pedal is pressed, all of the dampers lift off of all of the piano’s strings. And all notes that one plays remain sustained (until the sound naturally decays), as long as the pedal is kept pressed.

This is what allows the skillful creation of sustained notes and chords, characteristic of a piano’s sound.

Because pressing the keys moves the dampers, dampers add a bit of weight (about 12 to 23 grams – based on my tests) to the downweight of each key. When the piano’s pedal is pressed, the dampers lift off of the strings, disconnect from the keys, and that weight is removed.

So, it takes a bit more or a bit less force to press a piano key, depending on whether or not the damper pedal is pressed.

When an acoustic piano’s downweight is measured, it’s done with the weight of the dampers removed (usually by pressing the pedal while making the measurement).

As stated above, Igrec’s ideal downweight range for a well-regulated acoustic piano at Middle C (with the damper weight removed) is 46 to 55 grams.

A Digital Piano’s Downweight

A digital piano doesn’t have strings or dampers.

And, so far, no digital pianos have been made that recreate the lighter weight of the keys when the damper pedal is pressed.

Therefore, there are three main choices for how a company would choose to weight the keys of a digital piano:

1. The weight could be the same as an acoustic piano with its pedal pressed (i.e., around 46 to 55 grams at Middle C);
2. The weight could be equal to an acoustic piano without its pedal pressed (i.e., about 58 to 78 grams at Middle C); or
3. The weight could be set somewhere in between.

Or, the weight could be vastly different: Very light (for cheesy synths!), or very heavy (as is the case in some mid-level Yamahas, some Kurzweils – which use Fatar actions; and so on).

It’s telling to note that the top-of-the-line digital pianos made by arguably the best manufacturers (Yamaha, Roland, and Kawai) tend to set their downweight at either:

• The same as a piano with its damper pedal pressed;
• Or, most often, a little bit heavier – so the downweight is somewhere in between an acoustic piano with and without its damper pedal pressed.

This includes Kawai’s Grand Feel and Grand Feel II actions, most of Roland’s current line of digital pianos, and Yamaha’s hybrid pianos/AvantGrands.

All of these digital pianos have a downweight at Middle C of about 45-72 grams. I think this is the ideal downweight for a digital piano.

(Yamaha’s hybrid pianos/AvantGrands are equal to the downweight of an acoustic piano with its pedal pressed – because these use actual actions from acoustic pianos.)

Yamaha’s entry-level action, the GHS, is also in this ideal range (62 grams at Middle C) – something good to know, for anyone wanting a realistic-feeling digital piano at the least cost.

This ideal downweight range results in a digital piano with a completely comfortable and realistic weight, whether or not the pedal is pressed.

Some piano technicians refer to this ideal weighting as the keys feeling “invisible.”

And actually, I only recommend digital pianos in this post that fall into this ideal downweight range.

It took me months of research to reach these conclusions (doing hours of downweight tests and playing as many digital pianos as I could; taking notes on the specs of almost all current digital pianos; researching touchweight/downweight; consulting with piano technicians; etc.).

I hope the information serves you well!

Deep Dive into Touchweight

Feel free to skip over this. But just to be thorough…

There’s actually an even deeper level to analyzing piano touchweight – a system called The New Touchweight Metrology.

It’s a method for balancing a piano’s action used by piano technicians and builders.

It was developed by David C. Stanwood, President of Stanwood Piano Innovations (on Martha’s Vineyard). Stanwood is a piano builder and rebuilder, and a registered piano technician (RPT).

In 1996, Stanwood published an article, “The New Touchweight Metrology” (in the Piano Technicians Journal).

With Stanwood’s method, each component of the piano’s action (on each of the 88 keys!) is individually weighed – and these metrics are combined together to give a deeper picture of how well the piano’s action is balanced.

This helps piano technicians know which parts to make heavier – by adding weights; and which to make lighter – by trimming.

Stanwood measures parts of the action, for each key, like the:

• Hammer (which yields Strike Weight);
• Whippen (for Whippen Radius Weight);
• Key Stick (to get Front Weight);
• He averages Upweight and Downweight (to yield Balance Weight);
• And so on.

It’s pretty technical stuff!

Here’s a screenshot, for example, showing the analysis of these various measurements:

So, if we want to be aware of the most comprehensive method for measuring piano touchweight, here it is.

And, for our purposes (in determining which digital pianos are most ideally-weighted); one Downweight measurement (taken at Middle C) can tell us the most important thing:

How many grams of weight it takes to press a key.

With this one measurement, we can quickly say, “This digital piano feels heavier to play than that digital piano.” And, “This digital piano has a downweight in the range that’s considered ideal, and that digital piano does not.”

Yamaha, Roland & Kawai

Based on my research, the three companies that make the best digital pianos are Yamaha, Roland and Kawai.

Of the three, Yamaha and Kawai also make acoustic pianos. Both companies are highly regarded for their acoustic and digital pianos.

Roland digital pianos are also highly regarded. Even though Roland doesn’t make acoustic pianos, they’re a long-standing industry leader in synthesizers and electronic instruments. And Roland’s current line of digital pianos is widely-recognized as having reached a very high level of realism and excellence.

Yamahas, Rolands and Kawais are often considered the most realistic-feeling digital pianos.

When buying digital pianos, most classical pianists – and university music departments – choose Yamaha, Roland and Kawai.

Below are reviews of these “Big 3″ brands – along with my recommendations of the best digital pianos made by each.

Most of these companies make some realistic-feeling instruments (suitable for use by pianists); and some instruments which, in my opinion, aren’t as good.

We’ll look at each company’s digital pianos below:

Yamaha Digital Piano Review

Yamaha currently makes about 45 digital pianos – ranging in price from $400 to $22,000.

Background

Yamaha has a history of making world-class acoustic pianos, digital pianos, and synthesizers.

In 1983, Yamaha created one of the first “digital pianos” – the YP-40. It had fully-weighted, wooden keys. The YP-40 was the beginning of Yamaha’s well-known Clavinova line of digital pianos.

Yamaha’s YP-40, one of the earliest digital pianos

Since 1986, with the introduction of the CLP-50 (also a Clavinova), Yamaha has been using acoustic piano samples in their digital pianos, rather than synthesized sounds. This sampling technology is what most digital pianos still use today.

Likewise, Yamaha’s acoustic pianos are highly sought-after instruments, used by music departments, classical pianists, and ensembles around the world.

Best Yamaha Digital Pianos

There are 15 current Yamaha digital pianos I recommend. Each of these instruments has a properly-weighted action – falling right inside or very near what’s considered ideal.

My Yamaha recommendations could be grouped into two categories:

1. I recommend any Yamaha with the Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) action.
   Eight current Yamahas have the GHS. These are entry-level instruments – well-suited for piano students, and anyone looking for a good digital piano that’s not too expensive. They range in price from $400 to $2,000.
2. I also recommend Yamaha’s six highest-end digital pianos, known as Hybrid Pianos.
   These are ultra pro-level digital pianos. Each contains Yamaha’s Specialized Upright Piano Action or Specialized Grand Piano Action. These are arguably the best digital pianos ever made. They include Yamaha’s NU1 Hybrid Piano, and also Yamaha’s six AvantGrands (the N1, N2, N3; and the new in 2016 and 2017, NU1X and N3X). They range in price from ~$5,500 to ~$22,000.

The GHS and Hybrid Pianos all have properly-weighted actions, feel smooth to play, and sound great.

The tables below have prices and links to each of these instruments.

Yamaha makes about 30 other digital pianos, which could be considered considered mid- to pro-level. I don’t recommend any of these mid-level Yamahas, simply because the actions are much heavier than what’s generally considered ideal. These heavier-action Yamahas include most of the Clavinova series, some of the Arius line, and so on.

For mid- to pro-level instruments, I recommend a number of Roland digital pianos, instead. (That link will jump to the Roland section of this post.)

Roland makes great mid-priced ($699 to $1,999), pro-level digital pianos that feel amazing, and have an ideal weighting.

Recommended Yamaha Digital Pianos

These 13 Yamaha digital pianos all have appropriate weighting and realism for proper development of muscle strength and technique.

The GHS instruments are entry-level (starting at $399.99). And the Hybrid Pianos and AvantGrands (containing Yamaha’s Specialized Upright and Specialized Grand Piano Actions) are some of the best digital pianos ever made (and start in price at just over $5,000).

Yamaha GHS Action Review

Yamaha’s entry-level action is called Graded Hammer Standard (GHS). It has a downweight at Middle C of 62 grams, and feels smooth and realistic to play.

The GHS action, in my opinion, is the least expensive digital piano action that feels highly realistic. For as little as $399.99, you can get a Yamaha P-45 (aka P-71), which has the GHS action and is a great, entry-level digital piano.

I’ve not found anything else close to this level of quality in that price range.

More advanced pianists – who are looking for something closer to a pro-level instrument – would want to step up to something with a more-refined feel than the GHS, like the Roland digital pianos I recommend.

The least expensive Roland I recommend is the FP-30 ($699.99 & Free Shipping). It has a pro-level feel and sound, with its impressive PHA-4 Standard action and SuperNATURAL sound engine. The FP-30 is the instrument that really “wows” me – in terms of value and quality – in that price range.

In my opinion, Yamaha’s GHS action is the best digital piano action that can be found for under about $700. (So, it’s probably the best choice for a major portion of the market.)

The table below shows all of the current Yamahas with the GHS action – listed by price, from lowest to highest:

(Note: The P-45 is the same instrument as the P-71. Amazon has an exclusive deal with Yamaha, where they can offer it under a different name.)

(Note 2! Considering the Roland FP-30‘s more-refined feel, that might be a better choice than the more expensive Yamahas with the GHS action.)

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Yamaha Hybrid Piano and AvantGrand Review

Yamaha’s top-of-the-line digital pianos are known as Hybrid Pianos. Yamaha’s hybrid pianos are unique: They’re the only digital pianos that use an actual action from an acoustic piano. This makes them probably the most realistic-feeling (and best) digital pianos ever made.

To me, these instruments feel indistinguishable from acoustic pianos.

Yamaha’s Hybrid Pianos use actual actions from high-end Yamaha acoustic pianos.

Of the six Hybrid Pianos, five are known as AvantGrands. These are designed to emulate high-end Yamaha acoustic grand pianos.

The five AvantGrands are the N1 (MSRP: $9,999), N2 (MSRP: $14,999), and N3 (MSRP: $19,999) – all released in 2007; and Yamaha’s newest additions, the N3X (MSRP: $22,199) – released in January, 2017 – and NU1X (MSRP: $6,999; Yamaha’s “buy-online price”: $5,999.99) – released in September, 2017).

Yamaha considers the new NU1X an AvantGrand – even though it has an upright piano’s action – from Yamaha’s high-end, U1 acoustic upright.

Each AvantGrand (other than the NU1X) uses an actual action from Yamaha’s high-end, CFIIIS concert grand piano. (The hammers are re-shaped for hitting sensors, rather than strings.) This action is known as the Specialized Grand Piano Action.

Yamaha’s predecessor to the NU1X AvantGrand is the NU1 (released in 2012). The NU1 (MSRP: $6,999) uses the same action as the newer NU1X. The NU1 and NU1X are designed to emulate Yamaha’s high-end, U1 acoustic upright piano. Each uses an actual U1’s action (with redesigned hammers) – known as the Specialized Upright Piano Action.

One unusual naming convention that can be confusing: Of these six instruments, all but the NU1 are considered both AvantGrands and Hybrid Pianos. (The full list would be the N1, N2, N3, N3X, and NU1X.) But the NU1 is not called an AvantGrand by Yamaha – only a Hybrid Piano.

But regardless of what they’re called, these six instruments are probably the best digital pianos ever been made.

And one pricing note: The NU1 and NU1X Hybrid Pianos can often be found for significantly less than the MSRP.

The NU1, NU1X, and N3X – the newest additions to the Hybrid Piano line – include Yamaha’s newest sample set, the CFX. (The CFX concert grand piano is considered Yamaha’s greatest achievement in an acoustic piano.) The NU1X and N3X also use Binaural Sampling on its CFX samples. As well, the NU1X and N3X also include impressive samples from a Bosendorfer Imperial concert grand piano.

The other Hybrid Pianos (N1, N2, and N3) contain samples from Yamaha’s also top-of-the-line, CFIIIS concert grand piano.

The N1, N2, N3, and N3X use Yamaha’s Spatial Acoustic Sampling and Spatial Acoustic Speaker System.

Spatial Acoustic Sampling

The piano samples (made from instruments like Yamaha’s acclaimed CFIIIS concert grand) are recorded at four different places along the acoustic piano’s soundboard.

Spatial Acoustic Speaker System

The sound is then projected (using multiple speakers) from different areas of the Hybrid Piano – based on what range of the instrument a person is playing.

Each Yamaha Hybrid Piano contains several speakers:

• four speakers for the NU1 and NU1X;
• six for the N1 and N2;
• twelve for the N3 and N3X.

This system is designed to emulate the way an acoustic piano projects sound.

Two other intriguing features in some of the Hybrid Pianos are Yamaha’s:

• Tactile Response System (TRS) on the N2, N3, and N3X – which recreates the vibrations and feedback felt when playing an acoustic piano; and
• Soundboard Resonator Technology on the N2, N3, and N3X – which produces natural resonance around the person playing.

The one other company creating something similar to the Hybrid Pianos is Kawai, with its high-end digital pianos, the Grand Feel II instruments: the CA67, CA97; and the newer, CS8 and CS11.

These are all comparable instruments; and the Yamaha Hybrid Pianos and Kawai Grand Feel II line are likely the best digital pianos ever made.

The table below shows Yamaha’s six Hybrid Pianos. These instruments are mostly sold through authorized Yamaha dealers (in brick-and-mortar stores). I’ve included online buying options where possible.

Yamaha Pros

• Yamaha digital pianos, in my opinion, feel almost indistinguishable from acoustic pianos. You can practice on them, and seamlessly transition to and from an acoustic piano.
• The on-board sounds (samples of grand pianos, etc.) are high quality, realistic, and inspiring to play and hear.

Yamaha Cons

The only down side, in my opinion, is that the actions in some (but not all) Yamaha digital pianos are very heavy. They’re heavier than the keys of most acoustic pianos.

For example, the downweight at Middle C on six of Yamaha’s nine current actions (the GH, GH3, NW, NWX, NW-GH, and NW-STAGE) is about 82 grams or more. Compare that to a Steinway, acoustic grand piano (the “gold standard”) – which has a downweight at Middle C of about 46 grams. It’s a noticeable difference.

Downweight is a complex issue. (You can see more in the touchweight section, above.)

For this reason, I recommend Yamaha’s three lighter actions very highly (GHS, Specialized Upright Piano Action, and Specialized Grand Piano Action). And I only recommend other Yamahas with a caveat: People with sensitive tendons, and kids, might not want to play Yamaha’s heavier actions, day-to-day, or for long periods of time.

Now, if you like a piano with a heavy feel (and some people do), you would probably really enjoy the heavier Yamahas. (They’re solid instruments.) But, as a general rule, I avoid recommending pianos with heavier actions.

Roland Digital Piano Review

Background

Although Roland doesn’t make acoustic pianos (as their main competitors, Yamaha and Kawai, do), Roland has been making digital pianos as long as anyone:

• Roland’s original digital piano, the RD-1000 (1986), was the first digital piano to use digital synthesis.
• And their EP-30 (1974) was arguably the world’s first “electric piano.”
• Roland also contributed (in 1983) to the creation of MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) – a very useful technology, still used in all digital pianos today.

Roland specializes in electronic instruments. And, in the past several years, their digital pianos have become some of the most impressive ever made.

Roland SuperNATURAL Sound Review and Roland V-Piano Review

Roland specializes in electronic instruments and synthesizers. The technology behind the creation of their sounds is one of Roland’s most important differentiating factors.

Each of Roland’s current digital pianos uses one of two different technologies (or “sound engines”) to create their sounds:

1. The SuperNATURAL sound engine (released in 2010); and
2. The V-Piano sound engine (released in 2009).

I find the SuperNATURAL sound engine to have more piano realism. It’s a refinement/upgrade to the V-Piano sound engine. The SuperNATURAL sound engine takes the V-Piano’s synthesized sound, and blends it with actual, acoustic piano samples.

Here’s my take on each:

Roland SuperNATURAL Review

In this official demo video on YouTube, Roland says of their digital pianos with the SuperNATURAL technology:

The Roland SuperNATURAL piano sound engine deepens the emotion of playing. It delivers a more natural and beautiful piano sound, as well as a touch, that gives you the ultimate in expressivity.

After researching and playing their instruments, I think I see Roland’s intent. Instead of creating their sounds using just samples (audio recordings) from an acoustic piano (as most companies do), the SuperNATURAL technology:

1. combines samples from acoustic pianos; and
2. blends in some proprietary synthesis techniques. (This synthesis component responds and changes a bit with the nuances, like dynamics, of your playing.)

So, when you play a note, you’re hearing a responsive, hybrid blend of audio samples and synthesis.

Roland seems to be trying to create (using their words, above) a playing experience with “deepen[ed]” “emotion” and “expressivity.”

When you’re playing one of these Roland digital pianos, it sounds and feels a bit enhanced in some way – which, in fact, it is.

My feeling is that most people would really like Roland’s SuperNATURAL technology (as there’s a smooth richness to the sound). There’s a certain elegance to how these Rolands sound and feel. (The word “silky” is what I think of as I play these instruments.)

My personal feeling is that, of Roland’s two current “sound engines”:

1. The SuperNATURAL sound engine has just the right amount of synthesis. It sounds very inspiring, while still completely realistic to my ear.
2. The V-Piano sound engine (described below) – which uses entirely synthesis (and no samples) – sounds a bit too synthetic for my tastes.

So, I personally would recommend Roland’s SuperNATURAL sound engine (very highly), but would only recommend their V-Piano sound engine with the caveat that it doesn’t, in my opinion, re-create the sound of an acoustic piano completely authentically.

24 Roland digital pianos contain the SuperNATURAL sound engine. I recommend 23 of them, below.

Roland V-Piano Review

As discussed above, Roland’s SuperNATURAL Sound technology blends acoustic piano samples with additional synthesis techniques.

In contrast, Roland’s previous technology – the V-Piano sound engine – creates its sound entirely with Roland’s proprietary synthesis techniques.

Roland’s marketing materials describe their proprietary technology as sound modeling. The sound modeling is used, full on, in the V-Pianos; and it’s used, in part, in their SuperNATURAL instruments.

Another name for sound modeling is spectral modeling.

If this is helpful to hear, I’ve played Roland’s V-Pianos (which use entirely-synthesized/modeled sounds), and they don’t sound realistic enough to my ear. It sounds a bit synthetic to me. (Though you can sculpt the sound extensively to your liking.)

I personally prefer Roland’s SuperNATURAL sound engine – which blends acoustic samples and sound modeling. I think that technology really hits the mark. But some people would probably really like the V-Piano sound.

Two Roland digital pianos contain the V-Piano sound engine: the V-Piano Stage Piano ($6,999) and the V-Piano Grand ($24,999).

The feel of each of these instruments is superb. (They contain a high-end Roland action, the PHA III.) But I personally would avoid these instruments – as the price is so high, I don’t like the sound as much, and Roland makes perfect digital pianos in the $699-2,000+ range. (See the specific Rolands I recommend below.)

Roland Digital Piano Actions

A piano’s action, as described above, is the combination of mechanisms that gives the keys their weight and feel.

Roland makes seven different actions for its current line of digital pianos. It takes some research to figure out what action is in each instrument. And even more testing to figure out which actions are realistic and would be considered suitable for serious pianists. (I’ve gathered this research and info here.)

This section lists the Roland actions I recommend (and which I recommend avoiding).

Let’s dig in…

I Would Recommend

I highly recommend six of Roland’s seven current actions.

These six Roland actions are some of the best, most realistic-feeling digital pianos I’ve ever played:

• PHA-4 Concert
• PHA-4 Premium
• PHA-4 Standard
• PHA-50
• PHA III
• Ivory Feel-S

And Roland’s seventh action feels quite good, and just a bit less amazing to me than the above six:

• Ivory Feel-G

I consider the Ivory Feel-G action to be “mid-level,” and the other six Roland actions to be “pro-level.”

There’s also one earlier Roland action I recommend (that you might find on some used digital pianos or backstock):

• PHA II

The PHA II feels identical to the PHA III. The only difference is that the PHA III has three sensors, while the PHA II only has two sensors. (Roland calls three sensors their Tri-Sensor technology.)

The third sensor makes it easier to play fast, repeated notes. But, for most purposes, a third sensor isn’t necessary. The elegant, realistic feel of the action, for me, would outweigh its only having two sensors.

One additional note: I don’t recommend other Roland actions (current or previous). If I was buying a Roland digital piano, I’d limit my search to instruments containing one of the actions I recommend above – the PHA-4 Concert, PHA-4 Premium, PHA-4 Standard, PHA-50, PHA III, PHA II, Ivory Feel-S and maybe Ivory Feel-G.

Any instruments with one of these actions should serve you well.

My personal favorites are the PHA-4 Concert – which feels utterly perfect to me; and the PHA-50 – which is a slight tweaking of the PHA-4 Concert, and considered Roland’s newest and best.

(And the Ivory Feel-G action feels good, but not as good as Roland’s other actions, imo. More info on Ivory Feel-G is just below…)

The naming conventions of Roland’s digital pianos and actions are confusing. But, after a lot of testing and research, I can say that all of these actions feel great, and are very realistic. (Roland has really nailed it with these!)

Notes on Roland Ivory Feel-S and Ivory Feel-G Actions

Ivory Feel-S

According to some materials I’ve seen from Roland Germany, the Ivory Feel-S is a version of their high-end, PHA III action (which is used in two of Roland’s Digital Grand Pianos – the RG-1F and RG-3F – as well as the V-Pianos).

The only difference seems to be that PHA III uses two-piece, faux-wooden keys; while Ivory Feel-S keys are one-piece, and don’t look like wood.

So, the feel of the Ivory Feel-S action is virtually identical to that of the PHA III. It feels great, and is pro-level.

Ivory Feel-G

The Ivory Feel-G action is found in five Roland digital pianos:

• F-20 (recently discontinued)
• FP-50 ($1,299 & Free Shipping)
• RD-64 Stage Piano ($899 & Free Shipping)
• RD-300NX Stage Piano ($1,299 & Free Shipping); and the
• RP302 (World Market – not sold in the U.S.).

Here’s my take on the Ivory Feel-G:

Pros

• It’s one of the nicer-feeling digital piano actions on the market. I just prefer it, for instance, to Yamaha’s GHS action (which I really like). And I prefer the Ivory Feel-G (by a wide margin) to the actions found in Casio Privias.

Cons

• There are better-feeling actions, in my opinion, for the same price or less.

For example, Roland’s PHA-4 Standard action feels much better to me, and more realistic, than the Ivory Feel-G.

And the PHA-4 Standard is actually found in Roland’s least expensive digital piano, the FP-30 ($699.99 & Free Shipping).

So, I would opt for the Roland FP-30 over any of the Roland digital pianos with the Ivory Feel-G.

Best Roland Digital Pianos

Two criteria are most important, in my opinion, for finding a Roland digital piano with the best sound and feel:

1. The most important feature in a digital piano, by far, is its action – the mechanism and parts controlling the weight and feel of the keys. I think six of Roland’s seven current actions feel great, and are very realistic: the PHA-4 Concert, PHA-4 Premium, PHA-4 Standard, PHA-50, PHA III, Ivory Feel-S; one action feels pretty good: the Ivory Feel-G. And one previous Roland action also feels great – the PHA II.
   
   I’d limit my search of Roland digital pianos to their instruments containing one of these.
2. For the best sound, I’d opt for the SuperNATURAL, rather than the V-Piano, sound engine. (All of Roland’s current digital pianos contain one of these two sound engines – or both.)

19 current Roland digital pianos meet these criteria – having the SuperNATURAL sound engine and one of these actions. The tables below list all of these. In my opinion, any of these instruments would be a great choice:

I’ve included buying links where I was able to find highly-reputable stores that have these in stock. (Authorized Roland dealers in your area could help you find any of these that aren’t available online.)

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Buying Tip: Avoiding Older Roland Digital Pianos

A quick note:

I would avoid Roland’s older digital pianos (unless they have one of the actions I recommend here).

For example, I found a Roland from the 1990s – the HP 1300e – at a music store I visited, and the action feels really bad to me. I couldn’t imagine having to play on it.

I’ve also seen that model being sold, used, online.

Roland’s manual for the HP 1300e doesn’t even have a name for its action! They just call it “88 weighted keys.”

In the past several years, Roland has really reached a level of perfection with its digital pianos. They’re reasonably-priced and pro-level. (In many ways, these are my favorite digital pianos to play.)

But, in my opinion, their digital pianos from years ago don’t come close to the realism and elegance of their current line.

Kawai Digital Piano Review

Background

Kawai has been selling acoustic pianos since 1928.

Interesting story:

Koichi Kawai, the company’s founder, was actually a neighbor in Hamamatsu, Japan, of Yamaha’s founder, Torakusu Yamaha.

Yamaha offered Kawai an internship, and later a job – working in R&D on the development of Yamaha’s first acoustic pianos.

When Yamaha sold his company in the mid-1920s, Koichi Kawai (and a few others from the company) founded Kawai.

Kawai started selling digital pianos in 1986. (Or even 1985 – with the release of the PT200, their first wooden-key electric piano.)

Kawai’s acoustic and digital pianos are regarded as among the highest-quality in the world:

The Kawai EX Concert Grand Piano (MSRP: $150,000!!)

Kawai also has an affiliation with Steinway & Sons (often considered the finest manufacturer of acoustic pianos). Together, Steinway and Kawai have created the highly-regarded Boston line of acoustic grand and upright pianos:

A Boston UP-118E PE (Performance Edition) upright piano – designed by Steinway and manufactured by Kawai.

Kawai currently makes 25 different digital pianos. They range in price from ~$600 (for their entry-level offerings) to ~$8,500 (for some of their pro models).

Both Kawai’s acoustic and digital pianos are highly regarded, consistently reviewed well, and used by serious pianists around the world.

Kawai Actions

A piano’s action (all of the parts between the keys and strings) is the most important factor affecting how a piano feels to play.

Kawai makes eight different actions for its current line of digital pianos: GFII, GF, RM3 II, AWA PROII, RHIII, RHII, RHC (new in 2017), and AHA IV-F.

Each action is found in one to several Kawai models.

(There are actually a few errors on that page. For example, the CS8 and CS11 – impressive new additions to Kawai’s catalog – contain the newer GFII action. But they’re listed on that page as having the GF action.)

Here’s my take on what I consider to be Kawai’s best actions:

I Recommend

Three Kawai actions stand out to me as very impressive and realistic – and among the best digital piano actions ever made:

1. Grand Feel II (GFII)
   This is Kawai’s top-of-the-line action. The GFII very accurately emulates the action and feel of a grand piano.
2. Grand Feel (GF)
   The GF action is the predecessor to the GFII. It’s very similar. But these instruments are priced a bit high, imo – often costing more than the newer, GFII digital pianos.
3. RM3 Grand II (RM3 II)
   The RM3 II action was designed to deliver high performance in a more compact Stage Piano. Its design is similar to the GFII and GF, and it’s also widely regarded as one of the nicest-feeling digital piano actions.

Here’s more detail about each of these three actions:

Grand Feel II (GFII) Review

The Grand Feel II is Kawai’s top-of-the-line action. It’s found in four Kawai digital pianos, ranging in price from about $3,000 to $8,000.

If you’re looking for one of the best digital pianos ever made, the GFIIs would be on the list. I’d put them in the list of top 10 digital pianos, for sure.

Released in 2015, the GFII is found in four instruments – Kawai’s top-of-the-line digital pianos:

• The CA67 ($3,599-$3,699) and CA97 ($5,899-$5,999) (Kawai’s Concert Artist line); and
• The CS8 (MSRP: $5,699) and CS11 (MSRP: $8,499) (the Concert Series).

The Grand Feel II emulates a grand piano’s action, with features like:

• Extended-length, fully-wooden keys. This allows for a pivot point at the center of each key – as is the case in grand pianos.
• Graded hammers.
• Counterweights on all 88 keys.
• Ivory Touch key surfaces, and moisture-absorbent Ebony Touch key surfaces. (The latter is an upgrade to the GF action, which uses just Ivory Touch key surfaces.) Supposedly, 3D scanning techniques were used to re-create subtleties in the wood grain of real ebony keys.
• Let-off.
• Triple sensor key detection.

And pedaling: The GFIIs include Kawai’s Grand Feel Pedal System – which accurately reproduces the weight and feel of each pedal. It offers Damper (with half-pedal support), Soft, and Sostenuto pedals.

The Grand Feel II is one of the best digital piano actions ever made. It’s incredibly realistic – almost indistinguishable from the feel of a high-end grand piano.

(I actually started laughing the first time I played a Kawai with the GFII – because it felt so good.)

Also, the action is not too heavy. The GFII has a downweight of 61 grams at Middle C. This falls right in the range I consider ideal for digital pianos – based on my research into piano touchweight.

Top 10 Digital Pianos

I consider the four Kawai GFIIs, and the six Yamaha Hybrid Pianos and AvantGrands, to be the top 10 digital pianos ever made.

And some of Roland’s digital pianos achieve almost this level of performance, imo; often at a lower price point.

So, if you’re looking for the best digital piano in the world, Kawai’s GFIIs – the CA97, CA67, CS11, and CS8 – would be among the top 10 choices, in my opinion (along with Yamaha’s Hybrid Pianos/AvandGrands).

Here’s more detail on Kawai’s newest Grand Feel IIs, the CS11 and CS8 – both introduced in 2016:

Kawai CS11

Released in 2016, the CS11 is Kawai’s newest, most-high-end digital piano. It’s essentially the same instrument as the CA97 (Kawai’s other highest-end digital piano), but in a different cabinet.

The CS11’s cabinet is actually the same one used in Kawai Professional Upright Pianos (the Kawai ‘K’ series) – making it look essentially indistinguishable from an acoustic piano.

If you’re looking for a pro-level digital piano that looks identical to an acoustic upright, the CS11 and the Yamaha NU1 are my favorites.

The CS11 has an elegant look – with a polished ebony finish, and the traditional leg and toe block design characteristic of many high-end upright pianos:

Kawai CS11 Hybrid Digital Piano

The CS11 contains Kawai’s best sound system – the Soundboard Speaker System. This sound system is also used in the Kawai CA97 – a similar instrument in Kawai’s Concert Artist series. (The CS11 and CA97 are essentially the same instrument, in two different cabinets.)

The sound in these instruments is created using a combination of six speakers; and a resonating, wooden soundboard on the back of the instrument – much like an acoustic piano:

The Kawai CS11’s resonating soundboard

The Soundboard Speaker System is intended to recreate, as closely as possible, the vibrations and sound projection patterns found in an acoustic piano.

Buying Tip: The resonating soundboard is quite bass-y and boomy. Good if you’re looking for a strong, deep sound – capable of loud volumes. But the CS8 (below) or the CA67 – which are almost identical, minus the Soundboard Speaker System – might be better options, if you’re looking for an instrument that’s not as bass-heavy.

The CS11 also includes Kawai’s latest piano samples (all with 88-key sampling). The sampled pianos in the CS11 (and the CS8, below) are the:

• Shigeru Kawai SK-EX Concert Grand Piano;
• SK-5 Studio Grand Piano;
• EX Concert Grand Piano.

Kawai really goes all out to make their Grand Feel II instruments some of the finest offerings on the market – especially their two top-of-the-line models, the CS11 and CA97.

Kawai CS8

The CS8 has the same specs as the CS11 – with two exceptions:

1. The CS8 uses 4 speakers, compared to the CS11’s Soundboard Speaker System; and
2. It has a traditional digital piano cabinet (also with polished ebony finish).

Kawai CS8 Hybrid Digital Piano

Grand Feel (GF) Review

Introduced in 2012, Kawai’s Grand Feel action is the predecessor of the Grand Feel II. The GF also simulates a grand piano’s action in a realistic way, with features like:

• Extended-length, wooden keys – with a pivot point at the center of each key; much like keys in a grand piano.
• Graded Hammers.
• Key Counterweights.
• Ivory-touch key surfaces.
• Let-off.
• Triple sensor Key Detection.

The difference between the Grand Feel and the Grand Feel II actions are that the GFII action adds:

• Ebony-touch Key Surfaces (on the black keys); and
• Improvements in Hammer Weights

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Both actions feel superb – almost indistinguishable from playing a high-end grand piano!

Just like the Grand Feel IIs, I’d also consider Kawai’s Grand Feel instruments to be among the best digital pianos in the world.

(On the world market, the Kawai CA95 also contains the GF.)

The only caveat with the Grand Feel digital pianos is that they’re priced a bit high (MSRP: $5,696 to $21,999) – compared to similar options on the market. The one exception is the MP11 Stage Piano ($2,519 – $2,799), which doesn’t have on-board speakers.

While these would all be amazing digital pianos; in this price range, I would opt instead for a Grand Feel II – which are a newer and improved action, and interestingly, cost less than most of the Grand Feel digital pianos.

Similar, pro-level digital pianos to consider would be:

• The Kawai Grand Feel IIs – newer, arguably better, and most are less expensive! Like the CA67 (~$3,600);
• The six Yamaha Hybrid Pianos / AvantGrands (~$6,000-$22,000);
• A Casio Celviano GP-series (~$3,000-4,000) – which feel very realistic, and are also hybrid pianos;
• Or one of the higher-end Rolands – like the HPi-50e (~$4,500) – which I think feels elegant and incredibly-nice to play.

However, the five Grand Feel digital pianos by Kawai are among the best digital pianos ever made. And if any seems right for you, you’d be buying an essentially-perfect digital piano!

RM3 Grand II (RM3 II) Review

The RM3 II, released in 2013, is also one of Kawai’s newer and highest-end actions.

The RM3 II is said to be designed as a more compact version of Kawai’s Grand Feel (GF) action – which is very high-end, and feels almost indistinguishable from an acoustic grand piano.

The RM3II action has many of the same features as Kawai’s Grand Feel (GF) action – like graded hammers, key counterweights, Ivory-touch key surfaces, Let-off and triple sensor key detection.

The primary difference is that the RM3 II has shorter key lengths than the Grand Feel and Grand Feel II. Thus, the pivot point is closer to the part of the key stick which is pressed, making the downweight slightly heavier than the Grand Feel and Grand Feel II actions.

So, the RM3 Grand II could be considered Kawai’s third best action (right behind the GFII and GF) – and one of the best digital piano actions ever designed.

In the U.S., the RM3 II action is found in one instrument – the VPC-1 Stage Piano ($1,849 & Free Shipping).

The RM3 II feels great, but it’s important to know that the VPC-1 does not have speakers!

The best deal I’ve found on speakers for a stage piano (suitable for “at-home” volume levels) are the Mackie CR3 ($99) powered, studio monitor speaker pair.

On the world market, the Kawai CA15 and (the new) CA17 also contain the RM3 II action. These are great digital pianos – with speakers! But I haven’t been able to find these for sale in the U.S.

Best Kawai Digital Pianos

The table below shows all current Kawai digital pianos, sold in the U.S., containing the three Kawai actions I recommend (the GFII, GF, and RM3 II). All of these instruments feel amazing, and are among the best digital pianos ever made. They’re impressive, even to pros.

(The one caveat, again, is that instruments with the GF action tend to be priced rather high, imo. The GFIIs seem like a better choice to me.)

I Would Avoid

Some of Kawai’s other actions are not as impressive to me as some comparably-priced actions made by Roland and Yamaha. I would personally avoid Kawai digital pianos with these actions:

• AHA IV-F and RHII.
• And I would only recommend Kawai’s RHIII action with a caveat: It feels great, but the keys have a heavier feel than what my research suggests is ideal. So, the RHIII, in my opinion, is best for those who like pianos with heavy actions.
• Kawai’s earlier, RH action (from 2010), doesn’t have the realism, in my opinion, of their newer actions.

Here are more thoughts on some of these:

Advanced Hammer Action IV-F (AHA IV-F) Review

Kawai’s entry-level action is the Advanced Hammer Action IV-F (AHA IV-F).

Four current digital pianos contain the AHA IV-F:

• ES100 ($729 & Free Shipping);
• CL26 ($1,099);
• KDP90 ($1,149 & Free Shipping);
• KCP90 ($2,999).

These feel realistic. But the AHA IV-F action doesn’t feel as smooth or nice to play, in my opinion, as comparably-priced Yamaha and Roland digital pianos.

I prefer Yamaha’s entry-level action, the GHS, to Kawai’s AHA IV-F.

The downweight of the AHA IV-F doesn’t suggest that the action would feel that heavy – it has a downweight at Middle C of 67 grams. (I did downweight tests on all of these!) But something about the action of the AHA IV-F feels overly-stiff to me. (I believe this action has greater friction than most.)

I wouldn’t enjoy playing on these instruments.

There are many impressive alternatives to the AHA IV-F – even in this same price range. For example:

1. Yamaha’s digital pianos with the GHS action (which have a perfect downweight of 62 grams at Middle C) – like the P-45 (aka P-71) ($399.99 & Free Shipping), P-115 ($599.99 & Free Shipping), and Arius YDP-103 ($899.99 & Free Shipping);
2. The Roland FP-30 ($699.99 & Free Shipping) contains Roland’s pro-level PHA-4 Standard action – which feels even better to me than the GHS. The FP-30 is the best digital piano I’m aware of for under $1,000.

I think of those Yamahas, and that Roland, as the ultimate entry-level and mid-level digital pianos. I think they’re better instruments, and better values, than Kawai digital pianos with the AHA IV-F action.

Real Hammer Action II (RHII) Review

Kawai released the RHII action in 2012.

Three current Kawai digital pianos contain the RHII:

• MP7 (MSRP: $2,199)
• CS4(MSRP: $3,695)
• CP3(MSRP: $5,999-$6,099)

I find the RHII feels noticeably less-realistic than the digital pianos I would recommend.

And, in this price range, there are lots of better options, imo. Current Roland digital pianos, like the FP-30 ($699.99 & Free Shipping) – feel more realistic, in my opinion; and often cost less.

Kawai’s Partnership with Alfred

Kawai has partnered with the Alfred Publishing Company – one of the most highly-regarded music publishers in the world.

On many Kawai digital pianos, MIDI “recordings” of the songs from five of Alfred’s core, “first year” piano method books are built into the pianos – so you can listen to the songs played back, change the tempo, and play along (as you read the sheet music in your Alfred books – which have to be purchased separately).

The music included is from Alfred’s:

• Basic Piano Library (1A and 1B),
• Basic Adult Piano Course (Level 1), and
• Premier Piano Course (1A and 1B).

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From the Kawai Insiders Blog (which has more details*):

As succinctly described on Kawai’s website, “You can play along with any of the pre-recorded Alfred songs [built into Kawai’s digital pianos]…and adjust the tempo, mute either hand, and even compare [a recorded performance of yourself] to the built-in professional performance.”

* The blog link above mentions which digital pianos are loaded with MIDI files from which books. (It varies from instrument to instrument.)

Other Considerations

Full-Size Keys

Many “electronic keyboards” and synthesizers are made with smaller keys than an acoustic piano. For studying piano, one wants to make sure they practice on an instrument with full-size keys.

There’s a good deal of “muscle memory” and spatial learning that develops – having to do with recognizing the feel/distance when we shift from one key to another on a piano. Practicing on an instrument with full-size keys will ensure that this spatial learning takes place properly.

(I worry when students practice on an instrument with smaller keys.)

88 Keys

The instruments we’re looking at here all have 88 keys – like a standard piano. While there are a select few digital pianos with fewer than 88 keys which have realistic actions; in general, a “good” digital piano usually has 88 keys.

The one caveat is that some stage pianos – digital pianos designed to be more portable (for gigging) – are made with fewer keys.

The one stage piano I recommend with fewer than 88 keys is the Roland RD-64, which has 64 keys – while still having a realistic action (Roland’s Ivory Feel-G).

Buying a Pedal

Higher-end digital pianos often come with one to three pedals which look and feel just like the pedals of an acoustic piano. The pedals might even be built into the piano’s stand – so the pedals remain in a fixed position, just like the pedals of an acoustic piano.

This is the ideal situation.

Some quite good digital pianos, however, are designed to be more economical. These instruments can sometimes be purchased without a stand which includes pianistic pedals.

These digital pianos often include a less expensive pedal – like Yamaha’s stock pedal, the FC5:

The Yamaha FC5 – a stock pedal shipped with many Yamaha digital pianos.

These pedals work fine – and true beginners (especially kids) tend to not use the pedal in their first lessons.

However, somewhere down the line (when the pedal is being introduced in lessons), you’ll want to have a pedal that’s the shape and weight of a piano pedal. (This will help develop proper pedal technique.)

If your instrument doesn’t come with its own, pianistic pedal(s), one pedal which can be purchased on its own, and that plugs into all digital pianos, is the M-Audio SP-2 universal sustain pedal ($21.95).

The M-Audio SP-2 ($21.95). A good choice, if your digital piano doesn’t come with a piano-style pedal.

A lot of people like this pedal. It has a grippy, rubber pad on the bottom that keeps it solidly in place. It doesn’t slide around on the floor – as some pedals do. I’m surprised at how well the SP-2 pedal stays in place.

Getting Your Instrument’s Official Stand

Most music stores promote what are known as X Stands. I recommend avoiding these.

They’re called x stands because of their design/look:

An x stand is a generic stand that can be used with any digital piano or electronic keyboard. Because it’s a “one size fits all” scenario, the stand isn’t tailored to your instrument.

I’ve found x stands to be unstable. The keyboard isn’t fastened to the stand – it just rests on top. It can move back and forth on the stand, and can easily fall off.

I see kids in lessons knock over x stands regularly. A keyboard actually fell off an x stand at a lesson I taught a few days after writing this!

Many x stands also tend to be up too high (and not adjustable to a low enough height for proper hand position while playing).

Instead of an x stand, I recommend getting the official stand that’s made for your instrument. Not only do they look nice (the piano and stand are often made to resemble an upright piano):

The Yamaha P-71 Deluxe Bundle on Amazon ($493.18)
includes the P71’s official stand.

But, most importantly:

• Digital pianos and their official stands actually screw together – so the entire thing becomes one solid unit. The keyboard won’t shift around while playing, or fall off, etc.
• And the height of the stand is designed to be appropriate for that instrument. Often, a company will also make their own piano bench – the digital piano, official stand, and bench are designed to go together as a set.Having this three-piece set will ensure one is practicing with everything at its right height to develop proper hand position and playing technique. (One caveat here is that, for younger kids, having a higher (or adjustable) piano bench can be helpful.

Getting the official stand and bench sometimes costs more (figure about $100 for the official stand, if it’s not part of a bundled deal); but many digital piano “bundles” include both, or at least the official stand, for free.

So, if the price is manageable, having the digital piano, with its official stand, is a worthwhile investment.

If one’s budget doesn’t allow for purchasing a stand, it is possible to put together a system that can work. The important factors are that the instrument and bench are at a height so one’s hands and arms can be about parallel to the floor while playing (not having to angle up or down) – and that the piano remains firm and stable while playing.

Two All-purpose Digital Piano Stands

Roland KS-G8b Review

If a digital piano you’re looking at doesn’t have an official stand, the best all-purpose digital piano stand I’m aware of is Roland’s KS-G8 Keyboard Stand ($239.99).

The “b” in the model number indicates its finish – black. (It’s also available in two-tone silver.) Roland seems to have discontinued making these. But the stands are still available for now.

The Roland KS-G8 stand

Reviews consistently are glowing – saying things like:

The height of the KS-G8 is adjustable to three different levels. Based on my research, the KS-G8 is the most stable and sturdy, all-purpose stand for an 88-key (full-size) digital piano.

The concensus on the KS-G8 keyboard stand seems to be that, while the price seems high, it really delivers. And many, inexpensive keyboard stands seem like a great deal (based on a low price). But they’re often not stable while a person plays.

So, a solid stand like the KS-G8 is a worthwhile investment, imo. I’d consider it a great, second choice, to a digital piano’s official stand.

Gator GFW Utility TBL Review

Another good option for an all-purpose digital piano stand would be the Gator Frameworks GFW-UTILITY-TBL Heavy-duty Keyboard Table ($80.39 & Free Shipping).

The Gator GFW UTILITY TBL stand

The solidity of this stand stood out to me while I was doing my research. It’s recommended highly by music stores. And reviews on Amazon are glowing.

Concensus seems to be that:

• It’s the next best thing to the Roland KS-G8, and for less money.
• The padding on the top of the stand holds a digital piano in place really well – almost (but not quite) as well as an official stand that an instrument screws onto.
• It’s uncanny how many people’s reviews mention how bad their x stands are! And how great the Gator stand is in contrast. This is what sells me.

You also get to sound tough when you talk about your Gator UTILITY-TBL.

And the only downside I see appears fixable:

One review suggests that a slight left-to-right movement in the stand can be fixed by pushing the legs outward a bit. (Another reviewer also mentions this fix works for them.)

So, two best options for a stand that should work well with any digital piano would be:

1. The Roland KS-G8 ($239.99 & Free Shipping); and
2. The Gator Frameworks GFW-UTILITY-TBL ($80.39 & Free Shipping).

I’d definitely choose these over an x or z stand. 👍

Escapement and Let-off

Feel free to skip over this! The quick summary is that the only people who need escapement or let-off in a digital piano are professional pianists who prefer playing on grand pianos, rather than upright pianos.

Also, while many great, high-end digital pianos do include these features…

A digital piano’s having escapement or let-off does not necessarily mean it’s a highly realistic or great instrument.

But I wanted to include a discussion of escapement and let-off here, in case you’d find it helpful or interesting.

It’s quite a deep subject!

History and Description

When Bartolomeo Cristofori invented the piano in or around 1700, one of the clever features he built into the piano’s action is a mechanism known as escapement.

This allows the hammers to be “thrown” into each string when a key is pressed – to “escape” from the part of the action that pushes it forward.

1726 portrait of Bartolomeo Cristofori, inventor of the piano.

When a piano key is pressed, the hammer has to escape (or disconnect) from the key before hitting the string. Otherwise, the hammer would stay resting against the string until the player releases/lifts the key. (This would muffle the sound of the string.)

An analogy I’ve heard is that each piano string has to be struck like a bell. The hammers have to hit the strings, and then immediately lift off again, to let the strings ring and make sound.

All contemporary acoustic pianos contain escapement. And almost all digital pianos simply simulate the effect of escapement.

Double Escapement

In 1821, French piano and harp maker, Sébastien Érard, created what’s known as “double escapement,” which introduces a few extra parts to a piano’s action, including what’s known as the “let-off button.”

Double escapement allows the hammers to return to their original position more quickly, even while a key is still being pressed. This allows for faster repetition of the same note/key.

Portrait of Sébastien Érard, inventor of double escapement.

Grand pianos, nowadays, are built with Érard’s double escapement. And upright pianos use Cristofori’s single escapement.

If you press the key of a grand piano very slowly, you’ll feel a slight “click” when the key is pressed partway down. This is the feel of the let-off mechanism of the double escapement.

People who regularly play on grand pianos get used to the feel of that click.

Because upright pianos have single escapement, no click feeling is felt when pressing an upright piano’s keys.

Escapement in Digital Pianos

Some higher-end digital pianos include a feature called escapement. This is a bit confusing because this actually means simulated “double escapement” and “let-off.”

What these digital pianos are actually doing is re-creating the “click” feeling of the let-off button in a grand piano’s double escapement.

In digital pianos, however, because the sound is created electronically (and without strings), the question is, “Does this matter?”

Since what’s being re-created is the click of a grand piano’s key (compared to the non-click of an upright piano’s key), it’s more of a personal preference.

On a digital piano, the actual repetition speed of a key has more to do with the instrument’s sensors; with three sensors often said to be more accurate – and allowing for faster repetition of a key – than two sensors.

Essentially, escapement in a digital piano is a pro-level feature – designed for pianists who prefer playing on grand pianos more than upright pianos. (Or, for pianists who are trying to be as prepared as possible for, say, performing on grand pianos.)

If you’re in this elite group, then digital pianos which mention they include escapement or let-off would be helpful. But, for most purposes, it’s not important.

Basically, a digital piano without escapement or let-off is simulating the feel of an upright piano. And digital pianos with escapement or let-off are simulating the feel of a grand piano.

In my experience, there are better and worse digital pianos that include or don’t include this particular feature. So, seeing that a digital piano contains escapement or let-off doesn’t automatically tell us that it’s a great digital piano.

Comments on Online Stores

Two of the best companies to buy from online, in my opinion (based on my experience and research) are – in no particular order:

• Amazon, and
• eBay.

I’ve bought things a bunch of times from each (as have friends, family and students of mine), and I trust each company 100%. (I buy from Amazon all the time. And I bought my current computer through eBay last year; it’s great, and the transaction was a perfect experience.)

You probably don’t need my take on Amazon, but here’s some info I’ve found about buying digital pianos and music gear on eBay:

eBay Review

The customer service, quality, and reliability of most companies selling new digital pianos on eBay is very high. It’s actually difficult to even find negative feedback/reviews. Most companies I’m linking to on eBay have a 99-100% positive rating! (And many of them have made hundreds of thousands of sales.)

Companies Selling Digital Pianos on eBay

As I did research for this post, I found that many reputable, brick-and-mortar music stores (some well-known) now have eBay stores – where they sell a lot of the digital pianos I most recommend. It’s pretty thriving!

So, even though it’s eBay, you’re often doing business with a company you’ve known for years; and you’ll probably recognize lots of the companies selling new digital pianos there.

Comparing Amazon and eBay

The main difference I’ve found between buying a digital piano on Amazon and eBay is:

Amazon, even when working with resellers, has uniform rules in place that every company has to follow. So, whatever you buy through Amazon has Amazon’s same return policies, etc.

In contrast, eBay offers some guarantees:

However, on eBay, there’s more leeway for each company to decide some of the specifics.

So, if you buy through eBay, there are three things I’ve found helpful to look for – especially when investing in something like a digital piano (or like the computer I bought through eBay last year):

Here’s a screenshot from a digital piano listing on eBay. I’ve drawn arrows showing where you can see info about the shipping and return policy, etc.:

This company, Front Row Electronics, sells one of my favorite digital pianos – the Roland FP-30. They have 99.9% positive feedback (from over 38,000 sales!), a 30-day return policy, and they offer free shipping.

Amazon’s listing for the FP-30 is almost identical to this – same price, etc. The one difference I’ve found is that, on Amazon, return shipping is free; while, on eBay, it’s usually not.

I’d feel very comfortable buying a digital piano from Amazon, or from eBay – from one of these kinds of sellers. 👍

(And, btw, the eBay listings in this post are all to new digital pianos, from sellers on eBay who allow returns, and have about 99-100% positive feedback! And almost all include free shipping…)

International Availability

If you’re reading this from outside the United States, another benefit of both Amazon and eBay is that they automatically redirect the links to that same item in the Amazon or eBay store closest to your country.

This is true in most parts of the world. For instance, if you’re in the UK, and you click an Amazon link, it should take you to that item on Amazon.co.uk.

So, wherever you’re reading this from, the links should hopefully be helpful for you.

Geotargeting – it’s a pretty cool thing!

One Note About Geotargeting On eBay:

Outside the U.S., you may want to double check that a particular seller has a return policy in place, and free shipping – or at least competitive pricing when shipping is factored in. The links here will automatically direct to that item (new, not used) in your country’s eBay store. Though I’m not able to see info about the specific sellers eBay is redirecting to outside the United States.

I hope the geotargeted links work well for you. (And I’d be intrigued to know if they do!)

Questions?

Feel free to contact me if I can share more thoughts – or if you’re looking at a specific digital piano you’d like my take on.

And if you purchase any of the instruments I recommend, I’m happy to give more guidance and ideas to help you get up and running with your digital piano.

The ideas I share in this post are my personal opinions. But I did a lot of research, and put a great deal of thought into my recommendations.

I hope you have a good experience with your digital piano. Let me know if I can be of help.

Thanks!

If you found this information helpful, I’ll just mention that the links on this page to online stores (Amazon and eBay) are affiliate links, where I make a small commission from each sale, at no cost to you.

Thanks, if you happen to purchase through any of those!
♥ ♥ ♥

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the following people and companies for their help in the creation of this guide:

• Mario Igrec, M.M., author of Pianos Inside Out, for guidance on piano touchweight;
• Prosser Piano & Organ, Shoreline, WA – for letting me spend hours doing touchweight tests on their digital and acoustic pianos (and for the great conversation about topics like The King’s Singers!);
• Classic Pianos, Bellevue, WA, for similar help;
• American Music, Seattle, WA, for similar help. (They’re really nice!);
• Kennelly Keys, Seattle, WA, for similar help;
• Ted Brown Music, Seattle, WA, for similar help – and for sharing an outstanding book on the history of pianos with me.
• Computer programmer, Greg Franko, for help implementing the Table of Contents, using Tocify, which is his creation;
• Members of my family, for proofreading and helping me improve the post.

These are all kind and professional, high-quality people and businesses. And good people to have in one’s family!