Best Digital Piano Reviews & Electric Piano Reviews

Welcome to the world of digital Piano!
Whenever we hear the term Piano, what comprehends in the mind is fun, relaxation, chords, passion, and music.

It wouldn’t be inapt to say that people who play piano possess phenomenal talent as it requires a tremendous amount of coordination.

A great pianist via his piano just ennobles the music in a way that no other instrument can match up to.
Playing an instrument enhances a mental relief and a deep sense of satisfaction. A lot of people are drifting about the questions that whether the piano is worth learning and if yes, which piano they should opt for and buy.

The market is actually flooded with various brands and varieties of pianos. So, the kind of confusion that creeps in, is completely justified.

The piano is basically a musical instrument with a keyboard. It is also called pianoforte.
The standard modern piano contains 88 keys and has a compass of seven full octaves plus a few keys.

In the world of keyboard instruments, there are a lot of different varieties: the portable keyboard, arranger keyboard, synthesizer, electric piano, acoustic piano, digital piano and stage piano.

A digital piano has no strings or hammers, but instead, it utilizes electronics in one form or another to produce the sound.

Digital pianos allow for a greater variation in sounds because they allow for sound modification.

Buying a digital piano, especially your first one can be really confusing due to the number of types and styles available in the market.

Adding the cherry on the cake, are the technical terms and jargon that tend to get included in the product descriptions.So here we bring you a definitive guide on how to buy a digital piano.

Steps to Find Best Digital Piano

To ease your purchase, here is a step-by-step guide to help you determine which piano you need to buy.
1. Storability– Simply check the weight and the ease with which the piano can be broken down. This can be one of the main issues in case you need a piano for travel purpose.
2. Dimensions– It is really important to measure the area wherein you want to place the instrument. However, the adjustable standscan help solves any mismatches.
3. Skill Level– Now the choice of a right piano depends on a lot of your experience or skill level. In case you are only a beginner then too many features will only get in your way. So opt for a simple model that has some built-in learning tools. In case you tend to be an advanced pianist, then check for the features like touch response, velocity sensitivity, weighted and semi-weighted actions and others.
4. Cost– Now, this stands as a paramount factor while making a purchase. Analyze your budget well in advance and plan accordingly.
5. Extras– Extras. Make sure that the digital piano you choose has all the extra features that you require. These can be USB connections, MIDI, headphone connections, instrument selection, and connections to PA systems.
6. Do your Homework– Research the specifics and read various online reviews for that expert guidance.
So, look out for these key considerations while you hone the search in order to buy a piano. A lot of critical areas like touch and sound should be delved into while making a purchase. Check for the amplifiers and speakers in case you are planning for a live performance or something in that zone.

Types of Digital Piano

Generally, there are three types of the digital piano: Digital Piano; Ensemble Piano; Stage Piano. Let’s have a look at what they actually comprise of and what makes them different from each other:
1. Digital Piano– A digital piano built into a cabinet is larger than a keyboard with a full 88 note keyboard, a small palette of sounds and usually a built-in metronome.
2. Digital Ensemble Piano– The best and highlighting fact about this piano is that it comes with a vast recording section allowing for compositions and arrangements to be undertaken. It has an auto-accompaniment section similar to that of a keyboard. It gives you an access of the vast palette of sounds and rhythms.
3. Stage Piano– If you are the one who would require portability, then this one is for you. It comes without the cabinet thus, allows for a greater portability.
The best part about buying a digital piano is that you will have access to MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) which allows connection to a computer and is a great modus operandi for the music technology.

Basic Terms :
Moving ahead, let’s first have a glance at the meaning of some of the basic terms that will be used tremendously in the article:
1. Polyphony– It refers to the number of individual notes or tones the piano can produce at once. The highest quality electronic pianos deliver 128-note or 264-note polyphony.
2. Damper Pedal– It is the most commonly used pedal on a modern piano. It is typically the rightmost of two or three pedals.
3. Acoustic Piano– It is a piano that relies on making it sound purely from natural acoustics of felt covered hammers hitting high-tensile steel wire strings.
4. Hammer Action Keys– The “hammer action” keys mean that the key mechanism is in some way replicating the same action found on acoustic pianos. Here the resistance comes from a small hammer located and attached by a lever system near the key, rather than a spring.

Top Digital Piano Brands

The market is flooded with the varieties of digital pianos. Among those are pianos from the best and renowned brands known for their quality and service. Let’s have a look at some of the best and top brands in the market of digital pianos:

1. Yamaha

Yamaha is a Japanese piano company and makes many different models of acoustic and digital pianos. In fact, they also happen to make more pianos than anyone else in the world. It has years of experience producing both acoustic and digital instruments. It is a brand that strives continuously to provide refined technology.
Significantly over time, Yamaha has improved a lot on their products. Yamaha is a brand that offers an instrument for musicians at every level. In short, Yamaha comes with a solution to every need of the pianists, both for beginners as well as advanced. In short, it is the most diverse brand you will ever come across.
People buy Yamaha products because of the legacy and the reliability they carry along.

Yamaha Top Digital Piano Reviews: Yamaha P35, Yamaha DGX650, Yamaha P105, Yamaha P155, Yamaha P255,  Yamaha YPG 535, Yamaha Moxf8, Yamaha CP4, Yamaha YDP181

2. Casio

The Casio Company has its worldwide headquarters in Tokyo, Japan and has been producing digital pianos for over 30 years. They also produce keyboards, pro synthesizers, as well as being famous for calculators, advanced digital cameras, sports & consumer watches, advanced digital technology for communication devices, and some very impressive new digital computer technology.
The best part about their products is that they are reasonable and are genuinely priced. The main reason behind this is that Casio produces their own computer chips and proprietary micro technology rather than buying it from outside, which eventually decreases their cost.
To sum up, this is one particular brand that is known for giving best quality products at less of price or let’s say at a very reasonable price that every Casio purchase is worth the deal.

Casio Top Digital Piano Reviews: Casio Privia PX 150, Casio PX 750, Casio PX 850, Casio PX 860 Privia

3. Roland

Roland started making digital pianos, many years ago and is well known throughout the world for building high quality, advanced digital music products that are preferred and used by both beginners and advance players.
If you are picky about the quality of the product and cannot compromise on this aspect then Roland is a brand for you. Roland is a brand that is known for innovations and improvements. Every time they come up with a new product, it is much better and an improved version of their previous one.
However, fetching the price info on Roland products is a little tough as they do not publish the prices of their products on the web. Except one or two, Roland usually comes in a high priced range, but given the quality, they come in, the price range is completely justified.

Roland Digital Piano Reviews: Roland RD-300 NX, Roland RD-800 , Roland F 120

4. Kawai

The Kawai is a musical instrument manufacturing company headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan. They have been producing digital pianos and acoustic pianos for decades and is well known and respected worldwide for building high-quality instruments.
Kawai Company is known to build concert quality acoustic grand pianos used by pro musicians, teachers, churches, and schools around the world.
Kawai basically focuses on building beautiful pianos, with unprecedented quality. Kawai pianos are known to emphasize depth of tone and due to this, it is preferred by all over the world by accomplished pianists.

Kawai Top Digital Piano Reviews: Kawai CE-220, Kawai ES-100

Now, let’s examine, some of the best products delineated by these very brands:

3 Best Digital Piano Recommendations (With Reviews)

Yamaha DGX650 Digital Piano Review

Yamaha is one of the top most brands in the world of digital pianos. The brand has earned tremendous recognition via the quality of products it provides.
Yamaha DGX650 is the most versatile and feature-laden piano that you will find in the market. It is marketed primarily towards beginning pianists and semi-professional players.

It captures some incredible features that make with a whole lot of playing experience easier and more comfortable.
The best part is that it has a keyboard that provides an acoustic piano tone and touch as well as the ability to blend piano sounds, sampled from some of Yamaha’s finest pianos.

Check full review of Yamaha DGX650 Digital Piano 

Roland RD 300 NX Digital Piano Review

There is no second opinion about the fact that Digital pianos are ruling the piano market.A few years ago, nobody would have thought that the sale of digital pianos would be burgeoning and they will be topping the charts.
A lot of pianists now claim that digital pianos have tremendously overpowered the acoustic pianos.  Digital pianos are a more advanced version of a traditional acoustic piano. They basically simulate the way a real piano sound and is played.
A digital piano has no hammers, strings or any of the moving parts you find in an acoustic piano. However, better quality digital pianos may have a weighted key action feature that tries to imitate the feel of an acoustic piano keyboard.
Amongst this cut-throat competition, few brands manage to gain the limelight due to their exceptional and magnificent product quality. Roland is no different.

Check full review of Roland RD 300 NX Digital Piano 

Comparison of Top 3 Digital Pianos

Now, if you ask us that out of the three which is the best; then let me state that each has its own edge over the others.
Casio PX850 digital piano is an excellent choice for its price and is considerably less money than the Roland piano. The PX850 is also a new model than the Roland pianos and offer USB direct connect the output to iPad or computer.

The PX850 is using Casio’s latest upgraded digital technology that, in my opinion, exceeds any other digital piano in this lower price range for what it offers in a furniture cabinet piano.
However, as a beginner, if you tend to enjoy the experience of an acoustic piano, blindly go for the Roland one. If you are the one who wants to play music for relaxation and fun and experience the best feel than going for Yamaha DGX650 as it is a great instrument for the right purposes and offers fun entertainment for the entire family.

Benefits of Choosing a Digital Piano

Before we delve into the key considerations and the steps you need to keep in mind while buying a piano, let’s have a look at some of the advantages of buying a digital piano:
1. Cost– Digital pianos generally cost far less than their acoustic counterparts and so is their maintenance.
2. Portability– They are easily portable and are much lighter in weight as compared to their counterparts. They are usually more compact and can be easily broken down for effective storage.
3. Space– A digital piano occupies much less space than an acoustic piano and doesn’t require tuning, therefore they can be placed in most rooms regardless of temperature and humidity. Moreover, a digital piano can be played through headphones, therefore eliminating the necessity to locate it in a room where it will not disturb others.
4. Connectivity– Most digital pianos have MIDI capability, allowing you to connect to computers and recording equipment. Many of them come with a USB port while some come with flash memory cards, making connections simpler.
5. Sound Quality– The sound quality of a digital piano is much better than a keyboard because they typically have built in speakers. In fact, most of the digital pianos allow you to record your performance that can be beneficial in case you plan to record your own songs.
6. Tuning– Digital pianos never need tuning, and can even be transposed to play in a different key at the touch of a button. This particular aspect makes the whole piano playing experience a lot more convenient.
7. Volume– Its volume can be easily controlled and they generally include headphone outputs to practice in private. The best part is that they imbibe sound sets that are built into digital pianos which make it easier to add drums and percussion and many other sounds to enhance your performance.
These reasons are worth enough to spellbind your purchase. Now, let’s have a look at the steps that you need to execute in order to make an effective purchase.

Advantages of Playing Piano

Now, if you ask about what are the advantages of playing the piano, go and ask a pianist. He will let you know that playing the piano is far beyond the skill acquisition and learning music.It enriches your life for good.
The advantages or benefits you will derive while learning piano, I am pretty damn sure you are going to cherish that lifetime. In fact, playing piano has many health benefits, both mental and physical. Let’s have a look at some of them:
1. Calmer approach towards life– Music is known to calm you and relieve your stress and anxiety. Now, sitting down to play the piano requires a certain amount of dedication and help your mind to refocus that eventually will relax you and relieve your stress. It is even known to calm down a person’s blood pressure, increased energy levels, sexual function and muscle mass.It is surely a rational stress reducing therapy that is recognized by health and fitness expert professionals.
2. Eye and Hand Coordination– Playing the piano requires you to read as well as play, eventually fostering eye and hand coordination. Each hand performs entirely different movements and has to learn to work together stimulating multiple parts of the brain. This enhancement of coordination is truly beneficial for an individual.
3. Language Development– Various studies have revealed that the brain activity that is acquired in youth through music continues to benefit through adulthood. A person tends to develop a faster approach and efficiently learns any alien language at a faster pace.
4. Social Approach– In today’s time one cannot ignore the importance of this aspect. It helps you build connections ad you learn to respect and appreciate the work of others. All these things eventually build up your social circle and imbibe a social approach to life.
5. Improves Neural Connections-Various studies acclaim that neural firings happen when music is being played, suggesting that playing instruments like the piano may hold the key to higher brain function.A lot of people have claimed that playing piano has reduced their depression by a significant amount. In short, playing the piano increases the cognitive development of an individual.
6. Builds creativity– It brings out the creative aspect of an individual and strives him to improve on a regular basis. Playing the piano requires you to be creative every time you play. I think this is one of the main reasons that musicians tend to be more creative thinkers and able problem solvers than compared to other human beings.
7. A step towards future success– Qualities like discipline, patience, coordination, etc. are imbibed automatically in a piano player. It even tends to increase your ability to memorize. All these skills help you to strive success and excellence in the future.
These are some of the advantages out of the lot that gives you enough reasons to start learning and playing piano from today.