In this article, we’re going to discuss how you can best determine what digital piano with 88 weighted keys you should purchase. We’ll compare and contrast models and brands, and base our decision not just on the quality of the keybed and piano’s features, but also it’s price and overall what it offers you as a piano player.
Be sure to quickly take a look at our interactive table below that features a small handful of fantastic digital pianos that have 88 weighted keys. They all are different and offer something unique, and because of that, you can compare each instrument to one another based on price, weight, and average customer review ratings.
How to Tune a Digital Piano?
Whilst acoustic pianos rely on strings and mechanical mechanisms to produce their sounds, the digital piano uses recorded sounds to produce audio. The mechanical operation of the acoustic piano means that it will require manual and professional tuning from time to time.
Depending on the style and the quality of the acoustic piano, this could mean that the acoustic piano will need to be tuned a couple of times a year to ensure that it is in tune with itself as well as other instruments that may be playing with it. Digital pianos however never actually need to be tuned because they use recorded sounds of notes that remain perfectly in tune.
There may, however, come a time when you want to tune your digital piano for one reason or another. Perhaps you are playing with several instruments that have been tuned to the same level and want your digital piano to match them rather than tuning all the other instruments.
Not all digital pianos have a tuning feature. This is because they do not really need it. If your digital stage piano has got a tuner, however, it is as simple as pressing the relevant button on the menu to bring up the tuning feature controls and then simply altering the pitch to be more sharp or flat. You can do this with accuracy thanks to the digital operation.
It is important that you do not confuse the term ‘tuning’ with ‘transposing’ however. These two terms have completely different. Many digital pianos come with the option to transpose and it can be a very useful feature to use.
When you transpose a piano, you essentially alter the key that the digital piano is being played in, and you can also transpose the piano up or down an octave most of the time too. This is particularly useful if you are playing with an instrument that plays in a different key to the music that you are using.
Transposing with a digital piano couldn’t be easier. You will need to first ensure that you piano offers this feature before you begin and check your manual for precise instructions about how to transpose the key.
Usually, like with tuning, you will be able to adjust the transposition by quite simply pressing a few buttons. Most digital pianos are very easy to use and if you do struggle with changing any settings, you should keep referring to your manual. More at https://www.brandreviewly.com/finding-the-best-88-key-digital-piano/.
Significance of 88 Keys That Are Weighted?
As expected, one major characteristic of a digital piano that heavily influences purchases is the presence of 88 weighted keys.
Digital pianos come in different ranges and sizes, but the most standard of them is a full length keybed containing 88 keys. 88-keys is the basic range that pianos have been made with for many years, and this range consists of 52 white keys, 36 black keys, all ranging over 7 octaves plus a minor third.
The only real exception to this comes from very expensive pianos made by Austrian manufacturers B?sendorfer, which sometimes come with an extended 92 keys.
As the making of digital pianos have progressed, the weight behind the keys has only increased and been made more technologically advanced than ever before. Nowadays digital pianos have exquisite hammer action key systems that are made to the exact detail of the real hammer action in an actual acoustic or grand piano. There are varying levels of detail, cost, and weight that come with these systems.
Inexpensive Options for 88 Weighted Keys
First, let’s discuss the cheaper option for those interested in an weighted, 88-key digital piano One such model is that of the Williams Allegro.
Williams Pianos is a lesser-known company, but they produce dependable machines that appeal to those that are not willing to drop huge stacks of cash on digital pianos.
The Allegro comes with a hammer action system that is not trademarked, but certainly gets the job done. The keys on the piano are all velocity sensitive, so the expression of your music will always come through, instead of the uniform velocity that you see on many a cheap digital piano.
The piano also comes with 8 dependable tones, a metronome, a two track recording system, and MIDI connectivity. All of this for around $300 is truly an amazing package.
I have to keep it real, however, and that means the truth is most people aren’t feeling Williams Pianos. And if you’re one of those people, you may want to try another affordable option. If so, I’d recommend the Yamaha P-115.
The P-105 has been one of best selling options on the market for years, and it provides everything a piano player needs.
This piano features Yamaha’s Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) key system, a dependable and awesome option for this price range of piano. It has hard, soft, medium, and fixed touch sensitivity settings, along with the tone generation of the original Pure CF Sound Engine, which features real authentic piano samples.
The 14 voices housed on the machine are backed by 128 notes of polyphony, along with 14 demo songs for each instrument. From a list price of $1000 down to a bargain $600, this is certainly one of the best options out there. More at https://www.brandreviewly.com/best-digital-pianos/.
