Thanks,
Rob
*So it would have to fit on my desk..which is big..but I don't think a digital piano would fit
Full Version: Keyboards..
At the moment I am doing a Grade 7 ABRSM exam in Piano. I would like to get a keyboard that I can carry around, and can connect to my computer for composition*, however I have found that standard 61 key keyboards simply aren't big enough! I figured that this is probably one of the better places to ask, so - Does anyone here know of any good quality keyboards (76/88 key) that can be bought in the UK for under £200 (~$400). To be honest I don't really care what country it comes from..but international shipping on something that big (~10kg) seems to be quoted quite high by american websites >.>
Thanks,
Rob
*So it would have to fit on my desk..which is big..but I don't think a digital piano would fit
Thanks,
Rob
*So it would have to fit on my desk..which is big..but I don't think a digital piano would fit
I used to have a Roland G800, which I sold about 7 years ago. I seem to think it had 76 keys and, as keyboards go, it was very good. Worth checking out and should be possible to find one in your price range. Hope this helps.
QUOTE(IceColdFlame @ Oct 22 2008, 03:22 PM) 
At the moment I am doing a Grade 7 ABRSM exam in Piano. I would like to get a keyboard that I can carry around, and can connect to my computer for composition*, however I have found that standard 61 key keyboards simply aren't big enough! I figured that this is probably one of the better places to ask, so - Does anyone here know of any good quality keyboards (76/88 key) that can be bought in the UK for under £200 (~$400). To be honest I don't really care what country it comes from..but international shipping on something that big (~10kg) seems to be quoted quite high by american websites >.>
Thanks,
Rob
*So it would have to fit on my desk..which is big..but I don't think a digital piano would fit
Dolphin Music are usually good at this sort of stuff. A quick look at their site reveals 76 and 88 key keyboards at under £200. I don't know if they're any good though.
Thanks for the advice
QUOTE(IceColdFlame @ Oct 22 2008, 04:22 PM)
At the moment I am doing a Grade 7 ABRSM exam in Piano. I would like to get a keyboard that I can carry around, and can connect to my computer for composition*, however I have found that standard 61 key keyboards simply aren't big enough! I figured that this is probably one of the better places to ask, so - Does anyone here know of any good quality keyboards (76/88 key) that can be bought in the UK for under £200 (~$400). To be honest I don't really care what country it comes from..but international shipping on something that big (~10kg) seems to be quoted quite high by american websites >.>
Thanks,
Rob
*So it would have to fit on my desk..which is big..but I don't think a digital piano would fit
Ask Skylark!
QUOTE(Mad Tom @ Oct 22 2008, 06:13 PM)
QUOTE(IceColdFlame @ Oct 22 2008, 04:22 PM)
At the moment I am doing a Grade 7 ABRSM exam in Piano. I would like to get a keyboard that I can carry around, and can connect to my computer for composition*, however I have found that standard 61 key keyboards simply aren't big enough! I figured that this is probably one of the better places to ask, so - Does anyone here know of any good quality keyboards (76/88 key) that can be bought in the UK for under £200 (~$400). To be honest I don't really care what country it comes from..but international shipping on something that big (~10kg) seems to be quoted quite high by american websites >.>
Thanks,
Rob
*So it would have to fit on my desk..which is big..but I don't think a digital piano would fit
Ask Skylark!
Yes I'm a bit evangelical about mine I'm afraid! 
This is what I've said about it on a different thread.
QUOTE(skylark @ Jul 22 2008, 02:10 PM)
I just bought a digital piano because I want to understand theory better. Having bought it I think it's got a beautiful tone (not that I've got anything to compare it with but nevertheless, I think it sounds lovely 
).
It's a portable digital piano (it looks like a keyboard but it isn't - see my thread about the difference!) and the whole lot - piano, adapter, sustain pedal, instrument stand and delivery - only cost about £220.
You can use headphones with it, and it has MIDI terminals, and using a USB-MIDI interface, you can connect to the computer. I haven't looked into this side of things because I haven't even learnt to play yet but it's good to have that capability.
It's also got all sorts of functions on it that I haven't even begun to explore yet. Like you can transpose the pitch, fine tune the pitch, add reverb, combine voices (it has 2 piano voices, 2 organ voices, strings and various others).
It's got touch sensitive keys and you can adjust the sensitivity. It has 76 keys, so not quite the full range but I'm sure it will be enough up to intermediate level and even beyond... this is what Mad Tom said about the compass:
I know I was the one that suggested you should look at a full-compass keyboard, but yours will nevertheless let you play everything Bach and Scarlatti wrote, most if not all of the works of Haydn and Mozart, and a very great deal of Beethoven, and even a lot of Chopin - including quite a few of the etudes - and later composers (including Scriabin Preludes!). Enough to keep you busy (and happy) for a year or two!
I'm so impressed with it. I haven't tried other digital pianos but this one does everything I want it to do and more. It's the Yamaha NP-30. Let me know if you want to know where I got it from because I bought it online, and it came the next day. I bought a bag to go with it as well, which is too big for the instrument but I didn't want it to get knocked around.
I think it's a fantastic instrument and tremendous value for money. If you're looking to save money on a piano so that you can spend it on your daughter's first instrument, I would really recommend this one. I'm so impressed with it that now I'm booked to have piano lessons to learn how to play it properly
(...must stop going on about it, but it's got me so excited ...)
PS. Please don't just take my word for it though that it can do all the things I've mentioned because I haven't used most of the features to say for sure - to be on the safe side, please check with the retailer!
). It's a portable digital piano (it looks like a keyboard but it isn't - see my thread about the difference!) and the whole lot - piano, adapter, sustain pedal, instrument stand and delivery - only cost about £220.
You can use headphones with it, and it has MIDI terminals, and using a USB-MIDI interface, you can connect to the computer. I haven't looked into this side of things because I haven't even learnt to play yet but it's good to have that capability.
It's also got all sorts of functions on it that I haven't even begun to explore yet. Like you can transpose the pitch, fine tune the pitch, add reverb, combine voices (it has 2 piano voices, 2 organ voices, strings and various others).
It's got touch sensitive keys and you can adjust the sensitivity. It has 76 keys, so not quite the full range but I'm sure it will be enough up to intermediate level and even beyond... this is what Mad Tom said about the compass:
QUOTE(Mad Tom @ Jul 18 2008, 09:44 AM)
I know I was the one that suggested you should look at a full-compass keyboard, but yours will nevertheless let you play everything Bach and Scarlatti wrote, most if not all of the works of Haydn and Mozart, and a very great deal of Beethoven, and even a lot of Chopin - including quite a few of the etudes - and later composers (including Scriabin Preludes!). Enough to keep you busy (and happy) for a year or two!
I'm so impressed with it. I haven't tried other digital pianos but this one does everything I want it to do and more. It's the Yamaha NP-30. Let me know if you want to know where I got it from because I bought it online, and it came the next day. I bought a bag to go with it as well, which is too big for the instrument but I didn't want it to get knocked around.
I think it's a fantastic instrument and tremendous value for money. If you're looking to save money on a piano so that you can spend it on your daughter's first instrument, I would really recommend this one. I'm so impressed with it that now I'm booked to have piano lessons to learn how to play it properly
(...must stop going on about it, but it's got me so excited
...)PS. Please don't just take my word for it though that it can do all the things I've mentioned because I haven't used most of the features to say for sure - to be on the safe side, please check with the retailer!
You would need to look into the cost of the MIDI interface - I don't know how much they are as it's not something I want to do at the moment. I've since had a cover made for mine and bought a fold-flat portable stool.
My 76-key piano only just goes in the boot of my car, and it's a fairly big boot. I'm not sure an 88-key piano would go in so it's worth checking.
I've had it about 3 months now and I'm still thrilled with it
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