Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards MP11SE for a beginner

Dear all
I began leaning the piano only a year or so ago. I live in a flat with very thin walls so an acoustic piano is out of the question and in fairness I only ever play with headphones on in order to get neighbor friendly volume to practice dynamics. I have an ES110 which I do like but which feels like a toy compared to the piano I receive lessons on. From online reading I see that the MP11SE is most piano like of all the digital keyboards. Is it a ridiculous idea to just replace what I have with essentially a pro keyboard? Would I be better waiting another year or so for a MP12 by which time I'd probably appreciate more of the features? The cost of the instrument isn't really an issue.

Any thoughts appreciated.
Thanks

Hello trevnopiano, welcome to the forum.

I'm a strong believer in the notion of "buying the best that you can afford". If you're fortunate enough to be in a position whereby the cost of an instrument is not a major factor, my recommendation would be to purchase the MP11SE, or another similarly-specced DP. Regardless of your level, if you enjoy playing and believe your practise would be enhanced by a higher quality instrument, go for it!

I am obviously a little biased toward the MP11SE, however you may also wish to consider other options. It's important to play-test as many instruments as possible before making your decision.

Best of luck!

Kind regards,
James
x

ps. Yamaha binaural sampling crew in 3...2...1...

+1

Hi Trevnopiano,

You might expect Kawai James to advocate buying the most expensive piano being a Kawai rep; however, I would put it another way: you want to get the best action for your budget! This normally applies to when you first buy, with the exception of complete beginners...Why? Well, complete beginners might not last it out. Not much point in spending several 1000's of dollars if the user might give up in 6 months. Why buy the best action? Well, mainly because it's more enjoyable to play on a great action.

If you are sure you are going to take this up for the long-term, then yes, you might want a better action than that on the ES110.

With this in mind, the way to go is to set a budget: one in which you absolutely can't go beyond.
Then consider what's out there upto and including that max amount: both used and new models.

My test list for you would include the following:

Kawai MP11
Kawai VPC1
Kawai ES8
Roland RD2000
Roland FP90
Yamaha P515

Out of those, the RD2000 and the MP11 are my favourites---both have really good actions.
If you prefer a heavier action, the Yamaha P515 gives you that.

Kind regards,,

Doug.

Online reading is misleading. Confusing, distracting, deceiving, contradictory.
Instead, just try the MP11 for yourself and decide.
If you've been at it for a year and still feel commitment then it makes perfect sense to get a better piano.
But there's no need to wait for an MP12 ... or for any other new model.Very little changes from one piano to its successor. Very little.

And don't be side-tracked by features. The only "features" that matter are touch and sound.

I'm in the same position, I started learning a couple of months ago and had an MP6 which I purchased back in 2012, but a lot has changed, DP's have improved a lot, and I heard such great things about the MP11SE and decided to buy it. It's so awesome, so delicious to play and a huge upgrade, well worth it!

Some might disagree, but in my mind better action creates better results. "I can't play La Campanella blindfolded whilst giving a speech on renewable energy, there's no point upgrading my P125" is an argument I do not agree with.

Sure, you can give Listsa and Lang Lang one of those piano toys with each key making an animal noise and they'll find a way to make the mooos and the meooows sound heavenly. I am not nor I want to become either of them. What I found, though, is that if I play the same thing on a PX160, on an FP90 and on an NV10 (and of course on an acoustic), the result is different. Significantly. I'm not talking about audio quality, but rather expressiveness, nuances, details. Are the better actions and engines covering for my average technique, as it's easier to express myself on those than on a PX160? heck yes, and I'm cool with it.

But equally, I can train my technique using an instrument that allows for a wider array of opportunities from the very start, as opposed to a less complete one. You can say it's cheating: if you become a monster on a PX160, imagine on a Steinway D! All good, but I'd rather start maybe not from a D, but on something that doesn't feel miles away from it and gives me the opportunity to absorb the right movements and subtleties since the very beginning. Maybe I have this viewpoint because my teenage studies were on an acoustic and I'm not a native DP guy.

Morale of the story: I'm totally on the "best you can afford" bandwagon.

P.s. Thanks James for making me lol with your binaural brigade thing

There's a massive difference between making a piece somehow work on a terrible instrument and actually practising on one day in day out. You can 100% guarantee that Lisitsa and Lang Lang would not be where they are today if that's all they had to work with! That's what annoys me so much about those examples that get trotted out time after time when discussing the merits of different instruments. Learn to play La Campanella, by hook or by crook, on a dodgy upright and if you had to play it on a concert grand you'd be stuffed!

Thanks folks. Its also my birthday next week so this does look like a pretty good way to celebrate another lap round the sun.

I totally agree with Doug M., this couple is the best what you can buy now. Try them both. I would say RD2000 is probably more beginner-friendly, it has lighter action that is absolutely joy to play, both classical music and jazz/pop/rock. MP11's action is significantly heavier, it is a kind of keyboard for professional classical training IMO.

Happy Birthday Trevnopiano , I have both the RD 2000 and the MP11 , get the Kawai MP11 SE ,it is a lot more piano like than the Roland , the RD 2000 is a keyboard that can do about any thing you want it t to but for a great piano experience the MP11 SE will give you that .

Why all discussion is just around slabs? Especially, that OP wrote that the cost of the instrument isn't really an issue. I would not recommend a slab for a flat. Had a bad experience with it.

If this is true, the MP11SE is absolutely perfect for you.

You get a professional touch and sound now and you can add external speakers if the need arises.

The only issue that I think needs to be mentioned is weight.

The MP11SE is a bit on the heavy side (75lbs) so you will not want to be moving it around a lot.

It certainly can be moved but it takes a bit of effort.

Otherwise I highly recommend it for you.

It is the finest digital piano I have ever owned.

+1.

Aaahhh! The heavenly sound of truth....

Exactly. Craftsmen might be able to work wonders with crappy tools. But that doesn't mean that they prefer crappy tools.

Amen.

Although I suspect not many people have a concert standard grand in their personal possession. Many piano teachers around my area, for example, including myself, actually, only have an upright. Not exactly a "dodgy" one, but you get my point. The pianos my teachers owned when I was young were uprights or one teacher that had a very dodgy grand. The uprights were better. Yet these teachers were accomplished pianists. You're talking Lang Lang standard. Ok, that's different. But one would assume Lang Lang has a piano by Kawai or Yamaha or something that he is sponsored by. I remember my violin teacher when I was young had a violin that was worth about £30,000 and the bow was worth £5000. This guy had nothing in his fridge.

The main difference in pianos I find is between uprights and grands. Different mechanism. Stands to reason. All the other differences are quirks, assuming they're not actually broken.

And yes, if you can afford an MP then go for it, the adage of buying the best you can afford is certainly wise when applying to musical instruments. Not least for longevity.

+1 to Zaphod.

I know professional pianists who played on cheap casio slabs for their whole childhood. Practice and diligence and talent are much more important for attaining skill than the equipment used.

That said, better actions and better sound engines can increase the musical enjoyment and what you are able to extract from the instrument musically. I've spent way too much money om pianos myself for that reason.

The Kawai MP11SE was my second digital piano/keyboard. I first bought a Casio Privia PX560. I wasn't thrilled with the action, especially when playing deep into the keys. It was noticeable harder to press the keys closer to the "fall board." I sold it after a few months and bought the MP11SE. It was the best $2800 I ever spent. The action feels and plays like The Yamaha C5 that I have in my possession (I don't own it.) Also, the triple pedal unit (which is optical) is without peer in the digital piano market. I never breaks and it never needs to be calibrated.... unlike pedals that rely upon electromechanical pots.

As to the samples, they are perfectly fine but I rarely use them even when practicing. I have at least a dozen VST piano libraries KeyScape, Ivory II, Addictive Keys, Garritan Abbey Road CFX (which is awful), Ravenscroft 275, True Keys, etc... My go-to is Pianoteq Pro 6.7.1. So, all that matters to me is the action. I'll supply the sounds.