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I'm beginning my university studies in September. Unfortunately, I wasn't accepted to the music school this year, so I won't have access to the practice rooms. I'm sure there are probably decent pianos around campus that I can use, and there are a few practice rooms in each of the dorms (I'm not sure if they have decent pianos or even any pianos at all), so I'll probably end up buying a keyboard for my dorm room, so that I can still practice my endless hours.

So my question is this: which keyboard(s) would you guys recommend? I'm looking for something with 88 keys and relatively good action that feels somewhat like an acoustic piano (and maybe a pedal, too?). I'm not sure I can afford anything much more than $1000.

Thanks.


Edit: Sorry, I'm not certain of the terminology. I mean an electric piano (not a big grand acoustic, of course... ). Or is keyboard the right word?

You may be surprised, but there are quite a few choices out there. For starters, you could look for a decent used instrument. In Minneapolis, we have a store called Music Go Round. Or, the Casio Privia series and/or PS series are relatively inexpensive and have great sound. Some used keyboards, I find, don't 'feel' quite as good as a newer one. Just make sure you really like the sound! (with and without headphones)

Keyboards and digital pianos are usually thought to mean different things (although 'keyboard' can imply any instrument in the category: organ, piano, etc.)...

Check out Yamaha's digital pianos... The best of them are *really* good (dynamic sustain pedal, keys that hit the targets if you deliver the sufficient force - without having to press them all the way (like in real pianos), etc.), but you'll certainly get a decent one (hammer-action, 88 keys, at least two pedals) with 1000 bucks...

J.,

Check this in person. Some universities do allow students to use the practice rooms, even if they are not associated with the music dept. If there is no formal system, then stroll over and talk with a professor or other staff member.

Find someone who is interested in the same kind of music and build a rapport, talk music or play for someone with authority over there, form a relationship with a professor, for example, and you might even get a key to the building.

I did.

I mean...

Well, don't give up on it. You're going to have to win them over with your charm.



Good luck.

Sam,

Stroll over to "Digital Pianos - Synths & Keyboards" forum where you will find a lot of informed opinions on this subject.

The most popular seem to be the Yamaha P series. The P120 new will be a little over your budget.

For a little better you would want the P250 or the PF500, but of course they will blow your budget. There are some good Roland choices as well. Again you may have to find a used one to meet your $$ target.

As always, you must try some out to see which keyboard feels best to you.

Good luck with your studies.

I have a Yamaha P120 and recommend it highly.

You can get them on the Internet for just under $1000. Most brick-and-mortar dealers will match Internet prices if you take them proof of it.

You'll need a good set of headphones that do not amplify the sound from the source. Most headphones automatically amplify the sound because the assumption is you're plugging into a battery-powered devices. AC powered devices do not need this degree of amplification (apparently), and it actually makes the sound from a P120 too loud (so it's then difficult to play pp, for example).

I started off with some fairly good Senheiser headphones, but they didn't have an AC source mode. I got some of those Bose ambient noise canceling headphones, and they have a switch for AC source and battery source. The difference is really quite amazing. I get a MUCH more realistic dynamic range from the keyboard with the headphones set to the AC source mode.

pianojerome,

I have attended two universities and I have taught at two others. At none of these were practice rooms restricted to a certain class of student. At several (Duke and Colgate), sign-up sheets gave preference to students enrolled in classes that required them to practice, but all registered students could take any remaining time on the sheets. Also, I cannot recall ever being evicted from an empty practice room unless its rightful user showed up. Then I would simply trundle over to the next empty room to continue my work. It was a rare day (or evening) that I could find no available space.

The situation you are describing suggests an incredible excess demand for practice time (is this school underendowed? Can't they afford enough practice instruments or rooms?) or an annoyingly haughty attitude about who can and cannot touch their precious instruments.

David F
AKA PianoDad

Sorry for multiple posts. The button went crazy.

That was the same experience I had in the university I attended and I was in a completely different faculty with no music courses whatsoever in my course load.

GC

Sam, you can get into the practice rooms at the Music School ... just not the ones with the Steinway grands (those are for piano majors I think). First make sure you go into the lowest level and then there should be rows of practice rooms with various uprights (so far I've seen Kawai, Boston, Yamaha, and Steinway)

If you go during a nonpeak hour (like dinnertime or early morning) you can most suredly get a practice room. I've gone consistenly at like 3 pm cuz I used to take classes on North Campus, and even when it's busy, it's not been more than a 15 minute wait for a practice room to open up. In my four years at Michigan, there has not been a single time when I was not able to get into a practice room.

So, please, rest assured. Also I think they don't lock the practice rooms with the uprights.

Sam, I just purchased a Yamaha P60 about a month ago, they are about $800, and it is honestly one of the most awesome things I've ever bought. I use it mainly for practicing while the family is home so I don't annoy the heck out of them with rumbling acoustic upright. It has 88 graded keys and is is incredibaly responsive.

here's the link to it so you can check it out.
Fully recommend it my friend.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=key/s=digitalpiano/search/detail/base_pid/707423/

And I'd also recommend Aaron's P120 if you have the extra cash, I'm sure that's another step up, but the P60 does beautifully for me.

That's reassuring!

Here's the e-mail I got from one of the professors (in response to my question about whether or not I can use the practice rooms):

"They are available only for music students. There are some practice facilities in the dorms."

I was thinking of going anyway around 6:30 or 7:00 in the morning so that I could practice (hopefully) for a few hours before class. I'm sure there won't be too many music majors over there at 6:30 in the morning!

Sam,

Just make sure you've got your priorities straight. Many students attending major universities don't have free minutes much less free hours every day!

Sam,
If you've started looking at the digital piano forum, you will have noticed that some models are sold in generic music stores and over the internet; higher end models are sold only at piano dealerships. But there are also some "in-between" models that are inexpensive, with similar or identical action to the dealership-only models. In the case of Yamaha, there is a "YDP" model, I think, that is like a low-end CLP model but with a less-fancy cabinet. There is also the same thing in the Roland world.

Two more things:
(1) As an accomplished pianist, I would think that you would want a cabinet-style digital piano, not a stage piano, unless portability is top priority (i.e. moving it to storage for the summer). But, given your background, I would think that fixed pedals are a bigger factor for you. BTW some models have half-pedal capability.

(2) The action will be critical for you. Generally speaking, Roland is the lightest, Yamaha and Kawai are heavier. You'll need to try them to see what suits your taste.

I own a Roland F100 that I am generally happy with. BUT -- no sostenuto, no half-pedal capability. And the bass is muddy when I play Rach prelude C# minor (but that holds for a lot of acoustics too!) Still, I got it for $1400 two years ago. They are probably cheaper now, or there is a replacement.

The Yamaha P-120 has half-pedaling, but it allows for only 2 pedals, so if you want both una corde and sostenuto, you're out of luck. I can easily live without sostenuto, so no problem for me.

If I was going to college again, especially if I was living in a cramped dorm room, I'd want a luggable stage piano like the P-120, not a clavinova built into a case with fixed pedals. Anyhow, that would be my personal preference.