Buying Advice - Electric Pianos/Keyboards

Main Types of Electric Pianos/Keyboards

There are a large range of these on the market, ranging from general purpose keyboards with lightweight keys to dedicated 'digital pianos' which are designed primarily to be a serious alternative to a real upright or grand piano. The most popular types are:

General Purpose Keyboards

These generally have a 'cut-down' keyboard (61 notes instead of the 76 usually found on an upright piano) and a large range of sounds and backing rhythms. Although not considered a serious instrument, some models (such as the very popular Yamaha E313) can be used as a 'budget' alternative to real piano as they offer touch-sensitive keys and a remarkable good 'acoustic piano' sound. Because of this, instruments of this type are frequently used in school music classes as they are very versatile and affordable. These are also available as part of the Ritz Music Rent-to-Buy Scheme

Piano-Style Keyboards

These relatively new instruments are becoming very popular as they are much more 'piano-like' than the general-purpose models above, whilst still being considerably cheaper than digital pianos. They generally feature a full 76 note keyboard, higher quality 'piano-style' keys and excellent acoustic piano sounds (as well as a small choice of other sounds such as strings, electric piano and harpsichord ). The new Yamaha NP30 is a popular example and is available on the Ritz Music Rent-to-Buy Scheme. This example is available on the Ritz Music Rent-to-Buy Scheme

Digital Pianos

These are designed to closely mimic the feel and sound of real acoustic pianos. They feature real 'hammer-action' piano keys which are not only correctly weighted but also graded in weight, the higher notes being slightly lighter as on a real piano. The high quality piano sound is produced by digital 'samples' of real grand pianos. These instruments are now an extremely popular alternative to a real acoustic piano in the home as they take up far less space, never require tuning, are easily portable (though still much heavier than the other types listed above) and considerably cheaper to buy. We stock the Yamaha P-series, one of the most popular instruments on the market in this category.

Electronic Piano/Keyboard Accessories

Sustain pedals

This is a very important item which (unfortunately) is not usually supplied with a new keyboard, but is a vital ingredient of expressive playing in a variety of musical styles.

Carry cases

Affordable padded, protective carry cases are available from manufacturers such as Stagg. At Ritz Music we generally supply these to order, as there are a large range of sizes available.

Keyboard stands

For all but the heaviest digital pianos, a 'standard' X shaped adjustable height stand is the easiest and most affordable option... we stock these stands at Ritz Music.

Stools/benches

We supply height adjustable round stools (commonly used by drummers) , fold-flat benches and traditional wooden piano benches (to order only) in a variety of finishes.

Power adaptors

Faulty/broken power adaptors are the cause of most keyboard breakdowns - we stock the popular Yamaha PA3 which is suitable for most Yamaha keyboards.