Music Keyboards Guide

Sometimes people looking to purchase a music keyboard are wondering which brand is best. The price range can be a fairly rough but good estimate of quality, but within a certain price range, for a certain combination of functionality and sound, people contemplate the brand of music keyboards. Personally, I figure that whatever keyboard fits my needs and is in my price range is all the consideration I need to give, and I’d like to suggest that the brand is ultimately of little importance when it comes to choosing the right keyboard instrument.

Perhaps one area where brand can make a difference is when considering beginner’s music keyboards. Yamaha and Casio are two brands that come to mind and are pretty much the main companies that make beginner keyboards. There are even forum discussions regarding keyboard instruments by these two brands. Personally, I’ve owned and have had good experiences with both. Many will say that Yamaha is the better of the two brands, an argument supported by the fact that you’ll see more Yamaha keyboards being used by professional musicians on stage than Casio keyboards. After all, Yamaha is a world-class manufacturer of instruments, including some of the most respected and revered concert grand pianos! It makes sense that Yamaha is one of the better brands for music keyboards in any price range.

But Casio has a long history of electronics and electronic keyboard making, and does have some quality instruments in its catalog. The Casio Privia and Cabinet models are quality digital pianos that have weighted action keys and high-quality piano sounds. Now, if price is an indicator of quality, then Yamaha music keyboards would be several times higher in quality than Casio’s since Yamaha’s price for comparable keyboard instruments is two to three times Casio’s. Also, Yamaha makes a wider variety of keyboards, with some of their more professional music keyboards (workstations, particularly) offering much more functionality than Casio’s. There is something to be said, however, for Casio offering a good product at an affordable price. You may not see a Casio on a stage as often as a Yamaha, but for the average consumer, Casio music keyboards are a good buy for home use. The digital pianos and arranger keyboards made by both companies are fairly comparable to each other in terms of functionality and sounds, although many would argue that Yamaha makes a better sounding keyboard than Casio. This is a case where brand makes a difference in terms of the target market: Casio targets the home consumer whereas Yamaha targets the pro musician.

For a specific category of keyboard instrument like a workstation it makes sense to look at a brand that specializes in the type of keyboard. A popular example of this is the Roland Fantom X8 versus the Yamaha Motif XS8, the flagship workstation models by these prominent manufacturers. Both of these keyboards offer similar functionality and are geared towards the pro musician. Both of these keyboards, and their respective brands, are highly regarded and get good reviews in equal measure. When comparing the two you’ll notice that there are a few differences, one has functions that the other doesn’t, one has sounds that the other doesn’t. Ultimately every keyboard, no matter how similar to its “rival,” is a unique instrument. When comparing any two keyboards such as these two workstations the one that best suits your needs is less about the brand and more about things like which one matches your method of music production, skill level, how the keyboard feels, which one has the sounds you like, and which one sounds better to you.

Some brands do specialize in very specific types of keyboards and technology. M-audio, for example, is known for making midi controllers. Kurzweil is known for their innovative chip technology and also offering unique sounds not found on other music keyboards. Roland has a fairly exclusive line of digital organ consoles. Both Roland and Korg make expressive and unique synthesizers. When looking for some of the more sophisticated functionality and specialized sound creation, Nord is a brand to look for, a company that creates some of the most respected synthesizers in the world that do a great job of matching, as close as possible, analog sounds and real instruments such as Hammond organs and mellotrons.

The digital piano is the keyboard instrument made by more manufacturers than any other. Casio, Yamaha, Roland, M-audio, Kawai, Korg, and Kurzweil all have a fairly extensive catalog of digital pianos. Yamaha and Roland make the most sophisticated models featuring mini-grand piano cabinetry, state-of-the-art sound systems, and some of the most realistic keyboard action technology. Many models now come with arranger and workstation functions, but the digital piano is geared towards a specific market of piano players who are more interested in key action and sound, and choosing a digital piano really comes down to which one feels and sounds best.

Looking at brands when selecting music keyboards is ultimately the least important consideration. Keyboards are kind of like cars. Even though a certain car manufacturer is known for quality and prestige, their top-of-the-line model may not have a seat that feels right to you, or keeps you in a correct posture and would make driving the car uncomfortable. Likewise, every keyboard model by every manufacturer, no matter the price range, will appeal to some and not to others for various reasons including the keyboard action, the number of sounds, the quality of sound, the layout of the controls, etc. Some brands specialize in certain categories, such as Yamaha being a leader in digital pianos, where Roland is a leader in synthesizers. But ultimately, the best thing to do when deciding on a keyboard is to go try them out at the music store, and go by what sounds best and has the features and functionality that you want- the brand may be one of the last things to consider when purchasing a music keyboard instrument.