Contemplating getting a digital piano to relearn how to play
I learned to play piano when I was pretty young and my parents wanted me to learn an instrument. Real acoustic piano, music theory, private tutor, recitals, the works. I stopped playing after high school and my lessons ended though, mainly since it felt like it was just another chore and I wasn't enjoying it or playing pieces of my own volition. It's been over a decade since then and most of my free time has been in video games instead. The piano's still there but it's been just another piece of furniture for the most part. I've never seriously considered dusting it off and trying it again, and I'm pretty sure I've forgotten everything I've learned at this point.
Recently though, I got the chance to play Taiko no Tatsujin in an arcade for the first time while in Japan and I enjoyed it a lot despite being a total amateur, and I wanted to go back and play more to get better. That's when a thought crossed my mind - if I could gamify piano playing too, wouldn't that be a good way to trick myself into learning and enjoying piano again?
So I did some digging into what gamified piano software was around now, and Piano Marvel seemed to be the one most suited for being both beginner friendly and also for sight reading. The software itself offers a fair bit of beginner content for free, with the more advanced stuff behind a subscription. You can also connect it to a digital piano to track key presses and score your performance, which is the important gamification part that sets it apart from me just pulling up some YouTube tutorials and trying to follow them.
So I did some digging into digital pianos to see what would work for me learning and budget wise. From what I could glean off of various subreddit and other forum posts, if the end goal is to learn piano and not keyboard, an 88-key with weighted keys is the only thing that comes close, which bumps the cost up to a minimum of about 400 USD for the cheapest decent one, a Yamaha P45. If I didn't have a piano that cost would be fine, but I do and it most definitely sounds better, I just can't connect it to software or plug headphones into it so I don't bother my family if I'm playing at night, and I kind of want both of those. I'm also slightly concerned that my parents might be a bit upset if I do get a keyboard since, again, there's a perfectly good acoustic piano right there that they definitely paid more than 400 bucks for, though I imagine they'd be happy to just see me take an interest in learning piano again.
The most important part of this is that I actually commit to it and play regularly, since it'll all be for nought if I lose interest or turn it into a chore again and stop playing after a few weeks or months. I don't know if a gamified piano software will actually do that for me or if I just don't actually like playing piano after all, but I would like some thoughts. Is there other good software for relearning piano in a fun way? Any keyboard recommendations, preferably not too expensive? Am I being a coward and should I just use my acoustic piano instead?
I can second the recommendation of getting a full 88 with weighted keys. The non-weighted ones are terrible quality and lead to very bad habits. Even an entry level weighted key keyboard is miles ahead of the non-weighted.
Yamaha is usually a solid brand. They are one of the few keyboard makers that actually make real pianos as well. I have a Yamaha P-155 and while it's not entry level it has held up extremely well over the years, I've had it for about a decade.
I third this! Yamaha is a great way to get into the weighted keys, and they have so many different price points that you can always upgrade down the line. Their pianos are by far the best manufactured today.
Korg also makes a pretty reasonably priced weighted keyboard too. So I’d look into them as well.
Casio is a last ditch effort in my opinion, but they’re fine I suppose. Cheapest option there.
Roland’s are pretty great! I love playing them, but they do have a higher price.
Nord is a sincere gigging musician level keyboard, and will probably last you a lifetime, but also give you a hole in your wallet.
I could go on and on about keyboards and pianos, so please DM me if you have any more questions.
As for lessons, the computer, as said elsewhere here, will be fun, but in the long run won’t motivate you like a real teacher will. Online or Zoom lessons are a viable option and work well! I’d look into that. Having a fellow pianist with years of experience guiding you will be much more fun than a game.
Music teacher + piano player here. I have a lot of thoughts, but I think my main questions are: What is your end goal here? And why do you want to get back into piano? The answers to those questions will inform all of the decisions you make regarding what instrument to play on and how to learn it.
I suppose the end goal would be relearning how to play piano and actually enjoying it this time around. I don't have a particular reason for wanting to do so other than seeing if gamifying it would allow me to get back into piano, and being able to play piano again would be nice. As such I've not committed to anything yet and I don't want to commit too much either.
If gamifying it is your main reason for giving it another go, I think you'll either need to bite the bullet on the keyboard or find a way of satisfyingly gamifying practice on your acoustic. $400 is really very cheap when you're talking musical instruments, so in terms of barrier to entry, that's honestly quite low, relatively speaking. If you don't stick with it, you can always try to sell the keyboard and make most of your money back. The P45 seems like it reviews well, and there's plenty of beginners looking for cheap instruments to use at home, so I'd expect your chances to be good.
Regarding Piano Marvel, if you think that style of "gamification" will do it for you, then great, at least you're playing. My worry is that since a computer can only teach notes and rhythms, you won't end up learning how to truly make music. That's a negative for a couple reasons, but the most relevant one is that, eventually, in order to "actually enjoy it this time around", I suspect you'll need to find more in playing the piano than just "make number go up" or "make light turn green". When working with kids, I constantly remind them that correct notes and rhythms are the absolute bare minimum; music is about what you do with those notes and rhythms. So at some point, whether to become a better musician or simply to stay engaged, you'll have to ditch the software.
You say that playing piano again would be nice - what do you enjoy about it? That might give you a clue as to what to try to make it more engaging without having to go the gamification route. There's many factors you could look at that might improve your experience compared to high school. Did you ever get to pick the pieces you worked on, or did your teacher always pick for you? How long did you typically practice for? How much time did you spend on technique/exercises vs repertoire? Did you enjoy recitals? Do deadlines help or hinder you? Did you learn about the people and ideas behind the music, or just play it? Do you think an accountability buddy would help you?
Some things to think about. I'm happy to continue the conversation if you find it helpful!
The cost isn't too big of an issue, I have no problems with spending $400 or a bit more on an instrument as long as I can justify it with enough use. I would like to get good enough again to be able to play sheet music of songs I like that may not be in the software, and maybe play a bit on the acoustic as well once I'm confident enough in a piece. While I was playing before I usually only practiced pieces that I had to for lessons and recitals since I liked to spend my spare time on other things and I also had a fair bit of schoolwork to occupy my evenings.
I did make one attempt to pick up piano again not long after I stopped, practicing Yiruma's River Flows In You, but I didn't practice much in a session and not every day either since my heart wasn't really into it and I didn't want to make my family listen to the same song over and over but with mistakes.
I figure I'll think about it for another day, find a spot to store and play the keyboard if I do get it, maybe watch a few videos on piano marvel, and if I haven't convinced myself that it's a bad idea by then I'll go for it. Thanks for reading and replying though, I appreciate the advice and I'm always open to more, especially if I do start learning again.
Edit: As for what I liked about piano back then, I'd say it was having the skill to play, though the only pieces I could play well were ones I practiced extensively, usually for lessons or recital. This time around I think I want to be able to play more than just Hava Nagila and Greensleeves well though.
Hey - I went through a similar decision during the pandemic and found a piano that I love. I'm a beginner who wanted to learn select songs from software like yourself, and this Donner usit really rides the line between value and quality. 88 keys, fully weighted, USB and MIDI out.
I got it at about $200 cheaper, but having the stand, pedals, all of the digital connection features and a great sounding grand piano sound made it for me.
Look at some YouTube reviews for the unit. Most reviewers are big fans.
https://www.amazon.ca/Donner-Beginner-Weighted-Keyboard-Furniture/dp/B08CV95PBX?crid=PEEHTVPTDMZL&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.O7NOf7-FFnsbZXpekLos3Io0K14TPXKItx4sJ1fAIeoHWZ_LHyPx_jLaL1uMw_z4nbsZkkPC5CkqDJP0FxECGM-f5Re_69MJhSYsLOF-yRiIboCx6hKr5lu_bpLT891EP1KJiI5KjRgQRamfNtA9tboT5y8xirPiYsT7hG-2xiTgt8XfknmvH43gccC09UeYVUqBi3v6qHUGLOrRzDABPg.YveWN4JwFLRRx3__O8_DjILmuF9HAg_ojDJL2aseJw4&dib_tag=se&keywords=donner+piano&qid=1748871552&sprefix=donner+piano%2Caps%2C198&sr=8-6
Oh, this looks promising. Native MIDI support and only $300 new off Amazon right now (without the stand, I will probably want one of those). Thanks for sharing this.
You bet. If you have any questions at all lmk
Let us know what you decide to do! If you want some pointers or even just someone to talk to about piano stuff, feel free to shoot me a DM! Always happy to help people with music. I hope you're able to find a fulfilling way to engage with the piano again.
I collect pianos and other keyboard instruments. I still play the most on a relatively inexpensive digital piano (Roland FP-30X). Yes, my other instruments at their best sound and feel better than the Roland does at its best. But it's far more convenient. It has no quirks, there's no need to worry about tuning and regulation, it's small enough I can have it wherever I want, especially in more comfortable and private spaces, I can put on headphones and play or try out anything I want without any concern about annoying anyone... it really lowers the barrier to just playing around or practising whenever I want. I haven't tried gamified or connected learning systems: just being able to interact with it so comfortably and easily helps me play much more.
And I think it actually makes me play my acoustic instruments more as well. When I play on them now, it is with the benefit of comfortably messing around on the digital piano; I'm already confident that I can play the thing I come to the acoustic piano to play generally, and only need to deal with the instrument's particular quirks. It also means that when I play on the acoustic instruments, what people might hear is much better and less annoying, and just knowing that also makes me more confident.
I just got a FP-30X for the purpose of relearning and I’m loving it so far! Even though my laziness is getting in the way of productively learning, but I can’t blame the piano for that.
As an adult beginner (never really playing an instrument before), about two years ago I bought myself the FP-30X in a combo with the stand, the pedal board, and a bench. No complaints. If anything, I find the key action heavier than the acoustics I've tried playing on, like my instructor's instrument. I also find the no-frills simplicity compared to other digital pianos rather nice (fewer things to distract me). And being able to use headphones is great, since I tend to practice before bed while the rest of my family is asleep.
I did briefly experiment with using it with Piano Marvel to help practice a challenging piece that my instructor gave me. I got a cheap USB-A to USB-B cable, connected it via the cable to an old Surface Pro 4 tablet that I had, and it did just fine once I enabled WebMIDI for the site in the browser. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that the audio from Piano Marvel on the tablet automatically routed through the USB and played through the headphones plugged into the piano. That made it very easy to try to play along. (I ended up not subscribing once the trial ran out, though.)
First of all, do it. Just do it. That's my 100%-biased advice.
Now, onto the practicalities. If you have the option, go to a music shop and start hammering away on some keys, see what feels good. Prior experience is a great advantage, try to find some familiarity. If you find it hard to tell the difference between 400 quid and 2000 quids worth of digital piano, go with the former, it'll do the job.
For the specifics, as others have said, if natural piano is your goal then 88-keys with hammer action are a must. Fatar are well regarded for their key beds, both in synth- and hammer-action, and several major brands use them for their premium products. Don't discount synths down the line though, branching out can be a ton of fun.
However, the main question is: what are you listening to? Who do you like? What do you connect with? The software idea sounds good, find a tool that works for you, but it should be a means to a greater end if you want it to last long term. Keep that end clear in your mind. If it's just to get a half hour or so of enjoyment from noodling or jamming to something every day or two, then even that totally justifies the investment as you're looking at hours and days and weeks of creative fulfillment in your future.
Even if you sometimes didn't enjoy it before, getting your old music out and playing some pieces you used to like seems like a nice way to get back into it? It can be a lot easier than learning a new piece from scratch.
For what it's worth, there's a decent secondhand market for keyboards and electric pianos. I think they're like home gym equipment, where people buy them with big plans and then realize they don't use them enough to justify the space.
Yes, an 88-key one with weighted keys is the way to go. I'd recommend buying something used. I picked up a secondhand Casio CDP-100 as my first one, and it was absolutely fine. I paid around 200 dollars for it and was happy with it for the time I had it.
So a couple of months ago I decided to try out playing piano/keyboard. At the time I checked r/keys for advice and basically found two chains of thought:
I looked at thought 1 and €800 was too much for a whim, so I thought screw that and got the MIDI keyboard. Specifically I got the Akai MPK Mini Plus for €150.
I don't regret that decision, and I think having a cheaper option to get onboarded was absolutely useful in making me feel confident that this wasn't something I was going to get bored of after a month and to spend a bit more, and as cheaper midi keyboards go the MPK Mini Plus is relatively generous with 37 keys. It served its purpose as I learned basic notes and scales and super beginner melodies.
But as I got into chords and two handed melodies, the three octaves and mini keys proved quite limiting. It felt like it wasn't a good idea to build my initial chord muscle memory on the mini keys and three octaves is just a little too limiting at times (for example, one idea of a track I had to learn was the FF prelude, but that covers four octaves).
So I've bought a Roland FP-10. It cost me about €450 new, it's still in the "budget" end of electric pianos but basically the reviews of that is that the key action is better than the budget yamaha (and basically the same as the next few models up in the roland series) but the onboard speakers are garbage. So that's fine for the next phase of my learning, I'll just use my headphones and the midi features. It should be arriving later this week.
Everyone is different in what they want.
I like a real piano, but for me, I don't want to be limited by a real piano - and I've never been able to have one anyway.
But when I play, I don't just play piano. I definitely play with synths of all kinds. I do play, but I also noodle a lot, and compose a lot, and I consider each of those to be a bit different in nature and scope.
I like weighted keys, but I can't afford to be too considerate about that.
I hadn't had anything for a while - a couple of years ago I picked up a little mini-key master controller, andit was alright. I still have it and noodle on it as it fits on my desk better - I use FL Studio as my DAW but also VST host…
So last year for my birthday, I got this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092XDPSXM?th=1 after doing some research. Budget was critical to me, and since I have VSTs, I just needed a master controller. The nice thing about this one is that it has a decentn umber of controls - but also the pads.
The keys are not weighted - and there's no after-effects (the thing that means you can change your pressure after the initial note for more effects), but there is velocity (i.e. hitting a note faster/harder has an effect - usually volume but just depends on the synth and voice).
It's a nice solid keyboard.
But to get any use, you do have to attach it to some sort of synth - whether that be a stand-alone box or a computer running something.
I don't have good recommendations for paid VSTs because I… uh… my budget doesn't allow me to obtain them legitimately, alas. But one thing I like about my setup is that I don't just have a single piano available, but multiple options. Along with any number of other keyboard intruments and beyond. :)
I got a Numa Compact X SE, and I like it, but I think there are better offerings from Casio and Roland that have bluetooth connectivity for apps.
The thing that strikes me about your story, and something I've mentioned here before, is that you seem to be searching for a reason to play. In my experience, without this, you wont. Have you considered forming a band and playing shows? Maybe writing some original songs and getting into a bit of recording? The path you chose will help you decide what to buy, and why to play.
I don't know so much about searching for a reason to play. This whole idea of getting a keyboard and gamifying the learning with software was inspired by a short session with a taiko drum arcade game after all, not a suppressed desire to unleash my inner artist. If I do end up sticking with it in the long run and make something out of it, that's great. If I stop playing after a few months, that's okay too. The important thing is that I don't have to force myself to play, I can treat it similarly to a video game. I play voluntarily because it's fun, I improve voluntarily because getting better is fun, and if I get tired of it I can take a break but hop back into it any time if I'm suddenly in the mood. It might be a flaky and unambitious reason, but the alternative is just playing more video games that don't teach me a skill I can show off, so it's at least worth a shot.