How do I choose a keyboard for a beginner?

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reckless

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I am currently a vocalist in a band. I would like to learn to play the keyboard with the intention of eventually adding it to the band. I need to be able to connect it to the P.A. I have no idea what brands/models are a good choice for a beginner. I don't want to spend a TON of money in case I really don't have an aptitude for it (I can always upgrade later).

Can anyone suggest a good beginner model that isn't too complicated/overwhelming? I have gone to Guitar Center and looked at all the keyboards...there are so many and I don't know which features are the important ones.

Dana
 
These are always difficult questions to answer.

Everyone's needs are different. This makes telling someone what to purchase problematic.

What kind of music are you playing? What kind of sounds do you want to add?

For learning purposes, you can probably get by with a cheapo Casio or Yamaha, but the sounds will probably be a little lame.

Depending on your budget, you could have a few different options as far as synths go. Possibly something used to get started. Or you might consider getting a controller keyboard and a sound module.

Ted
 
At a low budget, your choices are basically to get a consumer board, or a used Pro/semi-pro board. The advantage of a cheap used pro board are gonna be better keyboard action, more flexibility with messing with sounds, and you can probably resell it for about what you paid for it if you don't keep it.
A new consumer-grade board is gonna have better sounds in some cases, but usually lousy action, poor resale value, not much flexibility for sound design, etc. They usually have built-in speakers, though, which means you won't need an amp for it (unless you play live; you won't hear those puppies over a band, let me tell you).

What are you looking to spend?
 
id get the cheapest Yamaha keyboard that has touch sensitive full size keys and midi capability.....

as you get better (or if) and want to add it to the band, you can get a tone module to get better sounds.....
 
We are playing mostly classic rock, some oldies, and a few country songs. I'm not sure what kinds of sounds I want to add. We are a cover band so mostly it will be adding the keyboards that are in the original songs. For country songs it would be nice to add a fiddle or steel guitar sound. We do one AC/DC song that has bagpipes.

As far as price, I want to spend as little as possible but not so little that the sound is really bad. I would like to be able to connect to our PA system to record.

I will have to do some research...I am completely new to this equipment so don't understand what things like a controller keyboard, sound module, and tone module are for. I suppose once I start learning to play these things will make more sense.

Thanx for the input!!
 
Well, if it was me, I'd start by hitting Guitar Center or Sam Ash or your local music retailer. Take someone with you who plays keyboards if you don't feel comfortable noodling around on your own. Usually, service is so bad that they'll leave you alone and you can try different boards and do some comparisons.

Essentially your choices are going to be to get a "personal", a semi-pro or a professional keyboard.

Personal keyboards are the kind that usually have built-in speakers that you see in Wal-Mart or Best Buy as well as most music stores. They're inexpensive usually, have a lot of built-in accompaniment options and can play a mean polka! On the higher end, some of them are quite sophisticated and produce pretty good sound. Semi-pro gear would be the lower end of most synth manufacturers lines. These devices usually have less polyphony, unbalanced outputs and limited or no expandability. Pro gear is going to be beyond your budget constraints.

Your options are to look at personal keyboards and possibly used semi-pro keyboards. Prices will be in the $100.00-$500.00 range depending on what you choose.

Ted
 
If it were me, I'd look at some of the early to mid -90's ROMplers (sample-based synths), like the Korg x5d, Roland JV series, or Yamaha SY series. You'll get some pretty good "bread and butter" sounds for the money. I think you'll be better off than if you go with the personal keyboards. Most of these boards will cover the sounds you'd need for classic rock -- piano, B3, strings, big synth patches for the 80's stuff, etc. You'll be happier in the long run than you will be with some yamaha PSR or Casio board. Check out the used keyboard section of your local music store or classifieds; they're usually stocked up with such boards.

Pedal Steel and fiddle are two sounds that I have yet to hear done well by a synth or sampler. It's not that getting the sound is so hard, but the interface is so different from a synth that it's hard to play the parts right.
 
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