Mac Keyboard Question

[MacLawyer]

Greetings. Please excuse my noob questions; I realize most of you are immersed in synths, loops, Logic, etc.

I am newly retired and had planned to finally learn to play piano. Covid-19 has intervened, but I'm determined to use GarageBand and some online courses to at least learn basic keyboarding. I have a late model iMac. I went shopping online to find a compact keyboard but was shocked by the number of choices. Most of them have a lot of "stuff" I don't need. I just need the black and white piano keys. Any suggestions? Also, what kind of cables with I need?

Thanks for your patience.

 

[0128672]

Congrats on your retirement. Yes, there are so many choices for a first keyboard. There's a learning curve when buying your first digital piano even for a beginning player. You will be able to use a USB cable to connect, and some digital pianos have Bluetooth as well. You don't need to buy a MIDI keyboard controller to use GarageBand; a regular USB digital piano works very well.

A good starting point is to figure out if you want a full 88-key piano, or a smaller one with 61 or 76 keys. The smaller ones have less on each end, the low and high notes.

Some other considerations:
- weighted quality of the keys (fully weighted, semi-weighted -- how it feels when you press the keys)
- what type of piano stand (stationary, wheeled, adjustable)
- available space in your home
- size and weight of the piano (some are lower profile than others)

Considering our current situation makes it hard to go to a music store and try out various keyboards to see if you like their sound and feel. I recommend sticking with Yamaha, Casio, Korg or Roland brands, and stick with vendors who have easy return policies. You can find good digital piano packages on Amazon that include a stand, a stool, a sustain pedal, music stand, and other accessories. The Yamaha P45 is pretty popular on Amazon. I own a Roland FP-10 which I bought from Adorama, on a Plixio adjustable wheeled stand from Amazon.

There are numerous digital piano buying guides out there, and you may want to read a couple. Here's one from Musician's Friend (https://www.musiciansfriend.com/thehub/digital-piano-buying-guide). You can spend $300, you can spend $5000 or more. My advice is get a feel for the quality at certain price points and decide from there. You may end up trying one or two and returning them before you find what feels and sounds best to you.

I'm writing this late at night so hopefully didn't leave out anything important, but it's a start anyway. Ask all the questions you'd like as you work your way through the choices. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[MacLawyer]

Congrats on your retirement. Yes, there are so many choices for a first keyboard. There's a learning curve when buying your first digital piano even for a beginning player. You will be able to use a USB cable to connect, and some digital pianos have Bluetooth as well. You don't need to buy a MIDI keyboard controller to use GarageBand; a regular USB digital piano works very well.

A good starting point is to figure out if you want a full 88-key piano, or a smaller one with 61 or 76 keys. The smaller ones have less on each end, the low and high notes.

Some other considerations:
- weighted quality of the keys (fully weighted, semi-weighted -- how it feels when you press the keys)
- what type of piano stand (stationary, wheeled, adjustable)
- available space in your home
- size and weight of the piano (some are lower profile than others)

Considering our current situation makes it hard to go to a music store and try out various keyboards to see if you like their sound and feel. I recommend sticking with Yamaha, Casio, Korg or Roland brands, and stick with vendors who have easy return policies. You can find good digital piano packages on Amazon that include a stand, a stool, a sustain pedal, music stand, and other accessories. The Yamaha P45 is pretty popular on Amazon. I own a Roland FP-10 which I bought from Adorama, on a Plixio adjustable wheeled stand from Amazon.

There are numerous digital piano buying guides out there, and you may want to read a couple. Here's one from Musician's Friend (https://www.musiciansfriend.com/thehub/digital-piano-buying-guide). You can spend $300, you can spend $5000 or more. My advice is get a feel for the quality at certain price points and decide from there. You may end up trying one or two and returning them before you find what feels and sounds best to you.

I'm writing this late at night so hopefully didn't leave out anything important, but it's a start anyway. Ask all the questions you'd like as you work your way through the choices. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Thank so much for your detailed reply! I scanned your info, and will take a closer look tomorrow (it’s late where i am too).

I just wanted to get a quick “thank you” out tonight.

cheers.

 

[groove-agent]

To learn properly you'll need an 88 key keyboard. Ideally a weighted one would be good, but not necessary unless you're going to be taking exams on a acoustic piano.

The P45 is a good choice, but if you don't want something so intrusive on your desk, look at the Roland GO-88P that has unweighted keys.