decisive Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 i was just wondering what the keyboardists on here have to say regarding keyboard sizes and key weights. i've got plans to learn to play the keyboard properly over the next few months, so i'm planning to get a nice keyboard.i'm also looking at a general change for my controllers, i'm considering getting rid of everything and starting afresh- i currently have a microkontrol and a mk149, and am considering gradually getting a novation remote zero, an akai mpd24, and a nice keyboard.if i had the remote zero, i wouldn't really need or want anything more than a standard controller keyboard and i'd want it to be as basic yet as good quality as possible. for learning keyboards properly, is it a good idea to go for an 88 key keyboard? i don't want to just 'get by', per se, but for a 61 key, the quality/price ratio is better than 88 key options i have seen in my expected budget. especially looking at full hammer action keys, compared to semi weighted, although i don't know enough about the two types to decide, i'll need to have a good demo. *edit- although i'm leaning toward semi weighted for versatility, is it a genuine substitute for full piano style action? sorry about the slightly fragmented nature of the post, but any opinions and advice would be appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dextrous Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 If you want to learn keys properly 88 key is the only way to go. You run out of space surprisingly quickly on a 61. If you're serious get the best one you can. It's false economy to get a shit one if you're going to end up getting a decent one anyway. Plus if you look after it, a decent 2nd hand weighted keyboard will pretty much keep it's value for a good few years.If you need to, save for another few months and get a better one. Check ebay regularly as there are occasional bargains to be had. I got a 88 key fully wighted hammer action (technics p50) off the bay a few years ago for less than £400. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djxander Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 88 keys. Must be weighted. If you want any of your skills transfer to a piano, this is what you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decisive Posted May 14, 2007 Author Share Posted May 14, 2007 cheers fellas. i think i'm going to have to go demo as many possibilities as possible. hammer action keys might not be best for me as i would like to play electric pianos and synths too, so a decent semi weighted one might be a good idea...? i'm looking for a pure controller, with no inbuilt sounds, in order to keep the price down... any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dextrous Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 Going from a hammer action to a keyboard is much easier than the other way around. You will learn far better technique on a hammer action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decisive Posted May 14, 2007 Author Share Posted May 14, 2007 noted. i'll look for a nice hammer action one then. it's really difficult to make the right decision here, hehe- in about 2 monthsish i'll be able to afford to drop a modest amount on something, perhaps a couple of hundred quid, and the mpd24/battery3 combo is screaming at me- thing is i can already do what i'll use it for in a slightly less tactile way with my existing keyboard. however, i can't learn keyboard to any decent standard on what i got already so i'm going to go for that. just need discipline!! hehe. btw any suggestions of brands to look for or stay away from would be really nice. plus, should i really get some pedals at the same time, or would it be fine to wait a bit before getting some..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decisive Posted May 14, 2007 Author Share Posted May 14, 2007 for instance... would this little chap be a decent starting point? (i say little, christ knows how my next flat is gonna end up looking when i've got something this size demanding front of desk space along with all the other bits and bobs) http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/fl...product_id/2633 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dextrous Posted May 15, 2007 Share Posted May 15, 2007 Tell you the truth you can learn more than enough stuff to keep you going on whatever you've got until you can afford something better. If you were to learn every closed chord voicing, all of the major and minor scales, some aural skills and the II-V-I progression in every key you will have learned more than a lot of keyboardists know without spending any money at all. Obviously you won't be able to practice certain techniques yet but it doesn't mean you can't practice anything. I knw what it's like, I'm terrible for making excuses about why I can't do something until I get this that or the other but in reality nothing is stopping you learning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dextrous Posted May 15, 2007 Share Posted May 15, 2007 Yes those fatars are pretty good. I don't think they have inbult voices though so you'd need a module or have it hooked up to your PC - Not always ideal when you just want to sit down and practice without having to spend 10 minutes getting set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decisive Posted May 15, 2007 Author Share Posted May 15, 2007 thanks for your help bro. i know exactly what you mean when it comes to excuses you're right, i can get away with my 49 key to learn theory until i start to really improve, and i don't have any choice for a couple of months- my last exam is in a couple of hours and i think i'm going to come back and start drilling some chords and scales into my head now i don't need all this useless degree stuff in there peace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drummy Posted May 15, 2007 Share Posted May 15, 2007 I don't mean to hijack, but I'm thinking of getting an Axiom 25, does anyone know if I'll run out of octaves on that? I'm not a piano player so I don't care much about having to switch octaves and running out of room and all that, but that would suck if it didn't have many octaves... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dextrous Posted May 15, 2007 Share Posted May 15, 2007 Not really sure what you mean drummy. Even on the smallest keyboards you can transpose so you can hit the extremes but obviously you can't be doing that mid performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decisive Posted May 15, 2007 Author Share Posted May 15, 2007 drummy, 2 octaves can wind you up if you want to play basic stuff, you can make it work but if you want to really get by i'd advise a 49 key keyboard... you can see from the topic that i'm not a pianist, but only 2 octaves would really annoy me. you need a couple of octaves for most basic synth parts- and unless your scale starts at c then you're fucked with a 25 key keyboard, really. that's my completely uneducated learn by hand approach. anyone feel free to jump in... *edit*- i mean 2 octaves hands on, at a time, of course. you can switch through whatever 2 octaves you want to play... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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