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Chenta Music School is Cork Keyboard
School
Music for Life and Leisure
Chenta's advice on choosing a keyboard
There are two things I always tell people to look for when buying a keyboard. The first thing is to ensure that the keyboard has
five octaves of notes which adds up to 61 keys (including black and white ones). Anything below that is really just a toy and will have to be replaced at some stage if a person wishes to continue playing and developing their keyboard skills. The second thing to look for is to make sure that the keyboard has
touch response. Touch response means that if you strike the key/keys hard, you will hear the notes played loudly. If you strike the notes gently, you will hear the notes played softly. Some keyboards don't have this facility and it makes an enormous difference when playing a piece of music. Otherwise, the music sounds flat and dull. Do shop around and take your time deciding. There are some great keyboards on the market now. They are
becoming more sophisticated every year.
What's the difference between a piano and a keyboard?
In a way, that's like asking......what's the difference between a violin and a guitar?
A guitar and a violin are both stringed instruments. They have a similar shape. But they are both played in very different ways and they sound very different too.
The piano and the keyboard both have a board of black and white keys (hence the name keyboard). They have a vaguely similar shape.
The piano is an acoustic instrument, while the keyboard is electronic
and simulates other instruments' sounds.
The keys on a piano have much more weight in them than the keys on a keyboard. When playing the piano, the pianist has to read two musical staves, while the keyboardist reads one musical stave with the right hand and plays chord symbols which are written over the stave with the left hand.
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