My First Keyboard: Buying a child’s first electronic keyboard instrument

I believe that the buyers’ guide I wrote a couple of years ago still stands as a good introduction to buying a keyboard instrument

However, in this feature I want to look specifically at buying a child their first “serious” electronic keyboard.

My Story

Every child is different, but let me tell you a little of my musical upbringing as it will give you a better idea of where I’m coming from, and hopefully give you some ideas on the way forward for your child / potential musical genius.

I was lucky enough to grow up in a home with an acoustic upright piano, which I started playing and picking out tunes on from a very young age (say 3 or 4). I think from this my parents realised that I had musical aptitude/talent, and I began taking classical-based piano lessons from around age 5.

I enjoyed this, and was incredibly blessed to have access to the piano (it’s probably why I love the acoustic piano, or as near as I can get to it, to this day). However, from the age of about 12, after seeing someone on stage playing some amazing synth lines and creating sound textures, I wanted to get into electronic music.

My parents agreed, and bought a fairly entry-level keyboard. However, it was enough to get me started in trying out new sounds, rhythms, and even doing some basic sequencing work on my computer.

The point to this is that, whether or not your child shows some interest and aptitude for music, and in particular a keyboard, it’s worth starting with a basic set up and building on that, rather than splashing out on an all-singing, all-dancing keyboard, digital piano, or even an acoustic piano, only for it to be a costly mistake.

Don’t force them - see the interest

I fell in love with keyboard instruments because that’s what was around, but I wasn’t forced to play.

Fashions come and go. Guitars are cool, and many kids want to play them. Don’t force them to play one type of instrument they’re really not interested in. Having said that, if they show interest in a piano (I’ve seen a great many children who love to try to play things on the keyboard, and it’s (arguably) an easier instrument to begin learning/experimenting on than the guitar, especially for small fingers) then go for it.

Make it fun

Though you may pay a bit extra, or sacrifice a bit of sound quality, by getting a keyboard with plenty of functions on, it will make it fun for your child to play, experiment, and learn about music.

If they really get a taste for playing seriously, and when they’re a bit older, they’ll probably find out what kind of things they want their keyboard to do. In fact, if they’re anything like me, they’ll be down at the local music shop every Saturday eyeing up the next model, getting the specifications and the price, and working out how to introduce the concept of a new keyboard to you.

In reality, even today’s relatively inexpensive keyboards do absolutely amazing things, and sound fantastic.

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Yamaha’s entry level 61-key portable keyboard range

Introduction

Yamaha are well known for making quality keyboard instruments at all levels and for all needs. Here we look at their entry-level keyboards, which are ideal as first keyboards, portable performance tools, or basic MIDI controllers.

Overview of Yamaha’s entry-levels

Their entry-level portables all feature 61 full-sized keys (5 octaves), MIDI, and various quantities of instrument samples, including acoustic piano, and rhythm/accompaniment sections.

Lowest-end models do not have touch-sensitive keys. In other words, no matter how hard you press the key, the volume of the note played will be the same.

Higher-end models do have touch-sensitivity built in - the harder you press a key, the louder the note.

Are they right for you?

There’s little to doubt the workmanship of Yamaha keyboards, and even the entry-level models pack a lot in for a good price.

What’s important is that you know what you are going to want the instrument for. Don’t go for the cheapest option or you may regret the lack of extra features if you really get into it.

These are really aimed at the beginning musician, rather than synth musicians or pianists. As that, they do a good job.

If you know you’re going to want to tweak and create sounds, you need a proper synthesizer: these keyboards are not for you.

If you know you’re going to want a highly realistic feel as well as sound of an acoustic piano, these keyboards will disappoint. They sound very good, but they feel nothing like a piano, as they don’t have weighted keys.

Getting the right model

I’d suggest the most important things to bear in mind are touch-sensitivity and polyphony.

Touch sensitivity

Apart from playing the organ, I can’t see any benefit in getting a non-touch-sensitive keyboard. All sounds, not just the piano, will respond to how hard a note is played (the velocity of the note). Only very low-end keyboards now don’t offer this feature - it’s not worth the minor monetary saving to do without.

Polyphony

Don’t skimp on polyphony. This is how many notes a keyboard can play at once. Yes, you only have 10 fingers, but bear in mind those drum and instrument accompaniments, sustained notes, split parts, etc.

Yamaha’s lower-range keyboards only offer 16 notes of polyphony, which is only barely adequate. If you can afford a model with 32 notes of polyphony, go for that - you won’t regret it.

The tell-tall signs of a keyboard running out of polyphony are dropped notes - often accompanied by clicks as the sample cuts out. Not good to hear.

Bells and Whistles

The selling point of these keyboards is their fun element - let’s not knock that. “Serious” keyboard players might shun their rhythms, accompaniments, auto-features, and so on, but these keyboards are fun.

They let you produce some great ready-made sounds in a variety of styles, without you having to be a fantastic musician or have your own recording studio.

You may tire of the built-in features after a while, though.

Conclusion

Pros

• Entry-level keyboards: good sounds, features, low price, fun

Cons

• Lower polyphony and lack of touch-sensitivity can limit use

Most Important

Try before you buy!

Specification Table

Below is a fairly detailed comparison table, based on Yamaha’s own specifications for each instrument, so that you can see the features present on each model.

	MODEL	PSRE203	PSRE303	PSR175	PSR172	PSR273	PSR275
	Keys	61 standard touch-sensitive		61 full-size keys		61 standard touch-sensitive
	Display	Large LCD		LCD		Large Backlit LCD
	Yamaha Education Suite	Version 5		Timing Waiting Minus One Chord Dictionary Grading
	Songs	102		100 Demo		100
Voices	Total	134	482	100		480
	GM?	Yes
	Xglite?	No	Yes	No		Yes
	PianoVoice	Stereo
	Dual Voice	No	Yes
	Split Voice	No	Yes
	Drum Kits	4 +1 SFX	12 + 1 SFX			10 + 2 SFX
	Polyphony	32		16		32
Auto-accompaniment	Styles	100	106	100
	Variations	Intro, Main A/B, Ending, Fill-in x 2		2	2	Intro, Main A/B, Ending, Fill-in
	Control	Accompaniment on/off, sync-start, start/stop, intro/ending, main A/B (auto fill)		Plus multi-pad		Accompaniment on/off, sync-start, start/stop, intro/ending, main A/B (auto fill)
Effects	Digital Reverb	9 types				9 types
	Digital Chorus	No	4 types	Yes		4 types
	Digital Harmony	No	26 types	Yes		26 types
	Panel Controls	On/Off, Master Volume, Lesson R/L, Listen & Learn, Timing, Waiting, Chord Dictionary, Style Controls, Tap/Tempo, Function, Song Select, Style Select, Voice Select, Portable Grand, Sound Effect Kit, Reverb On/Off, Numeric Selector, Metronome, Demo		On/Off, Master Volume, Style Controls, Tap/Tempo, Record, Lesson R/L, Watch & Learn, Timing, Waiting, Chord Dictionary, Song Select, Style Select, Voice Select, Function, Portable Grand, Sound Effect Kit, Reverb, Numeric Selector, Split, Dual, Harmony, Touch Control On/Off, Metronome, Demo, PC Button			On/Off, Master Volume, Touch Control On/Off, Lesson R/L, Chord Dictionary, Function, Style Controls, Tap/Tempo, Song Select, Style Select, Voice Select, Demo, Portable Grand, Metronome, PC Button, Numeric Selector, Harmony, Dual, Split, Sustain
	Function Controls	Volume: Accompaniment, Song, Main Voice, Metronome. Other: Tuning, Transpose, Split Point, Main Voice Octave, Reverb Type & Depth, Panel Sustain, Local On/Off, External Clock, Initial Setup Send, Time Signature, Demo Cancel	Main Voice Volume, Octave, Chorus Send Level Split Voice Volume, Octave, Chorus Send Level Dual Voice Volume, Octave, Chorus Send Level Volume: Accompaniment, Metronome, Song Other: Transpose, Tuning, Split Point, Touch Sensitivity, Reverb type & level, Chorus type, Panel sustain, Harmony type & volume, PC mode, Local On/Off, External Clock, Initial setup send, Time signature, Lesson track (R), Lesson Track (L), Demo Cancel			Volume: Accompaniment, Metronome, Split Voice, Dual Voice, Song, Other: Split Voice Select, Dual Voice Select, Split Octave, Dual Octave, Tuning, Rev type & Depth, Chorus type & Depth, Transpose
	MIDI	In/Out
	Jacks	Phones / Aux. Out L/R, DC in, footswitch				Phones / Aux. Out L/R, DC in, Foot Switch
	Amplifier	2.5W + 2.5W		2W x 2		2.7W + 2.7W
	Speakers	12 cm x 2
	Rated Voltage	DC 10 - 12 V
	Dimensions WxDxH	37 1/4 x 13 2/3 x 4 1/3" (945 x 348 x 110 mm)	37 1/4 x 14 5/8 x 5 1/16" (1145 x 370 x 128 mm)	36-2/3" x 13-3/4" x 5-1/16" ( 931 x 348.8 x 127.9mm)		36.3" x 14.8" x 5.2" (933 x 370 x 129 mm)
	Weight	9 lbs. 11 oz. (4.4kg)	10 lbs. 13 oz. (4.9kg)	9 lbs. 11 oz. (4.4kg)		11.66 lbs.