Buying an digital piano: My 7 best recommendations 2024
My recommendations will help you find the right digital piano for beginners, advanced players or kids. You can find all the information you need before you buy under “frequently asked questions”.
This text has been translated into English. Please report spelling mistakes to sebastian@musiksocke.com
What kind of digital piano are you looking for?
Frequently asked questions:
Digital piano for beginners
As a beginner, it is difficult to judge whether your interest in playing the piano will continue in the long term. It therefore makes sense to buy an inexpensive model first. However, your decision to buy should not only depend on a small price. If the quality of your digital piano is poor, your enjoyment of playing will suffer and you will not be able to learn.
The Roland FP-10 is a good digital piano to start with. It convinces with an authentic playing experience due to the good keyboard with hammer action. It has few features, but the handling is very simple. However, the basic equipment is completely present. Power supply, music stand and pedal are included, so you can start playing right away. I liked the well-balanced speakers. For this price range, they are absolutely fine. If the quality of the speakers is not enough, you can connect headphones. All in all, it’s a pleasant playing experience that comes very close to a piano.
The Thomann DP-26 digital piano is a good choice for beginners. Despite its high-quality and extensive features, it is one of the most affordable in its category. The complete basic equipment for a good playing experience, including a weighted keyboard, is included. It has various digital piano sounds, 20 different instrument sounds and automatic accompaniment. At 12.9 kg, the digital piano is easy to transport. Recommended for anyone who wants to start playing again or play occasionally.
Digital piano for advanced players
Advanced digital pianos are very well-made, offer all the basic features plus a range of extras to make playing more fun. This makes them expensive, but if you play the piano a lot and enjoy it, you won’t regret spending a little more on your instrument. The better the playing experience, the more you will enjoy making music.
The Yamaha P-125A is the big brother of the P-45B. They have the same keyboard with simulated hammer action, but the P-125A’s speaker system is more sonorous and sophisticated. The 2-way speaker system allows a sound experience very close to that of an acoustic piano. It has 24 instrument sounds and an automatic accompaniment with 20 different rhythms, all of which can be controlled via the “Smart Pianist” app and make playing more varied. Unfortunately, it comes without a pedal, but the price-performance ratio is still excellent.
Do you only play at home and are not interested in transporting your digital piano often? Then the Yamaha YDP-145 B Arius set is a good choice. It resembles a real piano not only acoustically, but also visually. Three pedals enable a differentiated and authentic playing feel. The “Smart Pianist” app gives you convenient access to all the instrument’s functions. You can select 10 different sounds and make transpose, tuning, pedal and sound settings. The chords of your favourite song can also be analysed and displayed in the app. When playing with headphones, the sound is significantly improved by the Stereophonic Optimizer. Even with my small in-ear headphones, I had a rich sound.
Digital piano for kids
If it is not yet clear how your kid’s ambitions will develop, a model from the category digital pianos for beginners is suitable. It may still be worth investing more in the digital piano for your kid from the beginning. With a good teacher and a high level of self-interest, kids make enormously fast progress. The greater the fun, the greater the learning success. Your kid won’t be a beginner for long, which is why it makes sense to buy a digital piano that is also suitable for advanced players. Height-adjustable accessories that can be adapted to the growth of the kid should not be missing.
The Kawai ES-120 B is perfect for little beginners who are sure to get better soon. It offers extensive features at a fair price. The digital piano is easy to operate and has a high-quality finish. The new RH-C keyboard with different weight zones offers a high degree of control and simulates the touch of a grand piano. The excellent digital piano sounds are also based on grand piano sounds and can even be individually adjusted. This model comes with all the basic equipment, including 25 sounds, Bluetooth 5.1, 100 rhythms and a split mode.
Digital piano for crazy people
You are a passionate pianist and your new digital piano should not only be of high quality, but also offer something special? Then these instruments are just right for you.
The Clavia Nord Stage 4 is considered the best stage piano on the market. As a stage piano, it has no speakers, but can be connected via headphones or an external system. With first-class sounds and almost limitless possibilities in splitting and layering, the Nord Stage leaves nothing to be desired, even for demanding live pianists. An expensive high-end product that can do everything and is more than worth the money.
The Viscount Legend ’70s Artist W EX offers a beautiful vintage look in the style of the 70s. Nevertheless, it offers the latest technology and is easy to operate, as hardly any functions are hidden behind a menu or double key assignment. The digital piano convinces with the best quality, a pleasantly direct operating concept, an excellent keyboard and 5 modules. I like all-rounders like this with a nostalgic flair.
How do I recognize a good digital piano?
Whether a digital piano is good or bad depends on your needs and your budget. While excellent basic equipment is important for beginners, good digital pianos for advanced players offer some additional extras.
What accessories do I need?
After deciding on a digital piano, the only thing missing is the right accessories. To ensure that the joy of playing does not suffer from poor-quality accessories, it is worth comparing the products here as well.
A sustain pedal should be included with every digital piano. If not, you should buy a pedal. Make sure the pedal is compatible with the digital piano. The Roland DP-10 has a high-quality feel to it. The rubber on the back of the pedal makes it non-slip and easy to use. I use the pedal regularly and have had no problems so far.
If you don’t want to disturb your neighbours, a good pair of headphones is essential for relaxed practising. What is important here is wearing comfort and a balanced sound. The ear pads should not pinch. The cable must be long enough so that you can play without interference. A tried and tested model is the beyerdynamic DT-770 PRO/80 Ohm. They are specially designed for musicians and have a 3-metre cable. The 3.5 mm plug can also be converted to the large 6.3 mm version with an adapter. The headphones score particularly well in terms of sound: If you only have cheap headsets lying around at home, you will be surprised how clean and precise the sound of headphones can be. I now also use them for normal music listening.
To avoid incorrect posture and back pain, you need a height-adjustable piano bench with comfortable padding. The Thomann KB-47BM piano bench is inexpensive and was also recommended by me for the other keyboard instruments. I think you don’t have to spend more money to sit comfortably at the digital piano.
If there is no suitable table, you will need a stand for your instrument. It needs to provide enough stability, support and legroom. The Millenium KS-1010 is a good choice. It looks good, is height adjustable and easy to assemble. The double strut construction provides a stable stand when the musical instrument is resting on it.
If you often travel with your digital piano, you will need a suitable bag or case. It should offer space for accessories, be well padded and fit as snugly as possible. The Thomann Stage Piano bag is suitable for many different models and will certainly fit your instrument (check the inside dimensions beforehand).
A music stand light makes sense especially if you play in insufficient or changing light conditions. When buying a music stand light, make sure that it can be clamped on and that it sufficiently illuminates at least two A4 pages. This is the case with the K&M 12295 MKII. The lamp has dimmable LEDs that produce a pleasant and, above all, bright light. With the clamp, I could easily attach the lamp.
What are the best brands for digital pianos?
In cooperation with experienced musicians, I have identified the best brands. The decisive factor for inclusion in the list was the high quality and reliable workmanship of the instruments over the past years.
How much does a good digital piano cost?
A good digital piano costs between 500 and 2,000 euros. For beginners, there are already good models in the range between 300 and 500 euros. The difference lies mainly in the available functions and the quality of the speakers. If you play the digital piano more often, you should invest directly in a good digital piano.
Here is my recommendation for good digital pianos.
What is the best digital piano for beginners?
The Thomann DP-26 digital piano for approx. 330 euros is suitable as a digital piano for beginners. It has all the important functions in the basic equipment and is the own brand of the Thomann music store. This makes it a leader in terms of price-performance ratio.
The Roland FP-10 for approx. 430 euros is also a very good digital piano for beginners. The basic equipment is perfectly adequate for beginners. The keys on the FP-10 are particularly good. In my opinion, they are the best weighted keys in this price range.
More details on the good digital pianos for beginners.
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The product recommendations made here are based on my experience and conversations with expert musicians. All products presented here meet the criteria of the checklist.
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All prices are incl. VAT plus shipping costs. The amount was estimated by me and may differ from the actual price. As an Amazon partner, I earn on qualified sales. This also applies to Thomann, Kirstein and all other partners.
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