What is a Digital Piano and how can it help me play better?
 Let's begin by defining an Acoustic Piano, one of the most common musical instruments in history. A piano contains a series of strings stretched tightly over a metal frame (called a "harp"). In playing, these strings are struck by felt-covered hammers that are connected to the keys of the keyboard. The vibrations of the strings, combined with the resonance of a wooden soundboard, create the piano's sound. A well-built, well-tuned piano, residing in a room that sounds good, under the right temperature and humidity conditions, can sound wonderful. But we've just identified five complications associated with acoustic pianos! Additional problems are the acoustic piano's massive size, weight and price.
A Digital
Piano resolves most of these problems by replacing the strings with samples, or digital recordings, of the string and soundboard sounds. The keys strike electronic contacts instead of driving hammers into strings. It replaces the soundboard with a high-quality amplifier and speakers, and, since it doesn't require strings, metal or wood, it's a much more compact, lightweight instrument.
Digital Pianos range in price from a few hundred dollars, such as the Casio CTK800, to many thousand dollars, as with the Kurzweil
Mark 12. To a certain extent, the price depends upon each instrument's qualities: the sound and responsiveness of the samples, the realistic "feel" of the keyboard, the quality of the amplifier and speakers, and the appearance and quality of the cabinet and finish.
A vital quality of any Digital Piano is the keyboard action. Virtually all Digital Pianos have 88-note keyboards, just like acoustic pianos, but none can exactly match the mechanical action of a conventional keyboard - since there are no strings, there are no hammers to raise and lower when you strike the key. Different manufacturers use different methods of applying weights and balances to replicate true "feel." For example, Roland's
FP-5C employs what Roland calls "Progressive Hammer-Action" to provide realistic keyboard feel. But you must decide whether you like the feel of a given keyboard: is it too light (not resistant) or heavy (too resistant)? Does it replicate the piano's natural tendency to add resistance in the lower notes and reduce it in the upper range? Do the keys "jump" back into the up position when you release them? Are there mechanical or electronic adjustments you can make to the keyboard (as with the Korg
SP-250)? Again, your personal preference is the deciding factor here!
Many Digital Pianos also include extras that can help you play better: Yamaha's
YDP223 features a built-in metronome and 2-track sequencer that lets you record one hand at a time for practice. The Roland
F-50 has 65 built-in practice songs for listening and learning. Many instruments include additional voices beyond normal piano sounds. Some Digital Pianos let you play single voices or layers of different sounds on the keyboard at one time.
What is an Arranger Keyboard and why would I want one?
If you want to get into playing songs with full accompaniment without having to laboriously work out arrangements in advance, then an Arranger Keyboard might be ideal for you. These remarkable instruments combine the best features of synthesizers (with hundreds of high-quality sounds) and sequencers, or "Auto-Accompaniment" (with dozens of musical styles built in, plus backing instrument sounds and drums). With an Arranger Keyboard you can quickly select a style, an introduction, a verse and a chorus and start playing. The keyboard's sophisticated electronics will follow your left hand and melody changes with realistic-sounding backing tracks, giving you the sound of an entire ensemble!
What is a style? It's a combination of backing instrument sounds (like bass, drums, horns, etc.), chord progressions and rhythms that fit specific musical genres such as Rock, Rhythm and Blues, Latin, Country, Jazz, Techno and more. These Auto-Accompaniment styles let you focus on your playing while enjoying a full musical performance. Even the entry-level Yamaha
PSRE-203 offers 100 styles, plus a stereo piano sound and DJ/techno sounds.
Once thought of primarily as home entertainment systems, Arranger Keyboards are now powerful, fully featured and portable units used by many popular songwriters and recording artists who appreciate their versatility and ease of use. Arranger Keyboards range in price from under $200, such as the Casio
CTK-800, to $3000 or more, as with the Korg
Pa1X Pro. Some models, such as the Yamaha
Tyros 2 , are equipped with a microphone input, a digital mixer, a video output that displays song lyrics or notation, and more than 1100 sounds to choose from.
Arranger Keyboards are available in several key formats. Some have 61 spring-loaded keys (called "synth style") like the Roland
EXR-5s; others come with 76 semi-weighted keys - a balance between synth or organ-style keys and a realistic piano keyboard. Finally, a few have 88 fully weighted piano-style keys, just like a Digital Piano. See the section above for more information on these.
 What is MIDI, and what do I need to know about it?
MIDI (an acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is the networking software and hardware specification that allows electronic musical instruments and computers to communicate with each other. Just as USB or FireWire connect printers or hard drives to your computer, MIDI allows you to connect synthesizers to a drum machine or other synthesizers and trigger all their sound sets using just one keyboard. You can also connect your synthesizer to a computer and, using sequencing software, compose and record songs.
 The MIDI specification covers everything from the type of cables and plugs to be used, to the note numbers on a keyboard (necessary so different instruments will play the same notes when connected), and other musical information such as volume, note durations, pitch bend, and modulation (changes in the nature of the sound through time).
If you intend to connect your Home Keyboard to an extra sound module or to a computer, you need to know that the MIDI "Out" jack on the keyboard plugs into the MIDI "In" jack on the other unit, and vice versa. This is the most common error people (even professionals) make when connecting MIDI gear! Much new equipment transmits MIDI data over a USB cable, which simplifies the connection process
How do I amplify my Digital Piano/Arranger Keyboard?
 Almost all Digital Pianos have amplifiers and speakers built in. The quality of those components is one of the important things to consider when you choose a Digital Piano for your home. Some Arranger Keyboards also have built-in sound systems. If not, you'll need a Keyboard Amplifier. See the Keyboard
Amps section of this guide for further information.
Whichever keyboard type you have, if you take it to a new location to play (such as to school, church, a party, etc.), you'll need to make certain you have adequate amplification to make your instrument heard. You might find your piano's built-in speakers are not powerful enough to project sound to the back row, or even be heard above the voices of the choir. Then you'll certainly need additional amplification!
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