Keyboard vs. Piano: What’s the difference? What should you buy?

Can you learn piano on a keyboard? What’s the difference between keyboards and pianos, anyway? Here’s an explanation and tips on which to buy based on your unique needs.

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Keyboard vs. Piano: What’s the difference?

Technically, a “keyboard” is any musical interface with black and white keys like the piano emoji: 🎹. But when most people say “keyboard,” they really mean a digital piano like this:

This is an instrument designed to mimic the sound and experience of an acoustic piano.

So, the main difference between a “keyboard” and a “piano” is that a keyboard runs on electricity and produces sound through sampling or modeling; meanwhile, an acoustic piano doesn’t require electricity and produces sound through vibrating strings, which are then amplified by a spruce soundboard. Here’s a summary of the main differences between keyboards and pianos:

Characteristics	Keyboard (Digital Piano)	Piano (Acoustic Piano)
Main Difference	Powered by electricity. Sound is created through sampling or modeling.	Powered by the player. Sound is created through vibrating strings amplified by a spruce soundboard.
Number of Keys	49, 61, 73, or 88	88
Action	Varies from unweighted and springy to weighted, authentic, and expressive.	Always weighted, but upright pianos feel springier and less nuanced than grand pianos.
Sound	Depends on quality of sound engine and speakers.	Authentic, warm, powerful, and tactile because the entire instrument resonates beneath your fingers.
Features	Features may include MIDI connectivity, Bluetooth, microphone input, attachable pedals, pitch wheel, built-in metronome, transposition, drum beats, and more.	No electric features. Pedals vary but standard grand pianos have three pedals.
Cost	~$500-$5k	~$5k-$300k+
Maintenance	Minimal maintenance required.	Should ideally be tuned by a professional tuner twice a year.
Ideal Player	Students on a budget Touring musicians Music producers, songwriters Apartment dwellers	Classical and jazz pianists Long-term pianists Teachers and advanced players who frequently perform on acoustic pianos

Other than cost (which, as you can see, can be an enormous difference!), the most important areas of difference between keyboards and pianos are sound and feel.

A Piano Lesson in Semantics…

To keep things simple, we’ll refer to “keyboards” and “pianos” in this article the way most people understand these terms: keyboards are digital pianos that need to be plugged in; pianos are acoustic.

Keyboards and digital pianos are sometimes confused with synthesizers. If you want to be exact, this is what each term technically means:

1. A keyboard is any musical instrument interface with black and white keys. Accordions, melodicas, and synthesizers aren’t pianos but they all use keyboards.
2. A digital piano is a digital keyboard instrument designed to emanate the sound, feel, and experience of an acoustic piano. When most people say “keyboard,” they really mean a digital piano.
3. A synthesizer is a keyboard instrument whose main purpose is to synthesize unique sounds. While they may look like a digital piano, synthesizers are not designed to imitate the piano-playing experience and most do not have weighted keys.

Sound

Acoustic Piano Sound: Resonant, Powerful, Majestic

Think about it: a concert grand can play against an entire orchestra and still be heard without any electronic amplification. Acoustic pianos are engineering marvels and playing them is an incredible experience because you can feel the entire instrument resonating beneath your fingers.

But this incredible sound has drawbacks. Acoustic pianos are loud and you can’t adjust a volume knob. And unless you’re in a large enough space (like a concert hall) with adequate acoustics, you won’t experience the true potential of a good acoustic.

Keyboard (Digital Piano) Sound: Immersive, Flexible, Customizable

Keyboards lack the majestic feel of a true acoustic, but their convenience can’t be understated. With headphones, you can play at all hours of the night. And you can change your keyboard’s sound to that of a vintage electric piano, a European grand, an American grand, or whatever cool sound effect your instrument comes with.

With a good pair of headphones, keyboards also provide an immersive playing experience, no concert hall required.

Feel

Acoustic Piano Feel: Weighted Action, Grand vs. Upright

A keyboard instrument’s action is one of its most defining features. Action refers to the key mechanism that, when pushed down, produces a sound.

Action in acoustic upright and grand pianos is always weighted, meaning the harder you play, the louder you’ll sound. How this actually feels varies widely, though. In upright pianos, the hammer returns to rest thanks to springs, which can make the keys feel shallower and more sluggish. Grand piano action is considered superior because hammers return to rest thanks to gravity. Repetition is faster and nuances are greater on grand pianos.

The brand and product tier of the piano is also a big factor in its feel.

Keyboard Feel: Unweighted, Semi-Weighted, and Weighted Actions

Action in keyboards (digital pianos) vary. Some keyboards offer an action designed to mimic an acoustic piano’s as closely as possible. Other keyboards are completely unweighted and playing them feels like pressing buttons. Again, brand and product tier will affect how a particular instrument feels.

It is important for beginner piano players to learn on a weighted keyboard instrument so they can develop good technique from day one. So, if you plan on buying a digital piano, try your best to buy one with weighted keys.

Action is a very personal preference. Just because one instrument is expensive due to its purportedly amazing action doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy it! That’s why it’s so important to go to a music store and spend time playing their instruments.

Keyboardists vs. Pianists

These are slightly different jobs! A keyboardist is typically a musician who plays keys as part of a band. They’ll use digital stage pianos and synthesizers. Keyboardists are mainly found in genres like pop, rock, and R&B. Famous keyboardists include progressive rock icons like Jordan Rudess of Dream Theatre and Lawrence Gowan of Styx.

“Pianist” typically refers to jazz pianists and classical pianists. These musicians are more likely to play acoustic instruments. Today’s famous pianists include Lang Lang in the classical sphere and Herbie Hancock in the jazz world.

So…can you learn piano on a keyboard?

Yes! Just keep a few things in mind.

For the best learning experience, get a keyboard with the following features: weighted keys, 88 keys, and a sustain pedal. Again—always try before you buy.

Ideally, students should learn on an acoustic piano because this helps them develop good technique, but we understand that a big, loud, $10k instrument is not within reach for many folks. Thankfully, digital pianos have come a long way in the last decade and they are no longer seen as vastly inferior to acoustic pianos. Today, digital pianos are an absolutely legitimate instrument to learn on.

Coming up next: a summary of pros and cons for both digital pianos and acoustic pianos…

Hybrid Pianos: The Best of Both Worlds?

TThere’s one more category of piano we haven’t talked about, and that’s hybrid pianos. Hybrid pianos combine an acoustic action mechanism with a digital sound engine. The action is 100% acoustic and the sound is 100% digital. This enables silent practice, easy recording, and multiple sounds in a package that really isn’t that different from an acoustic piano.

Compared to digital pianos, hybrids are larger and more expensive. But they are also smaller and cheaper than true acoustics. If you’re a serious pianist who wants an acoustic piano but don’t have the budget or space required, a hybrid may be the perfect choice!

Digital Pianos: Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Substantially more affordable than acoustic pianos Require very little maintenance Portable; perfect for gigs Capable of producing many sounds than just “piano” You can practice in private with headphones Easy to record	Doesn’t offer an authentic acoustic piano experience, though technology is getting close Key action varies in quality: high-end weighted keys can offer a similar experience to an acoustic, but cheaper models won’t offer this May not last as long as a well-maintained, high-quality acoustic piano Not ideal for pianists who are provided acoustic pianos at gigs

Ideal Digital Piano Customers:

• Beginners: Don’t drop ten grand on an acoustic piano unless you’re certain you’ll stay in the hobby; an entry-level digital piano with weighted keys should suffice for a first-timer.
• Children: Acoustic pianos can be damaged if not treated properly, so digital pianos are more suitable for households with children and pets.
• Professional stage musicians: whether you’re busking on the street or accompanying a band in a stadium, the portability of stage pianos is invaluable.
• Pop and rock pianists: pop and rock musicians can take advantage of the many sounds a digital piano offers, from vintage organ sounds to futuristic synth tones.
• Apartment dwellers: anyone who lives in a small space will likely prefer a digital piano.

Acoustic Pianos: Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Offers the authentic piano-playing experience Perfectly weighted keys will bring out the finest nuance, perfect for classical and jazz genres where articulation is key (no pun intended) Can last a lifetime and more, becoming a family heirloom May hold resale or trade-in value A beautiful piece of furniture for any home	Substantially more expensive than digital pianos; however, you can often find old uprights for free in classifieds, though quality may be lacking Requires regular maintenance Not portable Offers just one sound (piano) Can’t practice with headphones, but many uprights offer a “practice pedal” solution More difficult to record Grand pianos can be very loud and take up a lot of space

Ideal Acoustic Piano Customers:

• Classical pianists: Classical music still largely depends on acoustic pianos to capture subtle nuances.
• Jazz pianists: Because jazz is also a genre where how something is played matters as much, if not more, than what notes are played, acoustic pianos offer a nuanced action for articulating jazz lines.
• Advanced pianists: No matter what genre you play, if you become dedicated to the piano, you’ll likely want to upgrade to a quality acoustic at some point.

Keyboard vs. Piano Summary: Which should you buy?

The decision to buy a piano is a very personal one. Things you might take into consideration include:

• How long you decide to stick with the hobby
• The genre(s) of music you want to learn to play
• Your living situation, including size of home and housemates
• Budget

On top of these personal considerations, there are a few guidelines that any piano student should follow:

1. Buy a piano with weighted keys. This means pressing softly will make a soft sound, and playing hard will make a loud sound. Today, many entry-level pianos in the sub-$500 range offer this feature.
2. Buy a piano with 88 keys, if possible. This is the standard size of a piano keyboard. Even if your first songs are limited in range, you’ll quickly outgrow a smaller keyboard.
3. Try before you buy. Piano action (how keys feel) is super personal. Some people like heavier actions; others prefer lighter ones. You won’t know what you prefer until you go into a store and try a bunch of instruments. Piano action is the je ne sais quoi that makes one piano better than the other.

Learn more about pianos!

More posts bout buying the right instrument:

• How to Buy Your First Piano
• Does Price Matter? (Cheap vs. Expensive Digital Pianos)
• What’s the best beginner keyboard? Digital Piano Reviews (2023)

And if you want to learn more about pianos…

• How Pianos Work
• A Complete History of the Piano
• Who Invented the Piano?

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