I grew up with a piano, it was my grandmother's and she gave it to my mom. It was a great way to start my music career I started banging on it when I was very little.

I was wondering if a good quality electric keyboard would make a good substitute for a piano for kids. I don't think I'll be able to afford a piano for my home for a quite a while, unless someone is trying to get rid of an old upright. But I've seen some pretty nice keyboards that have the same size keys as pianos that are way more in my budget. I want my kids to grow up with music like I did, but I'm not ready to fork out the cash for a piano!

Of course, if a child eventually really takes to the piano, I'll need to get one. I was just thinking in terms of a starter instrument!

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<span style='color:red'>Carpe Jugulum</span>

How old are your kids?

It is fine to start on a digital piano. There are some that are superior to real pianos. If the kids advance fast though, you'll have to buy a piano soon.

Edit: Second Violin with 10 posts? I thought it would be something like "Page Turner" after Orchestra n00b. :P

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IF I hit a wrong key its becaus i kind of like it that way.

Actually, my daughter is 1, so I have a bit of time to worry about it. We also plan on having more. I just was looking at pianos and nice keyboards (may have even been called electric pianos) and realizing that we don't have one and I always had one around when I was growing up! I want the same for my kids.

I think I'll hit 1st violin at 50 posts. I can't wait because I have a 1st violin personality!

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<span style='color:red'>Carpe Jugulum</span>

I like electronic keyboards best because of how many voices there are and how you can play MIDI, and digitally record them without a studio. But then I'm a composer, and I compose mainly for orchestra. If I were a pianist who played concertos I think I might feel differently, but I'm not that great at performing. My keyboard has 61 keys, like most. My pet peeve, though is the Casio brand of keyboard. They may be fine for a beginner but I personally just hate them! MIne is a good Yamaha. There may be more realistic sounding ones but this is pretty good and is the best I know of. (If someone knew of a REALLY good one that beats Yamaha I would be ineterested to hear, though.)

I have also a composing electric piano and a keyboard mostly for midi... also a yamaha, baroque is quite right, yamaha has much better sounding, especially in same price categories.

I have a 73-key Casio only used to input MIDI into my computer (via SB Extigy).
I have to say, that it's hell to play on it.

I have a Samick WSU-131MD upright. It sounds...decent to most people (to me it sounds horrible) and has partial sostenuto. Got it for ~~6000USD.

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IF I hit a wrong key its becaus i kind of like it that way.

Mine is a Yamaha PSR-85. It was one of the best at the time I got it, but that was nine years ago!

I have a Yamaha YDP-223 digital piano. It is fantastic to learn and practice on. The sound is very real. The pedaling is realistic. It has concert grand hammer action. It looks like a piano (can be a piece of furniture) but can be lifted by two 10 year-olds. The cost is around $1500 US. For the money, I can't think of a better value. Obviously, you never have to tune it which helps when beginning to learn. It has a built in metronome, 50 classical masterpieces sampled in that you can slow the tempo to help learn(of all degrees of difficulty), It has 64 note polyphony, a few different sounds, built-in speakers. You can turn the volume down to practice at night or use headphones. When you get to a certain level of proficiency you will need to get the real thing, but for now, a digital piano is a great compromise to the real thing IMHO.

Hope this helps.--Tim

My composing piano is also by Yamaha (CLP 990) kinda similiar to yours concerning technique.

yeah, sure. A keyboard is okay, so long as the proper things are being taught and absorbed, and most importantly, as in ALL music lessons...let yr kids have a good time!
But be sure to get a piano ( u know, touch and hearing blah blah blah ).....when they've started on an exam/formal mode of learning.

The only good thing about electronic keyboard is the price and maybe portable. Electronic keyboard's keys are too soft and you don't even have to apply a bit force to make it sound. Thus, making your son/daughter's finger muscles not that strong. Your child's finger may end up slow and weak. Also you cant' make soft, loud, cresendo, etc. on an electric keyboard. Your child will be a boring player if he/she practice on an electriconic keyboard daily. I will not reccomend it to a begginner or even a proffesional pianist. Use a real piano.

Well, based on my experience, I don't think a keyboard would be a great substitute for the piano, especially for younger kids who may eventually take up piano. Here's why.

The first instrument I got was a small keyboard when I was 6, which I just loved. I learned to play my first songs on it, and eventually, my parents thought me well enough to enroll me in piano lessons. HOWEVER, because I had become so used to the keyboard, my wrist posture was horrible. Instead of holding my wrist upright, I habitually dropped them (like that on a computer keyboard). It took me several years and many pennies (by putting a penny on the back of my wrist when I practiced) to correct this problem.
Also, because the keys on the keyboard were so small, I didn't develop necessary elasticity between my fingers to reach the keys on an actual piano. Therefore, I had to practice a few more years before I adapted to the piano.
So, the question becomes now, would you want your child to continue on, after the initial excitement with the keyboard, to piano lessons? If so, I do not recommend buying a keyboard first because there are so many problems derived from keyboard practice alone.
My 2 cents.
----
Rescon

Don't know how to read music? Want to play piano? Come to Resonance Connection, where you'll find step-by-step tutorials about the basics of music theory and piano playing.
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I don't know if I'm breaking some kind of site etiquette by posting in a thread that nobody's touched in a month, so I'm sorry if I am.

A really good keyboard is pretty good, although you really can't beat the real thing. I don't know how much it cost, and the company that made mine is now out of business, but I play on a full-scale keyboard with pressure-sensitive keys and pedals. Since I'm only 15, I don't know how much it cost us, or how much it is compared to a piano. That was also quite some time ago.

A less pianoesque keyboard might be worth it for the beginning, but even with my rather good keyboard I know it's nothing compared to a piano. A lot of good musicianship is being in tune with the mechanics of your instrument, and there's nothing quite like actually manipulating a piano.

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Weep not for little Leonie,
Abducted by a French marquis!
Though loss of honor was a wrench
Just think how it's improved her French.

I have an electronic piano... if that makes any sense. It feels just like a real piano, but is electronic. I'm sure there are some out there that are cheaper than a real one. It's by Kurzweil if you're interested

If you have a really good electronic piano it may sound similar to a piano...
but a melody that comes out.... I mean that's a whole different story.... Feeling on a piano
is richer, how should i explain, on piano you get a real satisfaction...
I've just get yamaha electric piano and i own also upright piano and I steel prefer upright piano. I can't explain it, but when you play it for real you just can't play it on a electric piano.
In my opinion it's defenitly better to buy a non electric piano, even if it's a upright piano. And price of a upright piano and electronic piano it's equivalent.
Also the big problem on electric piano is that you can play fff or ppp...

And sorry for my english