The Soft Way to Mozart software will work with, practically, any
electric piano existing on the market - digital pianos, electronic piano
keyboards or MIDI keyboard controllers. The only condition is that this digital
piano or piano keyboard has to be General MIDI compatible, which is true
for most of the modern electric pianos. To find out if a particular keyboard is MIDI
compatible, check for the word "MIDI" or "General MIDI"on the piano keyboard front, or
look for a pair of round 5-pin connectors, "MIDI In" and "MIDI
Out", at the back of the keyboard (or at the bottom for some digital pianos),
or, the most challenging, read its manual.
To fully use the advantage of the "Soft way to Mozart" interactive
teaching software, you need to connect your electronic piano keyboard to your
computer. Please read more in
Computer to piano MIDI connection.
Any solution is good till the digital piano, piano keyboard, or MIDI controller may be connected
to the computer, and you can start practicing to acquire basic piano skills.
Our recommendations:
1) Size. We recommend to purchase a piano keyboard with at least 61 keys.
Very soon you will find that a piano keyboard with less than 61 keys is just a
toy, and you will be able to play only simplest songs. The full 88 keys
keyboard is the best choice for more advanced students that are going to play
any classical or contemporary compositions.
2) Piano keyboard against MIDI controller.
We would recommend to purchase a piano keyboard that includes sound
system rather than just a MIDI keyboard controller, that has no built-in sound,
and that can be used only together with a computer. Usually, the sound of even
the cheapest piano keyboard is better and more powerful than the computer sound,
or the computer sound card and speakers must be quite expensive. Also, you can
use this keyboard independently, move around, and even travel with it. The price
difference between a piano keyboard and a MIDI controller is small, but, as said
previously, you can use both variants.
3) Sound. One of the most important features of any piano is the quality of sound.
The more closely the piano keyboard reproduces the natural piano tones, the more
enjoyment you or your child will experience during your practice and piano
performance. On other hand, at some level, even small improvement of sound may
increase the price of a digital piano in thousand dollars. We believe that nowadays even the
cheapest on the market piano keyboard has decent sound for learning and
practicing the piano playing. You may select your price category, and choose a
piano relying on your ear. Switch all pianos to the "Grand Piano"
tone, and press piano keys, trying to understand which piano sound you like
better. Usually, it will be a piano with less noticeable
"electric" tones in its timbre.
4) Additional features. The touch-sensitive piano keys are a plus, as also are
the loaded keys that
simulate the resistance of real piano keys, though these features are not needed
for beginners, and especially for small children. Also, in cheap models, these
features may be bound with the decrease of sound quality.
Our piano software does not need additional
built-in functionality that some of electric piano producers try to add to the
modern piano keyboards, like lightning of piano keys, complicated piano
teaching attachments, and multitude of music tones and effects. Keeping in mind,
that any additional functionality makes the use of the piano more difficult, distract
attention, and makes the whole device less reliable, we would recommend to go
after a piano with better sound and less gadgets.
Again, the cheapest piano keyboard which you constantly use for improving
your playing skills is much better than nothing, and better than the best piano collecting dust without any use.
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