Digital piano or keyboard — what's the difference and which to choose?

A keyboard and a digital piano look similar but serve different purposes. We explain the differences in action, range, pedals and amplification, and suggest when to choose which.

This is one of the most common questions among people buying their first keyboard instrument. Both have keys, both play through speakers, and the difference in price can be twofold. Where does that difference come from, then, and is it worth paying more?

The short answer: these are instruments for different jobs. A keyboard is an arranger instrument, a digital piano is the counterpart of an acoustic piano. Below are five differences that genuinely matter.

1. The number of keys and the range

A typical keyboard has 49, 54 or 61 keys. A digital piano has 88 — that is, the full range of an acoustic instrument.

For simple melodies 61 keys are enough. The problem appears with piano literature, where the composer uses the extreme registers. A pupil playing on a shortened keyboard will sooner or later meet a piece that simply cannot be performed.

All the pianos in the Versoni line — from the V5WN to the V11B — have the full 88 keys.

2. The key action — the biggest difference

Keyboard keys are usually light and sprung. You press them with little force, and under your finger you feel a resistance similar to a computer keyboard.

On a digital piano the key offers resistance. In designs with hammer action a weight works beneath the key, reproducing the behaviour of a hammer striking a string. The lower notes are heavier, the upper ones lighter — exactly as on an acoustic.

This is not a matter of comfort but of learning. A pupil's fingers build strength and control against a resistance a keyboard doesn't provide. Moving from a keyboard to an acoustic piano is therefore often painful.

In our range the difference is visible between models: V5N has a semi-weightedkeyboard, while the V9N, V10NB and V11B have a weighted keyboard with hammer action.

3. Pedals

A keyboard most often has one socket for a sustain pedal, and the pedal itself has to be bought separately. A digital piano has a fixed pedal unit with three pedals: sustain, soft and sostenuto.

The sustain pedal appears in sheet music very early — practically from the first year of learning. Without it a considerable part of the repertoire sounds dry and incomplete.

4. Amplification

Keyboards are designed as portable equipment, so they have smaller speakers. A digital piano stands in one place, so the designer can allow a bigger cabinet and a more powerful system.

In the Versoni line that means 2 × 10 W in the V5 and 2 × 12 W with a 16 × 24-bit DSP in the V9, V10 and V11. You hear it above all in the bass and in the calm decay of quiet playing.

5. The set of voices and accompaniments

Here the advantage often lies with the keyboard — and that is its real speciality. Elaborate styles, automatic accompaniments and hundreds of tones serve arranging and light-music playing.

A digital piano has those functions too, though with different emphasis. Versoni offers 127 tones, and the number of accompaniments depends on the model: 206 in the V5NB and 160 in the V9, V10 and V11. The main emphasis, however, is on the piano sound and on how the keyboard works.

When a keyboard is the better choice

• when the instrument is to be portable — for rehearsals, trips, a band,
• when the main aim is light-music playing with automatic accompaniment,
• when the budget is really small and the point is to check whether a child takes an interest,
• when there is no room for an instrument 130 cm wide.

When to choose a digital piano

• when you are planning lessons with a teacher or music school,
• when you care about technique that transfers to playing an acoustic,
• when you want to play piano literature and not only melodies,
• when the instrument is to stay in the home for years.

A common mistake: a keyboard "to try", a piano "later"

That strategy sounds sensible but has a flaw. A year of playing on a light keyboard ingrains habits that later have to be corrected — the pupil grows used to the absence of resistance and strikes too shallowly.

If it is known that the aim is to learn the piano, it makes more sense to choose an instrument with a full keyboard straight away, even in its basic version. The V5WN piano gives you 88 keys, three pedals and full connectivity at a price close to that of a better keyboard.

Summary

A keyboard and a digital piano don't compete with each other — they answer different needs. When it comes to learning the piano, the choice is unambiguous: a full keyboard, an action that offers resistance and three pedals.

You can compare all the models and their specifications in the digital pianos.