The keyboard is the most important part of a piano.
Even with a grand piano, if there’s any discomfort or dissatisfaction with the keyboard’s action, you can’t focus on playing and won’t be able to perform well.
This time, I’d like to introduce the characteristics by manufacturer as well.
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The importance of the keyboard in digital pianos
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Even when practicing on a digital piano, the quality of the keys can make a difference in how quickly you improve.
Starting from models in the 100,000-yen range, there are digital pianos that replicate the acoustic piano’s key weight balance, where the lower register feels heavier and the higher register feels lighter.。
For example, if every key felt the same weight wherever you played, you would feel a sense of discomfort and a significant difference when playing a grand piano.
If this sense of incongruity and the gap are large, you won’t be able to produce the sound you want, so your practice won’t be very fruitful, and your desire to play the piano may fade.
That’s how crucial the quality of the keyboard is.
And this also ends up affecting how enjoyable it is to play the piano.
Therefore, I would like you to choose a keyboard with the best possible key action. (By the way, that doesn’t mean everything else can be ignored just because the keys are good—please don’t misunderstand.)
Since the feel of a keyboard can differ entirely depending on the manufacturer, here we’ll explain the general characteristics of each brand.
YAMAHA (Yamaha)
Digital Piano – Yamaha Corporation
A distinguishing feature of Yamaha is its aim to faithfully replicate the keyboard action of a grand piano.
Especially with models priced over 150,000, you can control touch dynamics with a high degree of precision.
The keys return quickly, and the internal sensors detect key movements with fine precision, giving it excellent repetition responsiveness; even when you repeatedly play the same note or multiple notes in succession, the sound is less likely to cut off.
The key feel is midway between the two manufacturers mentioned below.
There are several types of keyboards, such as GH (Graded Hammer) 3 keyboards, GHX keyboards, and NW (Natural Wood) keyboards.
KAWAI (Kawai)
Kawai is a manufacturer that is particularly committed to its keyboards—it was even the first to use wooden keys in a digital piano.
Higher-end models are equipped with wooden keys, the same as those of an acoustic piano.
This “same keyboard” means that the distance from the key’s point of application to the fulcrum is the same as on an acoustic piano.
This makes the key travel depth equivalent to that of a grand piano, providing a very realistic keystroke feel.
Also, the physical weight when pressing the keys is somewhat on the heavier side with Kawai.
The built-in keyboard mechanisms are labeled with names such as Grand Feel Action II, RM3 Grand II, and Responsive Hammer Action III.
Roland
Since Roland is an electronic musical instrument manufacturer, unlike Yamaha and Kawai, they do not make acoustic pianos. (By the way, Roland is a domestic company. It seems quite a few people think they’re an overseas manufacturer.)
However, its quality is in no way inferior even when compared to Yamaha and Kawai.
Having built synthesizers for many years, we have solid expertise in making keyboards.
The keys feel slightly light, but the operation is very stable and the response to touch is excellent.
The types of keyboards are named PHA-50 keyboard, PHA-4 Concert keyboard, and PHA-4 Standard keyboard.
Roland’s keyboards are high-quality instruments whose touch and key construction are on par with those of piano manufacturers.
Summary
The feel of playing a keyboard changes dramatically not just with its weight, but also with its responsiveness and mechanism.
And it's by no means true that heavier is always better.
- Yamaha for overall balance
- If you want a sense of weight when playing, go with Kawai.
- If you want a good touch response, go with Roland.
In a word, it can be summarized as follows.
Please consider these characteristics of each manufacturer as one of your criteria for judgment.