Choosing a keyboard to learn piano
To learn piano you need full-size, touch-sensitive keys and a sustain pedal; a real piano is not required. 61 keys covers beginner music (Octotune's whole adult path uses 49), and 88 weighted keys is best if you have the budget and the room. To learn with an app, choose a keyboard or digital piano with USB MIDI.
What matters most
In order of importance for a beginner:
- Full-size keys. Mini keys train your hand to the wrong distances. Full-size keys are the same width as a piano's.
- Touch-sensitive keys. Louder when you press harder. Without this there is no loud and soft, and your touch doesn't develop.
- A sustain pedal. Most keyboards have a socket for one; many don't include it. It is inexpensive and much of piano music uses it.
- A USB MIDI connection, if you want to learn with an app or a computer. See below.
- Enough keys for the music you will play.
- Weighted keys, if you can: they feel most like a piano.
- A stable stand and a seat at the right height. A wobbling keyboard, or a chair too low, makes everything harder.
How many keys?
| Keys | Range | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 88 | The full piano | Everything, including most classical pieces |
| 76 | Most of the piano | Nearly all beginner and intermediate music |
| 61 | Five octaves | Beginner music and much beyond; the most common home keyboard |
| 49 | Four octaves | Early lessons and reading courses; cramped for two hands in some pieces |
| 25 to 37 | Two or three octaves, often mini keys | Music production, not learning piano |
Beginner piano music sits near the middle of the keyboard. Octotune's 12-unit path, from middle C to sight-reading in both clefs, uses the 49 keys from low C (C2) to high C (C6). With 61 keys you have room to spare. 88 keys becomes necessary when you play pieces written for the full piano, which much of the classical repertoire is.
Weighted or unweighted?
- Hammer action (weighted, graded): heavier keys that feel like an acoustic piano's, often heavier in the bass. Best for building finger control and playing expressively. Usually found on digital pianos.
- Semi-weighted: some resistance, lighter than a piano.
- Unweighted (synth action): light, springy keys. Fine for learning notes, reading and rhythm.
If you learn on light keys, a heavier piano will feel stiff at first. That adjustment takes some days of playing, not starting over. If the choice is between an unweighted keyboard now and a weighted one some day, start now.
Do you need a real piano?
No. A digital piano, or a keyboard with full-size touch-sensitive keys, is enough to learn to play and to read. An acoustic piano has its own sound and feel, and needs tuning and space; it is a wonderful instrument to grow into, but not a requirement to start.
What about no piano at all? You can begin learning the notes on a computer keyboard or a touchscreen, and many people do while deciding whether piano is for them. But hands learn the keys by touch, and that needs real keys. Get a keyboard once you know you want to continue.
Connecting a keyboard to an app
Learning apps hear your playing in one of two ways:
- MIDI: the keyboard sends each note, how hard it was played, and the pedal, over a cable or Bluetooth. It is exact: the app knows every key.
- The microphone: the app listens to the sound. This works with any piano, including an acoustic, but is less exact with chords, fast notes and background noise.
For MIDI, look for:
- A USB socket, often labeled "USB to host" (usually the square USB-B shape, sometimes USB-C). One cable to the computer, and it works.
- Bluetooth MIDI, on some newer instruments.
- Round five-pin MIDI sockets on older instruments: these need a small MIDI-to-USB interface.
A socket labeled "USB to device" or "USB flash" is for a memory stick, not a computer. Connect a MIDI keyboard to your browser goes step by step.
Phones and tablets
- Android: Chrome can use a USB MIDI keyboard, with an adapter for the phone or tablet's socket.
- iPad and iPhone: Safari does not support Web MIDI. Other browsers need their own Web MIDI support; the cable alone does not provide it. Native apps that support MIDI can connect to keyboards, usually with an adapter for the device's USB-C or Lightning socket. See the browser and device support guide.
Before you buy: a checklist
- Full-size, touch-sensitive keys
- A sustain pedal (included, or bought separately)
- USB to host or Bluetooth MIDI, if you will use an app or computer
- At least 61 keys; 88 if you want classical pieces and have the room
- A stand that doesn't wobble, and a seat that puts your elbows level with the keys
- Headphones socket, if others will be home while you practice
How Octotune works with your keyboard
Octotune reads a MIDI keyboard or digital piano in Chrome, Edge or Firefox on a computer, and in Chrome on Android: every key, how hard it was played, and the sustain pedal. Without a keyboard, you can play on your computer keys (the home row is the white keys) or the on-screen piano, and switch at any time.
On an iPad in the browser, play on the on-screen piano. Octotune is also available for iPhone and iPad on the App Store; the setup guide explains device requirements and keyboard help. For a MIDI keyboard, our current recommendation is a supported computer browser. Octotune doesn't listen through the microphone yet, so it can't hear an acoustic piano today. If you have an acoustic piano, a small MIDI keyboard beside it for Octotune is one way to use both.
How Octotune works has the full list of browsers. Open Octotune to try it with whatever keys you have.
Next: Connect a MIDI keyboard to your browser, step by step.
Questions
Do I need a real piano to learn piano?
No. A digital piano or a keyboard with full-size, touch-sensitive keys is enough to learn to play and to read music. An acoustic piano is a lovely instrument, but a beginner doesn't need one to start.
Is a 61-key keyboard enough to learn piano?
For a beginner, yes. Beginner piano music stays near the middle of the keyboard; Octotune's whole adult path uses 49 keys, from C2 to C6. You will want 88 keys later for much of the classical repertoire, which uses the whole range.
Do I need weighted keys?
Not to start. Weighted keys feel closest to an acoustic piano and build finger control, so they are worth it if you can afford them. Unweighted, touch-sensitive keys are fine for learning notes, reading and rhythm; expect a short adjustment when you move to a heavier action.
What does touch-sensitive mean on a keyboard?
The harder you press a key, the louder the note, as on a piano. It is sometimes called velocity-sensitive. Without it every note is the same volume, so you can't learn to play loud and soft.
How do I connect a keyboard to a learning app?
Most keyboards and digital pianos made for home have a USB socket, often labeled USB to host, that sends the notes to a computer or tablet as MIDI. Some also have Bluetooth MIDI. Older instruments with only round five-pin MIDI sockets need a small MIDI-to-USB interface.