From the mighty concert grand to the mini MIDI controller in your backpack – there are countless ways to play keys and trigger notes into your DAW or reach your audience’s ears. If you’re striding out, choosing your first keyboard, or simply looking to flex your creative might, here’s everything you need to consider.
If you’ve spent any time shopping for a keyboard or comparing instruments, you’ll have noticed that not all of them have the same number of keys. So why are some keyboards bigger than others? And do you need that extra space? Here’s a breakdown of what’s going on.
The Standard: 88 Keys
Let’s start with the big guns. The full sized acoustic piano has 88 keys. That’s 52 white keys and 36 black keys and it’s been this way since the late 19th century when piano manufacturers gradually extended the range of earlier instruments to meet the demands of ever-more experimental composers and performers.
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Those 88 keys span a full seven and a quarter octaves, from the lowest A at the bottom of the keyboard to the highest C at the top.
The vast majority of the canon of classical and contemporary piano repertoire sits comfortably within this range, which is why 88 keys became – and remains – the definitive standard, able to cope with anything a composer can throw at it.
The 88-note keyboard is essentially your ‘flight deck’ of controls, each key striking single or multiple physical strings with a force that’s directly proportional to the velocity and pressure you apply.
The result is an infinitely nuanced tone that both allows expert players to inject their personality, skill AND will show up newbies as the players-in-waiting that they are.
And let’s not forget each key’s weight and heft. Playing a good quality piano is a physical clash between a well-trained human musician versus a wood and metal machine that can weigh in excess of a hatchback.
Can’t afford the space but still want that feel? Don’t worry. These days there are countless 88-note MIDI controller keyboards that will go a considerable distance to delivering the touch, feel and weight expert players need, all within far more compact and home studio-friendly frames.
Eyes closed and fired up alongside a modern high-quality piano plug-in, most players would be hard-pushed to tell the difference between the modern approximation and the half-a-ton real thing.
Your choice all comes down to space, money and whether you need that DAW recording, arranging, composing flexibility at the end of the day.
Keyboardists and producers will appreciate the convenience and be willing to take a compromise on feel, while true ‘players’ will always prefer the full-on ebony and ivory real thing.
So why do some keyboards have fewer keys?
The short answer is, again, practicality, size, weight and cost. A full 88-key instrument is large and expensive to manufacture, so for many less militant players and purposes, a reduced keyboard is a perfectly reasonable compromise.
73-key ‘stage pianos’ are a great middle ground. There are plenty to choose from, from all the big names and six and a third octaves and handles the vast majority of piano repertoire without the full width of an 88-key instrument.
For gigging musicians who need something portable, a 73-key keyboard (there are also 76-key models too) with a professional playing action is often the sensible choice, offering great feel and a wide-range of authentic keyboard and string sounds on board.
And plugged into your DAW (try doing that with a concert grand…) it’s a luxury keybed for composing and programming with synths, drum machines and more.
Sure, 73- or 76-note weighted keyboards are sizey and still very ‘pro’ beasts but at least they CAN be put in the back of a car and taken to a gig.
The four/five octave sweet spot
Next step down the tree we have 61-key keyboards – a size and weight that has pretty much become THE de-facto standard for the modern keyboard.
This five octave size is extremely common across entry level, mid range and even pro synths and keyboards.
Five octaves is sufficient for beginners learning scales, chords and simpler pieces, and keeps the instrument compact and affordable. And it’s certainly wide enough for playing chord and lead two-handed parts with comfort and ease.
That said, you will start to notice the limitations if you progress to a more demanding repertoire. While pop and rock will fit easily onto 61 keys, you’ll find yourself running out of notes on classical and jazz pieces written for the full piano, making exciting use of those extreme upper or lower registers.
And you can forget any piano-style weighting or real/fake ivory feel here.
Five octave keyboards are strictly ‘synth-action’, often being able to read and express key velocity and pressure, but lacking any of the feel of a ‘real’ piano (or clever ‘weighted’ approximation). Sure, you can get good synth action five octave keyboards and bad ones too, but none are as good as a properly weighted, larger alternative.
49 keys (aka four octaves) meanwhile, is becoming the standard for hardware DAW controllers. That is, ‘soundless’ controller keyboards, typically aimed at producers and studio musicians rather than pianists.
These compact instruments are designed primarily for programming and MIDI control rather than traditional playing and as such WILL usually allow the recording of velocity but will also more usually lack pressure (or aftertouch) feel.
As for any kind of piano weighting… Forget it.
Want to go even smaller?
Take your pick! There’s countless options right down to those that feature mini keys for extra portability and even flat key octave-and-a-half controllers specifically made to be used alongside your laptop on the move.
Just remember, the smaller the keyboard the less authentically ‘playable’ it’s going to be.
Want to get notes out of your head and into your DAW. Fine. Want to jam and solo with a band? Maybe you need something larger…
Does size matter?
For an intermediate player, yes, it can. If you’re working through piano grades, playing classical repertoire or serious pop and jazz arrangements, you’ll increasingly encounter pieces that venture beyond the range of that popular, standard 61 key instrument.
As a general rule, if you’re considering yourself as a player (rather than a producer or programmer) then 73 keys is the practical minimum for you. And weighted keys to replicate the feel of an acoustic piano is a vital ingredient in order to develop a ‘proper’ technique and ability to express ‘feel’ that you can actually hear and – in time – make your own.
88 keys is always preferable if space and budget allow and you’ll often find that the weighted action on such ‘piano controllers’ is even better. Full sized weighted or ‘hammer action’ keys behave much more like an acoustic piano than unweighted synth action keys. If you’re developing as a pianist rather than a keyboard player, weighted keys on a full 88 key instrument is the combination worth aiming for.
Synth player and/or programmer/producer? Start here:
Not so fussed by style and feel? Want to sound great fast? A 61-note synth would be perfect for you.
Just starting out with a laptop and a DAW? Try a 49-note controller keyboard.
Making music on the move? Grab any of the many knob-and-slider equipped 37-note or less controllers from the likes of M-Audio, Arturia, Native Instruments and more.
One thing is for certain. Once you stop drawing notes on screen and start physically interacting with them via a music keyboard, you never got back.
Now go choose your weapon!
We’ll give you a good head start with our pick of the current best keyboards on the market.
