Let me start off by defining a full size keyboard as one that has keys that are the width and length of a regular acoustic piano. There can be a varying number of keys but 88 is the size of an acoustic piano and what most professional performers will use.
However, many beginners and in particular those who are children, start on miniature sized keyboards. The smaller keys suit smaller fingers and in addition the smaller keys are lighter to the touch. You won’t find too many adults choosing to learn on a mini keyboard and if they do it is usually because they are on a budget and want to make sure they will enjoy keyboard playing before investing in a full sized one.
At the end of the day you will need to move to a full size keyboard if you wish to develop proper keyboard playing skills. You won’t learn to ride a racehorse properly by practicing on a pony and the same goes for electric keyboards. So here are just four of the many reasons you should look to move to a full sized keyboard sooner rather than later:
1. More room to play and develop naturally
As you start developing your ability you will want to practice harder pieces, play faster pieces etc. And that is made much more difficult if you are trying to cram adult fingers on small keys. Full sized keys allow for you to practice as you should be able to. Furthermore, many full sized electronic keyboards now come with touch sensitive keys which allow for greater expression when playing. This technology is often not present in mini keyboards.
2. Will almost always have no less than 61 keys which is important for dual hand play
You really want to be playing on a 88 key keyboard as soon as possible so that you can develop the skills of playing with both your left and right hands. It is still possible to develop these skills to some extent on a 61 key keyboard which is about as small a number as you will find in a full sized keyboard. The more keys you have the more options you have around harmonization and expression; some of the most spine tingling notes are found at the very ends of an 88 key keyboard.
3. Speakers will be better on a full size keyboard
If you have better speakers then you can get a richer higher quality sounds coming from your instrument which allows for a greater sense of joy and realism. A full sized keyboard is a bigger instrument and will have bigger and more powerful speakers to facilitate this enjoyment.
4. You get more choices with full sized keyboards
Casio pretty much have a monopoly on the mini keyboard market. Indeed, my first keyboard which was second hand 27 years ago was a mini keyboard by Casio. Keyboards have come a long way since then but Casio still holds that market. When we move into the full sized keyboard market there is much more competition which means better value for money as the various manufacturers keep each other honest. Major players other than Casio in this market are Yamaha, Roland and Korg.
If you are reading this because you are wondering whether to move to a full size keyboard then hopefully this has helped you see the light, so to speak. Let me now complete this service by guiding you towards two of the best value full sized keyboards on the market today, the Yamaha p95 and the Casio PX 330. These keyboards are used by professionals and amatuers alike and are very popular. Feel free to click on the links to see my reviews for each keyboard.




