Keyboard vs Piano: Difference and Comparison

Music has changed a lot in many years, earlier, it was just limited to entertainment purposes, and there were limited instruments available for playing music.

Also, some people do not use to consider playing music a good activity, but nowadays, people are pursuing music as a career which is providing it financial support as well.

Along with it, there are many instruments introduced for playing music. Some of them are different, while others can be a lot similar.

For example, keyboards and pianos are similar in many aspects and can be confusing for someone who does not acquire much knowledge about music.

Key Takeaways

1. Keyboards use electronic components to produce sound, while pianos create sound through the mechanical action of hammers striking strings.
2. Pianos offer a wider dynamic range and more expressive sound than keyboards.
3. Keyboards are more portable and affordable, making them a popular choice for beginners and musicians on the go.

Keyboard vs Piano

A keyboard is an electronic musical instrument that is designed to simulate the sound and feel of a traditional piano, producing a wide range of sounds. A piano is a large, acoustic musical instrument that is played by pressing keys that activate hammers that strike strings inside the instrument.

Keyboards are musical instruments with different keys, and their sound can be increased and decreased as preferred. They are electronic keyboards as well that require electricity to work.

They resemble pianos very much but can have a different number of keys. It is mostly preferred by beginners due to its more affordable and easier-to-learn feature. It can be easily bought on online websites or platforms.

The piano is a musical instrument invented in Italy. It is an acoustic string instrument. It is made of wooden mostly, and strings are attached or struck by wooden hammers. Most of the pianos are vintage and hold great value in the music.

It is mostly used by professionals, and hence it requires proper and regular maintenance. It can be difficult to find a piano as it is costly and requires professional people to carry and deliver it.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Keyboard	Piano
Keys	Lighter	Heavier
Economical	It is more economical	It is less economical
Professionals	Less preferred	More preferred
Maintenance	Require little maintenance	Require constant maintenance
Sound	Depending on their volume knob	Do not depend on such factor

What is a Keyboard?

It belongs to the electrical instrument family. It is a lot similar to the piano and can produce different types of sounds that are played by different instruments.

It is mostly recommended and used by beginners learning to play with the keys, not professionals. But there are some expensive elaborated keyboards used for performances by professional players.

There should be at least 75 keys on every keyboard which, depending on the keyboard’s model. 

They are lighter and easier to find. They are easily available in online musical stores. And the sounds of it can be controlled, i.e., they can be increased and decreased both with the help of musical nodes. 

Following are some of the features of a Keyboard:

• Chord recognition.
• Touch sensitivity
• Demonstration songs.
• Auto harmonizing.
• Pitch bending, etc.

In some countries, it is known as an organ; in others, it is referred to as a synthesizer.

Some of the famous keyboard players include Billie Currie of Ultravox, Bernie Worrell of Parliament-Funkadelic, Vadim Pruzhanov of DragonForce, Jan Hammer, George Duke, Tony Banks of Genesis, Steve Winwood, and Ray Manzarek of The Doors.

What is the Piano?

It is used in both historical and modern music. It has created in 1700s by Bartolomeo di Francesco Cristofori. There are grand pianos, synthesizers, and digital pianos. It was called pianoforte earlier due to its ability to play notes quietly and loudly.

It has more than 10000 parts while at least of this number of them can move. It consists of several small parts which need to work perfectly to play the instrument. To make it a full-range instrument total of 230 strings need to be attached. 

The strings are made with the help of steel and hold about 170 pounds of tension each. And this is the reason why it is mostly preferred by professionals and not beginners. Its keys are referred to as ivories.

But in reality, they are made out of plastic, not ivory, to save resources, which is a good initiative. They are mostly expensive and cannot be afforded by everyone. 

Main Differences Between Keyboard and Piano

1. Both of them can be easily differentiated based on their keys. The keys of the keyboard are lighter and easier to press with a soft hand, whereas the keys of the piano are comparatively difficult to press due to their heavier weight.
2. In terms of economics, keyboards are more economical due to their lower cost, and it is because they are best suited for beginners who can easily afford them, whereas pianos are less economical due to their expensive cost as some of them are vintage while others are used by professionals mostly.
3. In terms of maintenance also, piano, as mentioned above, is costly, and one of the factors that add to their cost is their maintenance expenses, as they can fall out of its tune due to several factors it requires regular maintenance, while keyboards require comparatively less or little maintenance, it can be cleaned to remove the dust mostly, which further reduces its cost.
4. They can be differentiated on the basis of their accessibility. A piano is mostly heavier and is difficult to find and therefore requires professionals to carry out and place into the area, which also requires extra fees and keyboard is light and hence can be ordered online and also does not require any professional help and fees.
5. Lastly, they are different when it comes to the different sounds they produce. Piano being an acoustic instrument, is physically amplified and produced its sound. And keyboards are electronic instruments that come with several volume options; therefore, the sound of the keyboard can be increased or decreased, unlike the piano.

References

1. https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/506443.506522
2. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1942-02623-001
3. https://asa.scitation.org/doi/abs/10.1121/1.5009659
4. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3679711
5. https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/scimed/mppa/2000/00000015/00000003/art00004

Last Updated : 11 June, 2023