The piano and keyboard are a very vital part of music and are usually the instrument of choice for people looking to learn music.
One can even go as far as saying, the piano is the gold standard for instruments.
With that said, not everyone will start off with a piano when looking to learn music. Some people will first start on a keyboard and then look to transition to the piano.
One confusing topic and question that usually arises in most of these situations is whether switching from a keyboard to a piano is hard or difficult.
This post will adress this question and provide some context even to the beginner that is still figuring out there way around which instrument to go for.
With that said,
Is Switching from Keyboard to Piano hard?
Switching from keyboard to piano is not difficult because they both have the same key layout. Plus, the fingerings of the keys, chords and hand positions on pianos and keyboards are pretty much the same. However the feel and response of the keys on a piano is quite different to that of a keyboard and it may take you some time to translate what you could play on keyboard to a piano, but it’s not a process that would take years to master.
To further explore this with an example; you could think of the keyboard to piano transition like moving from a laptop keyboard to an external keyboard that is utilized with a desktop computer.
The overall processes and key functionality is the same but you would notice subtle differences when pressing the keys on a desktop seeing as you’re used to a laptop keyboard.
To further understand these two instruments we need to go into detail to understand how they actually work.
PIANO
The initial step in playing almost any instrument is becoming familiar with it. Piano is quite easy on the eye, but is a very complex instrument that has undergone hundreds years of development leading to its improvement in design and sound.
When a person is looking to purchase a piano they now have plenty of options today.
There are basically two types of acoustic piano; which is the grand and upright come in different sizes and shapes plus they both produce sound in a similar way.
They have a hammer-action design that allows you to control the dynamics (volume) and tone quality through the speed and nuance of your touch as you press down a key or keys and make a hammer hit a string or a set of strings inside a piano. Most pianos have a wooden soundboard that is parallel to the strings and it amplifies the resonance of the strings or string vibrating.
KEYBOARD
Keyboards come in all shapes and sizes, they can have many keys or just a few of them. Sometimes they are huge instruments sometimes they are simply small.
They keyboard world is pretty vast with various kinds of keyboards and these keyboards are all played differently from others. They often times feel different in size and weight plus their prices greatly vary.
Keyboards are electronic and they produce their own sounds either by some electrical or digital means. They may contain tubes or resistors, chips and circuit boards inside them. They have no vibrating strings or any spinning elements.
They rely simply on digital sounds that come pre computed in them to usually mimic what a piano would sound like as well other instruments.
Some examples of Keyboards include Combo Organs, synthesizers, midi controllers, and portable keyboards etc.
Keyboards have weighted keys which rely on the weight of a press for dynamics.
Piano and Keyboards
Now that we have a good understanding of both instruments we can go on to explore this topic further.
Transitioning from keyboard to piano is pretty much easy because you won’t really encounter something completely unfamiliar.
The only catch will be to get used to the nuances that come with playing a hammer and string instrument.
Most people choose to go from piano to keyboard which is a more seamless switch but pretty much the same. The fact is, if you can play keyboard and can read music you can can play piano with little stress.
Some may find it a little daunting if they’ve been used to playing a keyboard with lesser keys than 88 but the truth is that you can easily get around this and get used to a standard piano even if you’ve been working with a mini keyboard.
All it takes is some practice.
