Buying an electronic keyboard for a Christmas present is not as difficult as you might think. You can pick up a good quality new keyboard for less than a hundred pounds and if you buy a used keyboard then you can reduce that figure to fifty pounds. These are not toy keyboards either; they are real, sixty-one note, high quality electronic keyboards.
If you are buying a keyboard for the first time then I recommend auction sites such as eBay were you are bound to find a bargain and you can also find brand new keyboards for sale, but don't just dive in, first you need to know what to buy.
So you are buying a keyboard for yourself or most probably for you children and many people will immediately look in catalogues and visit stores like Dixon's and Comet and surprisingly not music shops. So essentially, you are buying a keyboard blind. A keyboard is just a keyboard, if its got black and white keys that's all you need to know right, wrong, there is a little bit more to it than that and if you or your offspring want to learn to play then its worth checking out a few features that you will need.
Top Five Keyboard Buying Tips
Keyboard Size
Keyboard size is probably the most important, at a price range of a hundred pounds or less, you can buy forty-nine note, sixty-one note and if buying second hand seventy-six note keyboards. The most popular size is sixty-one note.
LCD Screens
Most modern keyboard today have a screen built in to the middle of the keyboard so you can see the operations of the keyboard, such as what sound or rhythm you are using or what notes you are playing, in fact all operation of the keyboard. Buy a keyboard with a big screen. Small screens can get very cluttered and its hard to see what's going on.
Speakers
Make sure your keyboard has built in speakers. Today's keyboards normally have two, one on the left and one on the right and built in to the keyboard so you don't have any trailing wires to bother about.
Auto Chord
If you are serious about learning to play the keyboard then check that your chosen keyboard has an auto chord feature. This is a system that will embellish the chords you play with your left hand by adding rhythmic background sounds including drums bass, brass, in fact a full orchestra, it is a fantastic invention and certainly helps the learning process.
Power Supply
Whatever keyboard you buy, get yourself a power supply to go with it. Don't rely on batteries, they won't last long and in the end, it will cost you a fortune. Power supplies are available for about ten to twenty pounds depending on which keyboard you opt for.
If you follow the above buying tips you should be able to get yourself a decent keyboard for a hundred pounds or less.
Mike Shaw has been in the music business for over thirty years as a professional keyboard player and seller of musical instruments. He has a number of music websites promoting sheet music, pianos and keyboards. If you are in the market for a new keyboard please visit his electronic keyboard and piano websites.
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