There are many different types of keyboards and pianos, but if you know the fundamental piano techniques, you can apply them to any of these instruments. In this blog, you’ll be learning from Noel Prashanth – an accomplished musician who has performed with several well-known bands. He is a teacher with the Demoz School of Music.

So, what’s the basic difference between a piano and a keyboard. While you may be aware that a keyboard is electronically powered as compared to a piano which is acoustic, it is good to understand a bit more about this.

Piano vs. Keyboard

The foremost difference of course is with respect to one being an acoustic instrument, and the other an electronic instrument. A piano has strings in it; when you press a particular key, it hits against a string, and the sound gets produced. A keyboard is a bit more versatile with respect to the sounds it can produce. Once you plug in the power and switch on the instrument, you have settings that allow you to easily emulate a piano, a guitar, drums, etc.

The other nuance you should be familiar with is with respect to the action and touch of these two instruments – synth action and hammer action. The synth action on a keyboard arises from the plastic keys, whereas hitting against the strings in a piano is what we refer to as the hammer action.

The keyboard has an electronic board across the keys. When you press any key, it sends a signal to the sound module, triggering a particular sound. The hammer in a piano has a felt tip on it, and when you press a key, the hammer gets pushed against the corresponding string, producing the sound.

Types of Keyboards and Pianos

There are a few sub-categories of these instruments too. For example, a digital piano can give you the same kind of feel of an acoustic piano. Keyboard sub-categories on the other hand can range from arrangers, workstations, synthesisers, MIDI, and so on.

A MIDI keyboard in particular is quite interesting, as there is no sound module present in it. You can connect it via a cable to your laptop, which then functions as your virtual instrument. When you press a key, it is the laptop that produces the corresponding sound.

There’s yet another instrument based on keys that you might have observed in old churches – the pipe organ. This is basically integrated into the physical structure of the church itself. The pipe organ is one of the most beautiful instruments in terms of the sound it produces.

You should now have a fair understanding of the types of pianos and keyboards, their major differences, and how each one produces the sounds we hear. The next post would introduce the right posture to adopt while sitting in front of the keyboard – an important thing you need to pay attention to from the beginning. Continue reading to further your knowledge of playing the keyboard.