which is easier on the fingers/wrist real piano or keyboard

[heehee62]

Which is easier on the hands/fingers/wrists - a non-weighted keyboard, a weighted keyboard, or a real piano?

 

My mom's getting old. She gets finger joint pains sometimes so wants something easy on the hands.

[MoodyBluesKeys]

There really isn't one single answer. I'm 68, so is my wife. We do not have an acoustic piano, although we play various ones from time to time. We use weighted keyboards (Kurzweil PC2X and PC3X). My experience is that they require less force than a Steinway B but more force than a lot of spinet and console pianos.

 

Thing is, I also have non-weighted and "semi-weighted" They work very well for what they are intended - the non-weighted works well for organ or fast LH bass, with less fatigue. However, if your mother is playing traditional piano music, it is very difficult to do so and get the expressiveness on an unweighted keyboard.

 

My semi-weighted keyboards are used in a band gigging arrangement, where I am not doing much solo work. Nice compromise between non and full weighted, not so good for playing Debussy and Chopin.

 

Another real factor to consider is body posture and hand/arm posture. My hands get pains if I practice too long at a time, or stretch too much at a time. Pain is the body's warning that damage may occur.

 

Don't know where you are located; but if a good piano instructor could spend 5 to 10 minutes with your mother and see her play, they might be able to come up with really solid recommendations.

 

BTW - the local college has a lady who is 92, can play 10 times as fast as I play, and usually plays a console that is so stiff that I have trouble depressing the keys. Of course, she has been doing it for over 80 years.

 

[Joe Muscara]

For some, the little/no resistance of an unweighted board is worse than with a weighted board. If your mom has been playing piano for ages, weighted may work better because it's what she's used to. I'd suggest taking her to a music store and having her try out a lot of stuff. Even that big box music store has the home model Casios and Yamahas, and she might like those. Don't let her be thrown off by the ones mounted high on the wall. You might want to see if you can have those moved so she can try them in a normal position.

[heehee62]

Thanks guys. My mom likes to play oldies and soft rock the most. I'll take her to a music store like you guys suggest.

 

I'd suggest to her to have her music teacher help her out but her teacher is a piano snob. My mom currently comes over to my house and practices on my motif. Her teacher keeps telling my mom she'll never get really good at the piano if she keeps playing on a keyboard instead of a real piano. Her physical comfort is more important to me and my mom since her goal is to have fun - not become a concert pianist.

[Joe Muscara]

Then she may need a more accommodating teacher. You still want one that knows and teaches good technique and all that, but who understands what your mom wants to learn.

[MoodyBluesKeys]

+10,000

 

Replace choices: keyboard mother TEACHER

 

BINGO!

 

[Throbert]

I had a piano teacher that would almost break out the ruler if you suggested anything new and/or different. maybe taking her to the music store and letting her play different keybeds to see what she likes to play on. IF she's used to weighted action she probably won't like unweighted, the technique is totally different. You would get a good idea at a place where she can sample many different actions.

[heehee62]

+10,000

 

Replace choices: keyboard mother TEACHER

 

BINGO!

 

Haha! Every teacher has strengths and weaknesses and this one, my mom can forgive (overall, she's a good teacher and is very accomodating when it comes to giving my mom songs to practice in the music genres she enjoys).

 

It's actually me that finds her piano versus keyboard comments irrating - I love my motif and can't believe she'd speak about it as if its such a second class instrument.

 

I'm going to take my mom to the music store next weekend. Thanks for all the input.

[Aidan]

For some, the little/no resistance of an unweighted board is worse than with a weighted board.

 

+1

 

On many lighter weight/semi-weighted boards, you often find yourself holding your hands more stiffly than you would on a fully weighted board to avoid accidentally triggering unwanted notes. This can result in considerable fatigue if you're not careful.

[Throbert]

Well, to me, playing unweighted keys is more like floatimg or hovering your hand more than with weighted where I seem to use alot more wrist movement.

Hey,

If you can check out the Numa Nero I here that's as close to the real thing as your going to get,(playig wise) if not I like my Kawai DP for your very reason, it's really easy to play.

[Discotheque]

I second (or third, fourth, wherever we're at) all the comments people made about unweighted keys being worse for your wrists if you're used to weighted action (or piano action). Myself, I like heavy action, even on acoustic (not heavy and dull, has to be bright, but I prefer heavy). I find light actions too hard to control and get a good tone out of.

 

Consequently I recently played a gig using an M-audio axiom 61 which has semi-weighted keys and my wrist was quite sore at the end (very light action). Aidan articulated it best for me I think in the holding your wrists stiffly to avoid triggering unwanted notes, or in my case, playing too quickly and whatnot.

[theGman]

I find that the lighter the weight, the easier. Seems like physics to me. I find that the wrist angle has the most to do with comfort level.

[Jazz+]

The only reason to get a keyboard is if you cannot afford a good grand piano (a Steinway) I have been playing a Steinway C that has had about $30,000 of regulation work done and the keys play like a dream, no stiffness. It's like a Ferrari, very responsive. Guys that say Steinways are heavy to play have not had enough regulation work done on them. Horowitz's Steinway keys would go down if you just blew on them.

[Throbert]

Steinways have decent action but I don't like the way they sound compared to a Baldwin,Kawai or Yamaha.

Oh the band is coming over this afternoon to work on some tunes I'll just put my Steinway in the closet to make room and use my

DP. Now where did I leave the case at.