Who takes a keyboard away with them?

[HSS]

FWIW...  I bought a couple of cheap "kids" folding 61 key pianos that retail for ~$130 - $150 each on Amazon. I only paid just 4$ and $6 each for 'em at a local Las Vegas Amazon return auction site.   I also have an 88 version that I picked up about a year ago for only $11.  Note: these are not the horrendous roll-up pianos, they fold in half

 

Anway, their SW velocity sensitive actions, onboard GM sounds, and the internal speakers are as expected pretty lame but they are, at least for me, playable. The big plus for me is that they fold in half to ~18" long and fit in a carry-on (the 88 key version won't fit in a carry-on).  Another big plus is they have both USB and Bluetooth Midi.  They seamlessly recognize my old Iphone 6s and Ipad which I have loaded with AUM and lots of goodies (e.g. Ravenscroft, Korg Module Pro, VB3m, etc.).

 

https://www.amazon.com/Finger-Dance-Keyboard-Weighted-Bluetooth/dp/B0B79D14X5

 

https://www.amazon.com/KONIX-Keyboard-Beginners-Electric-Function/dp/B09PD53NDX/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2DGOD4W6Z0110&keywords=Konix+folding+piano+61+key&qid=1675918224&s=musical-instruments&sprefix=konix+folding+piano+61+key%2Cmi%2C152&sr=1-1-spons&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.18ed3cb5-28d5-4975-8bc7-93deae8f9840&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyQlBYUzBIUkgyRVlUJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDgyODgxMzVDRUhLMTJJSUdPMCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMDc2OTIxMkU1SEpYOUhFMjVMOCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

 

I'll be taking one of them with me along with my Iphone and Ipad when my wife, son, and I fly to hang out in the Coastal Redwoods near Eureka Ca. in a couple of weeks during President's Day weekend, Feb. 17 -21. I have three gigs the following week and need to learn some songs, so I'll be in our Airbnb cabin woodshedding at night with the "toy" folding piano, headphones and MP3's. 

 

Edit:  I'm hoping that one of the big manufacturers will pick up on this idea and move forward with it with better onboard sounds and actions. 

[EricBarker]

Seriously?! That actually looks usable! Up until now I’ve only see those awful ones that fold every 2 octaves and have such thin keys their travel is like 5mm.

 

Besides Vax77 and a Lumi (which has its own issues and is ridiculously expensive for what it offers), no company I’ve ever heard of has ever offered anything. We get tons of legitimate travel guitars by fender, Gibson, Taylor, etc, but where are the Roland and Yamaha backpack keyboards?!?!

[HSS]

41 minutes ago, EricBarker said:

Seriously?! That actually looks usable! Up until now I’ve only see those awful ones that fold every 2 octaves and have such thin keys their travel is like 5mm.

 

Besides Vax77 and a Lumi (which has its own issues and is ridiculously expensive for what it offers), no company I’ve ever heard of has ever offered anything. We get tons of legitimate travel guitars by fender, Gibson, Taylor, etc, but where are the Roland and Yamaha backpack keyboards?!?!

Yeah, IMHO they're both better that that folding two octave piano thing you mentioned which I believe originated in the UK. I tried one a year or two ago and returned it.  But that's just my opinion...   

 

One of them, the Konix, has about half travel, while the other newer model, the Finger Dance, is pretty close to normal travel (~3/4?) but its keys are much springier.   I confess that I haven't measured the travel on 'em; to be more precise maybe I will.     The keys on both are full-width but a little short and become difficult to pay near the "fallboard" end but for me they're playable enough I can at least  learn songs on 'em. Admittedly their actions are pretty bad but at least there is some degree of velocity sensitivity, perhaps three or four levels.  

 

Please understand that I'm pretty forgiving about actions, so what works for me may not work for others.

 

Edit:  I'm familiar with the Vax77.  It's really cool but it was way too pricey for me when it was being marketed a few years ago.  I'm unfamiliar with the "Lumi"; I'll have to Google it. 

[EricBarker]

Lumi is made by Roli (Seaboard company). They’re a 2-octave light up keyboard with some sideways vibrato control like the Osmose. They can magnetically connect together to create a larger board. The keys are a little slimmer than normal, but wider than a MicroKorg. Roli has this marketing speech about how the keys are actually optimal for the average human hand (it is true that piano keys were standardized around big man hands), but I think it was just to cut costs. They’re neat little devices but they’re $250 per 2octaves, their magnetic connectors are problematic, and it lights up like a toy, which I’m not sure I’m down with (though you can turn it off).

[Art-0252]

My travel keys for messing around in ableton or practicing short licks has always been either my reface CP or a keystep. Both fit nicely in my suitcase or the reface case and allow me to pack a small sustain pedal too. If I want something really compact just for note entry or playing with synths vsts, I also love my Keith McMillen K-board for it's flat and durable but surprisingly playable keys.

[Montunoman 2]

11 hours ago, HSS said:

FWIW...  I bought a couple of cheap "kids" folding 61 key pianos that retail for ~$130 - $150 each on Amazon. I only paid just 4$ and $6 each for 'em at a local Las Vegas Amazon return auction site.   I also have an 88 version that I picked up about a year ago for only $11.  Note: these are not the horrendous roll-up pianos, they fold in half

 

Anway, their SW velocity sensitive actions, onboard GM sounds, and the internal speakers are as expected pretty lame but they are, at least for me, playable. The big plus for me is that they fold in half to ~18" long and fit in a carry-on (the 88 key version won't fit in a carry-on).  Another big plus is they have both USB and Bluetooth Midi.  They seamlessly recognize my old Iphone 6s and Ipad which I have loaded with AUM and lots of goodies (e.g. Ravenscroft, Korg Module Pro, VB3m, etc.).

 

https://www.amazon.com/Finger-Dance-Keyboard-Weighted-Bluetooth/dp/B0B79D14X5

 

https://www.amazon.com/KONIX-Keyboard-Beginners-Electric-Function/dp/B09PD53NDX/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2DGOD4W6Z0110&keywords=Konix+folding+piano+61+key&qid=1675918224&s=musical-instruments&sprefix=konix+folding+piano+61+key%2Cmi%2C152&sr=1-1-spons&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.18ed3cb5-28d5-4975-8bc7-93deae8f9840&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyQlBYUzBIUkgyRVlUJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDgyODgxMzVDRUhLMTJJSUdPMCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMDc2OTIxMkU1SEpYOUhFMjVMOCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

 

I'll be taking one of them with me along with my Iphone and Ipad when my wife, son, and I fly to hang out in the Coastal Redwoods near Eureka Ca. in a couple of weeks during President's Day weekend, Feb. 17 -21. I have three gigs the following week and need to learn some songs, so I'll be in our Airbnb cabin woodshedding at night with the "toy" folding piano, headphones and MP3's. 

 

Edit:  I'm hoping that one of the big manufacturers will pick up on this idea and move forward with it with better onboard sounds and actions. 

That looks like what I need for travel. Out of the two, which do like better?

[HSS]

2 hours ago, Montunoman 2 said:

That looks like what I need for travel. Out of the two, which do like better?

I'm leaning towards the Finger Dance board.  Although it's slightly less compact (7.75 vs. 6.5" width & 4.5 vs. 2.9" folded height) and its action is a lot springier than the Konix, it's got closer to full size keys in terms of length (5.5 vs. 4.9"), more vertical key travel (~10 vs. 7mm), and a slightly better, albeit still crappy, internal speaker system (stereo vs. mono).

 

As mentioned previously, the Midi capabilities, crappy internal sounds, folded length (~18"), and weight (~5.6 bs), of both boards are the same. 

[HSS]

13 hours ago, EricBarker said:

. We get tons of legitimate travel guitars by fender, Gibson, Taylor, etc, but where are the Roland and Yamaha backpack keyboards?!?!

I don't know... The basic concept of a keyboard with decent size keys that folds in half has been around at least since the Vax77.  Maybe the big manufacturers think there's not enough of a market.  

[EricBarker]

I do get the sense that the interest in traditional keyboard (piano, EPiano, organ) is at an all-time low for youngsters. I know a million Ableton kids who want to program beats and “vibe” with some basic synth pads and leads. But 2-handed piano stuff is for old people. That’s why you see hundreds of 2-octave boards with lots of knobs, but virtually no travel “pianos”, outside of things that are obviously aimed at parents trying to get their kiddos to take piano lessons.

 

when we get a worthwhile travel piano that suits actual professional musicians, it seems like almost an accident rather than intention. They’re not meant for us, we’re just making it work.

[Fleer]

On 2/4/2023 at 1:24 AM, David Emm said:

 

Addenda: I have 3 XKeys. My first was a gift I saw as a toy, but when I saw how useful it was, I took up two of the 3-octave models. They're still cooking, 3 years along. Some cheapo keys KLACK. Xkeys just... click! 🤓 The short key travel still feels good in play. 

 

It took a while to adapt to the squishy pitch/mod buttons, but if you set the ranges properly, you can do very respectable bends. The velocity and poly AT will surprise you. They work for me and far better than any other mini-key controller I've tried. Even if you play a more typical stack, one of these can be useful on top for sound FX or stabs.   

Same here, 3 Xkeys (two small, one large). Got to find a good usb-c cable though. 
Also got the Yammie Reface CP for portability, and two Arturia Minilab Mk3’s, one white, one black. 

[CyberGene]

For some odd reason I have recorded a lot of my music using the XKey Air although I have plenty of other keyboards at home. It’s just so easy to put it on any flattish surface next to the MacBook Air and record. I don’t even use cables, the Bluetooth MIDI works good enough for me. Reading how “humble” my XKey inventory is with a quantity of one, and considering how I purchased that soft bag that can hold one 3-octave and one 2-octave, I’m wondering if I just found the perfect excuse for a 2-octave purchase now 😀

[Al Quinn]

I have two XKey Airs: a 2-octave, a 3-octave, and the soft bag that's designed to hold both. For it's size and playability, it's an impressive rig!