Digital Keyboards in Teaching and Learning

by John M. Zeigler, Ph.D.
Rio Rancho, NM USA

ost pianists and piano educators learned to play on an acoustic piano, a large, complicated and heavy mechanical device which was developed to overcome some of the limitations of the harpsichord, which preceded the piano. There is a large literature written for the acoustic piano and a correspondingly large history of use and training that is associated with the acoustic piano as an instrument. Our ears are "trained" to the sound and our fingers to the "touch" of the acoustic piano.

However, with the relatively recent development of powerful, light and inexpensive digital keyboards, which have many capabilities that the acoustic piano lacks, it is time to ask the question: Is a digital keyboard a suitable short or long-term alternative or adjunct to the acoustic piano for teaching and learning piano? We will investigate this question in this article. The article won't offer a "buying guide" for digital keyboards and pianos (please see our section on Digital Keyboards for more information), nor will it attempt to convince anyone of the "superiority" of either type of instrument. Rather, it will focus on what role digital keyboards might play in teaching and learning the piano.

This is the abstract for the article. The full text of it, and many other articles not available on the online Piano Education Page, can be obtained by purchasing the PEP CD. To find out more about the PEP CD, click here.