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What’s the Best Stage Piano for Me?

What’s the Best Stage Piano for Me?

A stage piano is a digital piano that’s been specially made for on-stage (and in-studio) use. That is to say it offers highly realistic, high quality piano sounds - as well as superb rock and jazz sounds in most cases - and can be easily recorded. In this Buyer’s Guide, we answer a number of frequently asked questions about stage pianos so you can find out which model is best suited for you. If you can’t find the answer to your question here, feel free to contact us!

1. What’s the Difference Between a Stage Piano and a Digital Piano?

Both stages pianos and digital pianos are essentially designed to do the same thing: emulate the playing feel and sound of a genuine acoustic piano. Stage pianos, however, are specially designed for on-stage use. That means they don’t come with a fixed frame and as such, are easier to carry. In addition, stages pianos generally don’t feature any built-in speakers, since they’re made to be connected to an amplifier or mixer. This is where the real difference lies; if you’re looking for something you’ll be using at home, the Digital Piano category is where you want to be. Digital pianos typically feature a ‘classic’ housing and built-in speakers.

Stage Pianos
Digital Pianos

2. What’s the Difference Between a Stage Piano, Keyboard and Synthesizer?

Stage pianos are mostly aimed at getting as close to the sound of an acoustic piano as possible, which means they’re equipped with high-quality piano and organ sounds and feature heavier keys. Other instrument sounds may be included, but these are not the main focus. Keyboards are generally loaded with many different instruments, together with automatic accompaniments. Here, the piano and organ sounds normally aren’t as good as those of stage pianos. Synthesizers, much like keyboards, commonly offer a lot of different sounds. The difference is that when using a synth, the sounds can be very precisely tweaked or sometimes even created from scratch, and synths generally don’t feature automatic backing tracks either. On stage, it’s not unusual for keyboard players to use both a stage piano and a synthesizer. There are, however, also stage pianos out there that are packed with (limited) synthesizer capabilities out there.

Stage Pianos
Keyboards
Synthesizers

3. How Many Keys Do I Need?

Most acoustic pianos have 88 keys, which is why you’ll find the same number of keys on most stage pianos. This full set of keys is needed to play classical piano pieces, but also comes in handy when you want to do ‘splits’, with an organ on the left and a piano on the right, for instance. If you know you won’t be doing any of that, a smaller 73 or 61-note stage piano will probably do for you, with the added benefit of such models being more compact, lightweight and easier to transport whether by train, bus or car.

Stage Pianos with 61 or 64 Keys
Stage Pianos with 73 or 76 Keys
Stage Pianos with 88 Keys

4. What Type of Keyboard Do I Need?

The keyboard of a stage piano is designed to imitate the playing feel of an acoustic piano. As such, the weight and the ‘response’ of the keys is essential. Semi-weighted keys feature a spring-loaded mechanism and offer light resistance. They do however feel heavier than standard keyboard keys. Weighted keys are heavier than semi-weighted ones and naturally offer more resistance, allowing them to get closer to an authentic and natural playing feel. Hammer-action keys go one step further even, and simulate the feel of the hammers of an acoustic piano hitting the strings. If you frequently play using organ sounds, you could opt for waterfall keys. These are designed to simulate an organ, so you can do things like play rock ‘n’ roll and jazz slides.

Stage Pianos with Semi-Weighted Keys
Stage Pianos with Weighted Keys
Stage Pianos with Hammer-Action Keys
Stage Pianos with Waterfall Keys

5. What Accessories Do I Need?

Transporting a stage piano is rather easily done, since the design more often than not doesn’t include a housing or a fixed frame. This means that you’ll likely need a separate stand and, because your stage piano most likely won’t feature any built-in speakers either, you’ll need some means of amplification. On stage, there’s usually a PA system and floor monitors for that. At home, or for local events, you could use a keyboard amplifier, and a pair of headphones is great as well of course. The same goes for having somewhere to sit, so getting yourself a collapsible keyboard bench or stool is advisable if you plan on taking your instrument to gigs. Also, if you’re going to be travelling with your piano, a case or bag is pretty much indispensable to keep your valuable instrument safe. Finally, it’s worth noting that not all stage pianos come including a pedal (see Question 9). If you need a little help picking the right accessories, you can check out the package deals listed on practically every product page.

Keyboard Benches
Keyboard/Piano Amplifiers
Keyboard Bags
Keyboard Cases
Keyboard Stands
Headphones
Pedals

6. Do I Need Built-In Speakers?

Since most stage pianos don’t have any built-in speakers, you’ll need a separate amplifier or a pair of headphones to hear yourself play. On stage, the piano will usually be hooked up to a PA system. Still, there are stage pianos that do feature a built-in amplifier and speakers. These are great when you want to play at home or when you want to do low-volume rehearsals.

Tip: You can use the ‘built-in amplifier’ filter in our Stage Piano category to quickly find what you’re looking for.

Stage Pianos

7. Do I Need a Piano with Drawbar Function?

A large number of stage pianos come with a drawbar function, which has been carried over from jazz/rock organs and makes choosing the right organs sounds a lot easier. The registers of tonewheel organs are operated using sliders, and the same goes for a stage piano with drawbar function, either via real sliders or LED indicators and buttons. You only really need a drawbar keyboard if you frequently use organ sounds - you don’t need it to play piano.

Stage Pianos with Drawbar Function
Stage Pianos without Drawbar Function

8. What Does Maximum Polyphony Mean?

Simply put, the maximum polyphony refers to the maximum number of sounds the piano is able to produce at the same time. This can be the number of keys you press at same the time, or the number of sounds you play in combination with a sustain pedal. In addition, some instruments, like organs and strings, consist of stacked notes. To simulate these, a piano could require 3 or 4 samples per key alone. Higher polyphony is also useful when playing with backing tracks or making multi-track recordings. The rule of thumb is that the higher the maximum polyphony, the more complex and complete a sound a stage piano can make. Of course, this also depends on the skill level of the player. In short, as a beginner, you needn’t worry about this too much, unless you’re going for a future-proof investment, in which case higher polyphony is always better.

Stage Pianos with a Maximum Polyphony of 80
Stage Pianos with a Maximum Polyphony between 120 and 128
Stage Pianos with a Maximum Polyphony of 200 or more

9. Do I Need Three Pedals?

A sustain pedal alone is enough to play most piano pieces. It lets you sustain notes without the need to keep the relevant keys pressed down. In the case of traditional 3-pedal pianos, the sustain pedal is the right-most pedal. The other two pedals are mostly used by more advanced classical pianists, and even they won’t make use of them very often.

Every digital piano has at least one sustain pedal input, and most come including an actual sustain pedal. If you’re into organ sounds, a volume/expression pedal (‘swell’ pedal in organ jargon) is a useful addition. If you need a little help picking the right accessories, you can check out the package deals listed on practically every product page.

Stage Pianos Including 1 Pedal
Stage Piano Including 3 Pedals
Stage Pianos Without Included Pedals
Sustain & Volume/Expression Pedals

Links & More Information

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