What questions should a prospective digital piano owner ask himself?

First of all, I apologize for saying "himself" rather than "herself." Unfortunately, English Grammar makes it difficult to be gender-neutral!

Anyway, on to the topic of this post. I've been discussing this with a few digital piano afficionados recently and we decided that there are a few key questions you should ask yourself if you're about to buy a digital piano. Here I want to share a few of them with you:

(1) How many keys does it have? - You probably know that DPs can come with 61, 76 or 88 keys. And yes, it does make a difference which number you go for. To simplify things, a DP with 61 keys will generally be fine if you're a novice and all you want to do is get started with the piano. But if you're more of an advanced pianist you'll want more keys so that you can play more advanced pieces.

(2) Is it in your budget range? - There's no shame in admitting that some digital pianos are just not in your budget. After all, many are really expensive (think $2,000+). The best thing, therefore, is to work out what you can afford and then find DPs that fall within that range. Remember, Casios are often a great option if you have a limited budget.

(3) Are you getting weighted keys? - This may not be important for you, but if you're like most digital piano owners it will have some influence. To get a DP with a nice piano feel, you need weighted keys. This tends to mean that you have to pay a little more than you would for a DP with non-weighted keys. But it's worth it if you really want to experience the authentic piano feel.

That's all for today's post. There are other things to think about if you're about to buy a DP. If I have time next week I'll come back and share some more thoughts with you. In the meantime, happy hunting!