Best Overall

Yamaha P45

When it comes to overall quality and value, we choose the P45 as our top pick. This keyboard has GHS-weighted action that is heavier in the low end and lighter in the high end, much like a traditional acoustic piano. This is great for beginners, because it allows them to learn how to play on something that feels like a real piano.

The 64-note polyphony keyboard lets you perform dense passages with a lot of sustain, without dropping any notes. It even has a duo mode, so you can combine two voices, such as strings and piano, to give your songs a richer, fuller sound.

We love the single button operation that makes it easy to change the various settings on the P45.

Best for Beginners

Yamaha P71

When you don’t want to spend a lot of money on a keyboard for a beginner, but you want something that is going to play and sound great, so it is easier to learn, the P71 is a great option.

This has a full 88 keys, which are weighted so they have the feel of a traditional acoustic piano. This is the ideal digital piano for beginners, and it is also popular with professionals who are looking for something that has great sound quality and that is portable.

We consider this one of the best Yamaha keyboards for beginners, because it has loads of features that make it fun and easy for anyone to learn how to play the piano. It even has a dual mode, so you can combine two voices and really experiment with fun sounds.

If you are looking for a keyboard that will give you that authentic piano touch, the P45 may be just what you need. It has the Yamaha GHA (Graded Hammer Action) weighted action, so it plays very much like a real acoustic piano. The black keys have a matte finish, making them less slippery than those found on other keyboards, which is good if you will be playing for extended periods of time.

This keyboard has the classic Yamaha sound engine with Advanced Wave Memory sampling, so it sounds as much like an acoustic piano as possible. It has a single button operation that is super-easy to use.

All you have to do is hold down the Grand Piano/function button, and press the keyboard to change the voices, play demos, use the metronome, and much more.

Summary

We consider this to be a really great buy. Not only is it going to cost you less than $500, it is loaded with features that let you create all kinds of wonderful sounds and effects for your music. We love that it has the feel and sound of an acoustic piano, and that it is so easy to use.

When you don’t want to spend a lot of money on a keyboard for a beginner, but you want something that is going to play and sound great, so it is easier to learn, the P71 is a great option.

This has a full 88 keys, which are weighted so they have the feel of a traditional acoustic piano. This is the ideal digital piano for beginners, and it is also popular with professionals who are looking for something that has great sound quality and that is portable.

We consider this one of the best Yamaha keyboards for beginners, because it has loads of features that make it fun and easy for anyone to learn how to play the piano. It even has a dual mode, so you can combine two voices and really experiment with fun sounds.

Summary

If you are looking for a keyboard that is going to grow with you, from the beginning/learning stages to actual performances, the P71 is a good one to consider. It has weighted action, is easy to use, and is built with Yamaha’s classic sound engine, AWM Stereo Sampling (Advanced Wave Memory).

The YPG-235 has 76 piano-style keys that have Graded Soft Touch. The full keyboard fingering mode follows a variety of piano playing styles, and this keyboard also has Performance Assistant Technology features, including Chord/Free Mode and Chord Mode.

It features USB MIDI computer connectivity, so you can easily and quickly transfer songs, and you can record your songs with the six-track recorder. This Yamaha Portable Grand has 30 songs already built into it, as well as an additional 70 songs on the included CD-ROM. There is also an interactive learning system that is broken up into the right and left-hand parts, making this the ideal keyboard for beginners to learn and grow with.

This is a bundled package that comes with everything you need to start learning and playing right away. It includes the YPG-235 76-key, portable grand piano keyboard, a Knox adjustable, double X keyboard stand, and the famous Yamaha Electronic Keyboard Survival Kit.

Summary

If you are looking for a learning keyboard that is going to grow with the learner, the YPG-235 is a great choice.

It may only have 76 keys, but this is usually enough for most piano players, even professionals. It is easy to use, and it is lightweight and portable, so you can play it just about anywhere.

The DGX-660 offers the sound quality of a world-class concert grand piano, and it has Pure CF Sampling. One of the reasons why the sound is so close to the real thing is because it has damper resonance. This keyboard gives you everything you need, with 88 weighted keys. Not only is this a great digital piano for professionals, it is also perfect for beginners, with score and lyric displays that are easy to read.

Learners can record what they are doing and then listen to it to see where they need work, and professionals can use the record/playback feature to record their creations. There are many great learning features that make it easy for just about anyone to learn how to play the piano easily.

You will also find load of other interactive features that allow you to play and share your music with others.

Summary

All in all, if you are looking for a quality digital keyboard from Yamaha that isn’t overly expensive, this is a great choice. It is perfect for beginners, thanks to the interactive features, and it also has features that many professionals enjoy using.

The PSREW300 is a 76-key, portable keyboard that has 574 voices, 165 styles, and 154 pre-set songs that you can play along with. If you are still in the learning stages, you will enjoy using Y.E.S. (Yamaha Education Suite) that lets you practice with the pre-set songs. One of the really neat tools offered is the Touch Tutor lesson mode. Other keyboards offer learning features, but this one actually tracks the strength at which the keys are played, so you can learn about dynamics.

If you are going to be using the keyboard to create your own music, you will love the USB to HOST connectivity with MIDI and audio transfer. You only need to use one cable to connect the keyboard to your software, and you can start creating.

Plug any portable music player into the Aux input, and you can use the melody suppressor to lower the lead vocals, so you can sing along, almost like karaoke.

Summary

Whether you are just learning how to play the piano, or you are a professional playing gigs, you are going to love the many features of the PSREW300. It has some really cool learning tools that will help to supplement piano lessons, and loads of great effects for professionals, including slide effects, harmonics, and more.

If you are looking for a portable keyboard that you can take anywhere, the PSRE263 is an excellent option to consider. This is ideal if you are getting a first keyboard for a beginner who is just learning how to play. It offers plenty of features to keep beginners interested, and even professionals will enjoy playing around on it. There are 130 auto accompaniment styles that give you real time, band-backing tracks to play along with.

One of the things we really like about this keyboard is that even though it is on the low end when it comes to price, the features are as good as anything you would expect from a Yamaha keyboard.

The sound reproduction for the various instruments is high quality and detailed, so this isn’t going to sound like some cheap keyboard you would pick up at a department store.

Summary

This may not be the choice of most professionals, but if you are getting this for a beginner, you would be making an excellent choice. It has plenty of features that will help beginners to learn faster and easier, and there are loads of fun effects to play around with for different sounds.

While on the subject of Yamaha keyboards, we really should also tell you about the Yamaha P115. This is an 88-key keyboard with weighted keys that has an amazing 192-note polyphony keyboard, so you aren’t going to be dropping any notes.

It offers Intelligent Acoustic Control for a balanced sound that will adapt to your preferred volume setting. It even has a duo mode for side-by-side practice, which is great for students and teachers.