If the average life of a digital piano is around 10 years, there's a good chance your church will be thinking about a replacement piano sometime soon. There are, of course, many models of piano on the market at different price points. So what are the main things to consider when shopping for a new digital piano for church?
Before I answer that question, let me be clear about what sort of instrument we are discussing here. A digital piano is exactly that: an electronic instrument that reproduces the sound and feel of a physical piano. This is not to be confused with a synth or keyboard whose primary purpose is to play all the other keyboard sounds out there like electronic organs, synth pads, strings, etc. Many digital pianos will come with these additional sounds on board, or may even have separate piano, synth and organ banks. However, any keyboard that attempts to be both a piano and keyboard will compromise in some way, particularly in the type of keybed, which will be aiming to reproduce the weighted hammer action of a physical piano or the lighter waterfall touch of an organ. You might feel that compromising on the keybed is fine in order to gain a wider set of sounds, but for this article I am going to focus on the pure digital pianos.
Back to the main points. While every piano will come with a vast array of functions, the four things you really need to consider are:
1. The keybed
2. Connectivity
3. User friendly operation
4. On-board speakers
I'm tempted to add in a 5th point about the quality of the piano sounds. However, any of the respectable digital piano brands will now have very good sounds, so let's assume this as a given.
1.The keybed
My advice with purchasing a new digital piano has often been, 'buy the most expensive you can afford!' for the main reason that you will get a lot closer to the feel of real piano the more you spend. This is not completely true anymore. Roland, for example, uses its lovely PHA-4 keybed on a number of their lower end consumer models. If the choice was once between touch sensitive keys or not, the question now is to what extent the keys are weighted or have a graded hammer action. Lighter weighted keybeds will never feel realistic to anyone trained on a physical piano, and will inhibit your ability to play with full expression, and as such are not great for learning on either. (Although again lighter keybeds may be appropriate for someone playing predominantly organ or synth parts). A graded hammer action keybed is the ideal as it mimics all aspects of a physical piano's feel and wonderfully can now be found within all price brackets.
2. Connectivity
Digital piano manufacturers have a few primary ways in which they differentiate features at each price point. At the lower end, the issue to be aware of is audio connectivity, as some consumer models will not have appropriate outputs (1/4 inch jacks) for connecting to a PA system. Make sure your model has L/R outputs, not simply a headphone jack. Without these you won't be able to plug into a mixer or amplifier. And while we're hanging out at the lower end, cheaper models will also skimp on dedicated buttons for a number of core functions such as voice selection and transposition etc., which may result in a frustrating playing experience.
3. User friendly operation
For many years, Japanese digital pianos have gone for fairly straightforward controls for the main functions. Switching between a grand piano and a Rhodes, for instance, was as simple as pressing the appropriate button for each. Advanced and less used functions were available by digging down into various menus. This changed with Nord, who took the almost opposite approach by bringing sound manipulation to the surface and burying the voices within menus. Whatever you think of this approach, the surface of a Nord Stage can be a daunting prospect for a simple pianist, when it resembles the cockpit of an airliner more than a musical instrument. Of course, with the growing popularity of Nord models, Japanese manufacturers have started to head in the same direction. My advice, therefore, is first think about who will be playing the piano regularly and if sophisticated sound manipulation is actually necessary or whether a simpler, straightforward set of controls might be more appropriate.
4. On-board speakers
Whether the piano has on-board speakers or not will be determined by the price bracket you're in. Lower priced models will normally have speakers built in, whereas a high-end stage piano will not. This assumes that those buying at the high-end will have a PA system with appropriate foldback, whereas models with speakers are designed for home use. However, there are good reasons why you might want to consider a model with on-board speakers. Many churches will use their pianos in a range of contexts. In the Sunday service your piano may well be plugged into the PA system, but at the smaller Wednesday night prayer meeting, or choir practice, on-board speakers might be all you need (and more convenient). Even with PA use, a pair of on-board speakers can provide an effective monitoring solution, often providing a more detailed sound than a floor monitor can manage.
5. What digital piano should I buy?
Even if you have a limitless budget, buying at the top end may not be the best idea once you consider who will be regularly playing the piano. Again, start by thinking about your end users, many of whom will want a straight forward set of sounds accessed by simple buttons. Note that home and stage keyboards will overlap in functionality, but a stage keyboard is deliberately designed for work in a high use environment. That also makes them heavier! So be aware that a home keyboard may not cope as well with the hard knocks of church life, or lots of set ups and pack downs. Of course, there are many excellent instruments on the market in every bracket, with a number that meet the criteria above and which are a pleasure to play.
Under $1000/£500
Roland FP-30X (with 11w speakers). This piano is designed for home use but is a very practical option for churches on a small budget. It has the same triple sensor weighted hammer action keybed as its more expensive siblings and has L/R 1/4 inch jack connectors. You will probably want to buy a better pedal than the basic one supplied with it, however. This is a great piano for the price, so don't ever buy less than this one.
https://www.turramusic.com.au/roland-fp-30x
Under $2000/£1000
In this range, the lines between home and stage start to get blurry. The Roland FP-60X (25w speakers) is a more sophisticated version of the 30X (more powerful speakers, better pedal, etc). But for a similar price, you can get a basic Yamaha CK88 stage piano (6w speakers) - which allows you to split, layer and mix sounds. Similarly, Roland also begins their stage piano range here with the Roland RD-08 and Roland RD-88, both with straightforward controls and on-board speakers.
https://www.turramusic.com.au/roland-fp-60x-black
https://www.turramusic.com.au/yamaha-ck88
https://www.turramusic.com.au/products/roland-rd-08
Under $3500/£2000
With the Yamaha CP88 you enter the high-end of digital stage pianos, with excellent sounds, lovely keybed, and three banks of sounds: piano, electric piano, and keyboards. It is solidly built and includes XLR outputs. It nods towards a Nord-like design with tactile controls, although arguably is a lot more straightforward than the former in terms of accessing sounds and core functions. While it can’t do everything a Nord can (and is not red), it's also a lot cheaper!
https://www.turramusic.com.au/yamaha-cp88
Over $3500/£2000
The Roland RD-2000 takes the more traditional approach to digital pianos, with big clear buttons for core functions. It has four sound banks, but for this reason starts to head into the workstation category, which means it has a lot of features that will be more useful in a studio than for leading singing. It is nonetheless an excellent piano.
https://www.turramusic.com.au/roland-rd-2000
For the same reason, I wouldn’t immediately recommend the Nord Stage 88 for a lot of churches. While many idealize it as the ultimate church keyboard, for me it has a split personality. Its excellent piano, organ and synth banks will be overkill for the needs of most small to medium sized churches. For sure, it is a serious instrument for serious musicians, but also with the compromise that its keybed is neither Nord's heaviest piano action nor the most suitable for specific keys/organ playing. It's also very expensive!
On the other hand, the Nord Piano and Nord Grand offer the best of their piano and synth sounds (although no organ) with a great keybed. It might be overkill, but many will appreciate the triple pedal as standard. With everything Nord, there are a lot of surface control knobs because of their focus on being able to manipulate the sounds you are working with. In order to access the various preset instruments, you will need to sift through its banks and set up programs for a personalized performing experience. Some may find this frustrating if you just want to turn it on and start playing. For the price you are paying, I would also like Nord to provide XLR outputs - which they don’t!
https://www.turramusic.com.au/nord-piano-5-88
In summary, there are some great digital pianos available in every price bracket. At the lower end, Roland offers their excellent PHA-4 keybed on a number of models. In the middle, there are great options from Yamaha and Roland that offer more professional features including independent and blendable banks of sounds. At the top end, you are buying a robustly built instrument with excellent sounds and features, but which may be overkill for many churches who simply need a straightforward ‘turn on and play’ experience. As with any tech gear you purchase for church, consider the needs of your regular user first and what will be most helpful for them in their role. Then balance this with whatever requirements you have of your piano in your context.
Philip Percival
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