Worship Keyboard Guide
Which Keyboards Makes the BEST Sound for Worship?
Long ago,
…before I knew anything about the importance of a good quality keyboard – I found myself having to press half MORE notes to make up for the emptiness in the keyboard sound!
I ended up focusing MORE on how I’m playing – rather than enjoying praising God with fellow believers.
It was after that night that I realized… that the type of keyboard you play is VERY IMPORTANT.
The electronic piano keybaord can either make you sound WORSE – or it can make you sound AMAZING.
I’m here to help you choose the keyboard that’s right for YOU.
First, I’ll start with the lowest priced piano keyboards – and will end on the more high-priced keyboards.
When I first tried playing on this keyboard – I was IMPRESSED with the beautiful piano sound that it produced. And… when I glanced at the price – I was absolutely shocked. A $199 keyboard that didn’t have 500+ un-needed sounds – and only provided the perfect sounds that I need for any worship setting. Of course, with a low priced item – there are some pros and cons. Honestly – I would rather save a few hundred dollars and wait a bit than spend the $199 and have such limited option. If you absolutely have no choice and not a lot of $, this is a good beginner choice.
Pros:
- the price is great for someone on a budget!
- The piano sound is actually really good!
- Doesn’t have the un-needed whistle and firework sounds
- Comes in a beautiful white color as well!
Cons:
- the keys themselves are a TINY, TINY bit smaller than original piano keys. This could be great for people with small hands, but a deal breaker for many.
- The keys are not weighted like a real piano and may “feel” more of a toy piano
- The speakers sound great – but probably won’t be loud enough for a group worship setting – only for home use.
- It only has 61 keys
This is a newer model of the first keyboard that I purchased and still use to record my YouTube tutorials! While it may not be the perfect keyboard – it served me SO well and was a great option for me back when I was a college student.
Pros:
- the price is great for someone on a budget and students!
- The piano sound is fairly good (and I JUST recently found out that you can pick up the reverb to make the piano sound like you’re in a Hallway, which is so nice for that perfect worship sound)
- Offers duel sound – meaning you can play piano AND strings together! Adjust the volumes by looking at the manual.
- Speakers are 6 watt – much stronger than the previous keyboard I mentioned and can work for small group worship sessions!
- The keys are standard piano size, not smaller.
Cons:
- the keys are semi-weighted, but not fully weighted like a regular piano
- only a couple different piano sounds
- There are SO many sounds that I never used. They are fun for kids though! Like a bird chirping and a dog barking. Fun, but I’d rather have a couple of REALLY good piano and pad sounds than a ton of extras.
The Yamaha P-121 is currently on sale! This model is the FIRST affordable keyboard that has FULLY weighted keys. They mimic the SAME hammer action that any REAL piano would have. If I was to purchase a keyboard right now – this would have to be it!
Pros:
- the price is great – considering it has WEIGHTED keys.
- The piano sound is great! Especially if you can pick up the reverb a little bit.
- Offers duel sound – meaning you can play piano AND strings together! Adjust the volumes by looking at the manual.
- Speakers are 7 watt – a little louder than the previous model I mentioned.
Cons:
- Since it has weighted keys – it is a bit heavier than the previous models. It’s 22.05 lbs! That makes it harder to travel with – in case you want to grab it with you.
This is literally the SAME exact keyboard as the previous one – except it has a set of 88 keys, instead of the 76 keys.
Pros:
- it has WEIGHTED keys.
- It has the same amount of keys that a regular piano would have
- The piano sound is great! Especially if you can pick up the reverb a little bit.
- Offers duel sound – meaning you can play piano AND strings together! Adjust the volumes by looking at the manual.
- Speakers are 7 watt – a little louder than the previous model I mentioned.
- Comes in black OR WHITE! :))
Cons:
- Since it has MORE weighted keys – it is a bit heavier than the previous models. It’s 26 lbs. That makes it harder to travel with – in case you want to grab it with you.
This Kawai Keyboard is really similar to the Yamaha P-125 that was mentioned before. It also has weighted keys and a full, 88 key keyboard. The biggest difference is that you can connect your PHONE via Bluetooth.
Pros:
- it has WEIGHTED keys.
- It has the same amount of keys that a regular piano would have
- The piano sound is great!
- Offers duel sound and many other features.
Cons:
- Since it has MORE weighted keys – it is a bit heavier than the previous models. It’s 26.5 lbs. That makes it harder to travel with – in case you want to grab it with you.
- Also comes in Black or White
This is a pretty huge price jump from the last model. That’s because it has a TON of features and is considered to be a “stage” piano. It also has weighted keys – but the BEST part is that it has SO many beautiful worship pad sounds to choose from! I was able to layer the pad sound with the regular piano sound and I was absolutely obsessed. The best part – you can plug in a mic and sing while you play, as well as add reverb and volume to your voice sound.
Pros:
- it has WEIGHTED keys.
- It has the same amount of keys that a regular piano would have
- The piano sound is AMAZING and there are SO many to choose from
- Offers duel sound and many other features.
- Has plenty of worship “pad” sounds
- You can insert a microphone and amplify your voice while playing!!
Cons:
- Since there are SO many features, the interface can take a while to fully figure out
- The speakers sound AMAZING but are actually only 6watts each. I wish they would at least be 12 or 15 watts for it to work in medium group worship settings with no added speakers. You can always add speakers if needed for large group settings.
This keyboard is priced high and is my favorite expensive keyboard because it has the BEST speakers! Almost double all the previous keyboards with 13 watts per speaker – so 26 watts total. The sound can fill a large room with no need for added speakers. It’s a huge deal for people like me who like to lead worship in “house” worship nights. I want the sound to be nice and loud – but don’t like to carry extra speakers with me.
Pros:
- it has WEIGHTED keys.
- It has the same amount of keys that a regular piano would have
- The piano sound is AMAZING
- Comes in black or white
Cons:
- Since there are SO many features, the interface can take a while to fully figure out
- Since the speakers are SO amazing – it’s a heavy 42 pound keyboard! I would definitely need help carrying this one around!