korg microkey

[ian-s]

Hi all

I wonder if anyone has any advise. My daughter is keen on learning to play the keyboard. I am thinking of getting her the Korg microkey 61 as she has limited desk space.

Would the small keys be counter productive for a beginner?

Would a full size key keyboard with fewer octaves be better?

[A E J O T Z]

You didn't indicate how old your daughter is, so I have no idea what size her hands are. However, since full-size keyboards were designed for adult male hands, they are a stretch for many players.

You'll hear the argument that one should not learn on an instrument that is not keyed in traditional manner, as if learning on mini-keys would be a hindrance later on when one attempts to play full-size keys.

Personally, I think that's rubbish. My first keyboard was a Casio mini, the now classic MT-65. The music store guy (a typical bitter failed musician) insisted I could not learn keyboards on mini-keys. I was, as I am now, an adult male with large hands.

I now alternate between the mini-keys on my Microkorg and the full-size keys on my Yamaha PSR-520 with the greatest of ease. It's no more different than switching from the narrower fretting of a standard guitar to the wider fretting of a bass guitar. Violin to viola to cello to bass? Does anyone play soprano, alto and tenor wind instruments? Of course, and the distance between stops varies between instruments.

Personally, I think trying to learn a difficult instrument is counterproductive. Why make it harder? Why are beginning drummers expected to use big fat drumsticks? Why are beginning sax players expected to use stiffer reeds? It's like the music teachers are trying to discourage the students!

Take your daughter to the music store and have her try to make some simple chords on different boards. If neither of you know any simple chords, google up some. And don't listen to the music store guy!

I would not be a fan of the Microkey because I think it has keys like the Microkorg XL and Microsampler, which are too soft for my caveman touch. But they might be perfect for a little girl.

And then there's the controversy over weighted piano-style keys vs organ-style keys. It never ends. One can probably best learn to play acoustic piano by playing acoustic piano. Other than that, I recommend using keys that feel right.

BTW, my step daughter played piano. She sneered at my PSR-520 because it only had 61 keys. She said she required 88 keys. However, I never saw her use the keys above or below the center 61 keys at recitals.

Is that a long enough answer to your short and simple question?
Whew!

[ian-s]

Thanks for the advise. I am pleased to read it as we purchased the micro61 a couple of days ago. Elise is 13 and has long delicate fingers, so it suits her quite well. I find it very playable but don't think I will get much time on it.