Choose a keyboard with automatic accompaniment if you want to play chords with your left hand while the instrument provides the backing parts. Then check that the headphone socket, controls and dimensions suit your practice space. A more fully featured arranger keyboard may need more room, and using headphones will not automatically silence the sound of the keys or your playing.
You want to practise chords with your left hand while the keyboard plays an accompaniment. Look for automatic accompaniment and consider how you control the styles. Yamaha, Casio, Korg and Roland all describe features designed for this kind of playing.
You want to avoid using the built-in speakers and be considerate of your neighbours. Check whether the model has a headphone socket and whether your headphones will fit. The Dutch Government advises people dealing with noise complaints from neighbours to agree on matters such as music noise.
You put your keyboard away after use or share the surface with other activities. Compare the instrument’s dimensions and allow for the space taken up by a music rest and stand.
When practising in a converted loft, key considerations include the accompaniment function, the option to listen through headphones and the amount of space available to play.
| What to consider | What to look for | Who is it important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic accompaniment | Check whether the accompaniment responds to the chords you play and whether you can choose the styles you want. | If you want to play chords with your left hand and practise accompaniment patterns, this feature is essential; around 36% of consumers prioritise accompaniment. |
| Listening through headphones | Check whether there is a headphone socket and whether your headphone plug will fit. | If you want to avoid using the built-in speakers, check the connection and bear in mind that other sounds from playing may still be audible; around 29% of consumers give quiet practice top priority. |
| Dimensions and storage | Measure the available width and depth, and allow extra space for a music rest and stand. | If you use the instrument in a shared space or put it away after practising, its actual dimensions matter; around 21% of consumers prioritise fit and storage. |
| Touch response and key range | Check whether the keys are touch-sensitive and whether the range suits the parts you want to practise. | If you want to practise dynamics and different parts, pay attention to the key response and range; around 14% of consumers give touch response and controls top priority. |
A rhythm does not automatically provide an accompaniment that responds to the chords you play. For this kind of practice, automatic accompaniment and the way the keyboard recognises chords are important.
Check the description of the automatic accompaniment function and, if possible, try out the chord controls and the styles you want to use.
The socket lets you listen through headphones, but it does not tell you how much sound from playing will still be audible in your loft. The Dutch Government advises people dealing with noise complaints from neighbours to agree on matters such as when music can be played.
Check the connection and assess the set-up in your own space. Agree arrangements with your neighbours where needed.
A desk may be wide enough but not deep enough. Korg lists the EK-50 as having a cabinet depth of 392 mm without the music rest.
Measure the available depth and allow for the music rest, stand and space needed to play.
If the space you have is unsuitable, you may need a suitable stand or a different set-up.
Yamaha’s Dutch product information describes the PSR-E383 as a keyboard with 61 keys, touch sensitivity and automatic accompaniment styles.
Casio Netherlands describes the CT-S300 as a compact keyboard with touch sensitivity.
The E-X10 is described as an arranger keyboard for chord-controlled accompaniment, with lesson and recording functions.
The EK-50 is designed for players who want hands-on control of accompaniment-style elements such as variations and fills.
Not if you want the bass and accompaniment parts to respond to the chords you play. Look for automatic accompaniment and check how the keyboard recognises chords. Casio says the CT-S300 can add accompaniment parts to the selected rhythm based on the chords played with your left hand.
Check that the plug fits the socket on the exact model you want to buy. Korg lists a 3.5 mm stereo headphone socket for the EK-50, while Yamaha’s PSR-E383 specifications list a standard stereo PHONES/OUTPUT socket. Turn the volume down before connecting your headphones.
It depends on the listing and your set-up. Check whether a compatible mains adapter, headphones and any stand are included. Korg says a mains adapter is supplied with the EK-50; Casio’s CT-S300 manual states that headphones are sold separately.
When you buy as a consumer, you are entitled to a product that meets what you could reasonably expect. The Dutch Government explains that there is no fixed statutory warranty period in the Netherlands and that you should contact the seller if a product is faulty. Whether you are entitled to a repair, replacement or refund depends, among other things, on the fault and how the product has been used.
