Best Piano Keyboards for Traveling 2024
Traveling should never be an impedance to having to put a pause to playing your favorite tunes on your piano. It is really not a great feeling when you are forced to leave your piano keyboard behind. So what is the best piano keyboard for traveling?
For most people, the issue with taking a piano keyboard along is the size or weight. Therefore, one major criterion for any piano keyboard that would be suitable to travel with is portability. Furthermore, apart from portability, the piano keyboard has to be lightweight.
There are also a number of other factors to consider but given these major ones, we have selected the best. This process involved scouring the various keyboard pianos great for traveling and then separating the best from the rest.
Without further ado, here are some of the best piano keyboards for traveling:
- [Yamaha YPT260](#Yamaha YPT260)
- [Yamaha PSR-EW300](#Yamaha PSR-EW300)
- [Casio CTK2550](#Casio CTK2550)
- [RockJam 88-Key Digital Piano](#RockJam 88-Key)
- [Casio Privia PX-160BK 88-Key Full-Size Digital Piano](#Casio Privia PX-160BK)
- [Yamaha P-45](#Yamaha P-45)
Our Top 2 Choice of Best Piano Keybords for Traveling
How to Choose the Right Piano Keyboard for Traveling?
Digital pianos provide you with some of the best deals available on the market. Most digital pianos are an affordable way to get the sounds made by acoustic pianos and at ridiculous prices too. One of the major challenges that professional musicians face is that of getting an instrument to play at their destination. Apart from basically getting a piano at their destination, there is the issue of familiarity whereby they are used to playing a particular type of piano. Also, there is the issue of unavailability. In order to avoid all of that, getting yourself a portable and lightweight piano is one of the best alternatives that there is. This way, you can easily carry your piano keyboard around without feeling as if you are lugging a giant piece of baggage around.
However, to purchase a great piece of equipment off the market, there are certain factors that you need to take into consideration. This is because these are the factors that determine just how much value you would get from your purchase. Here are some of the most important factors that there are:
Weight and Size
This can be said to be the most important factor of all that you need to take into consideration. The reason is not far fetched. In order to determine whether or not a piano keyboard is suitable for traveling, the weight is the first factor that you take into consideration.
As a matter of fact, that is the first factor that comes to mind, since what you are basically trying to avoid is lugging so much weight. For a digital piano to be classified as one that is great for traveling, the keyword here is lightweight.
Irrespective of whatever other features that it may have, if it isn't lightweight, then it is completely disqualified. You are looking for something that can be transported easily, not something that would end up constituting a nuisance.
Similarly, the size of the piano is not one to be taken with hands of levity either. No matter how lightweight a piano is, if it is so large that it inconveniences you, it has defeated the portability purpose as well.
However, more often than not, what determines the size is the number of keys. An 88-key piano key card would typically be larger than a 61-key piano and so forth. Furthermore, after getting a piano keyboard whose size is pretty regular, you need to ensure that it doesn't weigh too much and vice versa.
These are the most fundamental factors that have to be taken into consideration before any purchase should be made. Once any piano keyboard has met the criteria of being lightweight and of regular or portable size, you can then begin to consider the other factors in this article as well.
Keys
The keys on the piano keyboard are one of the most important factors that determine the sensation that you get when playing. Basically, the best type of keyboard to get is one that has 88 keys. This is because playing this gives you pretty much the same sensation as playing on an acoustic piano - which is of course, what you want.
An 88-key keyboard has over seven octaves and this is more than what you need to make great music. However, this brings in the issue of size, since we are very conscious is size and weight in this case, you might have to go for keyboards with 76 or 61 keys or even less.
Furthermore, in order to get the best acoustic piano sensation, weighted keys are something to look out for. Playing weighted keys is not much different from playing the real thing. However, this would contribute to the weight of the piano in general.
Some other common terms are non-weighted; semi-weighted; hammer action; and graded hammer action. Touch sensitivity is another feature that factors into giving you this amazing sensation. If you find a significantly lightweight piano that has some or all of these features, then that would indeed be a great choice.
Further check our posts of Best Digital Pianos With Weighted Keys, and Best Yamaha 88 Key Digital Piano if you care more about key features.
Sounds and Rhythms
There is really no point in buying a piano keyboard that doesn't give you great sound. While the sound made by an acoustic piano depends on the quality of its components, the sound made by digital pianos depends on the samples used in creating their sounds. The type of digital tech used to capture and reproduce the samples determines how well the piano would emulate those instruments.
When determining sound quality, the sustain and decay of the notes alongside the general realism of the sounds should be studied carefully. Similarly, the polyphony also determines the type of sound that you get. Polyphony refers to the number of single tones or notes that the piano can produce at once.
To guarantee a great sound, the piano should have a minimum of a 32-note polyphony. However, if you're looking to deal with a more complex sound, a 64-note polyphony is great. Furthermore, most pianos come with hundreds of sound samples from various instruments. The more sound that your piano comes with, the more variety than you would get of course.
This also affects the rhythm to a great extent. Since sound and rhythm go hand in hand, looking out for these same features is a sure way to guarantee the type of rhythm that you want.
Connectivity and Compatibility
While on a trip, there is a possibility that you might want to produce or even play along to some songs. This is where connectivity comes in. Most digital pianos come with MIDI capability that allows you to connect to recording equipment and computers.
Most of the time, they come with a USB port that can be easily used to hook your piano up to any audio gear. Furthermore, certain models have ports for flash memory cards thereby allowing you the freedom to transfer music to computers as well as other devices.
When checking for connectivity, you need to make sure that the ports and the features generally are compatible with your devices.
In conclusion, we have listed some of the best pianos that you would find on the market. Also, we have included remarkable options for you to select from. This way, you can easily go for what suits you best.
Top Piano Keyboards for Traveling
Yamaha YPT260
The Yamaha YPT260 is super portable and has a set of 61 keys with a total of 5 full octaves. It weighs only about 12.5lbs which makes it very suitable for carrying along when traveling. Similarly, it easily fits into a wide range of budgets and is great for beginners as well as the regular players.
One of the major reasons why it is great for beginners is because of the built-in Yamaha Education Suite (Y.E.S.). This feature helps the player to learn notes, simple tunes as well as finger positions. It comes with 3 different operating modes including timing, waiting and listening.
The YPT260 also has that split keyboard feature that enhances training/practicing with a tutor. However, you would not get the lighted keys to feature with this model.
The piano also has guitar, bass, and other synth tones included with the Yamaha YPT260. This piano keyboard consists of 400 instrument sounds which range from the favorite grand piano to woodwind instruments as well as brass and strings.
Up to 130 backbeat styles that span across all the popular genres guarantee a unique playing experience. Similarly, the YPT260 comes with effects such as the and reverb. If you need songs to play along with, this piano comes with 112 songs for your "playing along" pleasure.
Other features that you would find include the headphones jack which is present on the back panel. It can be pretty useful when you want to compose or practice without creating a disturbance. It also has an auxiliary input that allows you to connect a smartphone or your tablet to get some of your favorite tunes.
Yamaha PSR-EW300
The Yamaha PSR-EW300 is an amazing keyboard for rehearsals, composing and practicing as well. It is only a bit about budget class but it is definitely a great option for a piano keyboard suited to traveling.
Although it may not be suitable for playing in front of many people during a live performance, it does ace the function of personal playing. This piano has 76 keys which place it halfway on the scale. It is right between the super affordable 61-key digital keyboards and the standard digital pianos. Similarly, this model is one of the most affordable that offers a different, unique sound thanks to its pressure-sensitive keys.
It also comes with the Yamaha Education Suite software feature which makes it well-suited to being used by beginners. This feature enables you to learn songs from scratch step by step until you're perfect at it. The PSR-EW300 weighs only about 13.7lbs which makes it very easy to carry along. In the way of external features, it has a USB port that allows you to connect your keyboard to your computer.
Furthermore, the PSR-EW300 comes with over 500 voices, 150 songs, and 150 beats all programmed for your playing pleasure. In addition, this model of Yamaha supports MIDI files which you can import from your tablet or computer. The standard headphones are suited to private playing - especially when you do not want to disturb people around.
There is also an auxiliary input where.you can hook your smartphone and tablet up and vibe to all your favorites.
Casio CTK2550
In terms of value for your money, this Casio keyboard offers a very fair exchange in terms of features. Furthermore, it offers great quality compared to the price. The features that the Casio CTK2550 boasts of are great for both beginners and experienced players alike.
For either of both classes of players, the keyboard is great for both composition and practice sessions. It also possesses a central feature of 61 keys and weighs about 7lbs making it great for carrying around.
The main feature of this keyboard that is attention-grabbing is the Dance Music Mode. This feature allows you to compose and remix electronic music using a set of 50 rhythm patterns that are built-in.
In addition, the CTK-2550 also has up to 400 different instrument sounds and 100 rhythm patterns in different genres. Furthermore, there are up to 60 onboard songs to choose from and play along with.
Just like other beginner keyboards, it comes with a pre-installed lesson system that helps you play better. The system also teaches you to position your fingers right, read music and play some simple melodies.
The keyboard comes with headphone jacks for when you want to play quietly and not disturb people around. The standard package comes with power supply while the premium one is accompanied by headphones and keyboard stand.
RockJam 88-Key Digital Piano
The RockJam 88-key Digital Piano is one of the most budget-friendly 88-key models of pianos available. The keys are designed as both pressure-sensitive and semi-weighted making it super easy to adapt to your own personal playing style. In spite of this RockJam piano keyboard being fully-sized, it is still very portable.
It has a minimalistic design and great quality features that you would definitely fall in love with. The soundbank of this piano comes with ten well-selected voices that include church organ, upright piano, strings and a host of others. If you are a beginner, there us the Simply Piano software feature to rely on.
It is an interactive learning app that usually comes with this model of the RockJam digital piano. The app which is free can be gotten on both Android and iOS and is best used with a tablet. Furthermore, this digital piano comes fitted with a pair of 12W speakers. There is the headphones jack for playing privately without any sound playing out and the aux output for connecting your piano to a mixer.
The connectivity options for the RockJam 88-key digital piano include a ¼" microphone jack and ¼" inputs for soft and sustainer pedals.
Casio Privia PX-160BK 88-Key Full-Size Digital Piano
The Casio Privia PX-160BK comes with so many amazing features that are super easy to make use of. For this model, Casio maintains its standard of usability and this piano keyboard, therefore, comes across as super easy to use. The features are also intuitive to use which is great for beginners as it allows them to get adjusted to the instrument very easily. Despite all the features that this piano keyboard boasts of, it is still very portable and weighs only about 25lbs. It also has a depth of only 11.5 inches, making it one of the sleekest that you would find. Furthermore, it comes with enough voices for you to play around with and find one that would be perfect for you. Also, the voices may sound alike but listening close would make it easy to note the differences and select the one that suits you. It also comes with speakers and it is more advisable to use the speakers over the headphones when playing.
Yamaha P-45
One of the lightest portable keyboard pianos on the market, the Yamaha P-45 surprisingly comes with weighted keys. This is one of the main reasons that it is well-preferred compared to some other options. In terms of playability, a keyboard piano with weighted keys gives a great sensation and an amazing feeling. Knowing how weighted keys can make a piano-heavy, Yamaha made use of the lightest keys out there. This way, piano lovers get their weighted keys without getting weighed down by the piano while traveling. Also, this portable keyboard has complete 88 keys making it another reason why pianists love this model. It is an amazing feeling to be able to lug around a full-sized piano and play at any time. The piano weighs only 25 lbs with dimensions 52.2 inches wide, 11.6 inches deep and 6 inches high.
The Yamaha P-45 also has a 64-note polyphony and connectivity includes USB to Host, Headphone Jack, and Sustain Pedal jack.
Furthermore, the keys are very responsive which is one particular advantage of using Yamaha pianos. The responsiveness of Yamaha pianos is one feature that most players love.