Been waiting for this to drop to £70 again but is even cheaper at 15p under £60. Comes with £50 worth of lessons too - if that is worth anything?
Ctrl+P blurb The CTK-1200AD is the ideal instrument for making your first step into the world of keyboard playing. With 100 sounds and 100 automatic accompaniment styles, the CTK-1200AD is ready to inspire you to make great music straight away. With a full range of 61 piano-shaped keys, a headphone connection and its own built-in dual speaker system, the CTK-1200AD has all the essential features for learning.
Equipped with a large library of built-in songs you can play as fast or as slow as you wish. Choose to play with just the right hand, the left hand or both once. Play a whole song with both hands together and the keyboard rewards you with applause. Suitable for beginners. 61 full -size . 100 sounds, 100 rhythms, 39 percussions. 100 stored songs. 255 level tempo control. Built-in metronome. Volume control. Grand piano feature with 12 note polyphony. Sound effects kit. Auto accompaniment. Teaching function. 2 speakers. LCD display. Speaker_headphone jack. Accessories included music holder, song book, . Online lessons. General information: Includes mains adaptor. Can be battery powered. Batteries required 6 x AA (not included). Size H9.3, W94.9, D30.4cm. Weight 3.3kg. EAN: 5023637510495.
Top comments
Smithers37 to aaron1970
2 Jul 1720#4
If your daughter is going to be serious about learning to play classical Piano, then I think what you'd be really after is a digital piano over a keyboard like this. Something like this would be perfect if your wallet can afford it - http://www.gear4music.com/Keyboards-and-Pianos/Yamaha-Piaggero-NP12-Portable-Digital-Piano-White/1HJV - This is actually on for a decent price at the moment too. I owned the previous model to this (NP-30) and it was lovely to play.
What's the difference between keyboards and digital pianos? Well digital pianos will have proper keys (rather than the thin keys like on this), they'll be touch sensitive so you can play soft and loud and the keys (usually) have some kind of weighted action which means it will be a bit closer to playing the real thing.
On the other hand, a basic keyboard like the one in this deal is going to be fine for getting started, regardless of whether she's learning to play pop keyboard or classic piano, especially if she's going to be learning at school where she'll have access to a real piano / better equipment. She might want something a bit better in the future though.
Hope that helps.
Dangermouse500
2 Jul 176#5
That's one of the best replies I've seen on here. Exactly what forums are all about, thank you for this as it was super helpful.
biggrub
2 Jul 174#2
The problem with these types of keyboards is the keys aren't touch sensitive meaning unlike a proper keyboard / piano, the intensity of the sound remains the same however hard or soft you hit the keys. We bought one and were quickly told by the piano teacher to get rid of it!!
All comments (19)
Rastafari
2 Jul 171#1
Digital sound a di rub a dub sound we control di country and control the town
biggrub
2 Jul 174#2
The problem with these types of keyboards is the keys aren't touch sensitive meaning unlike a proper keyboard / piano, the intensity of the sound remains the same however hard or soft you hit the keys. We bought one and were quickly told by the piano teacher to get rid of it!!
aaron1970
2 Jul 171#3
while on the subject of keyboard my daughter will be 13 soon and has requested one for her birthday. The plan is for her to have lessons in the future. Can anyone recommend a keyboard which a piano teacher would be happy with. cheers
Smithers37 to aaron1970
2 Jul 1720#4
If your daughter is going to be serious about learning to play classical Piano, then I think what you'd be really after is a digital piano over a keyboard like this. Something like this would be perfect if your wallet can afford it - http://www.gear4music.com/Keyboards-and-Pianos/Yamaha-Piaggero-NP12-Portable-Digital-Piano-White/1HJV - This is actually on for a decent price at the moment too. I owned the previous model to this (NP-30) and it was lovely to play.
What's the difference between keyboards and digital pianos? Well digital pianos will have proper keys (rather than the thin keys like on this), they'll be touch sensitive so you can play soft and loud and the keys (usually) have some kind of weighted action which means it will be a bit closer to playing the real thing.
On the other hand, a basic keyboard like the one in this deal is going to be fine for getting started, regardless of whether she's learning to play pop keyboard or classic piano, especially if she's going to be learning at school where she'll have access to a real piano / better equipment. She might want something a bit better in the future though.
Hope that helps.
Dangermouse500
2 Jul 176#5
That's one of the best replies I've seen on here. Exactly what forums are all about, thank you for this as it was super helpful.
dxx
2 Jul 17#6
If anyone's considering buying this, I'd urge them not to. This isn't a real musical instrument, and it's certainly not a learning tool - it can't be when it eschews (to keep costs down) velocity sensitivity, which means that all the melodies you play with this keyboard will be completely flat and devoid of any form of expression.
If you want to hear what it's like (and learn about as much as you can learn from this keyboard), download a keyboard app for your phone and play with that. Your phone's touchscreen is also incapable of measuring touch velocity, so you'll get the same sorts of flat, lifeless sounds out of your phone as you'll get out of this.
If you want a more viable alternative, anything on the market with velocity sensitivity is a better choice than this.
“full size” may be misleading to some buyers; note this is 61, not 88, keys
aaron1970
2 Jul 171#10
Thank for the advice. My daughter may pursue her interest professionally later. I take your advice on board and will look at your recommendation - definitely prefer proper keys. cheers
pheyshunt1
2 Jul 17#11
Midi?
Cbeeching
2 Jul 17#12
Seems a good deal to me. It won't be the nicest keys, and it'll not react like a real piano, however I know lots of people who have lovely instruments yet never play them.. If someones really keen to learn, they'll learn on anything. Buying them a Bösendorfer might sway them slightly more, but then this is probably a good start :-) !
Edit: On further reading it does seem this isn't touch sensitive at all, which is surprising to me. I thought even the cheapest keys had vague velocity states, but apparently not. It'll still be very playable, but yes, you won't get any difference in sound from the hardness you press the keys and that might be annoying, and potentially limiting to a learner. It is cheap though, and it probably has that preset that goes "DJ, DJ, Huhhhh!" So that's pretty sweet. Could probably pump out some garage classics on this if you can't do anything else.
erwinjoy
3 Jul 17#13
i dont know anything about this but im on the market on purchasing one for my 11 y/o daugther. i found this one on amazon RockJam RJ661 61 Key with stand and seat. but i saw Yamaha PSRF51 without stand and seat. any good for this one? same price. link below. i think my budget is only £100
I bought it for my partner - I played piano very badly as a child and we had a real piano. If the touch sensitive thing is pressing the key lightly to get a 'ping' noise or hammering to get a thud or long press to get a long tone then it works. But when I'm relearning and playing twinkle twinkle little start then it's not about filling out a concert hall with it but more about just learning to read music again and making a noise.
However, when I get to recording my own albums then I expect I will have upgraded.
h4music
3 Jul 17#15
I know I am being picky here at this price but no pitch bender.. Not an issue for someone trying their hands at beginners lessons for piano...
Actually, at this price point, I have no complaints.. heat added.
Nerval
4 Jul 17#16
If there's even the faintest chance that you might want to learn to play properly, then don't buy this. It's the kind of thing you mess about with for a few days, then put in the cupboard and forget.
The main problem with it is that it's not touch-sensitive - hit it hard or soft, you get the same loudness of note, which is no good for playing real music.
The least you can get away with to stand any chance of playing properly is the Yamaha P12 mentioned above. I got one, been learning a year, and it will see me OK for a while yet. You'll need a stand, so a package like this will do it https://www.rimmersmusic.co.uk/yamaha-np12-keyboard-black-bundle-p25386
At under £150, you're not going to get anything but a toy. So I'd recommend forgetting about the posted deal - even that price isn't cheap for a few days' messing about, then putting it in the cupboard and forgetting it.
Try the Piaggero P12 (black or white) or something better, or just don't bother.
concept151
7 Jul 17#17
here here
aaaaaaaaaaa
13 Jul 17#18
So the comments above stopped me from buying a cheap keyboard.
But I'm still reluctant to spend a lot & as good as the NP12 looks, I can't help but think a child will be disappointed with the number of sounds.
if it were just for me I'd buy this because I have little interest in learning piano & would be using it for recording songs etc:
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Opening post
Ctrl+P blurb
The CTK-1200AD is the ideal instrument for making your first step into the world of keyboard playing. With 100 sounds and 100 automatic accompaniment styles, the CTK-1200AD is ready to inspire you to make great music straight away. With a full range of 61 piano-shaped keys, a headphone connection and its own built-in dual speaker system, the CTK-1200AD has all the essential features for learning.
Equipped with a large library of built-in songs you can play as fast or as slow as you wish. Choose to play with just the right hand, the left hand or both once. Play a whole song with both hands together and the keyboard rewards you with applause.
Suitable for beginners.
61 full -size .
100 sounds, 100 rhythms, 39 percussions.
100 stored songs.
255 level tempo control.
Built-in metronome.
Volume control.
Grand piano feature with 12 note polyphony.
Sound effects kit.
Auto accompaniment.
Teaching function.
2 speakers.
LCD display.
Speaker_headphone jack.
Accessories included music holder, song book, .
Online lessons.
General information:
Includes mains adaptor.
Can be battery powered.
Batteries required 6 x AA (not included).
Size H9.3, W94.9, D30.4cm.
Weight 3.3kg.
EAN: 5023637510495.
Top comments
What's the difference between keyboards and digital pianos? Well digital pianos will have proper keys (rather than the thin keys like on this), they'll be touch sensitive so you can play soft and loud and the keys (usually) have some kind of weighted action which means it will be a bit closer to playing the real thing.
On the other hand, a basic keyboard like the one in this deal is going to be fine for getting started, regardless of whether she's learning to play pop keyboard or classic piano, especially if she's going to be learning at school where she'll have access to a real piano / better equipment. She might want something a bit better in the future though.
Hope that helps.
All comments (19)
What's the difference between keyboards and digital pianos? Well digital pianos will have proper keys (rather than the thin keys like on this), they'll be touch sensitive so you can play soft and loud and the keys (usually) have some kind of weighted action which means it will be a bit closer to playing the real thing.
On the other hand, a basic keyboard like the one in this deal is going to be fine for getting started, regardless of whether she's learning to play pop keyboard or classic piano, especially if she's going to be learning at school where she'll have access to a real piano / better equipment. She might want something a bit better in the future though.
Hope that helps.
If you want to hear what it's like (and learn about as much as you can learn from this keyboard), download a keyboard app for your phone and play with that. Your phone's touchscreen is also incapable of measuring touch velocity, so you'll get the same sorts of flat, lifeless sounds out of your phone as you'll get out of this.
If you want a more viable alternative, anything on the market with velocity sensitivity is a better choice than this.
This is a keyboard...
https://youtu.be/CF7-rz9nIn4
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00UNEECFC/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE
Edit: On further reading it does seem this isn't touch sensitive at all, which is surprising to me. I thought even the cheapest keys had vague velocity states, but apparently not. It'll still be very playable, but yes, you won't get any difference in sound from the hardness you press the keys and that might be annoying, and potentially limiting to a learner. It is cheap though, and it probably has that preset that goes "DJ, DJ, Huhhhh!" So that's pretty sweet. Could probably pump out some garage classics on this if you can't do anything else.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Electronic-Interactive-Teaching-Keyboard-Headphones/dp/B0107NMLGA/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1499071447&sr=1-1&keywords=keyboard
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yamaha-PSRF51-Electronic-Keyboard-Black/dp/B01KH7HBFW/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1499071447&sr=1-2&keywords=keyboard
However, when I get to recording my own albums then I expect I will have upgraded.
Actually, at this price point, I have no complaints.. heat added.
The main problem with it is that it's not touch-sensitive - hit it hard or soft, you get the same loudness of note, which is no good for playing real music.
The least you can get away with to stand any chance of playing properly is the Yamaha P12 mentioned above. I got one, been learning a year, and it will see me OK for a while yet. You'll need a stand, so a package like this will do it https://www.rimmersmusic.co.uk/yamaha-np12-keyboard-black-bundle-p25386
At under £150, you're not going to get anything but a toy. So I'd recommend forgetting about the posted deal - even that price isn't cheap for a few days' messing about, then putting it in the cupboard and forgetting it.
Try the Piaggero P12 (black or white) or something better, or just don't bother.
But I'm still reluctant to spend a lot & as good as the NP12 looks, I can't help but think a child will be disappointed with the number of sounds.
if it were just for me I'd buy this because I have little interest in learning piano & would be using it for recording songs etc:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/5n2/M-Audio-Keystation-Mini-32-Keyboard-Synth-Action-Velocity-Sensitive/B00IWRJSE2
Althouguh it is touch sensitive, I imagine that for a child learning to play it would be too small