It allowed me to play a simple riff and then move up and down octaves with the octave up and down buttons.įor a bassline, for example, you are very rarely going to find yourself covering more than two octaves.
I therefore just had a small 32 key keyboard that I liked because it took up minimal space, was light and portable. I was playing each note with the same finger let alone using chords or playing with both hands simultaneously. When I started making music I was in this category. Then the smaller keyboards 25 to 49 may be all you require. And are mainly going to use the MIDI keyboard for writing simple basslines or leads. If you don’t really consider yourself a piano or keyboard player. Skill Level and musical requirementsĪnother factor to think about when you are deciding on how many keys your MIDI keyboard should have is your current (and potential) skill level. If you attempt to play chords or play notes in quick succession the chance for errors is much higher and may start to send you a bit mad. I would personally advise against these, unless you have very small hands. There are some MIDI keyboards that have smaller keys so they can cram more octaves into less space. Constantly having to move things around and ruining your workflow. You may be cursing the lack of space too. If you want to have it on your desk along with a computer keyboard, computer monitor and audio interface. You don’t want to be frustrated later on that that you have dedicated half your available space to that MIDI keyboard. You may wish to leave some room for other instruments such as hardware synths, keyboards, amps and other bits. If you are just at the beginning of your home music studio journey.
So a common question is ‘how many keys do I need?’Ī midi-keyboard is an essential item in any modern day home recording studio. MIDI keyboards come in all shapes and sizes.