Suggestions for 88 key midi keyboard/digital piano under $2k? intro theory books?

College Majors Visual Arts and Film Majors
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<p>I am not a music major but I am interested in music as a passtime. My favorite instrument is the piano and I would love to learn to play. I need my own to benefit from practicing. I know Yamaha makes good acoustic as well as digital pianos....anyone know of any particular keyboards that are under $2k and have a realistic feel and sound quality? I want with that has the pedals at the bottom too. I want one that would fit into the corner of an apartment and that would come with a bench. I want it have th eoption of hooking it up to either a Mac or PC via usb. </p>

<p>Also, any suggestions for a beginner's music theory book? That is something that I am interested in. You know, just the basic stuff abou music theory...something clear and easy to understand. I would just take an intro theory class but I can't fit it into my schedule and most of those classes are reserved for music majors. Thanks.</p>

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<p>I e-mailed your question to my son. If/when he responds, I'll pass it on.</p>

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<p>thanks a bunch!</p>

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<p>Traditional Harmony by Paul Hindemith
Harmony by Walter Piston</p>

<p>These are the first two books my son used for his private theory and composition lessons. He did the Hindemith first. Good Luck!</p>

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<p>Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>

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<p>Sorry, son is in the middle of finals and hasn't responded yet. I'm not ignoring you, I just don't have any answers. Hopefully he'll get back to me by Wed., which is his last exam.</p>

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<p>My son's AP Music Theory book was called "Tonal Harmony." Don't know the author. Not sure it's a "beginner's" book, though. I know it's used at the college level, too.</p>

<p>Since you play piano, you might like the "Fundamentals Of Piano Theory" series by Keith Snell. They are workbooks, though, so it would help to have a friend or teacher who could check them for you.</p>

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<p>At last, a response from my son, who only replied to the keyboard question. Oh well, that's better than nothing, and others have offered Theory book info. Here's what DS said:</p>

<p>OK, it depends on whether you want a digital piano or just a high-end keyboard. Digital pianos have the most realistic feel, but are usually much more expensive than even the nicest keyboards (for exactly that reason, mostly). Digital pianos also have all three pedals attached (usually), and usually weigh well over a hundred pounds, meaning that they take up a lot of room and are extremely hard to move once you get them where you want them. I personally have an Alesis QS8 keyboard, which has since been replaced by the QS8.2 (selling on <a href="http://www.musiciansfriend.com/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.musiciansfriend.com/&lt;/a> for $999), which I recommend quite heartily - although the feel is not piano-perfect, it's the closest of any keyboard that I've played, and for the price it provides an excellent sound library and a really good touch. It's widely customizable if you like that stuff (altering reverb for the sounds, adding your own sounds, etc.), but works just fine if you don't. Also, the piano sound that the Alesis keyboards ship with is the best I've heard anywhere.</p>

<p>My recommendation is that you get an Alesis or a similar high-end keyboard and just buy a $25 sustain pedal that you plug into the back - it works just as well as the pedals on a digital piano, and how often do you really use the other two? (And if you're gung-ho about having more than one pedal, there are dual-pedal models out there, like the VFP VFP-2/15 Dual Sustain Pedal.)</p>

<p>Hope this helps!</p>

<p>Oops, forgot this bit:</p>

<p>To hook your keyboard up via USB you'll first need a computer sequencing/notation program that can read MIDI input - these range in price from very cheap (but very limited and poor in use) to well over $1000. I recommend Sibelius 3 (<a href="http://www.sibelius.com/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.sibelius.com/&lt;/a&gt;) if you'll be doing any relatively serious work, or MasterTracks Pro (or similar software) for work not involving notation. You'll also need two MIDI cables (they usually come in pairs, MIDI In and Out) and a USB interface. I have the MIDIMAN USB 2x2, which was quite inexpensive and works fine. This setup should work for any digitial piano or keyboard.</p>

<p>PS: Only digital pianos will ship with a bench; keyboards will not. You'll also probably need a stand for your keyboard, which doesn't have to be fancy or particularly expensive to work well. I use a straight-back, armless chair instead of a bench for my practicing - seems to work fine for me.</p>

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<p>wow, your son knows his stuff! Tell him thanks a lot for the suggestions! Wow, I cn't to get one.....</p>