This is where definitions start to become a little fuzzy - strictly speaking, electronic pianos are those which are powered and sound synthesised by electronic components, including the "action". The only similarity between acoustic/electric pianos and electronic ones is the actual keys - there are no hammers, no strings, no tone wheels etc.

By this definition, modern 'digital' pianos are also electronic, but the boundary between the two can be hard to define - so I will refer to the pure electronic pianos (and related keyboards/synths) as being the ones with analog sampled sounds.

See what Wiki has to say about electronic pianos. Click Here.

If you're interested in learning more about early electronic keyboards and analog synths - here is an excellent site: SynthMuseum

Limiting factors regards early electronic keyboards were the distinct lack of "feel" and velocity sensitivity - much in the same way as an electronic organ - for this reason I would definitely not recommend buying an old/used electronic keyboard.

Further, the newer digital sampled keyboards have a vastly superior sound, which I'll discuss more in the Digital/Synths page.

Information On The Types of Keys To Be Aware Of:

There are basically two types of 'keys' which go to make up a keyboard - "waterfall" profile, and "diving board" profile.........

There are distinct differences between the two types of keys besides profile, but, much as many people would criticise the diving-board profile, I find it extremely useful for playing inordinately fast!

But - the type of key, and the key response (attack, velocity sensitivity, 'weighted', touch sensitivity, sustain, fade etc) are critical to understand if one intends to buy a keyboard for "real" piano tuition, in order to properly develop muscle tone (not only in the hands and wrists, but the whole of the shoulder girdle).

Also, the length of the keyboard is important i.e. number of notes - a full concert grand (and most upright grands) are 88 note - and wholly necessary if one is going to play classical music at a serious level (absolute minimum is 76 note).

A Few Facts About Pedals

Here's a Wiki article on Pedals

The usual upright piano has two pedals - the right hand side is the 'sustain' pedal (notes struck continue to sound even when the fingers are removed) - this is perhaps the most critical pedal when learning piano technique - as "legato" pedalling is an essential skill to master.

The tiny square sustain pedals which come with most electronic keyboards are not recommended (though they are useful as supplementary controller switches i.e. switching effects/patches etc. on and off). A full sized sustain pedal is a must - and a heavy one - even so, they still manage to creep along hardwood floors, so placing a small carpet square under the stand is necessary.

As for the left hand side pedal - the "una corda" (soft pedal) is not so significant nowadays - however, if really required, you can set up another "sustain" pedal and use it as a 'controller' to switch on/off keyboard effects such as modifying the timbre and tone of the sound.