Top Accessories for Your New Keyboard
Enhance your experience with these options.
So you’ve bought a new piano or digital keyboard. Congratulations! Hopefully you’ll be embarking on a lifetime of joy playing music.
But there are some accessories that can help enhance the experience. Let’s take a look at a few you might consider.
Piano Benches
Do you really need a piano bench? Technically, no — you can of course sit at any chair while enjoying your keyboard (though you should not use one with arms, which may interfere with your playing), but there are many good reasons why a piano bench is preferable. First of all, it encourages proper posture, which is extremely important when it comes to playing keyboards. After all, the more comfortable you are, the more you’ll practice, and the more you practice, the faster you’ll progress in your playing.
A chair also lacks the width of a piano bench, making playing the far ends of the keyboard difficult, especially for children. The compact, foldable Yamaha PKBB1 is an X-style padded bench that is recommended for use with any portable keyboard or synthesizer, while the BB1, with its comfortable padded seat and wooden leg construction, offers sturdy support for hours of playing any kind of keyboard or piano.
Keyboard Stands
Keyboard stands provide an easy way for you to place your instrument at the perfect height for playing, plus they’re foldable and portable. They come in two basic varieties: X-style and Z-style. The Yamaha YKA7500 is a professional double-braced X-style stand that has a telescoping arm and is height-adjustable between 25.2″ and 38.6″, while the PKBZ1 is an ultra-versatile Z-style stand that provides extra support for energetic performances, with width and height adjustments that are independent of one another.
Pedals and Footswitches
When connected to a digital keyboard or piano, keyboard pedals and footswitches allow you to enhance your performance by bringing your feet into play as well as your fingers. The Yamaha FC7 volume/expression pedal acts as a durable volume control, while the full-size FC4A and compact FC5 footswitches work like an acoustic piano sustain pedal. Note: Not all pedals and footswitches are compatible with all keyboards; check the owners manual for your particular model to find out which ones are.
Carrying Cases
One of the huge advantages of digital keyboards is that they are portable. (Try that with an acoustic piano!) But if you’re planning on taking your instrument anywhere — whether it’s to school, to a rehearsal with your bandmates, or to a live gig — a keyboard case is a must. Yamaha offer a variety of soft cases and keyboard bags that provide all the protection your instrument needs and deserves when it goes on the road with you. Custom sizes are available for various 88-key, 76-key and 61-key synthesizers and portable keyboards: you can find a list here.
MIDI Adapters
The Yamaha UD-BT01 Bluetooth® wireless MIDI adapter enables simple and easy wireless connection of keyboards with a USB TO HOST terminal to iOS devices and Mac computers, making it possible to use a wide range of music applications for even more enjoyable performing and composing.
Additional Voices, Styles and Music
Expanded memory is one thing, but how about expanded music? Yamaha keyboards are designed with expansion in mind! From new Voices and Styles to songs and sheet music, you can find everything you need to fully enjoy your instrument in the online Yamaha MusicSoft Downloadables store. For more information about the many options available, check out our blog posting “Expand Your Digital Keyboard, Expand Your Music.”
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