Best Kids' Pianos & Keyboards
In addition to Split mode for different keyboard voices on the left and right sides, a Lesson mode separates the keyboard into two areas with the same pitch and voice. The Recital features 5 realistic voices: The Alesis Recital has a ""Lesson Mode"" feature which divides the 88 keys into two zones with the same pitch and voice. In addition to the 1/4"" sustain pedal and headphone inputs, the Recital features stereo RCA outputs to connect to a recorder, mixer, amplifier or other sound system, as well as a USB-MIDI output for connecting to a computer and using educational software or virtual plugins. Piano : 88 velocity-sensitive semi-weighted keys Adjustable Key sensitivity : low, medium, high Polyphony (max) : 128 Voices (Sounds) : 5 Preset Songs : 60 Demos : 2 Modes Standard: one voice for keyboard Layer: combine two voices Split: two areas with separate voices for left or right Lesson: two areas with same pitch and voice. Includes Skoove 3-month premium subscription for interactive online piano lessons.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I've been a lifelong keyboard player, since my Roland D-50 and Alesis HR16/MMT8 in the 80s (all of which still work fine). Just got it today and thought I'd write this to help anyone on the fence (and as a thanks to Alesis, I've enjoyed the HR16/MMT8 drum mach/sequencer for decades). The 2 main criteria I wanted are: a) piano sound: how realistic, the timbre and depth? I'm impressed, very pro build quality, solid and fun to play. Walter, your product review video sold me; thanks Alesis team for an affordable high-quality dp."
"Alesis makes a lot of high quality music gear (I have one of their MIDI controllers), and a full size piano with weighted keys for around two hundred bucks sounded good to me. I would not recommend this as a learning instrument for that reason, but it makes a good starter for someone who isn’t sure about sticking to playing the piano for the long run. (I doubt any performing musician would ever use this as a “gig” piano, although, it fits nicely on a typical "X" stand - see photo.). I did not notice any sounds fade as long as you hold down the sustain pedal, which is not the case with a real piano. I didn’t try out the MIDI connectivity, which is through USB, but assuming that works as it should, this could make a pretty decent sound controller."
You can layer multiple sounds together in “Dual” mode, or split two sounds across the keyboard in “Split” mode. AUX: Use the included auxiliary cord to connect to the headphone output of an ipod or phone. Piano : 61 compact, light-weighted keys Tones : 200 Rhythms : 128 Built-in Songs : 10 Modes Standard: one voice for keyboard Dual: combine two voices Split: two areas with separate voices for left or right Keyboard percussion. Volume controls : Master, Chord, Rhythm One-key / Follow / Ensemble : yes Tempo Control : yes Metronome : yes Transpose : yes Record : yes Power : six AA batteries ( not included ) Dimensions (height x width x depth): Shipping: 34.80” x 10.08” x 15.72” Keyboard: 33.84” x 12.60” x 4.08”. Weight Shipping: 23.5 lbs Keyboard: 6.87 lbs. Piano : 000-007 Mallet : 008-015 Organ : 016-023 Guitar : 024-031 Bass : 032-039 Strings : 040-047 String Ensemble : 048-055 Brass : 056-063 Reeds : 064-071 Flute : 072-079 Lead : 080-087 Pads : 088-095 FX : 096-103 Ethnic : 104-111 Percussion : 112-119 Sound Effects : 120-128 Synth Percussion :129-133 Synth Organ : 134-143 Synth Guitar : 144-159 Synth Strings : 160-172 Synth Reeds : 173-187 Synth Bass : 188-199. Included headphones automatically mute the speakers for private practice.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I bought this keyboard to have for young piano students to get started on the instrument."
"We were looking for a basic keyboard for my kids to learn piano on and this is working out just perfect."
"Daughter just started piano lessons I did not want to invest in a piano if I wasnt sure if my kids would like it."
"Very light and feels like it might be easy to break."
"Great beginners keyboard."
"Perfect for my 10 yr old son who is starting to play the piano."
"I purchased the extended warranty for this product, but they will not help me as they say it is still under the manufacturer warranty."
"Stand is difficult to get to stay straight, chair has a wobble to it as it doesn't sit flat on the floor, keyboard volume is cranked every time you turn it off and back on, no volume adjustment for the mic, plastic keeps falling off the headphones."
Style: Standard Version. Enter your model number to make sure this fits.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Our nine-month old loves his little piano."
"I would give this a 5 star if the piano keys were painted into the piano instead of a strip of flimpsy paper that our son quickly tore off and eventually destroyed."
"I am very thankful that I could find this piano to replace the one my grandson received from his mommy that had got broken."
"(I hope I'm not ruining my son's pitch for the rest of his life haha) My son stands on it and pushes it over and it's still going strong so I'm pleased with that."
"These screws should be encased inside, or have some sort of protective covers on them, thankfully I was able to get the screw out of my baby's mouth before she could swallow it, the manufacturer of this product should take a long hard look at a re-design, as any one of these screws can come out, I ended up taping them over so that when the piano gets banged upon, they won't come loose."
"We noticed that evening that there was a screw on our carpet near the piano. Sure enough, three additional tiny screws fell out. They never screwed the actual keyboard part to the wood, and so there were loose screws tumbling around inside waiting to fall out at the right angle."
"I love Melissa and Doug products so when i saw that they sell a small piano, I was sure it would be a good one. I gave the piano some stars because my baby still likes it, but competing products are much higher quality for the same price."
"Received this product in the mail - the box was not damaged and the piano was still in the original shrink wrap packaging, but it definitely sounds like it has been dropped in transit."
Best Kids' Guitars & Strings
The smaller scale of this instrument (considered 1/2 sized) is specially designed with the younger player in mind and is highly recommended for the players that are starting between the ages of 5-9. This instrument also comes equipped with light gauge nylon strings for easier fingering as to not discourage the first time player. Sturdy Build Quaility.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Despite it's low price, this is not a toy but a musical instrument."
"We gave our grandson this 1/2 size guitar and the quality is excellent."
"For a young kid just getting started, this is a very nice looking, lightweight, small easy guitar to get started on but does not seem like a cheap toy guitar either."
"This is not a cheap guitar like the ones I purchased in Mexico. My son plays guitar with me and it makes my heart sing more than the guitar."
"This guitar is a realistic looking toy. I do think the guitar needs to have the strings rewound on the tuners since they stretch so much that the strings will end up with multiple wrappings around the tuners. It looks like a real guitar."
"For that price, love the sound."
"The little guitar sounds ok, but will not stay in tune and I can't locate the source of the slippage."
Best Kids' Wind & Brass Instruments
Comes with notes for some famous children songs. Kids can follow the notes easily with the help of the colored keys. 11 color coded songs for the trumpet and saxophone and 3 Fanfare tunes for the trumpet.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My kids (12, 8) tried to use them but could barely get any sound to come out of them after blowing really hard."
"Our son loves these even though they are pretty cheaply made."
"Perfect beginner horns for toddlers (3/4yrs), makes enough sound for the boys to feel like they are playing instruments, but not so much mom & dad will want to hide them ;-)."
"The saxophones are a little tough for my 3 yo to hold and press the keys."
"My son loves it."
"I realize that this was an inexpensive purchase, but these truly are cheap."
"Not all the "keys" worked on these instruments, right out of the box."
"The kids loved them initially but then the colorful keys started to come off and I’d have to keep putting them back on."
Best Kids' Instrument Accessories
Baby Xylophone Musical Toy. BPA Free, Lead Free, Phthalate Free.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I was dreading receiving one of those tone-deaf xylophone toys for my son, so I took matters into my own hands :) This has such a beautiful and accurate sound."
"Anyway, my daughter is now nearly three and she has always really enjoyed playing with this and now that she's a bit more methodical and coordinated, she actually makes pleasant sound come out of this thing!"
"-- Editing to add that we bought this for our daughter for her first Christmas. Now she is almost 4 and still plays with it daily and it still sounds and looks like new, despite years of rough treatment."
"If you're looking to buy this type of musical instrument for a child, buy this one!"
"My husband is an Acoustician and so is very picky about how things sound, but he approves of this one!"
"Despite a solid month of non stop playing, the tone holds true and the toy shows no sign of wear."
"I bought this particular Xylophone because my son's therapist had it and it played so well."
"Great glockenspiel!"
Best Kids' Drum & Percussion Instruments
Its compact size makes it just right for classroom drum circles, and it can be played with hands, the included mallets, or drumsticks. Its compact size makes it just right for classroom drum circles, and it can be played with hands, the included mallets, or drumsticks. Brand: Remo.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"He played a little in there and then when hr realized he couldnt get out, he starting frowning and building up a cry!~ He wasn't hurt as I was watching him closely. I also had to muffle it a bit with a small blanket because he is bigger with stronger arms and with the mallet it could get quite loud."
"Pretty Nice!"
"This is a fantastic drum and it happens to be a great price as well."
"Also sounds great as a hand drum."
"Bought this for my then 8 month old grandson who will be a year in 2 days & he constantly drums on it with sticks provided but loves to drum with hands."
"He loves it! The kids LOVE this drum and even the adults enjoy playing with it because it's so high quality and it produces a good sound with or without the drum sticks."
"I put them away for another time and had custom made sticks by Bluehausmallets on etsy."
"I purchased this drum for my son who was 14 months at the time and is now pushing 2 years old."