TheBoringPianist

Not going to say too much about the Piano de Voyage since I've already done my own review video a few months ago.

I came across a Y-T video posted by a professional musican who took the keyboard to gigs as a substitute for a regular keyboard. In public performances people rely on external speakers + amplifier to give a sound boost so wouldn't make a difference if the keyboard has no built-in speakers. It's ok to be playing Jazz or Pop style music.

Learning a "Classical" piece on a keyboard with semi-weighted keys is ok. Switching back to the regular keyboard with fully weighted keys takes a few minutes warmup. Playing technical runs on soft-touch keys a finger tends to stay down after each key press unless you're consciously lifting it. Otherwise notes would overlap since the keys don't have any resistance to come back up after they're pressed.

Guess when you're on a flight, you don't want a keyboard that is too heavy. On my last trip I was able to fit the Piano de Voyage and the Folding Piano 88 from Carry-on in the same suitcase. When it comes to the piano sound & action, the Piano de Voyage isn't too bad. Other portable keyboards tend to give a rather artificial defaut piano sound.

    4 days later

    Sophia Sophia, that Prime deal looks tempting and the white finish is very fresh looking. 61 keys gives you a wider range than the mini Casio with just 32 keys. However, the one drawback is the weight of it... it weighs nearly 4 kgs, whilst the mini Casio weighs just 1 kg, so you might find the weight on your lap a bit uncomfortable after a while, especially on a hot day. You could buy a stand for it, but beware of the ones that cross in the middle - I just could not get on with the one I had, because wherever I put my legs the cross part was right in the way - a cross I could not bear in the end! So, in my case I would probably get the smaller Casio, because it's so small and light that I can imagine sitting in the garden, or even on a beach somewhere, tinkering away beneath the sunshine.
    Of course, there's another option - buy both! Keep one in the conservatory (if you have one) and use the other while out and about... spoil yourself!

    "Don't let's ask for the moon, we have the stars." (Final line from Now,Voyager, 1942)

      Well (un)fortunately I missed the opportunity and it went up to its old price... I'm still keyboard-less or even melodica-less for now. I'm still waiting for that special (but affordable) keyboard to catch my eye... darn @Rubens for showing that cat keyboard 😆

        Well, this one is not truly an "exotic" keyboard, but it's fun to look at anyway.

        When we still had a bass player in our practice group, I used to play on the keytar to get a couple tones/solos in here and there. I enjoyed that and it helped me build improvisation skills. There are various color combinations available on ebay and the "blade" (the red thing) can be customized with decals, etc. Btw, this one runs on 8 AA batteries. One battery charge lasts about 4-5 hours or so.

          MandM I've had my eye on those for a while. I have no practical use for one, but I want it anyway! 😃

          Enthusiastic but mediocre amateur.

            MandM I used to play on the keytar

            Do you have video? If so I want to see and hear this! It looks like it would be very fun and awesome!

                Sophia

                Hehehe! If I find the catty keyboard at a reasonable price I'll buy it and send it to you. Pinky promise! 😝

                  rogerch Perhaps someday, when I have mustered up enough courage to show my playing 😀

                    Before you know it, we'll be as cool as this guy!

                    Enthusiastic but mediocre amateur.

                      TC3 Yeah, now we are talking ... I like that song !

                      • TC3 likes this.

                        I will provide the bass guitar! (I'd have to practice quite a bit though, haha, that picture was probably taken 30 years ago)

                          Sophia 🤩

                          Enthusiastic but mediocre amateur.

                            Sophia That's wonderful if you can play several instruments ! By now I barely know the notes on the fretboard 😄

                              Well "play" is a big word... though I toyed around with quite a few instruments since they were always readily available. Bane of growing up among musicians and never really becoming one 😃

                              I would love a keytar!
                              this is the closest I can get

                                Wow! That's incredibly clever!! It must have taken you ages to develop the hand independence. I have seen people play harmonica and guitar or piano simultaneously but never guitar and piano like that.

                                Now you need to add the challenge of playing the drums with your feet 😂

                                  Rob That is awesome! I am impressed!

                                  • Rob replied to this.
                                  • Rob likes this.

                                      Sophia Thank you, Sophia.
                                      I think it maybe helps being left-handed.

                                        rogerch Thank you 🙂

                                          thepianoplayer416 I actually have a first gen (not touch sensitive) one of these. I got it when I was expecting to be away from home a lot. Definitely more of a toy than a serious instrument, but I've kept it because it is kind of fun to get it out once in a while and play with a few things.