My first keyboard; what should I get?

Well today I got the huge idea to buy muself a keyboard. The problem is that I have never done this before, so I tought I'd ask you people what I should look for.

I know that I'll be able to handle the playing to a certain degre. I do have piano fingers and my nerves are quite loosened up seeing as I manage to type farly well on the computer. Yes I do know that there is a different but I tryed out the theory on my curently owned, but very old, keyboard that my dad bought to my sister when she was just a child. I also know the basics of the body parts of these keyboards, however I've allways looked on myself as more of a Guitar or Drumm kind of person and never took much intrest in the keyboard. I have no idea what finger to place on what key, if that mathers at all or not, and if this information plays any importance since this will be the first I'll buy. However I have serious practicing intentions, and I will not get something just for the practice. I started a bit of practice on my sister's the other day and it's really a funny instrument, I must say, alltough the sounds on that one could be bether.

But yea, I'm looking for something that I can also use as I advance in the playing. I have no idea of how many octaves you people would sugest.
I'd also like to get something with that cool thing that you bend to make the sound turn lower or higher! that would be awesome!

I have no idea wether I'm making a fool out of myself by this thread, or not, but I could pratically care less about that.
Please be so kind to tell me what I should check out when I look for these keyboards, what futures I should look on. How do I see that this is a good keyboard, in other words? What kind of futures do you recomend?

There arent that many musical shops in my area so dont be so technically spesific here. I could of course order one but I'd rather check the shops first.

As for how many money I'd like to spend... well I have no idea, actually. I'm willingly happy to pay a bit for it, atleast, aslong as I get a good instrument for the money. Of course I'm also an avredge middle class studen and have thus an avredge middle class income.

Your advices would be really helpfull, I believe.

That really helped, thanks a whole lot!

I'll head right in the shop tomorrow and have a look.

And wow, I tought MIDI was a horible out dated future.
MIDI files usually fail to sound good on computer, but I see how they could work if they used the keyboard interface as a structure to create sound.

Also, I had no idea technology had reached the point where one can record one's own sound! That's quite cool. But how does the sound transfer to the keyboard? Please tell me more about this future. How does it work? :)

As you can guess, I'm really out of the technology world of keyboards. I have no friends that play this instrument so I cant really catch up on it all that easily, you see. But thank you kindly, that was big help! :)

hey i was diggin on the new apple i mac a the mall and they had it set up with garage band and a nice keyboard hooke into it.. garageband sure has a lot of bells and whistles.... if you really want to get good playing the keys get an old electric piano .. i found one like this one at a church sale for 25 bucks in college... it kicked ass!!! it's a fender rhodes suitcase piano circa 1980!

 

 

 

Edited by crazycloud

If you have the money, try buying a Kurzwell

I'd go for the synth if I were you or get some synth's on your PC and get a MIDI keyboard. 61 keys is well enough if it's a keyboard because you can play in the bass and treble at a different time and you can transpose, velocity sensitive is a must.

I have a Yamaha PRS 295 you could get that, I'm very pleased with it.