Best starter keyboards for beginners in 2024 to help you learn to play

The portable keyboard has been a foundational instrument in developing the creative practice of the world’s little ‘uns since the early days of Bontempi; nineties schoolkids will remember obnoxious orchestral hits and absurd samples bounding around music rooms and rain-sodden temporary classrooms on dreary Tuesday afternoons.

Those first few notes you play on any musical instrument are equal parts magical and terrifying, whether you’re five years-old or fifty.

That magic of making your own noise never really goes away, whatever you aspire towards – be it classical composition, contemporary production or subversive music scene acclaim. Regardless of our ambitions, we all need to start somewhere. The keyboard is arguably the best ‘somewhere’ to start, being an intuitive way to engage with musical theory and the building-blocks of harmony.

Today, there is a fertile market for professional grade instruments and devices; the bedroom studio is king, and independent music-makers more prevalent than ever, in large thanks to the technological leaps that have democratised studio-quality equipment from audio interfaces to MIDI keyboards, samplers and more. But many of these devices are complex and confusing in their own way, even if designed for intuitive use. What if you just want to learn to play music?

You might have a young one displaying an interest in or aptitude for music and performance. You might have a friend or relative thinking about exploring a new hobby. You yourself might already be a musician in one form or another, hoping to develop your piano skills as a new second instrument. Whatever your reason, you’ll be looking for the perfect starter keyboard to facilitate that practice.

But, with a glut of products on the market, it can be difficult to figure out exactly what the best option is for a starter instrument. The wide variety of available instruments represents a wide variety in features