Should You Learn on a Keyboard or Digital Piano? The keyboard and digital piano market is certainly much larger today than the acoustic piano market. The reasons for this are mainly due to the available space in the modern home, advances in technology that allow you to record your own music on your digital piano or keyboard, and the useful feature of being able to play with headphones. - - Grand Pianos - - In an ideal world it is best to learn on a grand piano. The grand piano produces the best sound, has more weight to the keys which strengthens the fingers more, and has a faster repetition due to the superior horizontal piano action which relies more on gravity than the upright. The disadvantages of the grand piano are mainly the space they take up and the high price tag. - - Upright Pianos - - The upright piano is the next best thing to learn on. Much less space is required than a grand piano, prices are cheaper and the sound of the tallest uprights are almost identical to the grand piano. - - Digital Pianos - - The digital piano comes next in line. The sounds are recordings from a grand piano and the touch, although lighter than a grand or upright piano, is pretty realistic. The main advantages of the digital piano are: