The Best Keyboard for Choirs

I've been a choir accompanist non-stop for the past 16 years, playing for a range of mixed and male voice choirs, mostly across South Wales. I am also/have also been Music Director for a number of choirs, and from both perspectives I know how important it is for choirs to have a really good keyboard. Unfortunately, many don't, and it affects their performance in so many ways that they may not even realise.

So I'm writing this post to give some pointers to choirs, accompanists and MDs when they're considering their next keyboard.

Accompanying a choir needs a lot of sound, and it needs to have a clear attack and a lot of 'oomph' behind it. It is the driver of the choir, and everyone needs to be able to hear it. Choirs come in all sizes, but anything above 15 singers (even lower if they're strong singers) and you'll need a keyboard that packs a punch.

To be able to sing confidently, all singers need to be able to hear teh keyboard clearly, so it acts as a springboard for them to jump from when producing their sound. Too quiet and they won't project enough and will feel isolated. Too loud and they'll oversing/shout and ruin their sound and vocal health. Having a keyboard that can provide the perfect balance is of paramount importance.

TLDR

Best of all worlds - features, sound, portability & budget.

My Recommendation: Kawai ES520

https://www.kawai.co.uk/products/digitalpianos/esseries/es520/

My choir The Morriston Orpheus has one of these, and my other choir Rechoir has its predecessor, the ES6.

Below I'll outline the important thinking points around which keyboard will suit your choir. I'll make particular reference to how the ES520 fulfils these criteria.

Keyboard Essentials / Prerequisites

• 88 keys

• Fully weighted

• 1/4in jack outputs

• Sustain pedal input

Pretty much every keyboard on the market will come with these, just be careful that you're not looking at a 76 key or semi-weighted model, since some manufacturers do offer these as a lower model.

There are 2 main types of keyboard that will be available with all of the above:

• Stage Pianos

• Digital Pianos

Some manufacturers/suppliers also have a category of 'portable pianos'. The main and most important distinction is that the Stage Pianos rarely have built-in speakers, whilst digital pianos almost always do.

Within the digital pianos group there will usually be two types - those intended for home use, and those intended for portable use. The two main distinctions are whether they come with a furniture style piano stand (some offer options with or without); and whether the speakers are positioned on top or underneath the main body of the keyboard. We want the non-furniture type with speakers positioned on top. For Yamaha it's the P range. Kawai is ES. Roland is FP.

Most manufacturers have a range of 3 instruments in each category, including a basic model, mid-range and high-end. Usually the mid-range is just right for choirs. Basic won't be loud or rugged enough, and high end will likely be too heavy, have lots of features you'll never use, and very expensive. The mid-range offerings usually sit between £600 - £800.

Specifics for Choirs

Internal Speakers

Real Pianos are big and have lids that open for a reason - they need to throw the sound into a large room so that the player, choir and audience can hear them. We're trying to get very small speakers to achieve the same thing, which is tough!

Placement is key. They need to be on top for the sound to be projected into the room and for the pianist to hear themself. Depending on where the keyboard is placed, speakers on the back and top of the keyboard would likely be best for the choir and MD to hear the keyboard. There was a Yamaha model from the early 2000's that had top and back speakers, and it really did the job, but this doesn't seem to be done anymore, and most are on top or underneath. Underneath is useless since the sound just hits the floor. Avoid at all costs!

75% of choirs (I'm taking a wild stab in the dark, but this is my experience) will only ever use the keyboard through the internal speakers, so this is an important consideration. If the speakers aren't powerful enough then the keyboard can't drive the choir, especially in large venues or outdoors.

I can't pretend to know too much about the specifications of speakers, but what I do know is, the more there are then the less work each one is doing, and the better each speaker can do its job. Also, the higher the output (usually marked in Watts) the louder the speaker (but 20W isn't double as loud as 10W - Google it...). Speaker size is directly related to its ability to reproduce sound frequencies and overall output. Larger speakers, with their bigger drivers, can move more air, resulting in louder volumes and deeper bass.

A lot of the speakers in these sorts of models are designed for home use, and not larger rooms or accompanying ensembles, and as such only have 6 or 7W speakers. That's not enough to accompany a choir.

As an example, I'll compare the Kawai ES520 with its lower model sister, the ES120 (1 model lower):

	ES 520	ES 120
Speakers	2 x 12cm Full Range + Bass Reflex	2 x 12cm Full Range
Amplifier	2 x 20W	2 x 10W

Another consideration is 'can I see the speakers?' If you can't, then it probably means they're quite small and able to be hidden. It also means that something is blocking them, and not all of the sound they create will be getting out. Here are the two models above - 520 has large speaker grids clearly visible (top right and left), whilst the 120 has a very narrow openings along the top:

Kawai ES520

Kawai ES120

Sounds & Tweaking the Sound

Having 120 sounds is and being able to emulate a Clarinet and Brass section is pretty superfluous. I've never come across a choir that's needed the Bass Guitar or Vibraphone sample, or the Salsa drum beat with count-in and fill buttons, so don't waste your time and money looking for extra features.

Where this does matter is the selection of Pianos, and for some choirs, Organ. Personally I'd never use a keyboard for an Organ sound at a choir gig. If there's an organ at the venue we'll make use of it, but otherwise we'll go Piano only. But I know some choirs like the addition, and with a good pipe organ sample it can work. If this is of interest, look for a keyboard that offers a range of organ samples so that you can at least attempt to mimic the registration changes of a real organist. Performing a soft song on 'Full Cathedral Pipe Organ' just isn't right. Equally, performing a rousing finale on 'Soft Flute Organ' won't work. Many manufacturers will include one Church Organ sample and that's it, and who knows whether it's the full or the soft type... So be careful and do your research to find out what the samples sound like, or at least see a full sounds list before buying.

For Pianos, the main reason you may need to change the sample is to adjust for different spaces (venues). If you're in a small room with lots of soft furnishings (e.g. a care home, which lots of choirs might perform at over Christmas), then your keyboard is going to need to give lots of high and low end, since the room will suck it all up. Meanwhile, if you're in a huge cathedral, then you might want to tame the low end and mids and give a bit more of the high end, since the venue is quite boomy.

Most high-end keyboards will offer on-board EQ adjustment (see the pun there 👀). For some it will be on the front panel with physical sliders, and if you're constantly at venues that need this sort of adjustment then maybe it's worth investing in a higher model with this feature. Others will have it hidden in the menus somewhere. Keep the manual handy!

For those that don't offer it, or it's hidden behind complex menus and buttons, they usually offer a range of Piano samples to choose from, and the main thing that will be different between them is the EQ and timbre. So have a listen through options like 'Warm Piano', 'NYC Jazz Grand', 'Rock Upright' etc. and consider what the EQ differences might be. A rock or pop piano would usually be used in the context of having a Bass Guitar and Drum Kit present, so it will probably not have a beefy low end in order to leave space for the other instruments, and a heightened high end to cut through the Guitars. So maybe it will work in some situations where there's an enhanced low end.

The Kawai has a big choice of pianos, and also a 'Virtual Technician' menu to edit lots of aspects of the sound, such as Lid Open/Closed.

The Base

Keyboards designed for use on a furniture type stand often have a very deep base. This isn't ideal for putting onto a normal keyboard stand, since the base is so deep that it raises the height of the keyboard on the stand, meaning you need to lower the stand and lose vital knee space or raise the stand, sit on 3 chairs and risk looking like a Muppet playing the piano. Aim for one with a low profile.

Weight

A lot of choirs have a team that transports the keyboard. In many choirs this team are older, so keeping the gear on the lighter side is helpful. But we also need to realise that the requirements outlined above don't come without a bit of added weight. Fully weighted keys that feel good to play and result in a good sound are heavy. Speakers that project to a decent volume are heavy. I think we should put the choir's performance needs above transporting equipment. There are trolleys available for making it easier to move larger items.

Accessories

Sustain Pedal

Many keyboards come with a sustain pedal. Choirs perform at many different venues and the keyboard will be setup on every kind of surface, from grass to marble. The problem with most sustain pedals is that they're not very grippy and slide across the floor away from you whilst playing. This is pretty infuriating and takes your focus off playing.

The Roland DP-10 sustain pedal comes with a flip out rubber pad. This allows you to place your heal on the pad so that the pedal is almost 'connected' to your foot. It has decent rubber stoppers on the bottom which are quite good at not slipping, especially with the added surface area of the pad, but it's not perfect. But at least with the rubber pad you can move the pedal back into place easily since your heal is already on it.

My Recommendation: Roland DP-10

This model has a switch to swap between Continuous Controller and Press/Release mode, depending on which your keyboard uses. Most models like the ES520 would use CC (I think).

Keyboard Stand

I am not a fan of the X style keyboard stands. Firstly, they don't offer enough leg room to use the pedal and my knees/lower legs keep hitting the stand. Secondly, they almost always rock when played hard. Thirdly, if you're playing on an uneven floor, they offer no means of adjustment. Fourthly (yes, I really don't like them), there are very few contact points with the stand, and since most keyboards are narrower than the depths of the stand, these rarely align with the rubber stoppers on the bottom of the keyboard, so the keyboard often slides around in all directions whilst playing.

Z stands take up a lot of room in the car and also have the limited contact points issue.

I much prefer a flat base, 4-legged stand, sometimes called a T stand, if we're sticking with letters. These offer more contact points, and often come with some form of cushioning between the stand and keyboard.

My Recommendation: QuikLok WS-650

This stand provides the smallest footprint of the T stands since the legs are vertical. Those listed below are all at a slight angle, making the keyboard footprint slightly wider than the keyboard. Keeping is a small as possible is useful at some venues.

Other contenders: Ordo MXA1, Staff MDS-A1, Gear4Music Deluxe Keyboard Stand

These all fold really well for transporting and carrying. The downside is that they all have a front cross bar which reduced knee space. The QuikLok has a recessed central cross bar which is out of the way of the knees, giving extra inches of knee space.

The 'other contenders' actually offer better fine height adjustment for wonky floors than the QuikLok, but I find it much sturdier and quieter to play on.

Keyboard Stool

The reason pianists sit on a stool and not a chair is because moving seating position is almost always required whilst playing. If there's an extended low passage with both hands below middle C we move to the left. If there's an extended higher double treble clef passage we'll move to the right.

If your stool is only big enough to fit 1.5 bum cheeks and rocks every time you move, you have no chance of moving, and will end up being uncomfortable whilst playing and not being able to play your best because you're in the wrong position. There's no reason to sacrifice a good stool just because the choir is away from home.

My Recommendation: Hercules KB200B

This has loads of height settings, as well as fine height adjustment. It also has a twistable foot stopper which allows for some adjustment for wonky floors. Folds down neatly for loading the car.

External Speaker(s)

At all costs, avoid setting up a single speaker at one end of the choir. This will mean that one section is absolutely deafened by the speaker, since it needs to be set to a volume to fill the venue and reach the other side of the choir.

Putting just the keyboard through a PA but not the choir is a recipe for disaster. A piano's output is self-attenuated by the pianist, who will play louder or quieter depending on the strength of the piano and the choir. If they and the choir are sat behind the PA speakers then they can't hear the piano well enough and will play louder to be able to hear it, meaning the audience gets loads of piano and struggles to hear the choir.

One of my absolute favourite features of the Kawai ES520 is that it has a switch on the back to choose whether the internal speakers are on or off. They can be on even when jacks are plugged into the line outs, which is a rare feature. Genius (also obvious, but apparently genius since no one else seems to do it).

This is so useful, because it means that even when plugged into a PA or monitors, the pianist can still hear themself without needing a separate monitor. Seems like common sense to me, but it's not the norm, which is for the internal speakers to cut off once a jack is plugged in.

As a setup for a larger venue, my preference is to put the keyboard through 2 floor monitors pointed at the choir, at roughly 1/4 and 3/4 across the length of the choir, about 2m in front of them. The monitors should be at a reasonable low volume, just lifting the sound of the piano across the room. Then I like the keyboard to be go through its own speaker which points towards the audience, usually in front or to the side of the keyboard, maintaining the directional stereo image (i.e. piano is on the right and sounds like it's coming from the right). Then we leave the internal speakers switched on to reinforce that sound and for the pianist to hear themself. In this sort of setup, the keyboard volume is usually just over 50%, with the 2 monitors on around 40% and the the keyboard amp on 30%. All of this depends on the venue size and setup. It would be overkill for some gigs. This also assumes that the choir is not miced and there is no dedicated sound engineer.

This is all run direct from the keyboard Mono Line Out jack without the need for a mixing desk, using the through input/output on the floor monitors to daisy chain one speaker to the next. Avoid using the Left Mono out for the floor monitors and the Right out for another speaker or anything like that, since the Left and Right outs send independent signals.

I've not looked at what's available in this area for a number of years. Since about 2016 I've used a Yamaha DBR10 as my main keyboard monitoring speaker. It's a good balance of volume, distance, directionality and weight. For a long time I considered the Line6 StageSource range, but never made the switch.

Yamaha DBR10 Speaker

Yamaha DXL1K Column PA

There are probably lower profile, more portable options available now, something like the Yamaha DXL1K Column (I mean in terms of shape and size, not this specific model), that could be setup as a pair one each side of the choir slightly forward pointing back at the choir, for example. But I've not looked deeply enough into whether there's much benefit to these yet. Comment or email me if you have experience either way!

Cases/Bags

These are the bane of my life. None of them are quite right. For my professional MIDI controllers I've switched to purpose built flight cases only (https://www.swanflight.com/), since they often do tours on trucks being handled by stage crews across the country and they need to be secure. But flight cases are heavy and cumbersome and a bit overkill for an occasional choir outing.

I'd avoid anything flimsy - the bag types. They don't offer any protection from being dropped or things landing on it. They also offer no support in terms of carrying, other than a central strap which puts all of the weight through one of your arms. Not nice.

I'd probably go for a padded case with wheels. Try to get one where there is as little room for movement as possible, so the keyboard is very secure. They're not particularly durable, but handled with care they can manage a few years.

I'm a proponent for a completely separate small slight case for all pedals and cables. If you store them in the case then they may damage the keyboard. If the case has pockets then putting anything in them will made the profile of the case wider with pedals sticking out of the side, making them more difficult to fit other things around (like stand and stool) in your car.

I've had a few of this type over the years which have served me well. There are larger versions available on wheels if necessary, which could store the music rest too.

Performing Outdoors

This is regular request of choirs, but a really difficult job for all involved! If it's a small local fête scenario then there won't be budget for the necessary micing and amplification, so it's basically a 'sing loud and hope for the best' situation. Not having any reflective surfaces for the sound to bounce off means that the sound doesn't travel very far. But the way the keyboard is implemented into the setup can offer some help.

Everyone sings at their best when they feel supported by the sound around them, and able to sing out without only being able to hear themselves. If they sing and that stops them hearing the piano, they will sing quieter until they can hear it.

Bringing more speakers to an event where the choir are already going to be competing against the elements and ambient sound seems counterintuitive, but stick with me... With a keyboard set up to the far left, for example, those on the far right won't be able to hear it clearly. Outdoors, those close to it might not even hear it that well. So, if you setup some floor monitors pointing at the choir set to a low-mid level, exatly as described in my ideal setup above, but maybe with even more speakers, then it will allow everyone to hear and feel supported by the piano, and therefore sing their best.

Facing the monitors towards the choir means that the audience won't get too much of those speakers, since they're very directional. Having everything set to a low-mid level means that nothing is overpowering and no speaker is working particularly hard.

Conclusion

Hopefully this gives you a good idea of what you're looking for, and is a good resource to help compare the various models available from the many manufacturers out there. Long story short, if you buy a cheap model it will feel and sound cheap and won't support your choir to sing at its best. Invest those extra pennies in a top notch instrument made for the job and you'll hear the benefits! (And your accompanist might smile occasionally.)