By Berk Oztuna Last Updated: January 25, 2024
Lighting keyboard pianos are great devices for beginners. They have illuminated keys showing the right notes for players, which is great assistance while learning how to play the keyboard.
Lighted keyboards are particularly great for younger players as they make the keyboard more interesting and easier to play. With the assistance of the lights, you can learn to play simple tunes in no time.
My top recommended lighted keyboard is the Yamaha EZ300, which has a great combination of price, versatility, features, build quality, and ease of use with its 61-key design.
If you want something more affordable, you should check the MUSTAR Piano Keyboard, which shines with its cost-effective design and essential features to help you learn to play the keyboard.
Contents
- The 6 Best Lighted Keyboard Pianos (2024)
- 1. Yamaha EZ300
- 2. MUSTAR Piano Keyboard
- 3. Best Choice Products Keyboard
- 4. The ONE Smart Piano Keyboard
- 5. Casio LK-S250
- 6. Vangoa VGK6101
- What are Lighted Keyboard Pianos and how do they work?
- What are the benefits of a Lighted Keyboard Piano?
- What to look for in a Lighted Keyboard Piano when buying?
- Conclusion
The 6 Best Lighted Keyboard Pianos (2024)
1. Yamaha EZ300
Top Pick - A great entry-level keyboard with lighted keys and different learning modes for beginners.
View Price
Budget Pick - A cost-effective lighted keyboard with great features for beginners.
Entry-level affordable keyboard with 61 lighted keys and great features for learning.
A great smart keyboard that connects to smart devices and teaches to play with lighted keys.
5. Casio LK-S250
Versatile smart keyboard with portable minimal design and great lighted keys.
View Price
Great-looking white smart keyboard with a feature-packed design and affordable price tag.
Let’s compare these in more detail.
1. Yamaha EZ300
Top Pick
A great entry-level keyboard with lighted keys and different learning modes for beginners.
View Price at SweetwaterView Price at Amazon
My top recommended lighted keyboard, the Yamaha EZ300, is one of the newer models of Yamaha, which comes with great features for beginners. The 61-key lighted keyboard shines with its versatile features helping beginners learn to play in no time.
Pros
- Great audio quality
- Different learning modes
- A high amount of built-in songs and instrument sounds
- Versatile with many different features
Cons
- Only 9 registration memory slots
The keyboard is equipped with 622 built-in instrument sounds and 202 built-in songs to play with including classical music pieces. There are three different learning modes; ‘Keys to Success’ lesson mode to learn to play songs, ‘Touch Tutor’ lesson mode to learn about the keys and dynamics, and ‘Smart Chord’ mode to learn the chords.
With the assistance of the lighted keys, it is highly easy to learn and play the keyboard with these modes. Plus, the keyboard has the Style function for real-time backing tracks, which adds rhythm, bass, and chord accompaniment to your playing.
Number Of Keys | 61 Full-Size Keys, Synth Action |
Power Source | Power Adapter |
Connector Type | USB |
On the negative side, the keyboard only has 9 registration memory slots to save your songs and presets. But as this is an entry-level keyboard, it is not a dealbreaker. Additionally, the power adapter and cable are sold separately, which adds to the price. Overall, the Yamaha EZ300 is a great lighted keyboard for beginners to learn to play and have fun.
2. MUSTAR Piano Keyboard
Budget Pick
A cost-effective lighted keyboard with great features for beginners.
If you are looking for a budget-friendly, versatile keyboard with lighted keys, the Mustar Piano keyboard might be the ideal choice. It comes with a 61 full-size-keys design, 500 tones and 500 rhythms, 65 demo songs, 9 teaching apps, a 3-step education system along with a great deal of input-output options.
Pros
- Great value for the price
- A great number of tones, rhythms, and songs
- Comes with many accessories
- Many learning features
Cons
- Not the most durable construction
The Mustar Keyboard shines with its value-for-price ratio as you receive a highly versatile keyboard. It features great features for beginners like its teaching applications, a 3-step education system that is assisted with the light-up keys, and an LCD screen.
It comes equipped with a great number of tones, rhythms, and songs to play with, as well as versatile features like program/edit rhythm, transpose, tune, vibrato, sustain, ensemble modes, etc., that can be customized. It can work with a power adapter or with batteries.
Number Of Keys | 61 Full-size lighted keys |
Power Source | Power Adapter, Battery |
Connector Type | USB – MIDI |
As this is an affordable keyboard, there are some drawbacks, like the construction and sound quality. It is not a very durable product nor has the best sound quality, but it is decent enough for beginners to start learning.
In short, the MUSTAR Piano Keyboard is a great instrument to get you started. It comes with headphones, a microphone, a power adapter, two OTG cables, a music rest, and an adjustable keyboard stand. It is an excellent device bundle for the price.
3. Best Choice Products Keyboard
Budget-Friendly, Versatile
Entry-level affordable keyboard with 61 lighted keys and great features for learning.
The Best Choice Products Keyboard is another cost-effective entry-level keyboard with 61 lighted keys. The affordable digital piano offers great features for beginners with its high number of rhythms, timbres, and songs, as well as teaching apps with its LCD and light-up keys.
Pros
- Great value for the price
- Versatile with many features
- 255 different rhythms and timbres
- Teaching apps with LCD display
- Battery power option
Cons
- Not the best sound quality
- No touch-sensitive keys
The lighted keys assist the players excellently with the ‘One-key’, ‘Follow’, and ‘Ensemble’ teaching modes. The device has 255 rhythms, 255 timbres, 50 songs, and 32 keyboard percussion. Furthermore, it is equipped with onboard speakers, a rhythm programmer, and a music player.
The keyboard bundle has headphones, a microphone, an H-style keyboard stand, a music stand, a padded stool, and more to get you started immediately. Plus, you can use it with battery power or included power adapter.
Number Of Keys | 61 Full-size lighted keys |
Power Source | Power adapter – Battery |
Connector Type | USB |
On the downside, the built-in speakers are not the best, and the sound quality is not great. Additionally, the keys are not touch-sensitive and do not feel great. As a first keyboard, the Best Choice Products Keyboard is a great choice to learn how to play, but later on, if you want to have a more professional sound and feel, you will need an upgrade.
4. The ONE Smart Piano Keyboard
Portable, Versatile
A great smart keyboard that connects to smart devices and teaches to play with lighted keys.
The ONE Smart Piano Keyboard is a smart keyboard with 61 full-size lighted keys, which connects to your smart device and teaches you to play with the assistance of the smart app. It features 417 timbres, 16 folk instruments, 9 percussion sets, 603 drum sounds, 256 GM2 tones when played with the app, and 20 piano voices without the app.
Pros
- Versatile with great features
- Good sound quality
- Lightweight and portable
- Great iOS and Android compatible app
- Wide range of input-output options
Cons
- Non-weighted keys
- Most content on the app is paid
- Heavily reliant on the app
The keyboard is highly versatile with 128-note polyphony, sustain pedal function, headphones and microphone sockets, MIDI in and outs, and USB-OTG connectivity. It is pretty light and portable keyboard, making it travel-friendly. The sound quality is also quite good, and the built-in speakers provide good sound.
The app is compatible with iOS 10.0 + macs, most iPhone and iPad, and Android devices. Although the app is excellent and has more than 100 piano games, lessons, teaching functions, sheet music, and videos, most functions on the app require extra payment to use.
Number Of Keys | 61 full-size keys |
Power Source | Power Adapter – Battery |
Connector Type | USB – OTG |
Another drawback is the key feel, as in most lighted keyboards. However, it is a great device for learning how to play the keyboard, especially for younger players. Thanks to its versatility and great app support, the keyboard makes it fun and easy to learn and play.
5. Casio LK-S250
Portable, Minimal Design
Versatile smart keyboard with portable minimal design and great lighted keys.
View Price at SweetwaterView Price at Amazon
The Casio LK-S250 is a simplistic smart keyboard that shines with its portable yet versatile and great-sounding design. The keyboard features 61 full-size touch-responsive lighted keys, 60 built-in songs, 400 great sounding tones and 77 accompaniment styles with different rhythms, and 10 types of reverb.
Pros
- Comes with a stand, headphones, and power supply
- Simplistic yet versatile design with essential features
- Lightweight and portable
- App support for teaching features
Cons
- Built-in pianos sounds are not the best
- The small screen and few control buttons make it harder to use
The keyboard has a ‘Dance Music Mode’ for electronic music lovers to create and remix EDM tracks. The lessons and teaching features are done through the Chordana Play app, which you can download to your laptop or smart device for free.
The star of the show with this keyboard is surely the mode, which allows you to create and remix EDM tracks, trigger drum loops, synths, effects, loops, transitions, etc. For electronic music lovers, this is a great mode. Also, the design is quite light, compact, and portable, resulting in a travel-friendly keyboard.
Number Of Keys | 61 full-size touch-responsive lighted keys |
Power Source | Power adapter – Battery |
Connector Type | USB – MIDI |
While the simple design is excellent, the small screen and few control buttons make the device harder to control, especially when you first start using it. Plus, the built-in piano sounds are not the best, but other effects and instrument sounds are great, making the device highly versatile.
Overall, the Casio LK-S250 is a great smart keyboard, especially if you are into electronic music and want to learn and experiment with different music production styles while learning how to play the keyboard.
6. Vangoa VGK6101
Budget-friendly, Elegant
Great-looking white smart keyboard with a feature-packed design and affordable price tag.
If you are looking for a great-looking smart keyboard to learn to play, the Vangoa VGK6101 is a good one to consider. It comes with 61 full-size light-up keys, 600 tones, 400 rhythms, 30 demo songs, 61 percussions, metronome, record, playback function, 3 teaching modes, battery power option, and many more.
Pros
- Feature-packed design with many rhythms, voices, and songs
- Great accessory bundle
- Good value for the price
- Elegant looks
Cons
- Not compatible with smart device apps
The keyboard comes with a great accessory bundle which includes a microphone, a pair of headphones, a stand, and a comfortable padded bench – an all-in-one starter bundle. The lighted keys are great and are full-size piano keys. The guided lights combined with the teaching apps make learning and playing songs quite easy.
On the other hand, the keyboard does not have the best workmanship as the buttons feel flimsy and the keyboard does not feel sturdy. Another drawback is that it is not compatible with smart device apps for tone customization or learning apps.
Number Of Keys | 61 Full-size lighted keys |
Power Source | Corded Electric – Battery |
Connector Type | USB |
In short, the Vangoa VGK6101 is a good smart keyboard with a reasonable price and great looks. If you are after a smart keyboard for your kid to learn to play, Vangoa VGK6101 is a great choice with its eye-catching design and educative, easy-to-learn and play system.
What are Lighted Keyboard Pianos and how do they work?
Lighted keyboards feature a mechanism that lights the key you have to press for you to play a certain song or a certain scale. The keys are lightened up from the bottom, signaling the player which key to press. They are great for beginner musicians to learn how to play the instrument.
The lighted keys can be controlled with the built-in system or an app in a smart device. So, you can choose the song to learn to play or activate a certain scale, chord, or notes to play with a backing track.
While the lighted keys are great for beginners and young players, it is important not to get too dependent on the lighted key system. Otherwise, it can get harder to get used to playing without them.
What are the benefits of a Lighted Keyboard Piano?
Lighted Keyboard Pianos are great for beginners to get used to playing the keyboard, learn new songs, and start playing without knowing musical theory or anything about music. With the guidance of lighted keys, players can learn a song in minutes and start playing the keyboard immediately.
What to look for in a Lighted Keyboard Piano when buying?
When buying a lighted keyboard, things to consider are the number of keys, build quality, sound quality, and the price. A solid lighted keyboard should be durable, versatile, good-sounding, and have enough keys to play freely.
If you want to learn how to play piano, you should have an electronic keyboard piano with at least 61 keys. Acoustic pianos mostly have 88-key layouts, and having an 88-key configuration would be the best. However, you can also go with a 61-key keyboard which is close enough for a smooth transition from keyboard to piano later.
The build and sound quality are also important as you want a good-sounding and durable device. The speakers and the headphones you use with the keyboard get significantly important for the sound quality. As for the build quality, reliable brands are the way to go.
As with any purchase, price is another crucial consideration point. As lighted keyboards are aimed toward beginner players, it is wise to go with an affordable product and see if you like playing the keyboard. Later, if you get serious about playing the keyboard and want a better quality digital piano, you can buy a high-end product.
Conclusion
Lighted keyboards are great tools for learning how to play the keyboard with the assistance of teaching modes and apps as well as the lighted keys. They make playing songs on a keyboard pretty effortless and fast, allowing you to learn a song in minutes. They are the ideal keyboards for younger players to love music and learn how to play an instrument.
My top pick, Yamaha EZ300, is a great lighted keyboard, which comes with Yamaha reliability, features a packed 61-key design, a wide range of voices, songs, and rhythms, as well as great sound quality.
On the budget-friendly side, the MUSTAR Piano Keyboard shines with its great value-for-price ratio and essential features for beginners to learn to play the piano quickly.