Piano On The Go: Practice Anywhere with Digital Piano and App

Making music in the park, by the pool, or around the campfire may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of an electric piano. However, there are several ways to play the piano on the go or practice while on vacation, including a mini keyboard combined with piano sounds coming from an iPhone or iPad – it doesn’t get much more portable than that! Ultralight battery-powered piano keyboards are also a great way to take a piano on the road.

Learn to play the piano – anywhere!

That sounds like a nice advertising slogan. But it’s true – making music is not always tied to where the piano is. Nevertheless, playing the piano on the go is not completely the same as playing and practicing at home. If you are on vacation, for example, you will have to make compromises to continue playing. This includes a keyboard instrument that’s as small and light as possible.

A portable piano with touch sensitivity and a hammer action keyboard is convenient and may even fit in the trunk of your car. However, if you travel by train or plane, you probably have a different idea of mobile music-making. A small touch-sensitive keyboard would be the minimum, but you can make music without any keys at all.

Whether you’re a beginner with a piano learning app or an advanced student looking into ear training and music reading, you can choose from many options. Here are some suggestions and tips.

The iPhone as a sound module

At least with current iOS devices, the topic of “piano on the go” takes on interesting dimensions. There are now several piano and music apps that turn your iPad or iPhone into a sound module with professional sound quality. Thanks to Bluetooth MIDI, you can even play the piano on your mobile phone wirelessly. All you need is a MIDI keyboard or an electric piano with Bluetooth, or – to retrofit a MIDI instrument – a Bluetooth MIDI adapter.

It all sounds very simple – but if you want to play the piano on the go, you need to think about the power supply. For mobile devices that only have a Lightning port, you need a 2-in-1 Lightning adapter. It allows you to connect audio accessories and a power adapter at the same time.

E-Piano LIGHT

A piano app alone is of course not the solution as you need a keyboard to play the piano. A weighted hammer action is not the right choice – as you can see from the name: Hammer weights produce an authentic touch, but make a stage piano heavy. Semi-weighted keyboards are a compromise when it comes to piano touch, but exactly the right compromise when playing the piano on the go.

Semi-weighted keyboards

These can provide a piano feel through the shape of the keys, but the element of hammer weighting is noticeably missing. However, because such a keyboard is significantly lighter, it allows for lighter construction of the chassis, resulting in a lower overall weight. Electric pianos with semi-weighted keys include the Yamaha Piaggeros, the Roland Go:Piano, the Casio CT-S1, and the new Korg Liano.

Overview of mobile keyboards at Thomann*

Korg Liano: Piano for On the Go

The perfect electric piano for anyone who needs an 88-key keyboard on the go. It is ultra-light, flat, and even USB MIDI/Audio capable. So whether you’re playing stored sounds or an electric piano app, the Korg Liano is the ideal piano to take with you.

Practice Piano on Vacation with the Roland Go:Piano

The Roland Go:Piano can also be thought of as a compact keyboard for on-the-go that works well with smartphones and tablets. It doesn’t have a real piano keyboard, but the “box-shaped” keys give you a bit of a piano feel when you play.

Most importantly, the Go:Piano has Bluetooth, audio input, and USB connections. This means that it has all the connectivity options you need to play with a piano app or, for example, play online piano lessons with the piano’s own sound and speakers. It also offers various stored sounds and is very affordable at around 300 Euros.

Casio CT-S1 – Portable Piano Keyboard

Its design is similar to the Go:Piano, but it makes a less “technical” impression. Nevertheless, the Casio CT-S1 offers a lot of functionality. You can conveniently control it using the Casio Music Space app. While the Casio CT-S1 is a small keyboard with “only” 61 keys, that can be an advantage when you’re on the go. It can be complemented with the included Bluetooth adapter but otherwise offers USB and audio input for connecting mobile devices.

Yamaha Reface CP – Mini Piano for On the Go

It is probably the smallest stage piano in the world. As a small keyboard with mini keys, the Yamaha Reface CP should not be underestimated. The preset piano sounds offer professional sound quality – even in the full 88-note range, for example via a MIDI keyboard. Otherwise, the Reface CP is small, compact, and sturdy – perfect for traveling and making music on the go.

IK Multimedia iRig Keys I/O – Play and Record Anywhere

A different concept that does without built-in speakers, but emphasizes the controller functions: As a small MIDI keyboard with full-size keys, the IK Multimedia iRig Keys I/O is an absolute recommendation. The advantage is the built-in USB MIDI/Audio interface. Whether laptop or iPad – you simply connect your device via USB and listen to the sound via the keyboard’s headphone jack. There are even audio inputs.

A roll-up keyboard for on the go?

What may sound like a crazy idea is a real product – and probably the most compact keyboard ever: just roll it up and put it in your travel bag. It’s a cool idea, but there are two things to remember about a roll-up keyboard. There are no moving keys, just a soft plastic surface. The keys are only implied here, but at least you can feel them.

A roll-up keyboard also has only 61 keys, and – unlike a classical piano keyboard – it always requires a solid, flat surface, otherwise the “keyboard” can hardly function. You shouldn’t expect miracles from the 128 built-in sounds either. However, the roll-up keyboard at least has a MIDI-OUT jack and USB MIDI connectivity to play external sound sources.

Practicing piano on vacation with a mini keyboard?

It doesn’t always have to be Rachmaninoff, especially if you are traveling and just want to play a little. A smaller, portable solution is a great way to brainstorm and record song ideas, try out voicings, or work on arrangements with a sequencer. You don’t always need the big stuff.

Mini MIDI keyboards are perfect for traveling because you can play the piano practically anywhere. One tip is the Korg MicroKey Air: although it has mini piano keys, with a little practice you will be able to play it quite well. A handy feature is the built-in Bluetooth interface, which allows the MicroKey Air to connect wirelessly to an iPad or laptop.

Rent a piano on the go

If you need to practice on a real piano, you can always rent a stage piano or a portable piano. While not for those who travel light, you still may want to consider this option: Renting a car at your vacation destination is the most common thing in the world. So why not rent a piano there? It’s best to check with your destination first. Maybe there is a music school there that can make this possible.

You can also check out the PianoMe website, which arranges piano rooms: piano.me.

Connecting a MIDI keyboard to an iPhone or iPad

Smartphones rarely connect directly to musical instruments, so you will need some accessories. There are three main ways to connect your smartphone to a MIDI keyboard:

• USB-MIDI: You can connect traditional USB MIDI keyboards via USB using the Apple Camera Connection Kit. If you want to play music regardless of battery power, you will need the Camera Connection Kit with an integrated Lightning connector to power your iPhone or iPad.
• Bluetooth MIDI: In many cases, the Bluetooth connection is established using a low-power Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE) connection. All devices now support this automatically (previously, a BLE app had to be installed on the iOS device).
• MIDI Interface: The traditional way to connect devices using MIDI cables. This requires a MIDI interface connected to the iPhone or iPad. This method is handy if you have an older digital piano somewhere that only has a MIDI jack. In such a case, a wireless MIDI adapter might also be a solution for using the modern sounds of piano apps.

How to pair an iPhone with a Bluetooth device using Bluetooth LE

1. Turn on Bluetooth: First, turn on Bluetooth on both devices so that they are both “visible”.
2. Pair the devices using a piano app: The two devices are not paired in the Bluetooth settings of the iOS device but in the piano app itself. The app automatically searches for visible devices. Depending on the device, this process may take some time the first time you establish a connection.
3. Select the Bluetooth device from the list: In the Bluetooth dialogue of the piano app, select the desired device from the list of visible devices and wait for the connection to be established.

Playing piano on the go with a mini Bluetooth MIDI setup

Good news for mobile pianists: as long as you have an 88-note piano keyboard with USB-MIDI, you can create your own mobile setup that fits in your pocket. Simply plug a Bluetooth MIDI adapter to the instrument’s existing USB socket. In addition to an iPhone or iPad, such a mini setup can consist of the Yamaha UD-BT01 MIDI wireless adapter and a headphone.

Instead of headphones of course an Apple Lightning-to-3.5 mm adapter is a handy solution to output the sound of the app to an amplifier.

Play piano anywhere: Top apps and accessories

Whether you use a MIDI master keyboard or an electric piano, these apps give you professional piano sounds on your iPad or iPhone. A good piano app will take the smaller electric piano keyboards in particular, such as the Go:Piano or the Casio CT-S1, to a whole new level.

e-Instruments Pure Piano

Pure Piano offers more than just a fantastic-sounding grand piano. The intuitive touchpad sound design is unique and makes this piano app so flexible.

Modartt Pianoteq 8 for iOS

With the current version 8, Modartt brings the Physical Modeling Piano to the iOS platform, making it by far the most powerful app when it comes to professional piano sounds for iPad and iPhone.

Korg Module Pro – Sound Module for iOS

A complete keyboard studio on the go! While Korg Module already comes with many sounds, expansion modules such as the mobile version of Synthogy’s Ivory library add even more fun.

IK Multimedia iGrand – Piano App

Ravenscroft Piano 275 – Piano App

Yamaha MD-BT-01 – MIDI wireless adapter

The MD-B01 follows the most common principle and is designed as a pair of plugs for MIDI in and out. The adapter is plugged into the MIDI input and output of the instrument and also receives its power supply from there. The Yamaha MD-BT01 does what it is supposed to do flawlessly. The slightly noticeable latency is within the usual range.

Synthogy Ivory Mobile Grand – Software Piano for Korg Module

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More links on how to play the piano with iPhone and iPad

Using a digital piano as a masterkeyboard
MIDI Keyboard with Hammer Action
Connecting an iPad to a digital piano
Learning how to play the piano with a MIDI keyboard?
Play piano with iPad and iPhone