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Hi everyone,

I have a Yamaha keyboard with plastic keys and I've also played on acoustic pianos with "ivory" keys. Both have a similar surface and feel the same to the touch: they are both smooth, solid, and glossy.

Today I went to try out a few Kawai digital pianos and I did not like the feel of the keys. They were matte, textured, and felt kinda sticky.

Do you think I would just get used to the keys after a while? I like everything about the Kawai pianos so I don't want to knock them because of something that might be quite shallow.

If anyone here has moved from plastic keys to textured ones I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Thanks

The baby grand I grew up with, had smooth plastic keys.

When I got my PX-350, it had heavily textured plastic key. I got used to them in a few hours, and never think about them.

IMHO, textured keytops are a non-issue in picking a piano.

My kawai VPC key tops are similar to my Yamaha C6 acoustic while my Yamaha Avantgrand key tops are more like Yamaha’s lower end grands.

At least they didn't go "full Casio," on the texture. I personally like the matte finish on my Kawai DP. It might be a solution to smooth plastic keys that might slip after getting wet with perspirations (?)

Yes, they make them non-slippery on purpose since that is what most professional pianists prefer

Traded in my old Roland for a new Kawai ES920 about a month ago. The Roland had glossy plastic keys, the Kawai has the matte finish. I love it, it was one of the selling points for me. I never had issues with sliding on the keys on the Roland, but even so, the texture with the Kawai just makes my finger position feel more secure. They feel... "dry", which is ridiculous to say since it's not like I drench piano keys in sweat or oils. I wouldn't describe it as "sticky", that suggests to me requiring additional force to separate your finger from the key surface. But anyway, I'm a fan.

Got rid of my FP50, which had very good sweat resistant keys. They were also prone to scratching, with the fingernails. My P515 had less effective keys, but was less prone to wear and tear in this way.
My current ES110 has neither. I don't really miss it, but yes. There was a difference and the sweat resistant surface was nice under the fingers.

Thank you all for your replies. I think I will give the Kawai another go and see how I feel after a longer session.


I've never felt that smooth keys were slippery. In fact I kinda like that you can slide your fingers on them a bit; for example when playing bach's prelude in C major your left hand sometimes caresses the keys gently. It's a very small movement but with rough keys it doesn't feel very pleasant to me.

But like I said I'll try them again and probably will get used to them. Thanks!

My ca99 keys started matte and now have a slightly more shiny surface. I don't know if this means it's worn away after a few months. But I prefer it like this.

Compared to my Yamaha P80 and the acoustics I have played, the MP7SE keys felt unnaturally rough at first. It did not take long to get used to and now feels entirely natural. Some other brands go way too far with the texturing of the keys, but Kawai gives their high end keybeds a thoroughly enjoyable and practical touch. If you are talking about the es520 or es110, I can't say.

I own two Kawais, a CL35 and a MP11. The keys of the CL35 are plastic, slippery, by the other hand, MP11's keys has some texture as you described. I think that in a couple days (or less) you get comfortable and cand switch back and forth without any issue. It is just a minor difference.