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<keyword id="12668209" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="piano-keyboards" source="Orion">Piano keyboards</keyword> act as a good music system to explore different tunes and sounds, and even make tracks on them. They are also a good and more inexpensive option for people who can’t afford a piano. The best <keyword id="12668210" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="portable-piano-keyboards" source="Orion">portable piano keyboards</keyword> have multiple preset tunes and voices, songs, and even lesson functions. There are various options for piano keyboards depending on your budget that you can buy online. <br /><br />Here’s a list of some of the <keyword id="12668213" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="top-piano-keyboards" source="Orion">top piano keyboards</keyword> available online.<br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B07SVXTRDX" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B07SVXTRDX_head"><div type="image" title="Recommended" msid="87765477" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B07SVXTRDX</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B07SVXTRDX_body"><bulletContentRow name="B07SVXTRDX_2490690008910921"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">YAMAHA PSR-I500 portable keyboard</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">This is a 61-key portable keyboard from Yamaha designed for Indian music lovers. It has a collection of Indian musical instrument voices like the harmonium, sitar, dhol, tabla, sitar and veena. In total you get 801 instrument voices along with 40 Indian instruments, 282 types of auto accompaniment styles along with 50 Indian styles. The Yamaha keyboard is equipped with bass reflex speakers, and professional-quality DSP effects.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow><bulletContentRow name="B07SVXTRDX_5536490206833285"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">The YAMAHA PSR-I500 portable keyboard also features a pitch bend wheel and lesson function.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B083BRZB42" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B083BRZB42_head"><div type="image" title="Cheaper alternative" msid="87765500" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B083BRZB42</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B083BRZB42_body"><bulletContentRow name="B083BRZB42_5407312053816021"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Yamaha PSR-I400 61-Key Portable Keyboard</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">This is a more affordable version from Yamaha’s PSR series of portable keyboards. It comes equipped with a total of 218 preset styles including 35 Indian styles. This keyboard too is designed for people who want to learn or play Indian music. It has an extensive library of Indian sounding instruments, and a traditional Indian rhythm section. There are also lesson functions for those who are interested in learning on this keyboard.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow><bulletContentRow name="B083BRZB42_5300070668313272"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">The Yamaha PSR-I400 is also a 61-key portable keyboard that you can get to learn and play Indian music.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B07YPTSFMT" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B07YPTSFMT_head"><div type="image" title="Budget friendly" msid="87765511" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B07YPTSFMT</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B07YPTSFMT_body"><bulletContentRow name="B07YPTSFMT_7247284178896008"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Casio CT-S200 Casiotone 61-Key Portable Keyboard</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">The Casio CT-S200 Casiotone is a budget-friendly 61-key portable. It features an LCD display along with intuitive controls. The keyboard is also compatible with Casio’s mobile app “Chordana Play” through which you can learn how to play different songs. The keyboard is equipped with 400 tones and 77 rhythms. It also has 13 Indian tones and 14 rhythms. There’s also a Dance Music mode that lets you create your own music composition.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow><bulletContentRow name="B07YPTSFMT_2528751139338885"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">The Casio CT-S200 Casiotone is ideal for those who are just starting out since the keyboard is beginner-friendly.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B06XWS1LLD" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B06XWS1LLD_head"><div type="image" title="Pocket friendly" msid="87765521" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B06XWS1LLD</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B06XWS1LLD_body"><bulletContentRow name="B06XWS1LLD_2044183099064155"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Casio CTK-2550 61-Key Portable Keyboard</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">The Casio CTK-2550 is another 61-key budget-friendly keyboard that you can go for. It features an LCD display with a user-friendly interface. There are 30 user song banks and 60 song bank tunes along with 400 tones and 100 rhythms. It also has 13 Indian tones and 12 rhythms. This keyboard is also compatible with Casio’s Chordana Play app so you can use it to learn different songs.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow><bulletContentRow name="B06XWS1LLD_0196388755409985"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">The Casio CTK-2550 comes with a free adaptor, and it can also be used with AA batteries.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B06XBZH1DZ" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B06XBZH1DZ_head"><div type="image" title="Also consider" msid="87765537" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B06XBZH1DZ</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B06XBZH1DZ_body"><bulletContentRow name="B06XBZH1DZ_1006423904086919"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">RockJam RJ761 Electronic Interactive Teaching Piano Keyboard</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">The RockJam RJ761 is a 61-key teaching piano keyboard that comes with a stand, stool, sustain pedal and headphones. It has a touch sensitive keypad and an LCD display. There’s a built-in teaching system on this keyboard. You also get access to 200 rhythms, tones and 50 songs. The keyboard also supports record and playback functionality. It also has a MIDI output that lets you connect your phone, iPad or laptop.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow><bulletContentRow name="B06XBZH1DZ_1251871813409221"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">The RockJam RJ761 is a budget-friendly keyboard that you can get to learn how to play the musical instrument.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B08GJVK5GX" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B08GJVK5GX_head"><div type="image" title="Pocket friendly" msid="87765561" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B08GJVK5GX</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B08GJVK5GX_body"><bulletContentRow name="B08GJVK5GX_6711428922138997"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">JUAREZ Octavé JRK660 61-Key Electronic Teaching Keyboard Piano</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">This is another teaching keyboard that you can get, and it’s very pocket friendly. It has 61 keys in total with full-range stereo speakers and a music sheet stand holder. The keyboard features 200 rhythms, 200 timbres, and 40 demo songs. There’s also a rhythm programming function and volume or tempo control on this keyboard. It has a one-key teaching function so you can select any demo song and learn it on the keyboard.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow><bulletContentRow name="B08GJVK5GX_2218178199920201"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">The JUAREZ Octavé JRK660 is a teaching keyboard you can consider if your budget is low.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br />

Best portable piano keyboards for beginners and professionals

<p><em>The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Insider Picks</a> team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.</em></p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/2Io2EeB" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></em></a></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>The <a href="https://amzn.to/2Io2EeB" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ONE Smart Keyboard Pro</a> uses color-coded LED lights to indicate which keys to play, leading your fingers through music and helping establish muscle memory.</strong></li><li><strong>The instrument features a full 88 keys and faithfully recreates the sound of a genuine grand piano, though it can also be paired with headphones or external speakers.</strong></li><li><strong>The ONE app helps guide you through individual songs, teaches you to read sheet music, and challenges you with games.</strong></li><li><strong>It's pretty expensive at $799, but it's ultimately cheaper than buying a piano and paying for lessons.</strong></li></ul><p>I can't play the piano - at least not yet. But were you to listen to me play "Für Elise" or "Green Sleeves" on <a href="https://amzn.to/2Io2EeB" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The ONE Smart Keyboard Pro</a> digital piano, you'd think I'd been at the keys for years (ok, maybe months). Note that I meant it when I said "<em>listen</em> to me play" because were you to watch me, my cover would be blown when you spotted the red and blue LED lights popping up above the next keys to be tapped.</p><p>When paired with The ONE app, this full-sized, 88-key digital piano becomes a powerful teaching tool that can help the abject amateur and the advanced pianist alike. The most basic way to engage with the piano is to select a song and then dutifully follow the LED light prompts - a red light for the fingers of your right hand, a blue light for the left - striking the keys as the light illuminate. This sort of playing won't teach you much about music theory or have you reading Bach's sheet music, but it's satisfying to hammer out a tune the first time you sit down to tickle the keys.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://amzn.to/2Io2EeB" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><p class="source"><span>Kristin John</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>While having some fun tapping out songs is all well and good, let's be frank here: <a href="https://amzn.to/2Io2EeB" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The ONE Smart Keyboard Pro</a> is way too expensive to buy if all you plan to do is play around. But if you actually want to learn how to play, it's a lot cheaper to buy one pricey digital keyboard than it is to take lessons for years. And the last time I checked, an actual grand piano costs more than $10,000 if you want something halfway decent. Even uprights cost at least five grand for any real quality. </p><p>I started off simply following the lights and slowly growing more comfortable playing a few select songs, but soon I realized I wasn't really learning how to play music, but rather how to memorize those specific tunes. However, as the LEDs lead your fingers, so too does the sheet music displayed on The ONE app highlight the notes corresponding to the keys you're playing. Over time, using the piano and app can develop both muscle memory in your fingers and an understanding of reading music. Put those together, and hey, you're a piano player.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://amzn.to/2Io2EeB" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><p class="source"><span>Kristin John</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>I'm not going to pretend you will learn to play the piano overnight with this keyboard, nor will you gain true competence in a matter of days or weeks or even months. Learning to play an instrument well takes time and effort, but with The ONE Smart Keyboard Pro, you can indeed learn to play - no teacher or traditional lessons required.</p><p>So yes, it's expensive, but it's effective. You'll also sound like you know what you're doing on day one - just don't let anyone see the red and blue lights helping you cheat your way through Pachabel's "Canon."</p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/2Io2EeB"><strong>Get The ONE Smart Keyboard Pro from Amazon for $799</strong></a></p><p class="tagline">Find the best holiday deals on our <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/black-friday-deals-2018">Black Friday Deals</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cyber-monday-deals-2018">Cyber Monday Deals</a> page. <a href="http://e.businessinsider.com/join/ci/insider-picks">Subscribe to our newsletter.</a>.<br>Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks">Insider Picks</a> team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.<br>Find all the best offers at our <a href="https://coupons.businessinsider.com/">Coupons page</a>.</br></br></p>

This digital keyboard actually teaches you how to play songs on the piano

<p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MH391ZF/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_081919_roland-entry-level-digital-piano-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07MH391ZF&amp;linkId=66f119d1f538a995d2520d55cc730596" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Sunny Chanel/Business Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></strong></a></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>This <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MH391ZF/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_081919_roland-entry-level-digital-piano-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07MH391ZF&amp;linkId=66f119d1f538a995d2520d55cc730596" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Roland Entry-Level Digital Piano</a> may be $499, but it's worth it to get your kid to practice.</strong></li><li><strong>The realistic sound quality and the feel of the keys create an authentic piano-like experience in a compact size. </strong></li><li><strong>This isn't just a keyboard. It has all sorts of added bells and whistles that make practice educational as well as entertaining. </strong></li><li><strong>Our favorite element is that the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MH391ZF/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_081919_roland-entry-level-digital-piano-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07MH391ZF&amp;linkId=66f119d1f538a995d2520d55cc730596" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Roland FP-10</a> is also smart. Roland offers the Piano Partner 2 app that can be downloaded to an iPhone or iPad. </strong></li></ul><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I have a confession: When we enrolled our daughter in piano classes and needed to purchase a practice keyboard, we went cheap. In our defense, we weren't sure how long she'd stick with it and didn't want to invest more cash into something that could turn out to be a passing phase. In hindsight, this was a huge mistake.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While her music classes took place on a standard upright acoustic piano, she came home to practice on a tinny-sounding, 61-key entry-level keyboard that we bought for about $100. The sound of this off-brand keyboard did not inspire her to practice. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After trying out the </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MH391ZF/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_081919_roland-entry-level-digital-piano-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07MH391ZF&amp;linkId=66f119d1f538a995d2520d55cc730596" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Roland FP-10 Digital Piano</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, we not only heard the difference in sound quality, but our daughter was a far more engaged budding pianist as well.</span></p><h2><strong>The basics</strong></h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MH391ZF/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_081919_roland-entry-level-digital-piano-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07MH391ZF&amp;linkId=66f119d1f538a995d2520d55cc730596" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><p class="source"><span>Roland</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Roland has been a trusted company in the digital music game since they came on to the scene back in 1972. You can hear their keyboards and synthesizers behind such big-name artists as Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Green Day. While their top-of-the-line pianos can run into the thousands, they also make entry-level keyboards like the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MH391ZF/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_081919_roland-entry-level-digital-piano-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07MH391ZF&amp;linkId=66f119d1f538a995d2520d55cc730596" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Roland FP-10</a>. The particular model is currently available at <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MH391ZF/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_081919_roland-entry-level-digital-piano-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07MH391ZF&amp;linkId=66f119d1f538a995d2520d55cc730596" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amazon for $499.99</a>.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MH391ZF/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_081919_roland-entry-level-digital-piano-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07MH391ZF&amp;linkId=66f119d1f538a995d2520d55cc730596" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Roland FP-10</a> is ridiculously easy to set up. All we had to do was unpack the unit, plug it in, turn it on, and start playing. The keyboard doesn't come with a stand, but you can buy one separately, whether a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B15JPCQ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_081919_roland-entry-level-digital-piano-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B01B15JPCQ&amp;linkId=560a69b7bb52c5df3fa1d801e85091e0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">simple stand</a> or a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MRGSCKQ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_081919_roland-entry-level-digital-piano-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07MRGSCKQ&amp;linkId=be6750478f95a8970c679eb876de0eca" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dedicated stand</a> that's more sturdy and mimics a more traditional piano setup. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It's also an ideal scenario for a piano student to have a practice keyboard that has all the keys, not just some. The <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MH391ZF/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_081919_roland-entry-level-digital-piano-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07MH391ZF&amp;linkId=66f119d1f538a995d2520d55cc730596" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Roland FP-10</a> has all 88 keys, not 61 or 54 like some other practice keyboards, and it comes in a compact form, measuring about 50 inches by 10 inches. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This piano is lightweight enough (approximately 20 pounds) that it can be moved wherever you need it for practice. My daughter practiced in bed, on the living room floor, and during a particularly lovely afternoon, in our backyard. Having that kind of flexibility is a big plus and helps keep a young student - like mine - interested. If you're planning an extended family road trip, your child can bring the keyboard with them so they don't fall behind in their progress. And when I say road trip, I mean in a car. The unit is far too big to bring on the plane. </span></p><h2><strong>What makes it stand out</strong></h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MH391ZF/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_081919_roland-entry-level-digital-piano-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07MH391ZF&amp;linkId=66f119d1f538a995d2520d55cc730596" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><p class="source"><span>Sunny Chanel/Business Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of the first things my daughter noticed was the feel of the keys. The hammer action feels like a real piano. There is less of a disconnect when switching between an acoustic piano and this digital one. Our last keyboard had a more toy-like quality to it; it didn't possess that full key quality and action. The <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MH391ZF/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_081919_roland-entry-level-digital-piano-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07MH391ZF&amp;linkId=66f119d1f538a995d2520d55cc730596" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Roland FP-10</a> keys are responsive whether she plays hard or soft and feel similar to those of a standard piano, with the same tactile sensation. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While my daughter noticed the quality of the keys, I keyed into the quality of the audio. It sounds like a piano should, although it doesn't have the depth of sound a grand piano or quality upright has, it is pretty darn close. Roland uses what they call the SuperNATURAL piano sound engine. If one were to close their eyes, they likely wouldn't realize that it is merely a keyboard rather than a standard piano. </span> </p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of my favorite aspects of the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MH391ZF/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_081919_roland-entry-level-digital-piano-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07MH391ZF&amp;linkId=66f119d1f538a995d2520d55cc730596" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Roland FP-10</a> is that there is an output for headphones. Not to disparage my daughter's playing, but you probably understand if you happen to have a piano student in your home, too. Yes, we love that our children are learning and practicing, but the learning curve can strain the ears. If you do choose to listen to the dulcet sounds of your child tickling the ivories, the onboard speakers are quite impressive with a clear and crisp sound quality.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">My daughter, always one for experimentation, really enjoys the additional tones you can select. If she wants to change it up from the classic piano style, there's an array of different sound genres she can choose from, such as church organ, jazz organ, and vibraphone. Selecting these different tones is as easy as pressing the "piano" key with one of the designated keyboard keys. She also had a grand time dancing around to the internal songs programmed into the keyboard.</span></p><h2><strong>High-tech additions with Bluetooth </strong></h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MH391ZF/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_081919_roland-entry-level-digital-piano-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07MH391ZF&amp;linkId=66f119d1f538a995d2520d55cc730596" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><p class="source"><span>Amazon/Business Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Besides the feel, perks, and quality of sound, our favorite element is that the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MH391ZF/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_081919_roland-entry-level-digital-piano-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07MH391ZF&amp;linkId=66f119d1f538a995d2520d55cc730596" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Roland FP-10</a> is also smart. Roland offers the Piano Partner 2 app that can be downloaded to an iPhone or iPad. It was very simple to pair the Bluetooth on my phone to the keyboard, and the setup was completed in just a couple of steps. The app itself is very intuitive with a variety of options. Along with the Bluetooth connectivity, there's also a USB MIDI output for a one-cable connection to a computer or mobile device. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Beginners can benefit from the Flash Card option on the app that gives cues to match sounds and read notations. More seasoned players can find a more challenging experience with the average and expert levels.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The DigiScore tool on the Piano Partner 2 displays the score and plays classical pieces by Chopin, Liszt, and Debussy so that pianists in training can play along (and learn while they're at it). There's even a remote control to set the volume, tone, and brilliance of sound and a metronome to keep the beat on track. For more options, users can connect with Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) and a variety of other apps like Apple GarageBand. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Beyond all these bells and whistles, the tool my daughter had the most fun with was the Recorder function. With one touch, she could record anything that she played on the piano. The Recorder is a useful bonus for those who write their own music or want to give a listen, more objectively, to what has just been played.</span></p><h2><strong>The bottom line</strong></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you're looking for a practice keyboard for yourself or your family, this portable piano is an excellent option. While the price may be a bit daunting, the additional bells and whistles justify it, especially the recording function. I found that it's a good investment that can help encourage my daughter to practice.</span></p><p><strong>Pros:</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> The sound is fantastic and clear. Different musical styles options, Bluetooth connectivity, and recording function are all useful extras.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></p><p><strong>Cons:</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> The piano, with its full set of keys, could be a bit too large to lug around depending on where you're headed. Pricier than other entry-level pianos.</span></p><h3><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MH391ZF/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_081919_roland-entry-level-digital-piano-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07MH391ZF&amp;linkId=66f119d1f538a995d2520d55cc730596" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy the Roland 88-Key Entry-Level Digital Piano for $499.99 at Amazon</a></h3><p class="tagline"><p><a href="http://e.businessinsider.com/join/ci/insider-picks">Subscribe to our newsletter.</a><br><br>Find all the best offers at our <a href="https://coupons.businessinsider.com/">Coupons page</a>.<br><br>Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks">Insider Picks</a> team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.</br></br></br></br></p></p>

This Roland Entry-Level Digital Piano inspired my daughter to practice and play way more than ever before

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>When I was about seven or eight, I went for a taster violin lesson at school. The idea was to get an idea for the instrument, and see if I wanted to learn properly. I enjoyed it - but the expected lessons never materialised.</p><p>A few years later, I asked my mother why: Apparently the tutor had refused to teach me.</p><p>It's fair to say that I am not a natural musician.</p><p>But at the start of 2016, I resolved to change that. I decided to learn the piano.</p><p>A year of immense frustrations, endless Philip Glass, and deep satisfaction later, here's how it went.</p><h2>Why? I wanted to do something totally new</h2><p>I'm 24 years old, I live in London, and I've gone through life without knowing the first thing about music. I love to <em>listen</em> to it - I've got a pretty big collection, and I go to gigs regularly. But how it's <em>made</em> has always been one great big opaque mystery to me.</p><p>Both of my brothers play - saxophone and guitar, respectively - but the extent of my musical education was tapping out basic beats on a glockenspiel and learning the first few bars of "Neighbours" on the piano at school. So why did I take the plunge now? Well, there were a few reasons:</p><ul><li><strong>I wanted to challenge myself. </strong>2016 was the start of my third year living in London. I'd settled into a routine, and wanted to add some variety to my life - and something that would push me in a new direction.</li><li><strong>I wanted to do something <em>totally</em> new</strong>. Learning music for the first time isn't like taking up a new team ball-sport, or an unusual arts-and-crafts activity. Music is an entirely new category of human endeavour I have never meaningfully engaged in before. That makes it pretty exciting - and intimidating.</li><li><strong>I love music.</strong> Pretty self-explanatory. I hoped that learning an instrument for the first time would enrich my appreciation of the artform.</li></ul><p>I also set myself a few goals - some strict, and some more nebulous.</p><ul><li><strong>Pass my Grade 1 piano exam by the end of 2016.</strong> If you're not familiar with the system, you can take exams as you learn instruments, from Grade 1 through to Grade 8. A clear target of reaching Grade 1 by the end of the year would give me something to work towards, a way to measure my success or failure.</li><li><strong>Improve my knowledge of classical music.</strong> I had no strict timeframe for this, or a set point when it would be "completed." But I've never known my Bach from my Beethoven, and I wanted to change that.</li><li><strong>Learn "Metamorphosis II," by Philip Glass.</strong> This was a longer-term goal, beyond 2016 - it's a beautiful, flowing, and technically tricky bit of music that I wanted to work towards as I got better.</li></ul><p>How did it go? The short version is that it was fantastic - I'm extremely glad I did it, and I'd strongly urge&#xa0;to anyone thinking about taking up an instrument to do it, whatever your age.</p><p>It wasn't all plain sailing, however.</p><h2>Learning something new is a lesson in humility and patience</h2><p><em>Note: The following sections go into some detail on what and how I learned. If you just want to know whether I passed the exam or not, skip down to the "arcane mystery" section below.</em></p><p>Let me make this clear: Piano is hard. Really hard. It requires you to think in a way you've never done before, juggling a thousand balls simultaneously. Interpret the music. Keep the tempo. Vary the volume. Move both hands independently of one-another. Make sure it all actually sounds <em>good</em>.</p><p>You know that brain-straining feeling when you try and multiply three three-digit numbers together? That's what it felt like to be interpreting and playing music on the fly.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>To learn, I bought myself a new Yamaha P45 electric piano to learn on. (It goes for £350 in the <keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword>, and $400 in the US.) I needed something with a full 88-key keyboard (like a traditional acoustic piano), touch-sensitive weighted keys (so it actually sounds and feels like a piano), and I didn't care about fancy voices and modes.<p>I also decided when I began that I was prepared to invest real time and money into this, and pay for a tutor to give me lessons on a (near-)weekly basis. This obviously isn't an option for everyone. But having a tutor means you get expert guidance and avoid learning bad habits - and I'm very glad I did it. For me at least, learning independently would have been far more difficult and infuriating. If you care about something, invest in it.</p><p>Though I had committed to learning piano by the end of 2015, an accident involving a very sharp knife and my thumb meant I was only in a position to buy the piano and start learning at the end of January 2016. For the first week or two, I tried learning using Yousician, a freemium app that can teach you piano and other instruments. It was better than nothing - but it was also limited, and I quickly began looking for a human tutor.</p><p>My first songs were simple, five-note affairs: "When The Saints Go Marching In" was a particular favourite. But an early frustration was the basic-ness of the stuff I was playing, often simplified versions of popular songs. I wanted to be better than I was. I wanted to play stuff I wasn't capable of.</p><p>In that sense, it was a lesson in patience and humility. It's increasingly rare that I go into something completely blind, starting from first principles. You gravitate towards fields and pursuits you're good at, and away from those you're not. Learning piano forced me to face my ineptitude head on, and try to change it.</p><p>Slowly and surely, I improved - and it made a world of difference when I could begin playing stuff that didn't feel dumbed-down. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSmXAG2mYY4">John Cage's "In A Landscape"</a> is haunting, and relatively technically simple. And Philip Glass's Metamorphosis II is actually very manageable, <a href="https://youtu.be/FH55ordbsR8?t=2m19s">before the rapid-fire arpeggios begin</a>. Without a doubt I've played it more than anything else in my repertoire - to my flatmates' resigned amusement.</p><p><em>Can you hear the mistake? <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa3CIMEYdXo">Here's a live version of the full song</a>. The finger-melting arpeggios start around the two-minute-thirty mark.</em></p><p>I expect I could have progressed faster had I applied myself more. Lessons, nominally once a week, sometimes happened much less frequently, and I had a gap of a month or two during the summer when I didn't play at all.</p><p>But in the early Autumn, I agreed to try for Grade 1 before the end of the year - and that's when it got frantic.</p><h2>I forgot how much I hate exams</h2><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Exams! Studying! Tests! Revising! I thought I'd left this all behind when I left university.<p>Music exams are set and administered by external exam board organisations (I went with ABRSM). It involved learning and performing three pieces from a selection available, memorising scales and broken chords, doing sight-reading, and an aural test (listening to music, identifying traits, and singing it back as an "echo.")</p><p>In short, it aims to test the full range of skills required for you to be considered "good" at playing a given instrument.</p><p>It's all scored out of 150. You need 100 or more to pass, with 120 to 130 considered a "merit," and 130 above classified as a "distinction," the highest grade. The lion's share of the marks come from the three prepared pieces, worth up to 30 each, with the other three around 20 each.</p><p>After agreeing to take the test, I quickly realised I was nowhere near ready. My tutor must've rescheduled it at least half a dozen times to give give me more time to prepare, and I was practicing morning-and-evening by the end to try and get up to speed.</p><p>I ended up taking it in the first week of December - the last week available to do it before Christmas. I turned up with only minutes before it began, butchered the sight-reading, and actually felt my hands shaking at one point while performing. Not a great experience.</p><p>So, how did I do?</p><p><em>The Lincolnshire Poacher, above, was one of my exam pieces. Playing from memory without the sheet music in front of me, I'm wobbly on one or two bits.</em></p><h2>Music is an arcane mystery I wanted to unravel</h2><p>Part of the allure of learning music for me was the arcane mystery of it all. From the outside, the rules of music bear to no discernible relation to the "real" world. It has no clear grounding in scientific thought. Why are there only seven notes? Why is it written the way it is? Why do some notes have sharps or flats, and others don't? Why are some combinations of notes good, and others bad? Why is everything in Italian?</p><p>And yet somehow, it all comes together, like nothing else on earth. Like <em>magic</em>.</p><p>However I did in the exam, I knew that I'd made a little progress down this new road. I had learned the basics of a beautiful alchemy, of organic aural creation.</p><p>At least, that's what I told myself as I anxiously waited for my tutor to get back to me with the results.</p><p>After two long weeks of waiting, I finally got a text on Wednesday December 21, 2016. I passed!</p><p>In the end I did rather better than I thought would be, scoring 126, a merit. Even my sight-reading - which I had thought was diabolical, out-of-time, and incorrect - scored 16/21.</p><p><em>Na Krmitku, by Czech composer Petr Eben. This was my best exam piece - I scored 28/30.</em></p><h2>I've got a long way to go - but I'm proud of what I achieved</h2><p>All my life, I've loved drawing and painting. As such, I'm pretty good at it, and it rarely feels difficult. While I'm sure I struggled with it in the past, because I have two decades of experience to fall back on - much of it as a child - I can now produce relatively sophisticated pictures fairly easily. I don't really&#xa0;remember being "bad" at art.</p><p>Piano is not like that. I have to work at it constantly. I remember clearly when I sat in front of the keyboard, barely able to create a simple melody. Every plodding step and slow improvement I make, I have earned. And that makes it all the more satisfying.</p><p>Sure, I've got a long way to go until I'm as good as I want to be. Grade 1 is an exam more commonly associated with eight-year-olds than grown men. My rendition of "Metamorphosis II" is incomplete, and my education in classical music is still largely restricted to composers I have direct experience playing.</p><p>But I'm proud of what I accomplished, and I'd recommend it to anyone, regardless of age or ability. Take the plunge, you won't regret it.</p><div></div><div><div id="ooyala-post-container"></div></div><div></div><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-199-intravenous-treatment-thats-meant-to-cure-a-hangover-2016-12">I tried the £199 intravenous treatment that's meant to cure a hangover - here's the verdict</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="d2NWZqODE6zRh1S45ucDcnR1D2zvqV7W" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

I started learning piano in my twenties - one year on, here's how it went

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Lisa Eadicicco</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Apple's new iPhone 6S is the best smartphone the company has made yet. It's a bit faster. It has a pressure sensitive screen. The camera is noticeably better in some ways. The design is more durable. </p><p>It's an excellent phone all around. But if you have an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, you probably don't <em>need</em> to upgrade. </p><p>One of the marquee features to come with the iPhone 6S is 3D Touch, which allows you to press down harder on the screen to perform certain actions.</p><p>These include l<span>aunching a quick shortcut menu on an app icon, switching between apps faster, previewing links in emails, and more. Although it's </span>handy and works well, it's not enough to convince me to buy a new iPhone. </p><p><span>The enhancements in the iPhone 6S are noticeable, but they haven't drastically changed the way I actually use my phone. For me, this wasn't the case when Apple launched the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus last year. The jump from a 4-inch screen to a 5.5-inch screen was a game changer. It made the iPhone more valuable to me because I enjoyed everything I did with it a bit more since the screen was so much larger.</span></p><p>The iPhone 6S is simply a better version of the iPhone 6, and here are all the reasons why. </p><h2>It's the best camera on an iPhone so far</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Lisa Eadicicco</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Apple has given the camera on the iPhone 6S a big upgrade in terms of hardware. It now has a 12-megapixel camera instead of an 8-megapixel camera, which means the camera is capable of taking in more light. That should ultimately results in better photos. However, in my limited time with the phone, I didn't notice too much of a difference.</p><p>Take a look at the images below. There isn't much of a discrepancy in terms of image quality - the detail and color accuracy looks the same in both photos.</p><h3>iPhone 6S</h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Lisa Eadicicco</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h3>iPhone 6 Plus</h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Lisa Eadicicco</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Apple has also added an entirely new feature called Live Photos. This means the camera captures what happens a second before you actually press the shutter button. The effect adds a hint of movement to your photos, making them look more lively just as its name implies. Live Photos are turned on by default, but you can turn them off by pressing the yellow circles at the top of the screen.</p><p>These photos also take up roughly twice as much storage as a normal photo, and you can only view them if you're using an Apple device running the latest software. A few third party apps support Live Photos too (Facebook, Getty Images, Weibo), but it's unclear exactly when that support will roll out. </p><p>It's a fun feature, and since it's automatically turned on it's extremely simple to use. But, like 3D Touch, I don't feel like it's a feature I'll necessarily miss when I switch back to using my iPhone 6 Plus.</p><p>What I will miss, however, is the much improved front-facing camera on the iPhone 6S. Not only has Apple bumped up the sensor from 1.2-megapixels to 5-megapixels, but it's added a flash too. The iPhone 6S uses the screen on your phone as a flash when you take a photo with the front camera. It works by default - all you have to do is turn the flash on the same way you would if you were taking a photo with the main camera. It's incredibly clever on Apple's part.</p><p>The results are impressive to say the least. These are the best front-facing photos I've taken on a smartphone, period. Here's a look at how it compares with that of the iPhone 6S Plus in a dim setting:</p><h3>iPhone 6S</h3><h3><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Lisa Eadicicco</span></p></div><p></p></div></div> iPhone 6 Plus</h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Lisa Eadicicco</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>3D Touch makes things easier, but that's not enough for me yet</h2><p>During my time with the iPhone 6S , I found 3D Touch to be helpful in general. But since it's so new, it's not something that's intuitive to me just yet. Also, in a few instances I found that it didn't save me too much time.</p><p>3D Touching the Apple Maps icon (yes I've been using Apple Maps since iOS 9 launched), saves a few steps if you want to get directions home or send your location. But in other scenarios, such as using the alarm clock, launching the app and tapping "Create alarm" is probably just as quick as actually launching the app and tapping that button.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Lisa Eadicicco</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>3D Touch is more useful in other ways, though. The new feature that Apple calls Peek and Pop, for example, lets you preview content without being directed away from whatever you're currently doing. 3D Touching a link in a text message in Safari pulls up a preview of that website without taking you out of the conversation. This also works with dates, flight information, and other types of data. </p><p>One of the most useful 3D Touch features I've come across is the ability to turn the keyboard on your iPhone into a touchpad. If you 3D Touch the keyboard, you'll be able to use it as a trackpad for controlling the cursor - which makes it a lot easier to place the cursor exactly where you want it. </p><p>3D Touch works with third party apps such as Instagram, Pinterest, and Dropbox, too. With Instagram, you can jump straight into your activity feed by 3D Touching its app icon. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Lisa Eadicicco</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>While 3D Touch makes things a bit faster, it's  doesn't really play that big of a role in the way I use my iPhone. I think that could change in the future, though, as more third party apps make use of 3D Touch. I'm more interested to learn about the new things 3D Touch will enable me to do in apps other than just making tasks quicker and easier.</p><p>For instance, the app Magic Piano allows you to change the volume of your tune by pressing the keys harder with 3D Touch. Apple also showcased how 3D Touch lets you accelerate faster in the game AG Drive by pressing harder on the gas.</p><p>It's clear that Apple wants 3D Touch to be just as seamless and natural as multitouch - now that we've had it for years, it seems crazy that we've ever lived without it on our phones. I imagine developers will brainstorm creative ways to make their apps so compelling it'll almost feel empty to use them without 3D Touch, but it may take some time to get there. </p><h2>Other things to know</h2><p>The new iPhone is a lot faster, too. It runs on Apple's A9 chip, which brings general improvements to the whole device. This combined with the iPhone 6S' new TouchID sensor make it extremely fast to unlock your phone. When I tried unlocking the iPhone 6S and my iPhone 6 Plus at the same time, I noticed the latter lagged noticeably behind the former.</p><p>Apple's latest iPhone is also said to be more durable. The aluminum Apple uses for the phone's body is the same type it uses to create the Apple Watch Sport casing, which means it should be able to handle bumps and nicks with more endurance. The glass is also said to be tougher.</p><p>You can also turn on Apple's "Hey Siri" feature when you're phone isn't plugged in. This means you can speak to Siri naturally without having to hold down the home button. I found this worked well - I asked Siri what the weather was going to be like the next day from across the room, and she answered instantly. </p><p>However, in the few days I've been using the phone, I didn't notice any change in battery life. The iPhone 6S lasts just about as long as the iPhone 6, which means if you're using your phone moderately throughout the day you'll probably get a full day's worth of battery life.</p><h2>Overall thoughts</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Lisa Eadicicco</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>All of these various improvements combined make Apple's latest iPhone more powerful and easier to use than ever before. The overall experience is better, but it hasn't changed substantially enough to warrant an upgrade from an iPhone 6. However, if you have an older iPhone such as an iPhone 5S or iPhone 5, it's a great choice and it'll feel like a huge change. </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/animated-map-global-fiber-optic-internet-cables-2015-9">Animated map reveals the 550,000 miles of cable hidden under the ocean that power the internet</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="1iNHI3dzr1l7P_ZGDpqWJC3kUle6Dsan" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Apple's iPhone 6S is one of the best smartphones I've ever used - but here's why I wouldn't buy it

<p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></strong></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>T-Pain's&#xa0;</strong><strong>new Fuse show, "T-Pain's School of Business," finds the recording artist interviewing the founders of successful product startups.&#xa0;</strong></li><li><strong>T-Pain spoke to Business Insider about the startups featured on his series premiere, the influence of his music, and his upcoming work.</strong></li></ul><p>&#xa0;</p><p>Nearly a decade and a half out from the start of his music career, T-Pain decided to follow his side interest in startup culture into the world of reality business shows.</p><p>"T-Pain's School of Business," which premieres Tuesday on Fuse at 11 pm ET, finds the recording artist interviewing the founders of a wide range of successful product startups.</p><p>Speaking to Business Insider during a phone call from his studio last week, T-Pain discussed the startups featured on his series premiere, including a marijuana-infused wine and an all-in-one instrument for musicians, the popular influence of his music, and what we can expect from his upcoming work.</p><p><em>This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.</em></p><p><strong>John Lynch: I was relieved to hear you swearing and joking on the show. I was worried with this type of show that we might see a PG T-Pain.&#xa0;</strong></p><p><strong>T-Pain:</strong> Oh, no [<em>laughs</em>]. I am who I am on any platform.</p><p><strong>Lynch: And Fuse was a good home for it?&#xa0;</strong></p><p><strong>T-Pain:</strong> Yeah, they were the only people who would actually let me do my thing, so yeah, definitely a good home.</p><p><strong>Lynch: What inspired you to do this type of business show?</strong></p><p><strong>T-Pain:</strong> Mostly because I was already doing it at home, going through Kickstarter and IndieGoGo and all the funding sites. I was just trying to bring something that I already liked doing to TV. Not much other motivation than that, man. It was just a great idea. I told Fuse what I was doing on a daily basis, and they were like, "Man, that'd be a great show." And here we are.</p><p><strong>Lynch: How did you approach hosting it?</strong></p><p><strong>T-Pain: </strong>It wasn't really a hard decision on how I was going to approach it, because like I said, I was already doing it, and I talk to a lot of entrepreneurs everyday. You've gotta imagine the number of people that come up to me everyday saying they have great ideas, or looking for funding. But a lot of these companies that I talked to on the show were already successful. I felt like it was more of an opportunity to teach than anything else, because I didn't want to have a show where I'm like, "I know all about making money. Here's how you do it <span>-&#xa0;</span>do this," or you know, I'm not shutting anybody down. That seemed like a terrible idea.</p><p>I just wanted it to be organic, natural, pretty much uplifting, and very, very informative. That was the most important thing. I wanted it to be informative and not just showing off how much money these people have made and how dope their products are. I wanted information behind the development, information behind the process, what made you come up with this idea. I wanted to motivate younger and up-and-coming entrepreneurs as well, so it helps out a lot to have an informative show, and not just something that's super duper fun and you learn nothing.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p><strong>Lynch: One of the products that you seemed to like a lot was the <a href="https://thump.vice.com/en_us/article/8q7n9a/how-did-the-artiphon-midi-controller-raise-1-million-on-kickstarter">Artiphon 1</a>, this all-in-one instrument that raised $1 million on Kickstarter. What did you think of playing that, and have you used it at all since then?</strong></p><p><strong>T-Pain:&#xa0;</strong>Yeah, I'm literally looking at it right now [<em>laughs</em>]. I'm in my studio, and I've got it hooked up in my studio right now. The Artiphon is such a new take on something that <em>sort of</em> existed, but there's been nothing like it so far that I've seen, other than normal Midi controllers and the keyboards that you can bring in and turn into Midi controllers. It's such a different thing, like with the iBow that you can use your phone and treat it like a violin, and the guitar aspect of it, you can play a piano like a guitar. So many different ways you can use it. You can make your own custom pads. And it's just one thing that fits into your backpack. Before I saw this product, using my laptop in my hotel room, I would have to bring a keyboard, a small guitar, a record device, but all of that is in that Artiphon, so it helps out a lot.&#xa0;</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p><strong>Lynch: Another product you tried was a weed-infused wine. That you seemed more skeptical of, which I think was right - it seemed like a bizarre scenario.</strong></p><p><strong>T-Pain:&#xa0;</strong>[<em>laughs</em>] Yeah, that was actually pretty cool, man. I wasn't chill about it at first because I'm just not a weed guy. I'm just terrible at weed on any account. I don't know how somebody can be bad at weed, but I'm just real bad at weed. I can't do edibles, I can't smoke weed, but then I drank that, and man, I was actually pretty chill. Usually I'm freaking losing my mind or something like that, but there wasn't a crazy dosage of THC in it, so I bet that helps out a lot, and also I like drinking. But yeah, it worked fairly quickly and very effectively.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Lynch: To go back to music technology, as one of the modern originators of autotune, what was it like for you to see that technology and that style really take off in the years after your first album?</strong></p><p><strong>T-Pain:&#xa0;</strong>It was pretty cool, man, to be an innovator. Not that I invented autotune or was the first person to use it or anything like that. A lot of people have complained that they did it before me, and I'm grateful for that and, hey, maybe they motivated me, I don't know, but it didn't take off like it did after <em>I</em> did it. To see myself as somebody that brought it to the forefront and made it popular, I'm really glad I did it. That's something under my belt that I can keep going and tell my grandkids about.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Lynch: And you're still <span>-&#xa0;</span>you haven't exhausted it, you still like using autotune as a tool?</strong></p><p><strong>T-Pain:&#xa0;</strong>Oh, absolutely. I can't stop doing something that I started. It's a pretty cool thing for me, and it's part of my sound. So I don't want to change too much. If it ain't broke don't fix it, you know. It's one of those things.</p><p><strong>Lynch: You had <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8479011/t-pain-calls-out-delta-tweets">a recent back-and-forth</a> on Twitter with Delta airlines about your distaste for their runway music, and they ended up playing "<a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/2aIdVb8v9KTpEZnftkz2mD?si=RkKTHlNzQDazRcv0uw17CA">Buy U a Drank</a>" on one of your flights. Is that the strangest place you've heard one of your songs?</strong></p><p><strong>T-Pain:&#xa0;</strong>Probably in a church [<em>laughs</em>]. That was weird.</p><p><strong>Lynch: You said "in a church"?&#xa0;[<em>laughs</em>] </strong></p><p><strong>T-Pain:</strong> Yeah, I didn't think they would be doing that, but hey, they used it, flipped the words around to talk about God and Jesus, and yeah, I'm all about it. I have no problem with that.</p><p><strong>Lynch: Which song was it?</strong></p><p><strong>T-Pain:&#xa0;</strong>It was "<a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/5kxddRG1RZaZROadk7iC4D?si=Ir9RAi11RYmBk5ls6DjZbg">Bartender</a>," which was weird. They flipped that around and made it about "the word." So that was pretty cool.</p><p><strong>Lynch: Prepping for this call, I had a sharp flashback to being an emotional white kid listening to "<a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/0F7rEdewJ6cSLylOZZpDu7?si=9EoMh8AySIidEEVKpKwllQ">I'm Sprung</a>" on like a CD player, back in the day [<em>laughs</em>]. I'm wondering, is there an era of your career that you're particularly nostalgic for or proud of?</strong></p><p><strong>T-Pain:&#xa0;</strong>I think the "THR33 RINGZ" era. I feel like I got more creative in that time, and I took more risks with the style of clothing I was wearing, and coming out with all these props at my shows. And that's another thing that really brought me to doing this TV show was taking risks, and just seeing how difficult it is to really believe in yourself when nobody else knows what the hell is going on. Because if I would have listened to people when I came up with the whole circus theme [for "THR33 RINGZ"], that whole album would have never happened. It helped to believe in myself and get to a point where I could channel my inner entrepreneur and just go for it, and do things on the road that nobody had seen before, and it worked out.</p><p><strong>Lynch: You just dropped a second volume of "<a href="https://www.complex.com/music/2018/10/t-pain-surprises-fans-everything-must-go-vol-2">Everything Must Go</a>." Why release free collections of your songs at this time&#xa0;<span>-</span> why must everything go?</strong></p><p><strong>T-Pain:&#xa0;</strong>Well, for one, I don't feel like buying any more hard drives, and I'm running out of room on all the ones my music is on. So if I'm running out of space on a four terabyte drive, then I just need to either delete all the music I got on there or just release it. I'm not using it for anything or making money off it sitting in the ol' hard drive, then why not just give it to the people? It's just something to bring awareness that I'm still here, same type of music. It was music I made in my leisure. I mean, the only way I would capitalize off of it is if one of the songs becomes a hit and I go touring off of that song for some reason, I don't know why, but it's not really a priority of mine at this present time.</p><p><strong>Lynch: How are you thinking about your next official release&#xa0;<span>-</span> I'm assuming you're in the studio for it?</strong></p><p><strong>T-Pain:&#xa0;</strong>Yeah, it's actually coming pretty soon, like <em>really really</em> soon.&#xa0;Like less than two months soon. So I'm just in the studio getting it done. We got the final tracks. I just sent in all the sessions for mixing. It's pretty much like, not so much a surprise, but basically like I'm doing everything on the go. The game isn't really big on promoting anymore anyways, so it's just like a thing I'm doing. I'm not seeing it as a big, life-changing thing I'm doing, but it's definitely something I want to put out in the world.</p><p><strong>Lynch: How are you conceptualizing it musically?</strong></p><p><strong>T-Pain:&#xa0;</strong>I don't think I'm coming at it with any particular concept or anything like that. Conceptually, it's just me enjoying music again. It's just a vast array of things that I've had on my mind recently. There was a point where music didn't really mean as much to me as it used to for me, so just getting back in the groove and really enjoying it again is what you would get out from it. If I had to lay a concept to it, I think it's just me having fun [<em>laughs</em>]. That's all it boils down to.&#xa0;</p><p>&#xa0;</p><p><em>"T-Pain's School of Business" premieres Tuesday night on Fuse at 11 pm ET.</em></p><div></div><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-larping-live-action-role-playing-steampunk-aurum-larp-2018-10">What is LARPing?</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

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<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>The Drive</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Down deep, most car people are magazine people. <br /><br />Even in the digital age, the majority of auto journalists now working revere a pre-digital time when Car &amp; Driver, Road &amp; Track, and Motor Trend created a world of motor-heady enthusiasm mixed with stylish writing.</p><p>Times change, however. Media has moved online decisively, and automotive journalism needs to adjust.</p><p>The Golden Age of print-auto writing may have faded, but the U.S. car market is better than it has been in a decade. That's why Time Inc. just launched a new site, <a href="http://www.thedrive.com/">The Drive</a>.</p><p>It's a risky proposition and a big bet on new media by and old-media company. Previous digital ventures in the auto-journalism space have been scrappy: Jalopnik started out with a small group of oddball car guys and some modest support from Gawker Media. Autoblog was equally bloggy and small-time until it was bought by AOL, but even now, it retains its bloggy, obsessive spirit.</p><p>The Drive, by contrast, is launching this week with a roster of heavy hitters from the media and auto-writing world, including Lawrence Ulrich, who made his bones behind the wheel for the New York Times; and A.J. Baime, who wrote a great book about a legendary race, "Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans."</p><p>The site will also, in contemporary startup fashion, be occupying space in Brooklyn, far from the Time-Life citadel in Manhattan. There will reportedly be a garage, optimized for video production and seeking to create the kind of automotive content that appeals to a generation <em>not</em> raised on Motor Trend's printed comparos but on Motor Trend's YouTube channel - and re-runs of "Top Gear."</p><h2>New York state of mind</h2><p>I dropped by Time-Life this week to chat with both The Drive's editor, Mike Guy (formerly of Maxim, and on the phone from the Frankfurt Motor Show) and Matt Bean, <span>SVP of Editorial Innovation at Time Inc. There were two big takeways.</span></p><p><span>First, The Drive is going to have a strong New York flavor. This is a micro-trend in the car business: the resurgence of New York as a place where people care about cars. Cadillac recently moved its sales and operations to New York and has be re-branding itself as a luxury car maker closely connected with New York in all its fashionable, gritty glory. <br /><br />The Driver is aiming for something similar, defying the long-held belief that car publications need to be based in either Detroit or Southern California (the former for the industry, the latter for the weather and the roads).</span></p><p><span>This links The Drive with the Car &amp; Driver on the 1960s and '70s - they're packaging what Car &amp; Driver did during the heyday of writers and editors like Brock Yates and P.J. O'Rourke for a much younger audience. <br /><br />Car &amp; Driver was a very cool car magazine that was written by people who were under the sway of the New Journalism, which was headquartered in New York (Car &amp; Driver decamped for Michigan in 1978 and no one has ever forgiven them). The Drive is designed to explore the New Journalism of now: dynamic digital storytelling.</span></p><p><span>Jalopnik tried to do something like this when it started out in the mid-2000s, blending snappy sentences with an compulsive desire to embrace the Internet's meme-making machine. Jalopnik continues to feature very stylish and opinionated writers in the auto-blogosphere, but The Drive is pushing the revival of this type of car writing in a much better capitalized, less outsider-y direction.</span></p><p><span>Second, The Drive is going to stress a throwback affection for words.</span></p><p><span>Will it work? Well, The Drive does check some boxes. It has a feed for up-to-the-minute automotive news, and it also isn't shying away from big, high-impact visual features. In digital car coverage it's extremely important to <em>show the cars. </em>And the showing won't be limited to photos. There will be video and lots of it.</span></p><h2><span>Creative car writing</span></h2><p><span>What's interspersed with that is a slightly mixed bag at the moment. <a href="http://www.thedrive.com/article/144/cadillac-ats-v-checkmate-for-bmws-bahn-burning-m3">Ulrich's review of the Cadillac ATS-V</a>, a 464-horsepower sports coupe intended to steal share from BMW, is punchy and thrusty and authoritative, if not really groundbreaking. <br /><br />But there is this line: "<span>Once you've snuggled into the Caddy's rib-sticking Recaro buckets, caressed the faux-suede steering wheel and toggled that shifter, you're fresh out of interior talking points." <br /><br />Those are fun words to read, for sure.</span></span></p><p><span><span><a href="http://www.thedrive.com/article/198/the-ford-shelby-gt350-mustang-is-an-8-cylinder-kick-in-the-nuts">Baime's </a>take on the new Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang is ripped from the track - Laguna Seca in California - but a tad workmanlike in execution. <br /><br /> "Th<span>ere are but a few perfect moments in life," Baime writes. "All your senses become electrified, and you feel like you can see the world and where you fit into it with immaculate clarity. This moment is called </span><em>ecstasy."</em></span></span></p><p><span><span>Guy <a href="http://www.thedrive.com/article/144/cadillac-ats-v-checkmate-for-bmws-bahn-burning-m3">shows off some chops at the keyboard</a>, with his investigation of the new Mazda MX-5 Miata. <br /><br />"[T]<span>he Mazda eagerly pursues its limits at speeds that don't threaten your license, life or limb," he writes. "It's a glider, not a fighter. As it does on track, where skilled owners routinely embarrass rookies in more powerful cars, the Mazda rewards those who can carry momentum through curves."</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>Writer-large-Brett Burke deliveries some elegant comparisons, <a href="http://www.thedrive.com/article/161/heavy-breathing-in-the-ferrari-488-gtb">in response to a drive of the new Ferrari 488 GTB</a>. "<span>Flooring a Bugatti Veyron pulverizes your senses. Flooring a Lamborghini Aventador terrorizes them. Flooring the 488 releases a flood of endorphins, fight </span><em>and</em><span> flight.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>The Drive</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span>And <a href="http://www.thedrive.com/article/208/how-to-get-dumped-and-crash-a-bmw-5-series">Max Prince's post </a>about wrecking his 1997 BMW contains this: "<span>Just before winter, I had a drag-out argument with my then-girlfriend, mostly because she didn't realize we were dating. On the drive home, I listened to Tom Waits and thought about buying a piano. Unrequited love is a bitch. So are dump trucks." <br /><br />Prince is a senior editor at The Drive, and that kind of prose mainlines what senior eds at Car &amp; Driver routinely produced, lightly gonzo with a healthy dash of self-deprecation.</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>But the real tell that The Drive is spiritually connected to the car writing of the '60s and '70s comes from <a href="http://www.thedrive.com/article/195/mario-andretti-and-the-brutal-magic-of-monza">a standout feature from racing legend Mario Andretti</a> about the tragic glory of his first Formula 1 World Championship in 1978 (he was the last American to pull this off), when he won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, but lost his friend Ronnie <span>Peterson to injuries sustained in a crash. The best car publications always reserve space to remind us that the men and women who race cars are miles above anyone who merely writes about cars. The Drive is no different.</span></span></span></span></p><h2><span><span><span><span>Bucking a trend</span></span></span></span></h2><p><span><span><span><span>The site is bucking at least one online-media trend, simply because it's so big (its launching with dozens of stories, after being in stealth mode for months). This makes it a fully fledged play for a large audience, rather than an attempt to capture a niche readership, something that enthusiast sites like Hodinkee have done for watch nuts and that numerous men's style blogs have done for classic menswear and heritage made-in-USA products. </span></span></span></span></p><p>Guy and Bean are optimistic that the readers will come and come in force. And at launch, they've certainly made good on giving those readers something to read. <br /><br />It remains to be seen whether that aspect of The Drive will survive. Car &amp; Driver was always my favorite of the so-called "buff books," so I'm psyched to see its style reborn for a new generation that cares about cars but has moved well past magazines.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/most-extravagant-vacations-in-world-2015-9">The most expensive and extravagant vacations in the world</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="tvMzRndzpNrgBqxHb0FavvEnwVT1v50q" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

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