Casio SA-76 44 Key Mini Keyboard, Orange

LISTEN UP PEOPLE !!!!!!!! PAY ATTENTION !!!!!!!!Many people have asked questions needlessly. If you read the product description carefully,you'll have alot of the answers you seek. Having said that - let's get started....**First of all, the keyboard does not come with an AC power plug. So, either order one ( look atsomeone else's review for the correct model plug ) or keep life simple and just buy a multi-adaptorplug from Radio Shack and save yourself a headache!!**Second of all, it uses 6 AA BATTERIES !!!!!**Third of all, it only has an output jack in the rear panel for ear-phones or the like. There isno input or microphone port on this keyboard.**Fourth of all, it does not record/save your playing in any way nor offer midi or USB ports.**Lastly, YES,YES,YES - it's great for kids/babies/toddlers and up. If I have to read another reviewby someone who bought this keyboard for their child, grandchild, step child, ex-college roommates'child (twice removed to boot)..........ENOUGH ALREADY!!!I will be reviewing this for ADULTS like myself who want to know it's abilities and my impressionof it.Anyone wanting to know the product dimensions, weight, color, # of physical keys to press,number of tones or rhythms or songs to play along with, etc. etc. etc....READ THE DESCRIPTION !!! {reading - it's fundamental..}So let's have fun & get down to reviewing this cool little product!!!!!Let me start by saying this - although it's a small electronic keyboard and it looks like a toy (the five drum pads on this keyboard are just a novelty for the kids & are pretty much useless for any serious music making), it's a real instrument!! It has a realistic enough piano sound for it's size and price range. It has 8 note polyphonics, so you can pick up any pop sheet music and play right away. Unlessthe sheet music is highly demanding ( jazz or classical music or a serious piano musician like Billy Joel ), this keyboard can handle it all just fine. Grab any "PVG" music book and get right to playing!!**This console has a 44 note range ( 3 and a 1/2 octaves ). This is excellent for learning theory & playing & creating your own musical pieces!! The size of the piano keys is about half the size of the real thing so it's very playable. Just look at some small accordions and you'll get the idea of their size. Remember, accordion players are pretty fast on those keys, too. Your fingers will adapt quickly to their size.**It comes with 100 tones, but some of them are "junk" tones (for kids only - like gunshots, trains, birds, etc.) and some just fall short for serious music making. I personally tested each tone for playability. More on this later...**The rhythm "patterns" are adequate enough. Like the "tones", some fall short.**The piano keys are not weighted nor velocity sensitive. Therefore you don't get "piano-like" resistance when playing, nor can you perform musical dynamics like hard/soft striking of the notes. More on this later...**Totally surprising for a keyboard in this price/size range---it can be tuned!!! You can tune up or down (-99/+99 cents) to match another keyboard or instrument so you'll be in the correct pitch. Comes in handy, especially when jamming with musicians using Middle-Eastern or Asian instruments. (Non-musicians who don't understand, don't pay this any mind.)**A very handy/large/hard-to-miss orange button is offered for rapid/on the fly tone changes. You can go back and forth only between tone #00 grand piano & tone #16 reed organ.( It would have been awesome if this big "panic button - looking thing" was programmable so we (the users) could decide what two tones we'd change between. Oh well.........moving on......**This unit is light and small for carrying. The underside towards the back has a molded kind of built in handle for carrying this unit . Very convenient.Overall, this is a great keyboard to learn music theory on (it includes an LCD display with a musical staff that shows the notes you press) and a great intro to real piano playing if you are on a budget right now.- AN EXCELLENT PRODUCT FOR YOURSELF OR OTHERS!!!! BUY THIS KEYBOARD!!!!!!**And now for the "later" portion of my review. For SERIOUS musicians out there - pay attention. I play harmonica, guitar, melodica, tin whistle, recorder - & I like to seriously jam with other musicians. This keyboard can hold it's own in a jam session. ( I might post a video later ) Just hook this keyboard to a portable amp ( I use a Roland Micro Cube ) and you are good 2 go!!--Personally speaking, I would use this like a soloist/wind instrument. Like when playing a chromatic harmonica or melodica. Don't try to be the keyboardist - you'll struggle to make it work with the given note range of the keyboard ( F2 - C6 ). I personally experimented with every "real" tone offered on this unit. (Obviously, I didn't bother with helicopter or machine gun sounds, etc,etc,etc....) Half the tones sound realistic enough to jam with others - and only half of "that half" plays well going through the FULL RANGE of the keyboard.**personally - i would only use, in a jam session, only 21 totaltones out of all.(I base this selection of tones on their practical ability to stand out and be "ear-friendly" when playing seriously with other musicians or say a group of buddies you want to jam with or even for casual busking on the subway or in the street with a small portable amp.)******LASTLY****** Try tone #41 "SLOW STRINGS"---Because of this tone's characteristics, it gives an illusion of being velocity sensitive.**You have to really relax your right hand to play some melodies or solos with a soft touch. As you get comfortable, you'll see you are able to play staccato really easily by alternatingyour speed/approach to striking the keys. I've played some fun stuff using this tone.---Let me know what you think!!! BUY & ENJOY THIS LITTLE JEM OF A KEYBOARD!!!!UPDATE: April 24,2014Since owning this keyboard, I've come to notice a couple of things. #1-This keyboard has an automatic shut off feature that prevents the batteries from being drained when not in use. I stumbled on this by accident leaving my keyboard on a few times and later realized it. When I looked at the included instruction booklet, I read that it's a deliberate feature that kicks in after 6 minutes of non-use so as to prevent the batteries from being drained. PRETTY COOL - THANKS CASIO!!! #2-For some reason, the display that shows the notes you're playing on the musical staff doesn't accurately show the chords you play. Any chord you play using only white keys is shown correctly but anything involving a black key does not. If you play SINGLE NOTES, the sharp or flat symbol on the displayed LCD staff is shown but not otherwise.For example, an E chord is a triad on any keyboard played by pressing down the E/G#/B keys - but the display shows it as regular E/G/B keys being pressed. A newbie at music theory/note reading might find this frustrating or confusing.Otherwise, this isn't really a big deal at all. Just FYI.... #3-I've got to upload a video in the near future for you folks. I've made some physical changes on this keyboard and I think others will get a kick out of it. For example, I drilled holes into it and installed guitar strap buttons and removed the cheesy drum pads and I have been practicing with it while standing up as if it was a saxophone (or a melodica to be more exact). It's turning out to be really fun!!

I am a semi-professional musician and teacher, with several excellent keyboards plus a piano. When I ordered and received my Casio SA-76 keyboard,several days ago, I was wowed by its great sound, wonderful features, and versatility.Although this keyboard is great for kids, it is definitely not limited to children at all! From its great sounds, percussion accompaniment, and a wealth of other fantastic features, I believe that adults would also love and enjoy this keyboard. I have other keyboards which are far heavier and not that portable. The great thing about this Casio SA-76 is that it is so super light and portable--and I don't know how Casio managed to pack so many great features plus great sound in such a compact instrument. I also compose music, and I think it's also great for those who compose. Currently, I keep it on my dining room table--and it takes up such little space, so it's always out there for me, whenever I feel like taking a break from my writing (I'm also a writer) and other tasks--and relieving any stress--it's so much fun. My research shows that listening to and playing music lowers stress levels as well as blood pressure. I am also amazed at the low price! I paid only $49. (from Amazon) and I can't believe I paid only $49. for it. Its 100 tones, or sounds, are fantastic--and I just love to sit down and experiment with different combos. Its percussion sounds (50 of them) are also amazing--for example, the bongos sound like real bongos! Ditto for all the other percussion sounds. So again, although it's great for kids, it's also fantastic for adults--for the price of dinner and a movie--you've got a fantastic keyboard. I would suggest to Casio that they offer a zippered fabric soft carrying case to purchase for it, to take it "on the road." Also, the keys work so easily, and I love to see my notes, etc. appear on its built in screen.