Cost: Digital are generally less expensive than acoustic pianos. This includes both the initial investment and the future maintenance costs: a digital instrument never requires tuning or regular professional cleaning.

Mobility: The lighter weight and the smaller size of the digital give it incredible portability. You can haul your own instrument to lessons or jam sessions and if you so choose to move your piano from your dining room into your living room, you don't have to hire a company to move it for you.

Recording: Another great feature that comes from going digital is that you can record your own music in real time. This can help you in practice to recognize your problem areas or when composing your music.

Voices: Most digital models come with many voices meaning you can play in different modes than just acoustic. For example, you can change your upright to sound like an organ, a trumpet, or a percussion instrument.

Digital Aids: The digital models also come with software programs that help beginners and aid in composing.

Jacks: MIDI jacks allow you to transport music to and from your computer and other electronic keyboards. Also, all digital instruments have a headphone jack which can be so valuable in tight spaces where everyone might not want to hear your child plunk out Fur Elise 80 times before she gets it right.

Now that you are convinced that a digital keyboard is right for you, how do you select the right one? Because there are so many brands and so many models out there today, it can be very difficult to choose the best one for yourself.

Here are a few good tips when searching for this lovely instrument:

* There are many great deals on the internet, but it is important to actually go the store and give them a test run. After testing them at the stores, you can then return to the internet to purchase that model or you can support your local music store and ensure that you get the right model.

* Go to a store that sells both acoustic and digital pianos. The salesperson should be able to give you good advice and direct you to the most acoustic-sounding piano without giving you a guilt trip about buying digital.

* Bring your own set of headphones and test out the sound of every piano through them. This puts all the instruments on the on equal ground, because you eliminate the speaker factor. Some pianos might sound better than others just because they are hooked up to better speakers that the store set up. Plus, some of the pianos in the store may not be hooked up to speakers at all.

* When you are trying out each instrument, test all the keys to make sure even the high and low notes sound decent. Play some chords as well to make sure all the notes fit together well.

* Consider how you will use it and prioritize the benefits of a digital piano. If you are just beginning, you may want to consider an instrument with more learning aids and a good sound and sacrifice all the unnecessary voices for a cheaper price. Yet if you are looking to compose, focus on the recording, editing, and transfer features.

Technology has improved so much since the introduction of the digital one and there are so many models that are decent and relatively inexpensive. If you decide what factors are important to you and follow these searching tips, you are bound to find a digital piano that is perfect for you.