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I have started learning Piano myself, using my keyboard. I wanted to take up exams (trinity guildhall) . When I checked the trinity site it says two different courses for piano and keyboard .

Which one should I go for (I use my keyboard to learn piano as I do not have a piano) .

Forgive me if the question is too stupid . I could not find an answer even after googling for a long time hence I am here.

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    What does "trinity guildhall" mean? What country do you live in? We on this site live in different countries all over the world. We have no idea what you are talking about unless you explain it to us. Could you provide a link to a website with information about this exam? What kind of "keyboard" do you have, and what are its capabilities? More details would be helpful.
    – user1044
    Commented Feb 7, 2015 at 22:22
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    @WheatWilliams - Trinity Guildhall is an exam board, found in Google. In Britain (and lots of other countries), we have several grading boards, unlike U.S. It may be interesting for you to peruse the syllabi - there are vocal exams too! Yes, without pertinent info. on the keyboard, we're rather in the dark.
    – Tim
    Commented Feb 8, 2015 at 13:14
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    I wish to make the point that it is the questioner's responsibility to provide links and details, rather than to expect answerers to go searching for references or make guesses about the questioner's context in asking.
    – user1044
    Commented Feb 8, 2015 at 14:29

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Turn up for the piano exam and you will be expected to play for it on the piano provided. At a keyboard exam, you take your own instrument.Unless your keyboard has a realistic sort of piano feel, you may be thrown, and not do as well as expected.

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  • So , Can I take up a piano Exam ?
    – user3025288
    Commented Feb 7, 2015 at 18:37
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    I would suggest that you find out about the differences between a piano and a keyboard first. Some features in a keyboard are not available in a piano, so you could be disadvantaged if you have not anticipated these.
    – mey
    Commented Feb 7, 2015 at 18:42
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    also - if you spend n years learning how to get it to feel right on a keyboard, then suddenly have to play a real piano, it will scare the life out of you. The disciplines are very different.
    – Tetsujin
    Commented Feb 7, 2015 at 21:05
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    Looking at Trinity Guildhall's syllabus (have you done this? All I had to do was google it), the keyboard exam is actually a "keyboard and organ" exam. This doesn't surprise me, because the touch on a keyboard is much more similar to that of an organ than that of a piano. I wouldn't spend all my time learning on a keyboard and then expect to do well on the piano exam with no practice. But some people are more able to improvise their way through exams than I am.
    – BobRodes
    Commented Feb 7, 2015 at 22:34
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    @user3025288 - it will depend very much on which 'keyboard' you have. For example, my Roland FP3 would be, in my opinion, good enough to practise on for an exam, maybe up to grade IV, whereas my Roland XP 80 would NOT come anywhere close, having to play an acoustic in the exam. If your keyboard has an 'organ' feel, which is quite possible, the I would say no, don't use it to prepare for a piano exam, not even grade I.
    – Tim
    Commented Feb 8, 2015 at 13:10
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I dont see how you are going to do these exams without a teacher. You would have to do the following

Sight Reading Aural skills Technical exercises and eventually music theory

All of which would be very difficult without the aid of a teacher.

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  • It's pretty easy to learn theory, scales/arpeggios, etc. You could certainly self-teach yourself grade I material quite easily but you would likely ingrain bad habits. I'm not sure though if how you play matters in exams, as long as you can do everything required?
    – Mr. Boy
    Commented Feb 9, 2015 at 11:17
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The Piano exam will only test your proficiency in playing the piano (most probably a grandfather piano), while the Electronic Keyboard exam will not only test your proficiency in playing the keyboard but also how you use the keyboard functions (Sync. Start, Intro/Ending, Rit., Acmp., etc). I have myself cleared Grade 4 Electronic Keyboard and Grade 5 Theory. You can appear either for Electronic Keyboard or Piano but in my opinion it will be better if you appear for the Electronic Keyboard exam because you practice on the keyboard.

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