July 16th, 2018 by Chris Chapman

Being able to play an instrument is a talent that everyone wishes they had, but it can seem intimidating to pick up a musical instrument if you don’t know your vibratos from your octaves. Don’t be put off, though; with a bit of practice and the right equipment, anyone can pick up the basics of music very quickly.

MYLEK 61-Key Keyboard

The MYLEK keyboard also comes with a stand for easy playing If you’re looking to get yourself or your kids started with a musical instrument but don’t know where to start, we recommend picking up the MYLEK Keyboard. This keyboard has a number of features that make it easy for beginners to pick up and play, while still being functional and high-quality enough for more experienced musicians as well. With its simple teaching modes, you’ll be playing along to your favourite hits in no time, so we’ve put together a beginner’s guide outlining the best features this keyboard offers beginners.

Teaching Modes

The MYLEK Keyboard's teaching modes are ideal for beginners and children The MYLEK Keyboard comes with three different teaching modes that you can use to learn your favourite songs. The first, One Key, always plays the correct note for you even when you press the wrong key, but it does display which keys you should be pressing on the LCD display. The second teaching mode, Follow, plays you a tune and asks you to follow along. If you hit the wrong key, the music will stop until you hit the right one. The third teaching mode is Ensemble, which gives you three seconds to hit the right key before the keyboard plays the right note for you. Each of these teaching modes offers you a different way of learning as you play your keyboard – it could be that you like all of them, but don’t worry if there’s one that doesn’t quite work for you. Everyone learns in different ways, so you can simply try another teaching mode until you’re comfortable!

Recording Function

The MYLEK Keyboard comes with a recording function that lets you record and play back sections of your own playing. It might make you cringe to listen back to your own playing, but it’s actually a great way to identify your mistakes so that you can improve. Recording is done by simply pressing a button, as is playing your recording back. Once you start getting the hang of it, you can actually record multiple tracks and layer them on top of one another to create some brilliant pieces of music!

Play Along with Your Favourite Tracks

You can plug into the back of the keyboard to play along with your favourite tracks It doesn’t matter what sort of music you’re into, playing along to your favourite tracks is something that never gets old! If you’re feeling confident, look up some piano tabs online and give it a go! You can plug in a Udisk into the UDISK interface on the back of the unit to play MP3 files, or you can simply hook your phone, laptop, tablet, or anything else into the AUDIO INPUT socket using a 3.5mm jack cable. This will let you play any song in the world through your keyboard!

Auto Chord Function

You’ve probably seen great pianists playing with both hands at once to create amazing music. For a beginner, it can seem like you’ll never make it to that stage, but the MYLEK keyboard’s auto chord function will help you get there! It helps you add chords with your left hand while you use your right hand to focus on playing melodies, giving you the confidence boost of making professional-sounding music while learning a two-handed piano technique.

Do a Duet

If you have an electric guitar you can plug into the back of your keyboard for a duet! There’s nothing quite like having fun on the keyboard with family and friends! If you’re feeling confident, you can plug a microphone into the back of the keyboard and have someone sing along with your playing! It might seem strange but having fun with other people is a great way to learn, especially if they have a bit more experience with music than you do. You can also plug in other instruments like a guitar (provided you have a 3.5mm jack adapter) at the same time – you could practically start a band!

Celebrities You Didn’t Know Were Musical

If you take up the keyboard, you’ll be in illustrious company! In addition to the thousands of famous musicians around the world, there are some other stars who keep their musical talents a little more well-hidden…

Ryan Gosling

Ryan Gosling famously learned to play the piano in just three months for his role in La La Land, but many people don’t know that he was musical before this! He actually released an album with a friend called Dead Man’s Bones in 2009.

Clint Eastwood

Fans of Clint Eastwood might know the actor-director has sung in a number of his films, but he’s always been an accomplished musician. He was a classical pianist before he turned to acting and actually dreamed of a career in music. This musical knowledge helped him score his Oscar-winning film Million Dollar Baby.

Scarlett Johansson

Now one of the biggest names in the world, Scarlett Johansson was still a fairly big deal when she released her 2008 album Anywhere I Lay My Head. This debut album consisted of Tom Waits covers, although she’d later go on to release her own original work.

Jackie Chan

The famous martial arts actor is known the world over for his breath-taking stunts, but he’s also a surprisingly talented singer with more than 20 albums under his belt.

Christopher Lee

The iconic Hollywood bad guy released a number of albums in his later life, including a series of heavy metal Christmas carols. His last EP, Metal Knight, was actually released on his 92^nd birthday!