Companies and brands will try to sell you tons of accessories for your keyboard. Still, in my 29 years of teaching, reviewing, and using keyboards, these are the 4 essential accessories I personally use every single day. These accessories help you to sound better and practice longer and more comfortably.
Before we start,do check out my recommended digital pianos, keyboards, and music learning apps.
Sustain / Damper Pedal
The most important accessory and the very first one you should get when buying your keyboard is a damper pedal also commonly known as a sustain pedal.
However, do not just get any sustain pedal if you do not want compatibility issues.
The number one sound every keyboardist uses is the acoustic and electric piano tones. Without a sustain pedal, your piano tone quickly fades away.
This essential accessory emulates the damper pedal of an acoustic piano, allowing you to get a lush and rich sustained sound even after you have lifted your fingers off the keys.
This pedal I use has a polarity switch which is critical in ensuring this pedal works with any brand and model of keyboard.
Keyboard manufacturers have yet to standardize the polarity of their sustain pedals so getting a pedal from famous Brand A may not necessarily work with a competing Brand B.
More expensive digital piano keyboards come with a basic sustain pedal out of the box but these are really flimsy little rudimentary pedals that are on/off switches. The bigger and more durable pedal that I recommend, looks and feels closer to a traditional piano pedal. The longer pivot travel of the lever gives me greater control over my pedaling.
The sustain pedal I have here is ridiculously cheap and works with every single brand of keyboard I have. It is also durable as I have used this for more than 5 years and it still works perfectly. These come from a single OEM factory but are sold under various brands and I have linked them here so you do not buy the wrong one.
Studio Quality Headphones
To sound good with your keyboard requires hours and hours of practice. I am sure you do not want to subject your family and neighbors to the 50th time you are practicing Fur Elise riddled with mistakes. Comfortable, high-quality headphones help you practice longer with less fatigue while producing an accurate sound.
This professional studio monitor headphone features large-aperture drivers with copper-clad aluminum coils and plush sound isolation pads which are user-replaceable.
The over-ear design contours around your ears for excellent sound isolation from ambient noise without giving you the feeling of having something stuck in your ears like what you get with tiny earbuds.
These reproduce accurate instrument audio and bass response ensuring you hear every nuance from the high-quality stereo samples in your keyboard.
As these are studio-grade headphones, they are constructed with professional-grade materials with earpads and adjustable headbands offering utmost durability and comfort.
The ear cups swivel 90°, are collapsible, and fold flat for seamless traveling, making them great portable headphones too.
I love the included accessories such as a protective carrying pouch, a 1/4" screw-on adapter, and three interchangeable cables of different lengths for various use cases.
This pair I use for hours every single day is already 7 years old and I have had to change the ear pads a couple of times due to how much I use them, which is the best testament to how durable and well-made these are. This pair of cans are not the cheapest but like they say buy nice or buy twice.
Here I have others recommendations for speakers,, microphones, and other connectivity devices which you might be looking for.
Height And Width Adjustable Stand with Wheels
After spending hundreds or even thousands on your dream keyboard, you do not want to risk it tipping over and smashing onto the ground with a less-than-sturdy keyboard stand. Keyboards come in various widths depending on the number of keys. This width and height adjustable keyboard stand is extremely sturdy. In fact, it is so sturdy that it can withstand my 200 lbs weight.
Being height adjustable means you can set up the perfect playing posture for long hours of practice with minimal fatigue. Height and width adjustments are ridiculously simple. Just pull the spring-loaded knobs and slide the height and width to your preferred position.
The seams are beautifully welded and the large adjustable knobs feel top-notch. The assembly instructions come with photos and are clear, detailed yet concise.
All parts to be assembled are in numbered bags reducing confusion when setting up.
Height-adjustable feet ensure maximum stability even if you have uneven floors. I love the option of installing castor wheels for those who frequently need to shift their keyboard around the house as well as for easy access to cleaning the area around your keyboard.
The castors can be locked in place and the ball bearings are well-greased to ensure a smooth swivel with little rolling resistance.
Anti-slip pads ensure your keyboard stays absolutely planted on the stand and there are security straps for added insurance against your keyboard smashing onto the ground from accidental knocks and bumps.
I love the 3-year warranty against damages and defects as well as the customer service from this small Florida-based business. In the unlikely scenario, you encounter missing or damaged parts, they have you covered. Even if you need to personally speak to Mike, the business owner, he is always happy to listen.
I also have a link to another alternative which is more portable but less sturdy if that suits your use case better.
Height Adjustable Bench
Most home keyboard players just use a regular dining or study chair when practicing. While this works in general, a non-adjustable chair does not provide the best posture in order to develop a good set of techniques. An ideal hand position is where your arms are parallel to the ground.
Your thighs should also be parallel to the ground to ensure proper support as well as to control your sustain pedal accurately. The chair you use should not have a backrest because you should sit upright when playing. As you can see, it is not easy to find a chair at home that perfectly matches these requirements.
This height-adjustable instrument bench I recommend is well-padded and solidly built. Huge, easy-to-grasp, spring-loaded knobs make height adjustment easy.
Assembling the bench upon delivery also took me less than 10 mins. The 3-year warranty against damages and defects from this US business shows how confident the company is about its product.
Conclusion
I hope you found my review useful. Do check out the links provided in this article for the latest and most updated information and prices on the accesories. Do also take a look at my other articles to find the best and most suited instrument for your personal need. Also, check out my Piano App and beginner keyboard course available for you