Methodology
How 1st Note Reviews Digital Pianos
1st Note is a comparison-driven review site for digital pianos. Every model is scored on the same five axes using a published formula. This page documents that formula in full, plus the editorial principles we use when writing the surrounding text.
What this site is — and what it isn't
We do not own every piano we review. No reviewer can. Instead of pretending otherwise, we score each model from manufacturer-published specifications — the same data sheets you can verify on each brand's official site — and clearly mark what those specs can and cannot tell you.
What we are good at
- • Side-by-side comparison across 200+ models on the same metric definitions.
- • Transparency: every score on this site is computed from a formula you can read below.
- • No paid placement. No affiliate links influence the scoring. No manufacturer pre-approval.
- • Coverage across price tiers and brands that hands-on reviewers typically skip.
What we cannot do
- • We cannot describe how a key action feels under your fingers. We can describe its mechanism and grade it on a 1–10 realism scale built from spec evidence.
- • We cannot tell you whether a sample piano voice sounds 'better.' We list polyphony, sound modeling type, and speaker wattage — you decide what matters.
- • We cannot replace a 15-minute play test in a store. Final purchase decisions should still happen with the instrument in front of you.
- • We do not present user ratings, star totals, or AggregateRating. See the section below on why.
The five scoring axes
Each axis runs from 0.0 to 10.0. The tables below show every factor that contributes to that axis, the points awarded, and the source spec field. These are exhaustive — there are no hidden variables.
Beginner Score
BeginnerMeasures how well the instrument supports someone learning piano: lesson features, connectivity to learning apps over Bluetooth MIDI or a companion app, recording for self-review, the size of the built-in song library, and whether a stand and damper pedal are already in the box. Metronome, transpose and layer/split are on virtually every digital piano, so they count together as one small point rather than three separate ones — the score is weighted towards what actually differs between models.
Each row shows: factor name → scoring condition → points contributed.
| Factor | Scoring condition | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Base Score | Starting score for every product | 0.5 |
| Lesson Function | Has built-in lesson function | +1.8 |
| App Connectivity | Companion smartphone app available | +1.8 |
| Bluetooth MIDI | Bluetooth MIDI — connects to learning apps without a cable | +1.0 |
| Recording | On-board recording function | +0.8 |
| Practice Basics (Metronome / Transpose / Layer-Split) | Metronome AND transpose AND layer/split all present (one bundled point — each is near-universal on its own) | +0.6 |
| Stand Included | Stand included in the box | +0.5 |
| Damper Pedal Included | Damper pedal included in the box | +0.4 |
| Preset Songs | Logarithmic in the number of built-in songs; full points at 500 | +min(log10(songs) / log10(500), 1) × 1.8 |
| Sound Variety | 400+ sounds → +0.8, 100+ → +0.6, 20+ → +0.4, 10+ → +0.2 | +0 to +0.8 |
The sum is clamped to 0–10.
Night Practice Score
Night PracticeMeasures suitability for headphone practice in apartments: how many headphone jacks there are and in which connector sizes, headphone-optimized sound modes, how quietly the key action itself operates, and the routes to silent listening (speaker mute, Bluetooth audio, line out). The speaker-mute point is awarded only to models that actually have a headphone jack — an instrument with no jack at all cannot solve the neighbour problem by muting.
Each row shows: factor name → scoring condition → points contributed.
| Factor | Scoring condition | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Base Score | Starting score for every product | 1.0 |
| Headphone Jacks | 2+ jacks → +2.2, exactly 1 jack → +1.3, none → +0 | +0 to +2.2 |
| Headphone Type | Includes 6.3 mm → +0.9; includes 3.5 mm → +0.5 (combinable) | +0 to +1.4 |
| Headphone Optimization | Spatial / binaural headphone mode | +2.2 |
| Bluetooth Audio | Bluetooth audio in for play-along practice | +0.8 |
| Line Out | Line out for a silent monitoring chain | +0.4 |
| Speaker Mute with Headphones | Speakers mute when headphones are plugged in — only counted when the model actually has a headphone jack | +0.7 |
| Key Action Quietness | Action grade ≤3 → +1.3; grade 4–5 → +0.8; grade 6–7 → +0.4; heavier → +0 | +0 to +1.3 |
The sum is clamped to 0–10.
Portability Score
PortabilityMeasures how easy the instrument is to move and set up: weight, width, battery capability, foldability, and key count.
Each row shows: factor name → scoring condition → points contributed.
| Factor | Scoring condition | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Base Score | Starting score for every product | 5.0 |
| Weight | ≤5 kg → +3, ≤8 kg → +2, ≤12 kg → +1, ≤20 kg → 0, ≤40 kg → −1.5, heavier → −3 | −3 to +3 |
| Width | ≤1000 mm → +1, ≤1320 mm → 0, wider → −0.5 | −0.5 to +1 |
| Battery | Built-in or optional battery operation | +1.5 |
| Foldable | Foldable / collapsible construction | +1.0 |
| Key Count | <76 keys → +0.5, 76–87 keys → +0.2, 88 keys → +0 | 0 to +0.5 |
The sum is clamped to 0–10.
Touch Reality Score
Touch RealityMeasures how close the playing experience is to a real acoustic piano in mechanical terms: key action grade (1–10), key count, polyphony headroom, sound modeling type, and key surface material.
Each row shows: factor name → scoring condition → points contributed.
| Factor | Scoring condition | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Key Action Quality | Key action grade from 1–10 reference table, multiplied by 0.6 | grade × 0.6 |
| Key Count | 88 keys → +1.5; 76–87 keys → +0.8; fewer → +0.2 | +0.2 to +1.5 |
| Polyphony | ≥256 → +1.5, ≥192 → +1.2, ≥128 → +0.8, ≥64 → +0.4, lower → +0 | 0 to +1.5 |
| Sound Modeling | Physical / V.R.M. modeling → +1.0; other modeling → +0.5; none → +0 | 0 to +1.0 |
| Key Surface | Ivory or ebony texture → +0.5; wood → +0.3 (combinable) | 0 to +0.8 |
The sum is clamped to 0–10.
Value Score
ValueThe average of the other four scores, then adjusted by where the price sits among all current models — one pool covering the whole catalogue, not a separate pool per subcategory. Cheaper instruments earn a value bonus; more expensive ones take a price penalty. The adjustment is ±1.0 points at the extremes, deliberately smaller than the spread of the four scores it adjusts, so specification quality outweighs price bracket rather than the other way round. If fewer than 15 models are available to compare against, no price adjustment is applied at all.
What scoring cannot capture
Tone preference is personal. Two players can disagree on whether a Yamaha or a Roland sample sounds more 'piano-like' and both be right. Action preference is similarly personal — heavier is not always better, lighter is not always faster. Our scores describe the spec footprint of an instrument, not the musical fit between instrument and player. If two pianos score similarly on Touch Reality, neither is automatically the right one for you.
Why we don't show star ratings
Google's structured data guidelines treat self-generated review scores as spam if presented as Review or AggregateRating markup. Even if we computed an internal star total from our five axes, we cannot honestly call that a user review. We display the five axes themselves, with the formula, and let you weight them by what you care about.
Why we don't aggregate user reviews
We have not built moderation infrastructure to verify ownership, prevent vote brigading, or detect manufacturer astroturfing. A handful of unverified comments adds noise, not signal. If you want crowdsourced impressions, dedicated forums and retailer review pages remain the best places to read them.
Where our data comes from
Specifications are taken from manufacturer official pages first (Yamaha, Roland, Kawai, Casio, Korg, etc.), then cross-checked against authorized retailer listings (Sweetwater, Thomann, Kraft Music, B&H, regional distributors) and authorized service documentation when a spec disagrees between sources. We record source URLs internally for every product but do not expose them publicly to keep pages readable. If two sources conflict, the manufacturer's current official page wins.
How updates work
We rerun the full scoring pipeline whenever a product's spec sheet changes — for example, when a manufacturer updates the polyphony spec or revises the official weight. Prices are not tracked in real time; the figure shown is the manufacturer's suggested price, not a live retail quote. For current street pricing, follow the retailer links on each product page. The formulas themselves change rarely, and when they do we say so here: on 22 July 2026 the Beginner and Night Practice axes were rebalanced because they had saturated — dozens of models sat on the same score, so the ranking carried no information — and the Value axis moved to a single catalogue-wide price pool with a smaller ±1.0 adjustment.
Corrections and feedback
If you spot a spec error, a translation issue, or a factual misstatement, please send a note. We will investigate, correct the underlying JSON, and rerun the affected scores. Credit will be given to anyone who flags a substantive correction.
Send a correction