One of the reasons a keyboard is so useful is that the notes of every scale are laid out neatly and logically over the entire keyboard, whether is a MIDI controller, synthesizer, piano, organ, piano accordion, church organ, harpsichord, whatever.

I spent a while a few years ago researching instruments "what's the easiest to play" and "what;s the hardest to play". One thing that stood out to me when doing that was the number of instruments that appeared on both lists. What I concluded from that is that generally the "easy" lists were about starting out and the "hard" lists were about becoming skillful.

Choose to play an instrument(s) that you love.

A MIDI keyboard is a superb device for understanding the notes and chords and structure, and also makes a good input device for BiaB etc.. Everyone who wants to create music should have one and learn their way around it, even if the instrument they actually play is something totally different.


Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful.
AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11
BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software.
Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts
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