The best keyboards for worship & church

Finding the perfect keyboard for worship music can be a challenge. You’ll need to look at features, quality of sound, and budget all at once – but it’s worth it! The right keyboard will help you bring your worship tunes to life and create immersive, breathtaking experiences.

This blog post will provide an overview of the best keyboards for worship music, from portable options to full-size models with countless bells and whistles. We’ll outline what parameters you should consider when shopping for a keyboard and what software and accessories might be necessary for your setup.

This post is going to save you the hassle of tons of trial and error that our team has gone through over the past 10+ years. We have a lot of experience with the keyboards mentioned here and stand behind each one. Especially when it comes to the functionality that is used specifically in a worship setting. 

Because of all the sounds used in modern worship music these days, like pads, strings, pulsing synths, etc., this list is exclusively keyboards with MIDI capabilities.

MIDI gives you the capability to use your keyboard to create and control virtually any sound imaginable. So you’re not just limited to the built-in sounds from your keyboard.

Before you read on…

To go along with this post, we’ve created a FREE Video Series On Creating Worship Keyboard Sounds From Scratch that will walk you step by step through how to create some of the most powerful keyboard sounds that you’ll use over and over again. Even if you’ve never created a keyboard sound before!

If you’ve ever wanted to get started building keyboard sounds like the pros or already know how but want to learn some new helpful tips and tricks, this is the video series for you. (Check out the video at the bottom of this post for more information)

What Makes The Best Keyboards For Worship?

Here’s a list of the top 5 qualities you should consider when searching for your perfect keyboard for worship and your church.

1. Just a MIDI controller or built-in keyboard sounds?

Most keyboards these days come with a USB output for midi capability, but if you’re primarily playing piano or organ sounds, you may want to opt for a keyboard with great built-in sounds (Options 6-10 below).

Especially if your style is more traditional, you may not be too concerned about MIDI and using software.

However, if the style you are playing is geared more toward synths, pads, and creative sounds, you might consider saving some $$$ and getting a midi controller that allows you to run your sounds from a computer.

2. The Weight Of The Keyboard

When deciding the best keyboard for worship, you definitely want to take the weight of the keyboard into consideration. If you’re going to be setting up and tearing down or hauling your keyboard back and forth in your car, you’ll definitely want to consider the keyboard’s actual weight. A full-size keyboard with 88 full-weighted keys can weigh up to 40-50 lbs.

This is a lesson I learned the hard way!

3. The Weight Of The Keys

Choosing the keybed action is one of the most important parts of finding the right keyboard that will feel comfortable while playing it. The three types of actions are synth action, semi-weighted, and fully-weighted hammer action.

You may like the synth action or semi-weighted keys if you’re playing primarily auxiliary keyboard parts like synths and organs. But if you’re playing traditional piano primarily, you’ll probably prefer the feel of fully-weighted keys. Especially if you learned piano on an acoustic piano, not a digital keyboard.

The weight of the keys is important when choosing a good keyboard for worship music because it affects the feel and responsiveness of the instrument, which can, in turn, impact the player’s ability to convey the intended emotion and dynamics of the music.

Key weight refers to the amount of resistance that a player feels when pressing down on a key. Keyboards with heavier weighted keys require more force to play, while keyboards with lighter keys require less force. The weight of the keys can vary depending on the type of keyboard, manufacturer, and model.

In worship music, the ability to convey emotions and dynamics is important in order to create an atmosphere of reverence and worship. Keyboards with a heavier key weight can provide greater control and expression for the player, allowing them to convey the intended mood and emotion of the music more effectively. However, some players may prefer lighter keys, which can allow for faster and more agile playing styles.

Ultimately, the weight of the keys is a matter of personal preference and playing style, and it is important for a player to choose a keyboard that feels comfortable and natural to play.

4. The Number Of Keys

Again, this goes into your preference and the style of music you’re playing. A full set of 88 keys would be your preference if you are playing primarily piano and organ parts.

But if you’re playing those aux keys parts, you can definitely get by without the full set of keys. Many keyboards also have a transpose button that allows you to change octaves up or down to access all 88 keys while still using a smaller keyboard.

5. Faders, Knobs, and Buttons

If you’re going to be using midi and controlling your synths, pianos, and organs via your computer, you’re not going to want to have to keep reaching over and adjusting them on a small laptop mousepad. Many modern worship sounds are dynamic, where you are constantly adjusting the patches as you are playing.

These faders, knobs, and pads are assignable and let you control different things like filters, reverb, delay, patch changes, track triggering, tap tempo, etc.

You can also opt for an additional midi controller separate from the keyboard with knobs and buttons as well.

If you’d like to learn more about all of those different patch options and how to use them in your playing, check out our free series on creating keyboard sounds from scratch here.

The Best MIDI Controller Keyboards For Worship

These first four options are MIDI-only keyboards (or MIDI controllers). They are much cheaper than traditional keyboards with built-in sounds but can ONLY be used with a computer and software like MainStage or a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) to create your sounds.

FREE Video Series On Creating Worship Keyboard Sounds From Scratch

Click here to check out the FREE video series on building keyboard sounds from scratch!

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1. Arturia KeyLab 88 MkII 88-key Weighted Keyboard Controller – $999

Features

• 9 assignable fader, knobs, and buttons
• 16 assignable pressure & velocity-sensitive pads
• Fully-weighted hammer action keybed
• Midi and USB connectivity
• Easily integrates with most DAWs as well as the included Analog Lab software.

Our Team’s Favorite Thing About this Keyboard

• The durability and the sheer amount of assignable faders, knobs, and buttons.

2. Akai Professional MPK261 – $499

Features

• 8 faders
• 8 knobs
• 8 buttons
• 16 pressure & velocity-sensitive pads
• Semi-weighted 
• Full-size keys
• 5-pin MIDI Input/Output
• USB Output

Our Team’s Favorite Thing About this Keyboard

• Extremely compact while and light!  A perfect option for frequent traveling!

3. Novation Impulse 61 USB Midi Controller Keyboard – $399

Features

• 9 faders
• 8 knobs
• 9 buttons
• 8 pressure & velocity-sensitive pads
• Semi-weighted 
• 5-pin MIDI Input/Output
• USB Output

Our Team’s Favorite Thing About this Keyboard

• Almost the same features as the MPK261, but at a cheaper price (especially if you can snag a used one in good condition).

4. Novation Launchkey 61 [MK3] – $259

Features

• 9 faders
• 8 knobs
• 9 buttons
• 16 pressure & velocity-sensitive pads
• Semi-weighted 
• Full-size keys
• Ableton Integration
• 5-pin MIDI Output
• USB Output

Our Team’s Favorite Thing About this Keyboard

• The Ableton integration makes using this device so clean in live performance. Bonus, the feel is unreal!

5. M-Audio Keystation 61 MK3 – $199

Features

• 1 fader
• Semi-weighted 
• Full-size keys
• 5-pin MIDI Output
• USB Output

Our Team’s Favorite Thing About this Keyboard

• If all you need to do is play without worrying about in-set controls, this is the cheapest and most reliable option.

The Best Keyboards For Worship With Built-In Sounds

The following five options are a bit more expensive but allow you to produce sound with both MIDI and built-in keyboard sounds.

6. Nord Stage 3 88-key – $4,499

Features

• Fully-size Fully-weighted Hammer-Action 
• On-board Pianos, Synths, & Pads
• 4 Outputs & 1 Phones
• USB Out
• 5-pin MIDI Input/Output/Thru

Our Team’s Favorite Thing About this Keyboard

• We love this keyboard simply because its onboard sound library is great, and the incredible importable patches out there make this a super reliable keyboard. (Plus, you can put it in lock mode to protect your patches from being saved over. AKA volunteer proof)

7. Yamaha Montage8 88-key – $3,999

Features

• Fully-size Fully-weighted Hammer-Action 
• On-board Pianos, Synths, & Pads
• 4 Outputs & 1 Phones
• USB Out
• 5-pin MIDI Input/Output/Thru

Our Team’s Favorite Thing About this Keyboard

• The Yamaha sound library is truly unmatched, and at $500 less than the Nord, for some, it’s all you need.

8. Yamaha MODX88 – $1,999

Features

• Graded Hammer Standard-Action 
• On-board Pianos, Synths, & Pads
• 4 Outputs & 1 Phones
• USB Out
• 5-pin MIDI Input/Output/Thru

Our Team’s Favorite Thing About this Keyboard

• Very light and almost identical to the Montage for $2K less.

9. Kawai MP7SE, 88 Keys Stage Piano – $1,799

Features

• Weighted Hammer-Action 
• On-board Pianos, Synths, & Pads
• 4 Outputs & 1 Phones
• USB Out
• 5-pin MIDI Input/Output/Thru

Our Team’s Favorite Thing About this Keyboard

• Simple, reliable, & sounds good.

10. Yamaha MX88 – $1,099

Features

• Fully-size Weighted  
• On-board Pianos, Synths, & Pads
• 2 Outputs & 1 Phones
• USB Out
• 5-pin MIDI Input/Output

Our Team’s Favorite Thing About this Keyboard

• Similar to the MODX with more limited features.
  i.e., the amount of sounds you can layer on top of one another.

FREE Video Series On Creating Worship Keyboard Sounds From Scratch

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Click here to check out the FREE video series on building keyboard sounds from scratch!

You may also be interested in these posts as well:

• Keys Rig Rundown: Gear & Software
• Creative Synths & Spontaneous Keys with McKendree Tucker (Keyboardist for Kari Jobe)
• Using Drones and Playing Keys in Worship with Matt Stanfield (Keyboardist for The Belonging Co.)
• Worship Synth Bass Setup + Tips & Tricks With Tom Furby (Hillsong Y&F)