As a classically-trained pianist, discovering the Casio PX-300 has been a dream come true for me. ( editor comment by www.skysun.co.za - the newer PX310 now has superior triple element layer sampling [more resonance/ roundness in general] to the the PX300 Valda refers to )

No keyboard, however well-sampled, will ever recreate the unique sound and feel of a Steinway Grand. However, as a practising tool a piano has two main limitations: it is designed to have a penetrating sound that will reach the ears of a large audience, and - like Mohammed - pianists have to go to it in order to practise. Pianos are great for performance, but there's a certain lack of privacy about developing your talent and skills so stridently.

My student days in London were dogged by ghastly upright practising pianos - usually horribly out of tune - with an uneven touch and a really bad sound. They were housed in a chilly environment ominously called "The Ring" that was scarcely conducive to artistic endeavour.

During my studies in Salzburg, the inferior piano I hired all to myself in a student commune was hardly an improvement. I was constantly and uncomfortably aware of my progress being monitored by my fellow-students, who used to knock politely - and sometimes less politely - asking me to "keep it down", especially when I was doing the Richter trick of practising fortissimo staccato.

When electronic keyboards first appeared, they offered only a limited improvement on such practising facilities. I've tried quite a few of the renowned brand names in my time, and yes, I could use headphones and disturb nobody else, but the easily portable ones didn't have enough keys to play the pieces I was working on, and those that came with the full range of 88 keys were simply too heavy to move around. The touch was invariably hopelessly light and I had to change my technique to cater for this, which didn't help at all with sound control on the piano. Most of the synthesised piano sounds were truly awful.

I've always wished that I could practise on a full-size keyboard with a great touch wherever and whenever I felt like it without being aware that I was imposing on the ears and consciousness of those around me. I used to dream about the possibilities of practising one hand while listening to the other playing along without having to fiddle with a microphone and tape recorder, and I longed for a metronome that only I could hear as I practised to it.

I've had to wait until now for my dream practice-machine. A Casio? Nice calculators, I thought, but surely they only made "pacifier" mini-keyboards?

I was wrong. Casio has produced a little marvel in the Privia PX-300, which offers the serious piano student a full-size keyboard that can be easily picked up and carried around, two headphone slots, line and out , enabling the built in speakers to act as monitor speakers too, a very acceptable piano sound, two recording options, built-in metronome, and weighted touch-sensitive keys with true piano hammer action. The auto-accompaniment, alternative sounds and drum-rhythms interest me less but are fun to play around with.

There are three weighted settings: "OFF" for those who don't know any better, "NORMAL", which simulates a normal piano touch (if there is such a thing) and "HEAVY" for building up finger strength just as my old Steinway does, although the down side of its receiving such a battering over the years is that controlling the tone on this piano has become increasingly difficult. The beauty of the PX-300 is its utterly even tone.

I recently had the privilege of playing the beautiful Yamaha baby grand piano owned by the Lindbergh Foundation in Muizenberg for the first time in a chamber music concert. I used the PX-300 exclusively for practising and when it came to the performance, I was astonished to find that the tone-control on the Yamaha piano was comparable to that of the PX-300. It was sheer pleasure to find my fingers exerting just the correct pressure on the keys to make the sounds I wanted. This, in itself, is my greatest recommendation for the PX-300. I may mention that I found the provided sustain pedal quite adequate and I see no need for a fancy and expensive pedal to attempt to emulate the right pedal of a piano.

I would not willingly give a public performance of classical works on the PX-300on a conceert stage , even though the built-in volume-controlled piano sound-system is actually quite good with a resonant bass and a bright treble register. It is fine for practice, but it lacks the wood and metal of very expensive brand real pianos, and I don't believe it pretends to be a piano. It remains an electronic piano and, for all that, a very good one indeed, at an astonishingly good price. Having said that, Jazz musicans in clubs and classical performers in garden settings will be happy to give performances on these models.In your room in your house the resuklt is superb

I would recommend the PX-300 without reservation to pianist colleagues as well as to any piano pupil. It offers the opportunity to practise at one's convenience without disturbing those around one, the advantage of a readily available metronome, the chance to easily record separate hands or canonic themes, accompany one's own playback, listen to and criticise one's own playing at the touch of a button, improve finger strength and dexterity and most of all have perfect tone control at one's fingertips, which the alternative of a piano at the same price would certainly not be able to offer. I know that there are many adults who regret having given up piano lessons in their youth and would love to play again but dread having others hear them practise. This way you can get it right in private and decide when - or if - you feel ready to play for others.

The PX-300 has no expensive ongoing maintenance costs such as tuning, toning, hammer-shaping or wood-polishing. All it needs is a reliable power source and lots of energy and self-motivation for devoted and enjoyable practice.

I bought mine through www.skysun.co.za . It took only a brief try-out at their showroom to convince me that I wanted this little beauty and delivery was swift, with excellent after-sales service. I had a query about the outputs to amp - and was attended to promptly and efficiently by Mike.