In general, I love this product for the value. I’ve had it for four days now. I purchased this for getting serious learning piano with the intention of buying a better piano later once I got familiar with options many digital keyboards offer. So for me, I was looking for something affordable, all 88 keys, and easy to transport so that it may still have a purpose once I upgrade later. It definitely feels like a kids toy being lightweight and lots of clicking plastic, but that isn’t stopping me from learning with it. I’m mostly using apps that recognize audio, and it works fine for that. My biggest gripe is the sticky ‘E’ key on the edge doesn’t always spring back up all the way – but it still works.

PROS

• 88 keys.
• Easy to store and transport when folded.
• Less than 4 pounds.
• Has a tote bag with a snap.
• 8 hour rechargeable battery.
• Wires along hinges look well protected.
• Works great as midi controller over USB. Was automatically recognized by my device.
• Includes micro USB data cable.
• Includes 52 stickers to put on keys with note on staff, note letter and number if thumb is on C, dots representing octave, and tiny number of white key.
• Metronome between 1 and 6 beats with tempo between 1 and 16.
• Sustain pedal.
• Has 3.5mm audio jack.
• 128 instruments
• 128 accompaniments, with adjustable tempo
• 30 demo songs to play along with adjustable tempo
• Tapping power resets to default settings/instrument.
• Hold power to turn on/off prevents accidental power when traveling.
• Can change transpose keys by six in either direction.

CONS

• No AC adapter for USB cable.
• Would prefer USB-C.
• No ‘normal’ MIDI port (midi over usb only)
• Keys not weighted.
• Keys do not detect pressure or speed.
• Interface to choose between 128 instruments and accompaniments is horrible with arrow key buttons. Could have used first 10 piano keys as a number pad while holding sound or Accompaniment Buttons.
• A key tends to stay halfway down sometimes.
• No Bluetooth as midi controller or headphones.
• Lots of clicking plastic.
• Volume not high enough for parties or public spaces.
• Unable to lock into a rigid position to put on piano stand.
• Rubber feet look like they’ll fall off over time.
• No enumerated list of instruments, accompaniments, or demo songs to reference.
• No pedal for soft notes.
• Black keys are a bit short in height.
• Quarter inch lip of plastic in front of keys.
• Segments tend to slide off pegs when folded. You may want a strap or rubber band to hold it together.
• No storage IO for music, instruments, or accompaniments such as microSD, USB drive, or Bluetooth.

When I started attending my neighbor’s church, I noticed something that really stood out: almost every Sunday, at the end of the pastors prayer, everyone recites the Lord’s Prayer together. At first, I didn’t even know it was the Lord’s Prayer, and hearing everyone say it in unison honestly creeped me out—it felt like something out of an Indiana Jones movie. The only other time I’d ever heard it was at funerals, and even then, only occasionally and wasn’t aware of what it was. My neighbor handed me a paper with the words, and over time, I learned how to recite it—well, most of it. Hearing everyone else say it helps me keep track of the next part, and now our pastor even puts the words up on the TV screens, so I know I’m not the only one who struggles to remember.

Growing up, prayers were very different. Only the elders prayed, and it was always different—never something repeated. The only constants were starting with “Jehovah, Heavenly Father” and ending with “through your son, Jesus Christ, Amen.” It just reaffirmed that God and Jesus were two different things. It’s fascinating to me how different Jehovah’s Witnesses are from other Christian churches. They went to great lengths to separate themselves from anything tied to society, pagan influences, or idols—but the exclusion of the Lord’s Prayer still baffles me.

There are so many things that feel foreign to me in a traditional church setting. Words like “I AM” and phrases like “He Is Risen” were completely unfamiliar, as were some of the hymns, with their strange words like “Emmanuel” or “Agnus Dei.” I found myself being cautious about what exactly I was singing. Even the capitalization of the Lord has a unique meaning that is unfamiliar to me. Then there are the practices—no Advent, no Pentecost, no candles being lit in the lead-up to anything. There were no benedictions or shaking hands with an elder on the way out. Even the names for parts of a church felt alien—“vestibule” and “sanctuary.” I thought a vestibule was some kind of old vase, and I only knew sanctuary as just another word for “church,” not a specific part of it. The church has windows – something I’ve never seen in Kingdom Halls. Everyone wears a suite and tie, but today, my church has you come as you are without any care for wearing suits. I don’t think anyone wears a suite. You’re not even supposed to have worldly friends outside of the religion, and you shouldn’t associate with family outside of the religion either. You can have acquaintances at work, but you shouldn’t go overboard like having lunch at a restaurant on your lunch break with them unless it’s to spread the word with the Bible, watchtower, or awake magazines. I’m glad I’m not being asked to go out and field service knocking on doors to spread the word to people who don’t want to be woken up before noon. It seems like that’s something specific to Jehovahs witnesses and Mormons – I think the Mormons actually collect information about who they talk to on missionary’s and call on people who showed interest in the past, where witnesses canvas an entire neighborhood locally every week.

I suspect most people don’t think twice about these things because they’ve always been part of their lives, and it’s probably the same across many Christian churches. But for me, it’s often overwhelming. My mind constantly spins, wondering about the significance of these practices and why they were hidden from me growing up.

Even now, I feel like I’m on constant alert, noticing every little difference and how out of place I feel. My mind is still wrestling with the concept of Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit as one. We were taught that the Trinity was a false god, but it seems that most Christian denominations—apart from Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons—believe they are one and the same. I still remember a Bible study where the pastor showed an unfamiliar sign and said it represented the trinity, which started waving red flags in my mind – like, why is he talking about a false god?

It’s a lot to process. It makes me wonder what compelled my family to leave the Catholics? At least, I think we were catholic… maybe it was just our grandparents. Last – why is everyone so happy? Like, super happy?

We perceive free will within three dimensions, bound by the fourth dimension of time. To a being capable of moving freely through time, our existence would appear eternal, as they could observe our lives at any moment. From their perspective, free will may seem nonexistent because we would always appear to make the same decisions at each point in time. However, if someone were to make a different choice, they would be an outlier—potentially influenced by another being outside the bounds of time or affected by a similar force. Such a being could foresee future events and communicate them to individuals in the past in a way they could comprehend. Would this act create a new timeline or modify the existing one? Additionally, witnessing suffering across various points in time might not evoke the same emotional weight as it does for us, as such events could be seen as necessary steps for certain outcomes to unfold.

Growing up the way I did, a “normal” church feels unfamiliar and strange. The church I attend now has one pastor and a group of other (supporting?) pastors including ladies. In contrast, the church I grew up in had elders, and many of us—elders, men, and myself-would take turns reading from the Bible or magazines. Women needed head coverings if they prayed aloud, which never happened at meetings. The music here is lively and energetic, with a band featuring many instruments, with usually a standard rock band + piano. People raise hands or rock back and forth. I get the rocking, but raising hands is very, very awkward. It’s usually songs I don’t recognize, and I feel my voice is out of tune with the key sung, and I can’t “really” sing without embarrassing myself. For now, only my dogs and Alexa are privy to my vibrato. Growing up, the music was much simpler—just a songbook and a piano. No one sways to music, raises hands, or feels any type of connection.

At the end of tonight’s service, someone I didn’t recognize hugged me. Hugging was never part of my family dynamic or at church, so it feels awkward even with people I know, let alone strangers. I try to push myself to hug friends occasionally, but it still doesn’t feel natural, but growing on me. One of the first friends who tried hugging me in my adult life was surprised as I jumped back ten feet, as I didn’t feel like I knew her in any romantic way. Of course, I was still coming out of a recent divorce at the time as well, and many social things were just not familiar to me. I often feel out of place, like I’m on the outside looking in. Everyone else seems to fit so effortlessly, while I’m just waiting for someone to call me out—for not measuring up, for doing something wrong, or for holding the “wrong” opinions.

Communion was another uncomfortable experience for me tonight compared to the rest of the year. Kneeling at the front felt especially awkward, as I couldn’t shake the feeling that my posture looked strange—like my butt was sticking out for everyone to see and my feet were aching. To make it more awkward, the couple who came up with me didn’t kneel because one was holding a baby, which left me feeling like the odd one out, and there was an empty spot next to me. I wasn’t sure whether to bow my head or just look down since we weren’t praying yet, so I just looked at the grape juice thinking about what it meant and how he had the strength to face people actively pursuing him with the ability to forgive them. It’s hard to live up to his example. But anyway, Because of moments like this, I avoid going up to pray in front. I think next year I’ll just stay home for the candlelight vigil if I can remember. In the church I grew up in, this wasn’t something we did. People didn’t leave their seats to pray, share prayer requests, or talk about their personal struggles, or take the wine or leavened bread. I don’t even recall anyone praying for others. The main focus was always on avoiding blood transfusions, mixing with the world, field service, the end of the world, and being wary of people with AIDS. From what I recall, I wasn’t going to live past 25 since the world was going to end in 2000… but that never came to be.

Growing up, making a mistake often came with the threat of shunning—by everyone, including family—or being kicked out entirely. Like eating a birthday cupcake at school or going to a Christmas play was grounds to prevent you from entering paradise. The most frustrating part is that no one clearly explains the rules. Now, I’m starting to wonder if this church has any rules at all. So much seems acceptable compared to what I was used to, and while it feels both wrong and unfamiliar, things also feel strangely okay. Maybe there are rules, and people just assume I know what they are, or feel like it’s common sense.

I’ve learned that drinking alcohol isn’t allowed here. I wasn’t much of a drinker anyway since I’m afraid it will mess with medication, my heart, or ability to drive, but it confuses me since Jesus turned water into wine—and apparently, it was the best wine saved for last. I assume this rule is more about the church’s traditions rather than strict biblical teaching. But it makes me wonder—what would happen if someone did drink? Would they be asked to leave?

I spend time with friends who drink and often visit the beer museum with them. The staff there even went out of their way to stock root beer for me since I always ask for it when my friends order drinks. So far, no one at church has mentioned my visits to the museum, so it seems like it’s okay as long as I don’t drink alcohol.