Nord Pianos for everyone.
Nord Pianos
What makes a Nord piano different?
Nord keyboards are made in Sweden by Clavia, and you can spot one from the back of any hall thanks to the red casing. They’ve been a fixture on stages and in studios for decades, and they’ve built that reputation on the quality of their piano and electric piano sounds rather than on packing in features.
What really sets them apart is the sound library, though. Instead of a fixed set of voices installed at the factory, the Nord piano library offers grand pianos, upright pianos and digital pianos to download and load yourself. You decide which sounds live on the Nord instrument; you can swap them out whenever you like, and Nord adds new ones to the library over time, so the piano doesn’t stand still after you’ve bought it.
Nord pianos are also built to be carried. The chassis is solid, the panel is laid out so you can change sounds mid-performance without digging through menus, and the whole instrument is designed around the assumption that it’ll be moved, set up and packed away regularly – perfect for professional musicians.
The Nord Stage range explained
Nord makes several ranges, and the difference comes down to what you want to play rather than which one is best.
The Piano range is the natural starting point for pianists. It has a full-size weighted hammer action, and the sounds focus on acoustic and electric pianos, with a sample section for strings, pads and anything else you fancy layering underneath.
The Grand range steps up the action, however. Nord fits a hammer action keybed built by Kawai, which gives it a heavier and more familiar feel for anyone who spends most of their time on an acoustic instrument. If touch is the thing you care about most, this is the one to try first.
The Stage range is the flagship, and it adds organ and synth engines alongside the pianos. Players who need to cover a whole set on one instrument, whether that’s in a band, a theatre pit or a church, tend to end up here.
The Electro range is lighter and leans towards vintage electric pianos and organs. It comes in shorter key counts rather than full-size 88, which keeps the weight down, and there’s a hammer action version if you’d rather not give up the piano feel.
Stage pianos or digital pianos?
The two may look similar in photos, but they’re built for different jobs.
A digital piano is a piece of furniture. It comes in a cabinet with legs, three pedals and speakers built in. It’s meant to stay in one place in your home, and you can play it the moment it’s plugged in.
A Nord is just the keyboard, the action and the sounds. There’s no cabinet, no legs and no speakers, so you’ll need a stand, a pedal and something to hear it through, whether that’s headphones, a small monitor or the PA at the venue. What you get in return is a much more portable instrument, a far wider range of sounds, and controls you can reach for in the middle of a song.
If the piano is staying in your living room and mainly gets used for practice, a digital piano is the sensible choice. If you gig, play in a band or at a church, teach in different places, or want electric piano and organ sounds alongside your acoustic ones, a stage piano will serve you better. We stock both, so if you’re torn, come and play them side by side.
Buying a Nord piano from Richard Lawson Pianos
We’d always encourage you to try a Nord piano before you buy one, and you’re welcome to come and play in our Amersham showroom. Bring your own headphones if you like, take your time, and ask us anything.
We deliver across the UK, and we offer finance so you can spread the cost, which is worth knowing if you’re putting together a full setup with a stand, pedals and monitoring alongside the instrument itself. Give us a call on 01923 720 974 or drop us a message, and we’ll help you work out what you need.
Do Nord pianos have built-in speakers?
No, and that’s normal for a stage piano. There’s a headphone socket, so you can practise quietly at home without any extra kit, but to hear it out loud you’ll need something to plug it into. That might be a pair of powered monitors, a keyboard amp, or the PA at the venue you’re playing. A small powered speaker sitting under the keyboard is a tidy solution if the instrument mostly lives at home.
Are Nord keys fully weighted?
On the piano-focused ranges, yes. They use a weighted hammer action across the full 88 keys, so the feel is close to an acoustic piano. The Grand range goes further with a Kawai-built hammer action, which is heavier again and the closest of the lot to an acoustic instrument. Some of the smaller and more organ-focused models use a lighter semi-weighted action instead, because that suits organ playing better. If the action matters to you, and for most pianists it does, it’s well worth coming in and playing a few before you decide.
Can I use a Nord at home as well as on stage?
Yes, and lots of people do. Add a stand, a sustain pedal and either headphones or a small pair of monitors, and it works perfectly well as a home instrument. The one thing to be aware of is that it won’t look or feel like a piece of furniture in the room, so if you want something that blends into your living room, a digital piano in a cabinet may suit you better. If you’d rather have one instrument that does both jobs, a Nord handles it happily.
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