Alesis Melody 61 MKII Review

We rated the Alesis Melody 61 MKII a 6.5/10. We think that this instrument does a pretty good job at making its intended audience happy- This is a kids instrument. However, we did have to knock off a few points due to the lack of weighted keys, and the fact that the keys themselves are a bit noisy. That being said, this instrument still has a fair bit going for it. The full starter pack includes everything you need, and the instrument itself has a lot of sounds. That’s why we gave it a 6.5/10.

Overview

The Alesis Melody 61 MKII is a good budget piano keyboard for beginners. It has a good selection of different sounds, recording capability and come with as a complete starter kit with stand, bench, microphone and headphones. For this low price deal, it makes it a really good buy for children who are just starting out. It has enough functions and capability that it could inspire creativity. 

Note that this keyboard does not have the USB connection necessary to connect to a computer. 

Keyboard 

The 61-key keyboard is fairly basic. The keys are not weighted at all. They are made of plastic and make a rattling noise when played. This is unlikely to be a problem for a child or beginner.

The keyboard looks very good and weighs in at just 7.5lbs. It can use 6 X AA batteries or can be plugged into the mains with the supplied adapter. 

Sound 

The Alesis Melody 61 MKII comes with 200 different voice sounds on it. The basic piano sound is electronic (rather than a sampled piano that you would get on a digital piano) but again, it’s absolutely fine for beginners. Some of the sounds include piano, organ, bass, guitar, flute, sound effects and various synths.  

In addition there are 128 rhythms to play along to including various beats, Latin, Jazz/European, country/western, Asian and Waltz among others. 

Features 

The Alesis Melody 61 MKII features a 61-key keyboard, 200 different voices, 128 rhythms, recording capability and supports up to 32GB flash drive. There are also 40 demo songs to listen to. You can play along with the songs immediately by pressing any key on the keyboard and using the “one-key” function. Whatever key you hit, it will sound the correct note for the song that is playing.  

Chord play 

Single Chord Play 

In the Single Chord play function you can use basic one or two note patterns to create the chords you want. For instance, if you want a C major chord, you can just play a C. If you want C minor you can play C with a B-flat.  To play a C7 chord, play C with a B natural, and to play C minor 7 play 3 notes at once – C, B natural plus Bb.  

Fingered Chord Play 

In the Fingered Chord Play function you actually play the whole chord yourself. So if you want a C chord, you’d play C, E and G together. C minor is C, E-flat and G.  C7 is C, E, G and Bb, and C minor 7 is C, E-flat, G and Bb.  

Volume controls

The Alesis Melody 61 MKII has three separate volume controls. One for playing rhythms, one for playing chords and a Master volume. The volume can be altered by using the + and – keys but if you press both these keys together it resets to the default. This gives you the option to find the balance you want between the rhythm track and the piano sound. 

Sustain function 

While there is no pedal with this piano, there is a “Sustain” button. When pressed, this will sustain the note or notes played, like a footswitch would. Pressing the button again will release the sound. The downside to this is that you would have to keep taking a hand off the keyboard to press and release the sustain button. However, small children and beginners do not really need this function at this level. 

Dual and Split keyboard Function 

The Alesis Melody 61 MKII has a dual function which layers two sounds across the keyboard. The Split function divides the keyboard into two different sounds – one covering the lower keys and the other the upper keys. This allows you to play bass with your left hand and piano or organ with your right hand. 

Metronome 

The built-in metronome function allows you to set your tempo and play along to get used to playing in time and at a certain speed. This is useful for beginners to get a good sense of timing, rhythm, and to be able to gradually up the speed as your playing becomes more fluent. 

Auto-off function 

The Alesis Melody 61 MKII will automatically turn off after five minutes of no activity. Pressing any key will bring it back to life. 

Specifications

• 61 key unweighted keyboard
• 2W X 2W built-in speakers 
• AC Power adaptor
• AUX in to connect a phone or MP3 player 
• Stand 
• Microphone
• Headphones
• Bench

Who Is It Suitable For?

Beginner 

This is a adequate keyboard for a young child who wants to try piano and experiment with sounds. The microphone allows you to sing into it along with rhythms or songs (but note that it won’t record the voice, only the music). If a child is gasping to learn the piano and you’re not sure they’re going to stick with it, this is a reasonable keyboard to start with. There are enough different sounds to play around with and it’s not too difficult to work out how to use it. 

Keep in mind that if your child takes to the piano and wants weekly lessons with a private teacher, then this keyboard won’t be good enough for very long. Probably after six months or so you’ll need to upgrade for a better piano sounds and a keyboard with at least semi-weighted keys.  

It’s a bit of a catch-22 situation with a beginner. If you have a low-end piano that doesn’t feel very responsive and doesn’t sound very realistic, a child who has a musical ear might be put off by it. If, on the other hand you can go up a step or two and start off with a better, more inspiring keyboard, your child is far more likely to want to sit and play it, which leads to progress. It comes down to budget restraints really. But remember that if you invest in a better keyboard and your child loses interest, there is a good market for second-hand keyboards so you can re-sell. Or you could buy your child a second-hand keyboard that’s a few steps up.  

Experienced and serious pianists 

This is not a keyboard for experienced or serious pianists. Due to the short keyboard of 61 keys and the unweighted action, a pianist would find this keyboard inadequate and frustrating. Further, the sound would not be suitable for a pianist. Add to that the fact that there are no pedals and no way to play expressively.  

Pros and Cons

Pros 

• A good starter kit for the money, including bench, headphones and microphone
• Open the box, set it up, start playing 
• Excellent price point 
• Comes with three-month Skoove membership 
• Small and light making it very portable
• Option to work with batteries 

Cons 

• May not be sufficient for long if the beginner wants to progress 
• Sound and feel is not great quality 
• No USB to connect to a computer 

Quick View 

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to get a keyboard setup without having to buy multiple components – stand, bench, etc., then this is a pretty good deal. The Alesis Melody 61 MKII is definitely an entry-level keyboard and especially aimed at very young children who are curious about music and might be likely to take lessons and pursue the piano more seriously when they are older. This keyboard is light at 7.5lbs and the stand it comes with is also light, so it’s best to assemble it close to a wall where it can’t be tipped over. The microphone is small and plastic – perfect for a little child who wants to play at being a performer!

However, for a child who is beginning private piano lessons, this keyboard won’t be the best choice. Consider the Yamaha PSR-E273, for instance.  It’s in the same category but has a better piano sound. Ultimately it’s likely that this level keyboard will only do for about six months.  

For adults, this keyboard would probably feel too flimsy and the sounds might not be authentic enough to an adult ear. If budget allows, for adult piano students consider going for an 88-key keyboard that’s at least semi-weighted, if not fully weighted. The Yamaha P45 is a popular and very good choice. It would give good value for several years. 

The number of different sounds on a keyboard is less important than the quality of the sounds. With 200 sounds to choose from it will soon become apparent that 150 of them aren’t very useful! It’s really better to choose a piano that has a high quality piano sound, perhaps some bass, strings and drumkits. Special effects sounds are great for entertainment and children love them to play around with but the novelty soon wears off.

6.5Expert Score

We rated the Alesis Melody 61 MKII a 6.5/10. We think that this instrument does a pretty good job at making its intended audience happy- This is a kids instrument. However, we did have to knock off a few points due to the lack of weighted keys, and the fact that the keys themselves are a bit noisy. That being said, this instrument still has a fair bit going for it. The full starter pack includes everything you need, and the instrument itself has a lot of sounds. That’s why we gave it a 6.5/10.

PROS

• A good starter kit for the money, including bench, headphones and microphone
• Open the box, set it up, start playing
• Excellent price point
• Comes with three-month Skoove membership
• Small and light making it very portable
• Option to work with batteries

CONS

• May not be sufficient for long if the beginner wants to progress
• Sound and feel is not great quality
• No USB to connect to a computer