Won't an electronic keyboard do the same thing?

In a word, no. Electronic keyboards certainly have an important place in music, but it is not as a substitute for the piano. The inexpensive models don't even come close to playing or sounding like pianos. The more costly keyboards at best sound like a recording of a piano. There is no substitute for the wooden box. The true tone of a piano is produced by vibrating strings amplified by a spruce soundboard. Electronic sounds are produced by a vibrating paper cone sealed inside a speaker cabinet. A digital piano is a simulated piano.

Silk flowers are pretty to look at, but they are not flowers.

Electronic keyboards are useful when interfaced with computer software for music instruction or composition. The variety of sounds that they can produce are fun to play around with. They're great in a band or combo when you have to set up or tear down equipment night after night; they are great in a dorm room, but not on the professional concert stage, and not for learning to play piano on.
The responsive touch of a real piano is enhanced by the actual rebound of the hammer from the string. This rebound effect not only allows for greater speed of repetition, but also provides the artist with a tactile "feedback" response from the instrument, almost giving the piano a "life" that electronics can't touch.

My other caution regarding electronic keyboards involves durabillity. When properly cared for, a real "acoustic" piano will last a hundred years or more. I know some would argue with me, but in my experience, most electronic keyboards become obsolete in about ten years or less as far as service is concerned.  BACK