The Nord Piano 6 73-key is a professional stage piano designed for gigging keyboardists who need world-class piano sounds in a portable package. It features Nord’s premium Triple Sensor keybed with grand weighted hammer action that delivers authentic piano feel across 73 keys—the same length as a vintage Rhodes. The Piano 6 lets you layer up to 2 pianos and 2 sample synths simultaneously with independent effects on each layer. Includes Nord Triple Pedal 2 and comes with a 1-year manufacturer warranty.
Why Players Choose the Nord Piano 6 73
If you’re a gigging keyboardist who needs professional sound quality without hauling around a full 88-key piano, the Nord Piano 6 73 is built for you. At 35.7 pounds, it’s nearly 7 pounds lighter than the 88-key version while giving you serious performance capability. The 73-key configuration isn’t a compromise—it’s the sweet spot for electric piano players, worship keyboardists, and anyone who plays multiple keyboards on stage.
This is the same length as a vintage Rhodes Mark I, which is no accident. Nord knows their audience. Whether you’re playing contemporary worship services, covering jazz standards, or doing session work, the 73 keys give you everything you need for two-handed playing while remaining manageable for regular transport. One reviewer mentioned switching from always using an 88-key at home to preferring the 73 for gigs because “the portability makes such a difference when you’re loading in three times a week.”
The Keybed That Wins Players Over
The Triple Sensor keybed is what separates Nord from most stage pianos. While competitors use two sensors per key, Nord uses three. This captures your playing at three distinct points on each keystroke, which translates to incredibly responsive dynamics. You get precise control whether you’re playing soft background pads or digging into a gospel piano part.
The weighted hammer action feels natural and balanced. Professional reviewers who’ve tested it against high-end acoustics consistently praise how close it gets to a real grand piano. The keys have that longer feel found on quality instruments, creating natural counterbalance as you play. What’s impressive is how well it handles both acoustic piano sounds and electric pianos—some weighted actions feel too heavy for Rhodes or Wurlitzer playing, but the Nord gets it right for everything.
One church musician mentioned coming from a semi-weighted action and being concerned about adjusting to fully weighted keys. After two services, they said it “felt completely natural, and I’m playing with more dynamics than I ever did before.”
The Panel Redesign That Actually Matters
Nord took the best ideas from their Grand 2 and Stage 4 models and brought them to the Piano 6. The LED faders are the standout improvement. During a performance, you can glance at the panel and see exactly what’s happening with your four layers. Need to bring up your string pad behind the piano? Push up a fader. Want to blend two electric piano sounds? You see what you’re doing instantly.
The real power is in the independent effects sections. Each of your four layers now has its own complete effects chain. Run a spring reverb with tremolo on your Rhodes layer while your acoustic piano has a different reverb setting. Add chorus to your pad layer while keeping your bass sound dry and focused. Before the Piano 6, you were sharing effects between layers, which meant constant compromises. Now you have full independence.
A session player who upgraded from the Piano 5 said the workflow improvement “cut my sound design time in half. I can build complex splits and layers on the fly without diving through menus.”
Piano Sounds That Deliver
Nord’s Piano Library is the reason players stay loyal to the brand. These samples come from carefully recorded world-class instruments—grands, uprights, electric pianos, Clavinet, and more. The XL samples are large (around 200MB each), but with 2GB of piano memory, you can load multiple pianos and swap them using Nord’s Sound Manager software.
The electric piano sounds deserve special mention. One player who owns a 1976 Rhodes Mark I did a direct comparison with their Nord Piano 6 and admitted the Nord “actually sounded better in the mix.” The Stockholm Rhodes sample, in particular, gets mentioned repeatedly in reviews as capturing that perfect combination of bell tone and growl that makes a Rhodes sit perfectly in a band context.
The acoustic grands are equally impressive. The White Grand (a semi-concert grand) delivers the depth and authority you need for solo piano work. The Studio Grand 2 gives you that warm, intimate sound perfect for singer-songwriter accompaniment. One classical pianist mentioned using the Steinway D sample for practice when they can’t access their acoustic piano, saying “it’s close enough that I can work on dynamics and interpretation.”
Sample Synths That Actually Get Used
The 1GB of sample synth memory isn’t just thrown in as an afterthought. Nord partnered with companies like Spitfire Audio to include professional orchestral samples. You get strings, brass, woodwinds, synth pads, vintage analog bass sounds, and more. These are sounds that hold up in professional productions.
The round-robin sampling feature cycles through multiple recordings of the same note, so repeated notes sound natural instead of like a machine gun. The Tru-Vibrato captures the unique vibrato characteristics of different acoustic instruments. One worship leader mentioned the string sounds are “good enough that I stopped using backing tracks for string pads—I just play them live now.”
Features That Make Real Differences
Advanced String Resonance captures how piano strings vibrate sympathetically when you hold the sustain pedal down. It’s subtle, but it makes the piano feel alive and responsive. The included Triple Pedal 2 gives you three-pedal control: sustain, sostenuto, and soft pedal. The Dynamic Pedal Noise feature even captures the mechanical sounds of the damper pedal—a detail that acoustic piano players appreciate.
With 120-voice polyphony in the piano section, you won’t run into notes cutting off even when layering multiple sounds with heavy sustain pedal use. A jazz pianist mentioned being able to “layer a Wurlitzer with a pad and a soft piano without any note stealing, even on complex voicings.”
The 9 programmable split points with optional crossfades let you create smooth transitions between zones. Set up a bass split in your left hand with piano and strings in your right. Add a crossfade zone where both sounds blend naturally. These are the kinds of details that matter when you’re performing live.
Practical Connectivity
The back panel is straightforward and functional. Stereo 1/4″ outputs connect to your PA, mixer, or monitors. There’s a 1/8″ monitor input for playing along with tracks from your phone or laptop. The 1/4″ headphone jack works great for silent practice or monitoring.
The Triple Pedal 2 connects via 5-pin DIN, and you have additional 1/4″ inputs for a standard sustain pedal and an expression/volume pedal. MIDI In and Out via 5-pin DIN provides full MIDI control. The USB-B port connects to your computer for managing sounds via Nord’s Sound Manager or using the keyboard as a MIDI controller.
One limitation to know about: you’re working with a single stereo output pair. For most applications, this is fine. But if you’re in a studio environment where you want to route each layer to a separate channel for individual processing, you’ll need to work around this. Most players never run into this limitation, but it’s worth knowing.
Built for the Road
At 35.7 pounds, the Nord Piano 6 73 strikes the perfect balance between portability and build quality. The metal chassis is tour-ready. The wood side panels add class without adding unnecessary weight. This is a keyboard designed for real-world gigging—thrown in a case, loaded in and out of vehicles, set up quickly between soundcheck and doors.
One touring keyboardist who plays 100+ shows per year said their Piano 5 73 “has been completely reliable through three years of touring, and the Piano 6 feels even more solid.” Get a soft case with wheels, and moving it becomes a non-issue even if you’re loading in solo.
Who This Is For
The 73-key format appeals to specific players. Electric piano players love it because it matches the Rhodes footprint they’re used to. Worship keyboardists appreciate having enough range for piano and pads without the extra weight. Session players who stack multiple keyboards prefer the space savings. Jazz and funk players who rarely venture into the extreme high or low registers find 73 keys perfectly adequate.
If you’re primarily a classical pianist or play arrangements that regularly use the full 88-key range, go with the 88-key version. But if you’re a gigging player who values portability and rarely misses those extra 15 keys, the 73 is the smarter choice. As one reviewer put it: “I thought I’d miss the extra keys, but three months in, I haven’t thought about them once.”
