What's the difference between keyboard and piano?

What's the difference?
Can you play a keyboard the same way you play a piano?

Yup. But a keyboard is portable, and the sound, is more choppy. And there usually isnt as many keys, oh and you can do cool stuff like tempo, you can notes in different sounds all that jazz. Where a piano is a piano. Ha. Hope that made sense!

if it has less keys, does that mean there's some songs I can't play?
or do I substitute it for a similar key?

Well piano's have more keys, unless you buy a full-sized keyboard. A standard piano has 88 keys, and a standard keyboard has about 61 ish. As you play harder songs on the keyboard you'll realize that you'll keep 'running out of keys'!! Which can be very annoying!

Also, piano keys are weighted, which makes them harder to push down, and they'll rebound more. While this sounds bad, it's not actually. The weighted keys will help build your finger control and strength and I think it helps you play dynamics better, as lots of keyboard don't have 'touch-response' (meaning that the notes will all be the same volume, regardless of whether you play the keys lightly or not.)

Also a keyboard lack pedals.They dont have a damper pedal - the one that sustains your notes, which is on the right of the piano. However you can buy these to attach to keyboards, but they tend to cut off the note as soon as you take your foot off, whereas real piano's gently let go of the note so that it still sounds smooth.

And a plus for keyboards - you can alter the volume, and instrument sound as you please, and can plug headphones in so that you can practice whenever you like without disturbing anyone (although in saying this, some piano's have a 'practice pedal' which can be pushed down to dampen the vibrations so that it's really quiet!)

If you can afford and have the space for a piano, get one. If not try to get a good extended keyboard.

xox
sIka