An electronic musical instrument keyboard apparatus comprising: a depressable and releasable key; a key frame disposed beneath said key for supporting said key in such a manner that said key is pivotable with a front end of said key swinging vertically; and a key urging mechanism (40, 42, 43) assembled to said key frame for normally urging upwardly the front end of said key and limiting the front end to a predetermined height position, characterized in that said electronic musical instrument keyboard apparatus further comprises: a movable member provided in said key urging mechanism (40, 42, 43) and movable in interlocked relation to said key; a load member (64; 65) adapted to impart a load to pivoting movement of said key via said movable member; an actuator adapted to drive said load member (64; 65); a key position detection section (52, 55) adapted to detect a pivoting position of said key responsive to depression and release operation of said key; and a load control section adapted to perform driving control on said actuator in accordance with the pivoting position of said key detected by said key position detection section to impart a load to the pivoting movement of said key, in accordance with the detected pivoting position of said key, in such a manner that a load to be imparted by said load member in a depression stroke of said key is greater than a load to be imparted by said load member in a release stroke of said key. a depressable and releasable key; a key frame disposed beneath said key for supporting said key in such a manner that said key is pivotable with a front end of said key swinging vertically; and a key urging mechanism (40, 42, 43) assembled to said key frame for normally urging upwardly the front end of said key and limiting the front end to a predetermined height position, characterized in that said electronic musical instrument keyboard apparatus further comprises: a movable member provided in said key urging mechanism (40, 42, 43) and movable in interlocked relation to said key; a load member (64; 65) adapted to impart a load to pivoting movement of said key via said movable member; an actuator adapted to drive said load member (64; 65); a key position detection section (52, 55) adapted to detect a pivoting position of said key responsive to depression and release operation of said key; and a load control section adapted to perform driving control on said actuator in accordance with the pivoting position of said key detected by said key position detection section to impart a load to the pivoting movement of said key, in accordance with the detected pivoting position of said key, in such a manner that a load to be imparted by said load member in a depression stroke of said key is greater than a load to be imparted by said load member in a release stroke of said key. a movable member provided in said key urging mechanism (40, 42, 43) and movable in interlocked relation to said key; a load member (64; 65) adapted to impart a load to pivoting movement of said key via said movable member; an actuator adapted to drive said load member (64; 65); a key position detection section (52, 55) adapted to detect a pivoting position of said key responsive to depression and release operation of said key; and a load control section adapted to perform driving control on said actuator in accordance with the pivoting position of said key detected by said key position detection section to impart a load to the pivoting movement of said key, in accordance with the detected pivoting position of said key, in such a manner that a load to be imparted by said load member in a depression stroke of said key is greater than a load to be imparted by said load member in a release stroke of said key.