What to look for before buying your FIRST piano?

Buying the right piano size and type can make a huge difference in a student's beginning piano journey. Starting with the most adequate instrument will not only allow any new student to play but also to explore, to create, and to enjoy playing the piano. 

How do I know what piano to get and where to buy? Today, I will talk about three different types of pianos to help you get started!

And, do you need an expensive piano to get started? Not necessarily.

Eventually, when you do go further into private lessons and classical music, then yes it would be wonderful to move forward with an acoustic piano. However, it is not necessary when you are beginning to learn piano because there are great options for you to get started now.

#1: Acoustic Piano

Acoustic pianos are ultimately what you want to get and ideally, the sooner the better. There are upright pianos and grand pianos with various sizes and heights.

The acoustic piano produces the most beautiful sound tonal quality as it is made out of real wood and unique polish and/or resin.

​You can feel the vibrations as it contains real strings and hammers, create nuanced musical responsiveness through the quicker fast actions, and create unlimited dynamics or musical colours/sounds/textures. 

What are a few things to consider?

• Usually prices start at the 4-digits
• Needs to be tuned at least once a year
• Sizes and weight will vary and you will need space as it is not easily movable 
• Maintains well for many years to come 30 to 50 or even more years

Who is this piano great for?

• All learners 
• Learners who are committed to learning the piano for over 2 years or beginning Level 1 of Piano Adventures / Starting into RCM Preparatory A/B

What brands are trusted?

• Yamaha, Boston, Kawai, Steinway

What if I find a piano on Craigslist for free $0 or under $300?

• Go to view it first as most likely there is some flaw that needs to be fixed (i.e., key(s) missing, pedal broken, strings out of tune, spillage, etc...) and the seller does not find it worth it to be fixed. Ask the seller to play on the piano if you are unable to. Bring your children if they are the one's learning as they will tell you if they like the piano.
• Ask how long it's been sitting around for, when it was last tuned, who were the previous owners, where it was manufactured, and how was it taken care of?
• Additional costs to consider:
  • Find out how much it will cost to have it moved to your place and finding a company to move it properly. Will your space make it accessible for an acoustic piano to fit through? Will you need a lift? How many people will you need to lift? 
  • Find out when it was last tuned and factor in any broken pieces or parts. This can range from a few hundred dollars and up.
• Google the brand of the piano and read up as much information as you can. 

Recommended keyboard to purchase?

• Various piano under the trusted brands listed above. For more information on what to look for in specifics, please refer to my previous blog: http://www.happykeysmusic.ca/blog-new-updates/new-students-what-to-look-for-in-a-piano

#2: DIGITAL PIANO

This is what I would recommend for all new beginners. 

Why? Because, we don't know if our kids will want to keep learning piano in the long run.

This is especially true for parents who have never learned the piano before and for students who are currently in multiple afterschool and weekend activities. 

We want to make sure the piano will be accessible, convenient, and ultimately used. 

Digital keyboards come in all shapes and sizes. The piano keys can range from 66 to 72 to 88 and with various functions such as a built in metronome, recording, multiple sounds (i.e., violin, organ, drums) and some even play their own songs and light up. 

And, with a surge in online piano lessons in 2021, most are looking for a digital keyboard that will help them get started and learn a new skill. 

With digital keyboards, the sound tonal quality is stimulated and the touch sensitivity and weight of the keys will depend on the manufacturer and or model. This can vary drastically.

There are no vibrations felt as the sound is emitted by the speakers and the creation of nuanced musical responsiveness and dynamics will depend on the the software of the program which does compute a longer sound when depressed. Again, this will depend on the manufacturer and or model. And, some models do an impeccable job at mimicking the acoustic piano.

The great thing about digital keyboards is its ability to have an headset so this is ideal for students who may live in apartments or with a lot of family members around. And, there is MIDI input/cable which allows various educational apps and additional tablet features to be connected. 
​
What are a few things to consider?

• Usually can be purchased from anywhere $350 to $1000+
• No tuning is required
• Can be portable and space saving
• Need to purchase a bench and a stand (for appropriate height)
• Maintains well for 5 to 10 years and will depend on warranty and usage

Who is this piano great for?

• All beginner students
• Students who want to start learning the piano for the first 1 or 2 years

What brands are trusted?

• Roland, Yamaha, Alesis, Kawai, Casio, Korg

Can I resell the digital keyboard?

• Yes, however, new models are constantly being updated or released. You want to get the best trusted brand beginner digital keyboard if you wish to resell in the future. 

Where should I buy digital keyboards?

• In-store: Highly recommended to support small and/or local businesses.
• Online: Highly recommended to check reviews and to ensure you are getting the right product)
• Craigslist/Facebook Marketplace: Absolutely, but these sell quickly. You would want to know exactly what you are wanting to buy and I would ask all the same questions as above.
• Second Hand: Absolutely! Again, ensure to check the piano out before buying and how long they've acquired the digital keyboard for.

​
Recommended Digital Pianos to Purchase

1. Kawai ES8 ($2000+), Kawai KDP110 (under $1500)
2. Roland FP-10 Digital PIano ($800) or Roland's FP-X Series Lineup
3. Yamaha P125 88-Key Weighted Action Piano ($849) or any Yamaha's P Series

Recommended Budget Friendly & Portable Digital Keyboards

1. Casio CDP-160 Digital Piano ($750)
2. ​Alesis Recital Pro 88-Key Digital Piano ($319 - $529) or Recital

#3: Keyboard Piano

Keyboards are meant to be for building interest and having fun. They are a great introduction for kids and beginners. Having said this, I would not recommend them as a tool for practicing for the long run as they are meant to be an introduction to learning and playing on the piano.

Let's paint this scenario...This would be compared to buying finger painting which is ideally a fun first learning experience for toddler ages to explore, create, and play! But, if you want to create a watercolor painting by creating intricate details, adding lines/textures, using various paint mediums, and etc... you might want to consider getting paint brushes and perhaps invest in watercolour paper to create the desired effect. This would be comparable to upgrading to an acoustic piano.

What I can tell you is that...keyboards eventually can or will damper our fingers if used for years. I've seen this in students over the years and it is difficult to reverse and they get frustrated. Ofcourse, this is my personal opinion and overtime it robs us of our musicianship potential.

Students develop the habit of depressing the piano keys in such a uniform "one" touch sound because the keyboard itself doesn't allow for variations in tonal quality and the makeup of the keyboard is inherently plastic. 

Students need to adjust the volume button in order to hear the dynamics, the nuanced musical responsiveness are unreproducible, and the enjoyment decreases as time goes by because students can hear the difference between their keyboard and their teacher's piano or digital keyboard. 

And, another word of caution is the tension that builds up around the wrist area as there is no weight for that to distribute and so students who continue further into piano learning will create sounds such as stomping on the piano (even though they are playing all the right notes).

For students who are learning and exploring, I would say keyboard pianos are a great way to start learning the piano as they are building their fine motor skills are this time and the keyboard is a friendly way to explore, create, and play!

I recommend getting a piano keyboard for online group piano lessons as these keyboards are portable, budget friendly and has all the functions for beginners to get going for the first year or so. And, I would highly recommend you consider getting a digital piano or better yet, an acoustic piano as you continue learning the piano when you can!

What are a few things to consider?

• Usually can be purchased from anywhere $350 and under
• Can be found on sale most of the time
• Many releases so may be difficult to resell at a future date
• Too many buttons and features which makes it more "exploration" play piano

Recommended keyboard to purchase?

1. Yamaha Piaggero NP-12 61-key portable keyboard ($300)
2. Yamaha NP-32 portable 76-key keyboard ($410)
3. Yamaha PSR-E373 61-key Portable Touch Sensitive Keyboard w/Adaptor ($180)

Final thoughts

My final thoughts are to begin learning with any keyboard but to upgrade as soon as you can and/or able to. Look for a second hand digital keyboard and go with a trusted brand! A trusted brand will allow you to resell and make some money back and give you and/or your child the right tools to begin exploring, to creating, and to playing the piano for enjoyment and for enrichment.

And, if not, a digital keyboard is still the recommended piano to purchase for all beginners. 

If you need help with finding a piano for you and/or your child, feel free to comment below and I can let you know my thoughts. I can read up on the specifics and hopefully help you and others to finding the ideal beginner piano and/or keyboard for you!

Please note that I am not affiliated with any of these piano brands.