What Kind of Piano Should You Buy?
We’ve talked about why piano lessons are a great gift for your child. We’ve talked about the importance of practicing, how to get your child to practice, and how to get the most out of a practice session. You know that regular access to a piano for practice is key to making good progress.
But if you don’t already have a piano in your home, one of the biggest questions on the minds of new piano students — or their parents — is, “What kind of piano should I buy?”
First of all, realize that you don’t necessarily have to buy a piano right away. You may be able to rent a piano. Often a piano store is willing to rent an instrument, or at least arrange a rent-to-own deal.
Or, you may be able to work out regular access to a piano that someone else owns. Family member? Neighbor? Most pianos do not see constant use; schools and churches are just two organizations that may own pianos which are used only infrequently. If you ask, a school or your church may be willing to let your child practice on their pianos. At least, you may be able to work out such an arrangement long enough to be sure your child is serious about sticking with her piano lessons.
But let’s say you are committed to having an instrument in your home. What kind of piano should you buy?
The fact is, not only are acoustic pianos expensive, but they also take up a lot of room in your home. If you have enough money and clear space in your home, by all means purchase a baby grand piano. But most “starter pianos” are uprights. These can be pushed flush up against a wall and take up less floor space than baby grands.
Some piano teachers insist that their students practice on an acoustic piano; others are not so strict. Be sure and ask your family’s piano teacher if she has a preference — and if it’s truly a preference, or a rule.
Why would a piano teacher care? Well, as much progress as has been made in electronic or digital pianos, they still cannot fully reproduce the experience of playing on an acoustic model. The keyboard action, the sound quality, and the ability to use damper pedals are all stronger in acoustic pianos than in digital ones.
Yet these differences are unlikely to be noticeable to a beginner. And, the digital models have advantages of their own.
For one thing, price. A decent digital keyboard can be had for much less than a decent acoustic.
For another, the digital keyboard is much more portable than an acoustic piano. If the ability to take the keyboard with you to Grandma’s is important, then an acoustic piano will not serve your needs as well as a digital one.
And finally, the digital keyboard has… headphones. If you live in an apartment, or perhaps practicing must take place when one family member is asleep, this benefit is crucial. With headphones, the pianist can hear himself, but avoid disturbing others.
Eventually, most pianists discover that there is no real substitute for an acoustic piano. But that’s not to say that the digital keyboards can’t play a valuable role, especially for a beginner. Talk to your family’s piano teacher, and evaluate your family’s needs. Chances are, you can find an instrument out there that will work within your space, budget, and other constraints.
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