Before starting piano lessons, there are several important decisions to be made: who is going to teach you or your child, and what piano are you going to get. Both of these decisions are extremely important, and are going to affect how much you or your child enjoys learning piano.
When buying a piano, it is extremely important to get expert advice. That advice, can come from the piano teacher you have selected, or someone you trust who is a serious pianist, or a piano technician. These people likely have the resources to help you find an instrument, along with giving you advice about whether or not a particular instrument would be a good buy.
Before you start searching for a piano, it would be good to talk to your expert about what you want a piano for and what your goals are as a musician. They can then help you decide what type of piano you need and give you an estimate of cost. Once you have found a few instruments you are interested in, be sure to have your teacher (or other advisor) examine them. They can then give you an opinion on whether the instrument would be a good fit for you. (As a side note, be sure to reimburse them for their time, it is a worthwhile investment.) Before buying a used instrument, if you haven't already, you should have it looked at by a piano technician as well as your teacher or piano friend. The technician will check the instrument out looking for breakages, some of which while almost imperceptible, could end up being really expensive fixes. For the older used instruments, most big repair jobs would cost more than the piano is worth. However, the technician's professional opinion will help you make a decision about the purchase of the instrument.
So do you get an acoustic or a digital piano? There are benefits to both, but the preference most piano teachers are going to have is for an acoustic piano.
There are some downsides, however, with electronic pianos. Most low end keyboards do not have the same key action and pedal action as an acoustic piano. When a student who practices on an electronic goes to play on an acoustic piano, it can be more difficult to play because they are unused to the heavier key action and the different sound from the pedals. When learning, these issues can be overcome, but it takes extra thought and effort to do it. (While not a downside exactly, not all keyboards have 88 keys. You will want to make sure any you consider have at least 76 keys.)
I won't say much about the cost of acoustic pianos, since prices will vary from state to state, but I will give some general guidelines that should make sense. The proverb "you get what you pay for" is most often true for pianos. If you find one listed as "free" or at a very cheap price, have your advisor and a piano technician look at it. It is better to wait than to get one that is in poor condition and won't stay in tune. You should expect to pay several hundred to over a thousand dollars to get a good used acoustic piano off the private market, and it will be more if you go through a piano store or dealer. New pianos will likely be over $5,000 to get a good one. If you go shopping at a piano store, take your advisor with you. They will be able to help you sort through the maze of piano models and styles. If you are looking for a digital piano, you may be able to find one used that might cost you a couple hundred dollars. If you are seeking to buy new, a good quality instrument will probably be about $1,000.
When buying a piano, it is extremely important to get expert advice. That advice, can come from the piano teacher you have selected, or someone you trust who is a serious pianist, or a piano technician. These people likely have the resources to help you find an instrument, along with giving you advice about whether or not a particular instrument would be a good buy.
Before you start searching for a piano, it would be good to talk to your expert about what you want a piano for and what your goals are as a musician. They can then help you decide what type of piano you need and give you an estimate of cost. Once you have found a few instruments you are interested in, be sure to have your teacher (or other advisor) examine them. They can then give you an opinion on whether the instrument would be a good fit for you. (As a side note, be sure to reimburse them for their time, it is a worthwhile investment.) Before buying a used instrument, if you haven't already, you should have it looked at by a piano technician as well as your teacher or piano friend. The technician will check the instrument out looking for breakages, some of which while almost imperceptible, could end up being really expensive fixes. For the older used instruments, most big repair jobs would cost more than the piano is worth. However, the technician's professional opinion will help you make a decision about the purchase of the instrument.
So do you get an acoustic or a digital piano? There are benefits to both, but the preference most piano teachers are going to have is for an acoustic piano.
The benefits of an acoustic piano can be summed up simply: it is a real instrument. Acoustic pianos, if they are good quality instruments, will usually sound better than an electronic piano. They also provide a better incentive to practice, because the sound is more inspiring than most electronic pianos. Also, a greater amount of emotion can be put into the music being played. The downside to a real piano is the fact it will need to be tuned, and depending on the age of the instrument it might need repairs. If an instrument is inspected by a piano technician before you make the purchase, he can tell you what repairs might need to be made and what they will cost.
There are several benefits of an electronic piano. One of these is the ability to control the volume and the ability to use headphones. Also, it is never out of tune. Another useful benefit is the ease of recording music. Electronic recorders can be connected to the piano, eliminating background noise. These pianos are also likely fitted with a Midi connection, enabling the user to connect to a computer. This can be a benefit to those interested in musical composition. Plugging a keyboard into a computer through a Midi connection can simplify the process for notating compositions.
There are some downsides, however, with electronic pianos. Most low end keyboards do not have the same key action and pedal action as an acoustic piano. When a student who practices on an electronic goes to play on an acoustic piano, it can be more difficult to play because they are unused to the heavier key action and the different sound from the pedals. When learning, these issues can be overcome, but it takes extra thought and effort to do it. (While not a downside exactly, not all keyboards have 88 keys. You will want to make sure any you consider have at least 76 keys.)
If you end up with a choice between an equal quality digital or acoustic piano (price being no object), I would choose an acoustic. However, I would choose a good quality digital piano over a poor quality acoustic piano.
I won't say much about the cost of acoustic pianos, since prices will vary from state to state, but I will give some general guidelines that should make sense. The proverb "you get what you pay for" is most often true for pianos. If you find one listed as "free" or at a very cheap price, have your advisor and a piano technician look at it. It is better to wait than to get one that is in poor condition and won't stay in tune. You should expect to pay several hundred to over a thousand dollars to get a good used acoustic piano off the private market, and it will be more if you go through a piano store or dealer. New pianos will likely be over $5,000 to get a good one. If you go shopping at a piano store, take your advisor with you. They will be able to help you sort through the maze of piano models and styles. If you are looking for a digital piano, you may be able to find one used that might cost you a couple hundred dollars. If you are seeking to buy new, a good quality instrument will probably be about $1,000.
Newspaper ads and Craigslist (a website where local ads are posted) are good places to find used acoustic pianos in your local area. Your local piano store will also probably have some used pianos for sale. You will most likely have to buy a new digital piano to get a specific brand and model. Your local store should have a wide selection of digital pianos. You can also order a digital piano online if you can't find what you want locally.
If you buy an acoustic piano, you will then have to figure out the logistics of having it moved. You don't want just anybody moving a piano. You'll want to find a company that knows how to move a piano and lists it as one of their services. Otherwise, your piano might get damaged being moved by someone who doesn't know what to do.
This concludes my advice on searching for and buying a piano. If you want to know more, Piano Buyer is a good resource for information on new and used pianos. The Piano Book by Larry Fine is a another good resource for information on what to look for in a used piano, the different piano companies, how a piano works and more. If you have any questions for me, you are welcome to contact me through the contact box on the side or in the comments below.
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