Digital Piano

[TJWinMA]

Hi all,

Looking for recommendations...

 

We are hoping to have our 6-year-old son start piano lessons this spring.  We currently do not have a piano in our home, so we are looking for a bit of guidance as to what to purchase as we prepare to start lessons.  I am a bit hesitant to invest in an acoustic piano right from the start in case his interest wanes.  But I also don't want to buy a cheap keyboard that won't serve him well as he learns.  We are considering a digital piano.  Any recommendations?  Or should we just commit to an acoustic piano right from the start?  Any guidance would be appreciated.

Many, many thanks!

[maize]

I spent several hours in a piano store recently, trying everything on the floor, and my takeaway was that Yamaha digital pianos are the best bang for the buck--better than all but the grands and the most expensive uprights, and for a fraction of the price.

[cbollin]

When I was in that position eight years ago, I started off with renting a digital from local music store.  Took their recommendation for brand.  When it was obvious dd liked lessons and would do the work, I changed from renting it to buying.  I'm not musically inclined. I just went with the salesman's suggestions. Child learned just fine and is still using it 8 years later. It has 88 keys (Kawai brand if it matters) and does cool things. tells you what little I know.  I didn't want to deal with upright or grand with house and tuning needs.   disclaimer: I am not a music teacher, My dd's piano teacher has my dd on grand for lessons so she gets that time too. In addition to guidance from this forum, do check with your local teacher - may be preferences, local stores, or you never know, teacher may know someone ready to sell their upright (or digital) or give away for pick up in your area. my dd's teacher says it happens a lot.

[Clarita]

My parents had me start on an electric keyboard. Not fancy, no weighted keys just something someone was willing to part with. I would say something that doesn't sound awful (to a regular person) for you to gauge your son's interest. He will get the experience of a real piano at lessons and for a little bit there is an abundance of things to learn even if the piano just plays the right note when pressed.

I think my parents had me on the electric piano for a few months before looking at buying an upright piano. I'm partial to having an acoustic piano like people are partial paper books. Digital pianos have come a very long way though, so I will say a good digital piano will be better than a shoddy acoustic piano. Do not buy a shoddy acoustic piano. If you get a good digital piano with weighted keys, you could be set for life; unless your son wants it. 

[Dianthus]

Nm

Edited June 28, 2022 by Spirea

[Arcadia]

I have an upright piano and we haven’t been playing on it since the pandemic started as my husband and our neighbors are working from home, and my teens classes went online. Also, my teens and I were annoyed with listening to my husband practice the same classical music piece for more than two years repeatedly.  We are considering getting a keyboard so that anyone of us can play without disturbing someone on conference calls or Zoom sessions.

[Dmmetler]

Yamaha, Roland, or Casio Privia with 88 weighted keys are all good. Costco usually has good bundle deals when they start stocking Christmas stuff. You can usually get a decent set up in the $500 range that will last for years (there are more expensive ones as well. In general, if it is sold at a piano store and is from the same companies that make good acoustics, it’s probably very good as well, but will cost more than the companies that specialize in digitals). I have a Yamaha DGX in my studio that we found in the back of a closet that is probably about 20 years old-it has a 3 1/2 in floppy drive and the fat round connectors. It’s amazing how good and responsive it is. 

 

Having taught virtually for a few months, I now am no longer recommending parents buy anything but digitals. EVERY single student who had an acoustic obviously had a piano which had not been tuned or maintained for years prior, some to the point that I had to be able to see the keys to tell what they were playing. 

 This is my current dream piano-it’s a Kawai hybrid digital grand. It’s also about 16k. https://kawaius.com/product/novus-nv10s/

[pehp]

Although my son is an acoustic purist, I’ve been really impressed by a good friend’s digital piano. It has a nice sound, a good “feel” to the keys, and doesn’t need maintenance! I really like it.
 

We love our regular piano, but it does require regular tuning to be sure it is perfect—& he has an ear that can hear the slightest imperfection. So there’s that! It’s “one more thing,” which we don’t mind, but there you go. 
 

I tend to agree that a good digital piano is better than a bad acoustic one. Some acoustics are just so out of shape they can’t be brought back, but a good tuner can do wonders. However, they’re not miracle workers!