Would you buy a piano like this for your dc?

[plain jane]

Dh and I are thinking of buying a digital baby grand piano for our dc. They are currently are not in lessons because we don't even own a keyboard. We are thinking of getting one that costs less than $3500, preferably closer to the $2000 range, so definitely not a top of the line digital by any means. I know we can also get a used, real piano for around the same price but I really don't like what you get for that price range since I would also like the piano to be a nice looking piece of furniture, kwim?;)

 

I know a lot of piano teachers will not accept students in the advanced grades without a real piano but there are a few in our area who do. I'm a bit stumped here as I am not knowledgeable about pianos. I do realize that the feel of the keys is different and that a digital will never really sound like a real piano but is that really that important? I would like the kids to learn music theory and to read music so they can play songs of their choice. Is it wrong not to have more lofty goals for them??:001_huh:

Edited December 13, 2008 by plain jane

[Jean in Newcastle]

We have a digital piano and love it. It is much better than a keyboard because they have all 88 keys (I think I got the number right) and the keys are weighted to be like that of a real piano. I'm sure a concert pianist wouldn't be happy but we are. I have the same musical goals for my kids and I was a music major in college! If one of them had superior aptitude or even a desire to really go the distance my goals for that child would be different.

[Paula in MS]

You might be surprised to know that many colleges have gone digital in their rehearsal halls. I am not saying that students in music programs do not have access to very fine acoustic pianos, but they are spending a lot of time on digitals. These are students who are majoring in piano. I own two digitals and I really like them. You can go this route and then transition to an acoustic piano if they become serious piano students. You are correct in saying that it is difficult to find a a really good acoustic piano for $3,500.

 

Just make sure that you communicate to your piano teacher that you have a good quality digital piano, not a keyboard.

 

Paula

 

ETA: Many digitals sound better than acoustics. They sample the sounds from very, high quality pianos, so the sound can be amazing. I bought a Yamaha S-80 just because I liked the sound of their piano setting. I also own a Roland which is also excellent.

Edited December 13, 2008 by Paula in MS

[Colleen]

We are thinking of getting one that costs less than $3500, preferably closer to the $2000 range, so definitely not a top of the line digital by any means. I know we can also get a used, real piano for around the same price but I really don't like what you get for that price range since I would also like the piano to be a nice looking piece of furniture, kwim?;)

 

Actually, no, I don't know what you mean since beautiful, used pianos are often available within that price range.

 

I do realize that the sound is different and that a digital will never really sound like a real piano but is that really that important?

 

It's important to me, yes. I don't like the feel of a digital piano, and I really don't like the sound.

 

I would like the kids to learn music theory and to read music so they can play songs of their choice. Is it wrong not to have more lofty goals for them??

 

Of course it's not wrong. In my case, though, regardless of my goals, it just happens that I wouldn't want to own a digital piano.

[JudoMom]

We bought a Yamaha Clavinova this past spring and have been really happy with it. Of all the pianos we looked at, I liked the Yamahas the best. We looked at real pianos and digitals, and the only real that I liked was $5000 :001_huh:. The Clavinova came in second, and it sounds and feels and plays like a real piano.

 

Also, as a bonus, I don't have to listen to 3 dc practice everyday because they just pop in the headphones. This is especially nice since I have one that will practice 2-3 hours a day on his own :001_smile:. In theory they can also record their songs, I can transfer them to the computer to save. I haven't tried this yet though.

[I talk to the trees]

Hmmm.... If they are not in lessons yet, perhaps you should wait a while before sinking that kind of cash into a keyboard. Nice used pianos can sometimes be found for a couple hundred dollars if you're willing to look around and be patient. (I have a dear friend that loves to remind me that she picked hers up at a moving sale for $50!) Ours is a beautiful old piano, with (most of) the original ivory keys, and we paid $250. I guess the point I am trying to make is that you don't want to sink thousands into an instrument that may well turn into just another thing to dust in the living room. No matter how badly you want your children to play the piano, it may not work out. (Trust me on this one. DD, the child of 2 musicians, took one year of lessons and then stonewalled on us. She's now making great progress on the recorder, but there were too many tears on both sides to go on with the piano.)

 

 

Oops! Edited to add: There is absolutely nothing wrong with the goals you have for your kids! Oh, and one more thing: If there is or may be a move in your future, the digital keyboard may be the way to go. I'm trying to decide if an emotional attachment to an instrument is reason enough to take our monster with us if and when we move.

 

-Robin

Edited December 14, 2008 by flutistmom

[gardening momma]

We bought a Yamaha Clavinova this past spring and have been really happy with it. Of all the pianos we looked at, I liked the Yamahas the best. We looked at real pianos and digitals, and the only real that I liked was $5000 :001_huh:. The Clavinova came in second, and it sounds and feels and plays like a real piano.

I took a piano class at college years ago (long, long ago), and they had Yamaha Clavinovas. They were very nice. My mom had a piano at home, so I know what a real piano feels like, and these were great. Weighted keys are the difference between a good digital piano/keyboard and a cheap one. Then there were real (acoustic) pianos in the testing rooms.

 

Dh has an Ensoniq Avista (digital keyboard). The kids are pounding away at it now. Sounds real to me!

[Michelle in MO]

to resemble the feel of a real piano, but since I played piano for a number of years, I can really tell the difference. It just isn't the same; the touch, the pedals, the sound, etc. I have heard that digital pianos hold up fairly well for piano teachers who have multiple students. All that banging around on a piano all day long does tend to be a little hard on some pianos!

 

I would second Colleen's suggestion: look in your newspaper, or the newspaper of a good-sized city near you (in case you're in a small town). You ought to be able to find a good, used piano that is still in good condition.

 

I would also highly recommend that you personally look at the sound board---is it made of a solid piece of hardwood, or sheets of hardwood that are glued together? The sound board is what makes the sound, so the better the construction and the wood, the better the tone will be. If you can find a Steinway, Boston, Yamaha, or Kawai within that price range, any of those would be a real find! A friend of mine bought a Samick (one of their brands is Kohler & Campbell); it has a nice tone, and it is a top-selling piano, but their sound board is made of the sheets of hardwood that are glued together. Now, that was about 6 years ago when I was checking out the specs on Samicks and Kohler & Campbell pianos, so that may have changed. Our piano tuner tells us that they don't hold up over time.

 

Find a good piano tuner who actually plays the piano. Most of them still do, and many of them are excellent pianists. If you decide to buy a piano, talk to a piano tuner (the ones that play piano themselves). They are an underused and underappreciated resource. They see the insides of pianos and tune them all the time, plus they perform repairs on pianos. They know which brands have good tone and hold up, and which don't. For a fee, you might be able to get a piano tuner to check out a piano with you. I would think it would be worth the money to have a piano tuner check out a piano that you're seriously interested in buying, especially to make sure that the sound board isn't cracked. If a piano has been well-cared for, it can last for many years, so an older piano isn't necessarily a bad piano.

 

Also, listen to the tone of the piano. Does it sound mellow and smooth, or tinny and brassy? Opt for the former sound, if you can. Check out the strings to make sure they're still in good shape (here's where a piano tuner comes in again). Also, play every single note, up and down the piano, to make sure that they don't stick. If they don't all play, or some of them stick, a tuner can tell you whether or not the problem is fixable.

 

Good luck with your search! Digital is not necessarily a bad choice, but I do think there's a real difference between a digital and a regular piano.

Edited December 14, 2008 by Michelle in MO
additional thoughts

[elegantlion]

I would hold out and look for a real piano. I sold mine when we moved and I miss it terribly. I have two inexpensive keyboards, but there is just something different about playing on the real thing.

 

I never had lessons but would sit for hours and play as a child. I simply can not do the same thing on the keyboard. Yamaha is my favorite brand for a keyboard and a clavinova has a good sound, but its just not the real thing.

 

I would look through papers, garage sales in the spring, even ask at the piano store. Perhaps someone is upgrading this time of year and looking to get rid of their old one.

[brehon]

to resemble the feel of a real piano, but since I played piano for a number of years, I can really tell the difference. It just isn't the same; the touch, the pedals, the sound, etc. I have heard that digital pianos hold up fairly well for piano teachers who have multiple students. All that banging around on a piano all day long does tend to be a little hard on some pianos!

 

I would second Colleen's suggestion: look in your newspaper, or the newspaper of a good-sized city near you (in case you're in a small town). You ought to be able to find a good, used piano that is still in good condition.

 

I would also highly recommend that you personally look at the sound board---is it made of a solid piece of hardwood, or sheets of hardwood that are glued together? The sound board is what makes the sound, so the better the construction and the wood, the better the tone will be. If you can find a Steinway, Boston, Yamaha, or Kawai within that price range, any of those would be a real find! A friend of mine bought a Samick (one of their brands is Kohler & Campbell); it has a nice tone, and it is a top-selling piano, but their sound board is made of the sheets of hardwood that are glued together. Now, that was about 6 years ago when I was checking out the specs on Samicks and Kohler & Campbell pianos, so that may have changed. Our piano tuner tells us that they don't hold up over time.

 

Find a good piano tuner who actually plays the piano. Most of them still do, and many of them are excellent pianists. If you decide to buy a piano, talk to a piano tuner (the ones that play piano themselves). They are an underused and underappreciated resource. They see the insides of pianos and tune them all the time, plus they perform repairs on pianos. They know which brands have good tone and hold up, and which don't. For a fee, you might be able to get a piano tuner to check out a piano with you. I would think it would be worth the money to have a piano tuner check out a piano that you're seriously interested in buying, especially to make sure that the sound board isn't cracked. If a piano has been well-cared for, it can last for many years, so an older piano isn't necessarily a bad piano.

 

Also, listen to the tone of the piano. Does it sound mellow and smooth, or tinny and brassy? Opt for the former sound, if you can. Check out the strings to make sure they're still in good shape (here's where a piano tuner comes in again). Also, play every single note, up and down the piano, to make sure that they don't stick. If they don't all play, or some of them stick, a tuner can tell you whether or not the problem is fixable.

 

Good luck with your search! Digital is not necessarily a bad choice, but I do think there's a real difference between a digital and a regular piano.

 

I agree with this entire post, especially about utilizing a (piano playing) tuner. A nice used piano, if that's at all possible, would be my choice were I in your position. I've personally never felt "right" using digital even though the keys were weighted. It was simply too different and I couldn't get the timbre I wanted on different pieces. Maybe I'm just too old, though, to appreciate the digital age (in more ways than just this).

[Remudamom]

When ours were little we bought a digital and love it. We did already have a "real" piano though, and have since bought a grand. At one point we had three pianos in the house.

 

But the digital is fun, and we still enjoy it, even though the grand is much..............grander.

[snickelfritz]

It was fairly expensive, but not the higher-end computer connected ones. It has full-size keys, weighted keyboard, etc..

 

We do not have the space for a full-size piano. Especially, not knowing if the kids will have an aptitude for it. And I wanted a piano. Something. They love to play on it and we loosely work through some piano lessons. Soon, I'll look into lessons from someone besides me.

 

If a child develops a serious interest, then we will make a decision about an acoustic piano. But, that's several years down the road. Just as people switch from piano to organ to violin....I think a kid could switch to an acoustic.

 

For YOUR stated goals: "learn music theory" and "play music of their choice" I would say to get whatever you can get and don't feel guilty if its digital. I think a good digital will be better than a bad acoustic. Make sure the keys are weighted and it's a full-size keyboard. They will probably have lots of fun picking different sounds to play their music with or adding drumbeats and such.

 

Just a sidenote--My sister and I took piano lessons and, later, organ lessons. By the end, I was teaching some younger students and my sister and I had a job playing the organ for a church in town. When we were junior high, my parents looked into a different piano. They considered a digital, but my piano teacher convinced them that for us to truly progress, we needed a baby grand.

 

I wish they had saved their money. I think they later wished they had gone with electronic. Neither of us were concert-quality. We were average, a dime a dozen, pianists that had 6 or 7 years of piano and 2 years of organ. We have the ability to play church music or play for fun, but I think sometimes professionals lose sight of what an average person is using a musical instrument for.

Edited December 14, 2008 by snickelfritz

[nmoira]

 

We are thinking of getting one that costs less than $3500, preferably closer to the $2000 range, so definitely not a top of the line digital by any means. I know we can also get a used, real piano for around the same price but I really don't like what you get for that price range since I would also like the piano to be a nice looking piece of furniture, kwim?;)

I would never pay that much for a "furniture" digital piano; unlike real pianos, a DP will significantly depreciate in value. Besides, it seems rather silly to me to pay for a facade to make it seem something it isn't. We purchased a stage piano (Roland FP-7) for about $1500 with the functionality of a much more expensive furniture piano. It feels good to me and has an acceptable sound (I tried everything I could get my hands on). If either of the girls stick with piano, we'll eventually upgrade to a real piano.

[beansprouts]

I am an acoustic snob.

 

I picked up my Kawai console used and in excellent condition for $1800.

[yvonne]

If you're serious about buying a piano or about finding out about the pros/cons of piano vs. electronic keyboard, I recommend spending some time looking through the PianoWorld.com forums. They are full of wonderful, knowledgeable piano lovers who are more than happy to share info and to help newbies figure out exactly what they need.

 

We were looking at purchasing a keyboard or piano last year. I spent hours on the Piano World forums reading archived posts by newbies and talking to people to sort out what we needed. The people there are fanastic! I thought it would be a slam-dunk, just tell me what to buy question because I really don't have any experience buying pianos/keyboards and the kids were just starting lesson. I figured I just wanted some good, "beginner" piano. As I researched, I found that there were indeed differences that even I could see/hear/feel that made a difference to me. The research was time well-spent.

 

(We decided on a piano and eventually purchased a beautiful looking & sounding used Yamaha piano off Craigs list at a steal of a price! I would never have known what to look for, what to beware of, or what a good price was if I hadn't checked out the forums first.)

 

yvonne

[nmoira]

 

If you're serious about buying a piano or about finding out about the pros/cons of piano vs. electronic keyboard, I recommend spending some time looking through the PianoWorld.com forums.

I heartily second this recommendation. :) Here is a link to the DP forum.

[abbeyej]

We inherited a "very good" digital Yamaha from my MIL. I hate it. And I hate that now that I have it, I can't lobby for a real piano. It's just as big as an upright piano would be, it's utterly hideous (so I won't allow it in the living room), and I just plain don't like not having a *real* piano. Yes, it's worlds better than "keyboards" were when I was a kid. It sounds very much like a piano. The keys are weighted.

 

... But it's so NOT the same. Really, really NOT.

[Michelle in MO]

I am an acoustic snob.

 

I picked up my Kawai console used and in excellent condition for $1800.

 

house and play on the Kawai. They make such a beautiful piano, with such a great tone! :)

 

I remember once wandering into a Steinway store and spent a pleasant half-hour or so there, drooling at the pianos. There was a stunning baby grand towards the front, made of burled rosewood, with a blue ribbon on it elegantly stating: "Reserved". It was sold, of course, but I guess at this Steinway store they don't carry red tags stating "Sold", but "Reserved" instead! The price tag was upwards of $70,000. What a beautiful instrument! Of course, we didn't buy anything there. But I just had to look.

 

Forgive me for indulging in this memory, but it was such a classy store to be in, and the pianos were beautiful. If I ever get to take a trip to New York City, one of my first stops is not going to be the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building, but the Steinway Piano Factory. I hope to take a tour there someday and see how they make those lovely instruments. :)

Edited December 14, 2008 by Michelle in MO
additional thoughts

[beansprouts]

house and play on the Kawai. They make such a beautiful piano, with such a great tone! :)

 

We have a small home, and the 42" console is a perfect fit, but the full tone is what sold me :001_smile:

[Michelle in MO]

We have a small home, and the 42" console is a perfect fit, but the full tone is what sold me :001_smile:

 

We have a Yamaha, which is a decent brand, and it's sturdy, with a good sound board. However, the tone is a little too "bright" for me---it's not at all tinny or brassy, but not that smooth, mellow tone, either. I'm happy with it, for the most part, but sometimes I wish I'd bought a really good used one. The Kawai has a great tone!

[KatieJ]

We bought a digital for our son when he was about 14 and in his 3rd year of lessons. I just didn't havethe time to search and wait and look for a good used piano. We went to a piano store near us during their big huge fall sale and honestly, the 30 yr old used ones, which one were not particularly nice in sound or looks, were the same price as the nicer brand new digital. Salesman talked us into the digital, altho it was not our intent when we arrived. My son plays it, but has played enough on really nice pianos that he knows the difference. It is not the same. He wants a grand piano. He is now in collge and I told him he needs to get his masters because not only will the grand piano cost him money, he will need a house big enough to have room for it! However, your kids are younger and digitals are great place to start. If you have kids that are great pianist, you can always upgrade later on. I have been told that digital retain their value nicely. (Headphones are a nice option too.)

[Danestress]

You definitely don't want to get a second rate one and then think you can work a miracle on him (it) with your womanly wiles (a tuner). Marry the man who is already what you want him to be, more or less. Same with a piano. Chastely date a keyboard in your youth, and then marry something really nice:)

 

There are just so many really really bad upright pianos out there, and a good tuner can't solve their problems. I think it would be a terrible mistake to fall for the "any acoustic is better than a digital" falacy. There are digitals that are very very nice. I don't like playing them as much as a fine piano, but I like them far better than many uprights I have played on.

 

I think what I would do is to buy an upper-end keyboard for now - a 88 weighted key piano with a nice feel and sound. You should be able to do that for around $1000 - or less if you can find one used. Don't pay extra for Queen Anne legs or any of that nonsense. Just get a decent sounding keyboard that has a nice feel and sound.

 

Then later, after my kids put in the time and dedication to practicing and after I saved up money, I would start looking for my "forever" piano. But I would not buy a piano without the help of a really good music teacher or a friend who is an experienced musician. Truly, you can end up with such a really awful acoustic piano, and you don't want that. My parents bought a $10,000 gorgeous piano that could NOT be made to play really beautifully no matter what any tuner did.

[Tap]

I haven't read any of the other posts, but here is a little suggestion just in case no one has mentioned it. Try calling a tuner and ask if they have a suggestion to buy a good piano. They sometimes have good leads on used pianos.

 

 

I was given an old piano by a family member. The piano was from a relative who passed. The piano is not gorgeous, but is a nice simple antique looking piano. The original owner taught lessons on it for years so I took a chance that it was a good one, and figured I could sell it if I wasn't happy with it. The tuner who came, said that to replace the great sound on a modern piano, would cost over $20,000. My only cost was of having it moved, and tuned. I only say this because the tuner knew the value based on the sound, not the looks...he was blind. To me I would rather have the sound than the pretty...KWIM. The tuner is part of a school that sells donated pianos after they are repaired and refurbished so if you have something similar in your area, you may want to look into it.

 

Maybe with the economy being what it is, you may get a good deal on a good sound and pretty one. :0)

[LMA]

We have a digital piano. My famous brand grand piano is in storage in a piano facility because we are renovating and we can't bring it in the house till the renovations are done because of the dust. Otherwise, it will cost a pretty penny just to clean the piano.Thus, I can still practice piano with my digital.

 

I didn't read the other posts, but here are a couple things to consider.

 

1. A digital piano is much easier to move than any acoustic piano. I have moved four times with the thing in a box (comes apart) and it has been great. And you can put it against an outside wall.

 

2. My digital piano emulates a famous brand piano (don't remember which one). The technology is fabulous and the sound is just like a real piano. My piano teacher who is highly regarded in his field nationally says that digital pianos have come a long way and he does not have a problem with students practicing on them. He says that any piano is good if the student is using it. He finds that the students/parents who complain about digitals not being good enough don't practice enough.

 

3. You can get a decent piano for the price you mentioned. Try lots of them. Get one with weighted key action and all three pedals. There are other features such as recording that come in handy.

 

4. A digital piano is NOT a keyboard. People confuse the two. They make look similar, but for $2,000 you are getting a decent piano. Do not look at keyboards if you want a digital piano.

 

5. Look at both kinds of pianos anyway for comparison's sake. There is nothing wrong with an acoustic, but do not just settle for an acoustic piano because it is free or cheap. Many such pianos need to be looked at by a technician to tell you if it is worth moving such a piano. I know many people now stuck with an old heavy piano that can't be tuned and no one will move for them. A used piano is not always better.

 

Louise

[texascamps]

Our music teacher recommended a digital piano vs. a traditional piano. A piano is just a piano. A digital keyboard/piano can be many things and can provide other ways to make music.

[coffeefreak]

Here's my take on it:

 

1. Buy the cheapest keyboard you can find and let her try that for 6 months to a year.

2. If she shows she likes it and you want her to continue, consider renting a piano until you can find a good used one.

 

My daughter started off on a $100 Casio Keyboard a little over a year ago. Once we realized how much she loved it and that she would continue it, I started looking for used pianos. She loved the Keyboard so much, she broke middle C off from use!:lol: I was ready to rent a piano, when a friend sold me hers used for $500. It's not my Mom's Yamaha, and it's not concert quality, but it's a piano. Some day we'll get a new one, but this does fine for now.

 

FWIW our first teacher wasn't thrilled she was on a keyboard, and really had a hard time with it. We found a new teacher who loves music so much, she wants everyone to experience it, even if they can't afford/accommodate a full piano. She even lets her students with keyboards pick, "voices" for recital. DD played Edelweiss with an organ sound to it and it was perfect!:001_wub: I just want my kids to love music as much as I do.

[Matryoshka]

We have a real piano, but two players, and they're practicing enough now that I really need them to be practicing simultaneously rather than sequentially, so we just bought a digital piano as well. The teacher recommended a Yamaha, and we bought an entry-level digital piano (p85), which retails for $599 but we were able find a bundle deal that included a furniture stand, bench, headphones, etc. for a bit less than that (which would normally be about $150 more).

 

I don't know that I'd want to be without a real piano, but there's definitely a big (positive) difference between a digital piano with weighted keys and a regular keyboard.

 

One bonus, for me - the digital piano didn't come with all those annoying "bonus" sounds, just piano, organ, harpsichord and strings - my brother has a keyboard that has dogs barking (among many many other annoying sounds).

[Peela]

I never thought I would like a digital but I love ours. It takes up less space. The sound is really good. Dd has no trouble playing a real one- they all feel different anyway. The best feature of our digital that I enjoy is being able to record one hand and replay it while playing the other hand. Great for learning a piece separate hands.

[orangearrow]

What a timely post! lol We just started looking into a digital piano or keyboard for my oldest daughter. She's been practicing for a few months now with a little, cheapie keyboard while I've been searching for pianos and trying to decide where, exactly, we will put one.

 

We saw a digital keyboard tonight at Sam's Club for around $800 - it's probably not the top-of-the-line anything (it's a Yamaha something or another) but I LOVE that it has the metronome built in, she can use headphones to practice (yay for my ears!!), and that we can put it up in her room or move it into the front room if we choose to do so.

 

Truthfully, the mere issue of having to hire movers to move a piano into the house and then find a place where it can sit forever was just too daunting for me. lol (We rearrange furniture every couple of months around here) So, I'm now searching for reviews on the digital piano, but so far haven't found anything too terrible. I know it's not quite like playing on a "real" piano, but it has graded (or is it graduated?) weighted keys and that should be plenty good enough for her to determine if she reeeeally loves playing piano... :) .

[StephanieF]

Haven't read all the posts but we have one and it is the best thing we have ever bought! Actually, ds is currently playing it! I can get them to practice with the headphones-a big plus!!! They can make different instrument sounds plus they are beginning to use the record function. With ours you are able to insert a disc too and ds9 has learnt to play music following the lit up notes-not reading music I know but it got him to practice several times a day for weeks.

For me the most important thing is that they enjoy playing the piano and with this they can do so much more than they would beable to if we had an ordinary one.

It is portable and doesn't need to be tuned-a definate plus and the keys are weighted-I wouldn't have bought one where they weren't.

 

I learnt on a propper piano and this is much more fun!

Perhaps you can rent one if you aren't sure about the $$$$$$$$

Stephanie

[Terri NS]

We have a digital piano too (Yamaha Clavinova) and I love it. We have moved frequently so I put off getting the dc into piano (I didn't want a keyboard) until someone suggested digital. DH and I can even move it on our own once it is dismantled. It sounds beautiful and my dd does not have any issues playing between acoustic and digital. My DH loves the head phones, because the music room is near the TV. DD won't use them though, to her they don't sound right and I must admit I'd rather hear piano music floating through the house than TV.

[PineFarmMom]

We have a real piano that was given to us. It is nice looking, though just a basic piano. We have a tuner come to our home every so often. We had at least 2 other opportunities to purchase a relatively inexpensive piano around the time we received this one. I think we were looking at around $500-$800 for a used piano, and they looked nice. They, of course, didn't look like a grand or anything, but as far as a nice piece of furniture, the one we have and all the others look nice in a room.

 

I will say, though, that we had a keyboard when we started piano lessons. It was loaned to us. We chose that route before sinking money into an instrument our children wouldn't be interested in. As it turned out, my oldest loves to play, so then we were able to get more serious about a piano search. We much prefer the real piano to the keyboard, though I know that is different than a digital piano. If you did anything, I think trying a less-expensive route like a keyboard until you find out if your family will pursue piano would be wiser than purchasing a digital keyboard for that amount of $$. Either that or holding out for a nice used one. If I was going to spend $3500, it would be for a real piano.

 

Teresa

[Michelle in MO]

There are just so many really really bad upright pianos out there, and a good tuner can't solve their problems. I think it would be a terrible mistake to fall for the "any acoustic is better than a digital" falacy. There are digitals that are very very nice. I don't like playing them as much as a fine piano, but I like them far better than many uprights I have played on.

 

to imply that a tuner can solve all of the problems of a bad upright piano. I know that they can't. But, if the OP finds what appears to her to be a good upright or even baby grand piano, I would definitely recommend hiring a good piano tuner to come and check out the piano with her. A good tuner can see things that the average buyer and pianist cannot see. So, my point was not that a good tuner can fix everything---simply that they can save someone a lot of $$$ by checking out a piano on behalf of the purchaser. First, I would look in the want ads in the newspaper, and I would check good piano names first (i.e., Steinway, Boston, Kawai, Yamaha, etc.). Then I would call the seller and ask questions: how old is the piano? where is it kept in the house? (i.e., against an inside wall, preferably) has it been tuned regularly? do all of the keys play well? Then I would check out the piano personally and play every single key, up and down, and play around with it for a while, listening to the tone. I would check the cabinet and make sure the wood is in good condition, and the keys as well (i.e., not chipped or broken). If that all checked out OK, then I would call a piano tuner and have him/her personally come to the house and check out the piano. It would probably take around an hour of the tuner's time. For us, that would cost around $65.00, but it would be well worth the money spent in order to have a used piano thoroughly checked out.

 

 

 

Our music teacher recommended a digital piano vs. a traditional piano. A piano is just a piano. A digital keyboard/piano can be many things and can provide other ways to make music.

 

I would have to politely disagree. Not all pianos are created equal. :) Digital pianos are wonderful, but they simply do not have the same "touch" or feel as a regular piano, and I have played on some of the very best digital pianos. I have a friend who owns a very expensive Clavinova, and although it is a beautiful instrument, it still doesn't feel the same to me as a regular piano.

 

But, each has their own opinion on this matter, but to me (and I did play classical piano for many years) digital and regular pianos are still very different from each other in their "touch" or action.

 

The bottom line is that many here have given good advice, both in favor of digital pianos and in favor of traditional pianos. My advice to the OP would be to check out both options carefully. Yes, there are some very bad used pianos. However, a good used piano with a good name (like the ones I mentioned earlier---Steinway, Boston, Kawai, Yamaha) which has been lovingly and well-cared for would definitely be my personal preference over a digital piano any day.

Edited December 15, 2008 by Michelle in MO
additional thoughts

[coffeefreak]

My advice to the OP would be to check out both options carefully. Yes, there are some very bad used pianos. However, a good used piano with a good name (like the ones I mentioned earlier---Steinway, Boston, Kawai, Yamaha) which has been lovingly and well-cared for would definitely be my personal preference over a digital piano any day.

 

I agree, and I want to add, our used piano is a Wurlitzer and it's fine. It's no Yamaha or Steinway, but it was $500 and worth it. Don't feel like you have to spend a fortune on a used piano for the name. Take a tuner to make sure it's in decent shape, but it doesn't have to be a certain name when you're starting out.

 

Michelle, my mother doesn't play her Yamaha. My sister calls it her expensive curio cabinet. The next time she goes out of town, I'm going to hire movers, break into her house, and take it for my dd. Yamaha rocks:D