What Type of Piano Is Best For Beginners?
TL,DR: Get What You Can Afford. An Acoustic Piano or Digital with Real Keys would be the best option but A keyboard will do in the mean time.
Estimated Read Time⏰: 6 Minutes
Acoustic? Electric? A Keyboard, What Can you use?
You Have Decided That You Want to Learn Piano Or One of the Kids Is Interested but now you need to find out, What is the Best Type of Piano! Here’s the thing, there is whats the best? Whats the best you can afford and Also when kids are involved, what If I spend money on an instrument that ends up gathering dust……
The Absolute Best Option for Beginners Piano - Acoustic Piano
Budget is no problem, space is no problem and I am 100% Committed to spending the next 5 - 10 years Mastering the Piano…. Well then you go right out and buy an Acoustic Piano! You can pick up a nice upright from Brands like Steinhoven for smidgen under €4,000. If you want to push the boat out, grab one of the beautiful Yamaha Pianos like the P116SH Silent Piano for €10,000.
Ok, I’m being a little silly here but realistically an Acoustic Piano is a big investment but if it’s a real option for you then take a Look at Yamaha, Steinhoven, Boston or Bluthner. All of these are great Pianos for Beginners or people moving up from an Electric Piano.
Don’t Forget - Maintenance Costs
Just a reminder, if you choose to buy an Acoustic Piano you will have maintenance costs involved. Acoustic Piano’s should be tuned at least once per year, you should also ensure that you have you in a room which doesn’t have much temperature changes. Last but not least , if you are moving home you will need to have you Piano moved by specialist movers to ensure there is no damage. This kind of service normally starts somewhere around €400+
ProTip: If you have your heart set on an Acoustic Piano there can be great deals in the second hand market. Like buying a Second Hand Car, you should have it looked over by a Professional. Find a local Piano Tuner who can look at a second hand piano with you and pay them whatever fee. Trust me its worth it!
The Next Best Option for Beginners Piano - Digital / Electric Piano
Whats The Difference Between an Electric Piano and Digital Piano? They are the same thing
A Digital Piano is an 88 Note Digital Instruments with, in most cases, semi-weighted keys. The keys in a normal Piano have weight because they are strung to a hammer which strikes the Piano wires in the Piano. Modern Digital Pianos try to create a similar feel with modern Piano Keys. In some cases Brands will have a longer key to make the feel closer to a Concert (or Grand) Piano so there is lots of choice!
At the moment Digital Pianos start at around €800+, there are some brand who offer a cheaper option closer to €500+ but you need to be careful and check that the keys are Semi (or Full) Weighted. Piano’s around this price point are normally in a Cabinet which is a fancy way of saying they look like a Piano. They will also normally have the 3 Pedals which are on an Acoustic Piano (Soft, Sustain & Dampner Pedal)
What Brands To Trust When Buying a Digital Piano?
There are number of great Brand who have a wide range of Digital Pianos. Which Ones Can You Trust with your hard earned money? Well the Top Brands include; Yamaha, Roland & Casio. Kawai also feature as a strong contender along with a brand coming out of Italy, Medelli. Overall you will find most brand represented well with good value in bundles and packages.
ProTip: As with most things Digital, new models are always coming out. These updated models normally over a few extra options such as more sounds or extra functionality (adding Bluetooth etc). If you aren’t too bothered about lots of bells and whistles you can find a good deal on end of line Digital Pianos from larger retailers who are looking to move on old stock.
One More Thing On Buying Digital Pianos….
There’s another option, technically they are called “Stage Pianos” but they are essentially 88 Note Keyboards. Some brands offer Semi-Weighted keys (Nord, offer Fully Weighted Keys but they are more expensive). Stage Piano’s come in under the price of a regular Digital Piano, they’re more portable and they are more compact for putting into your home but….. they won’t offer the variety of sounds or feel of most Digital Pianos but they make for a great cheaper alternative. Again, going with the same brands as they Digital Pianos you will find great offerings from Yamaha, Casio, Roland etc.
Another Option for Beginner Piano Students to Buy
The Humble but functional Keyboard!
Ok, its not a Piano but it can do quite a lot of what you will be looking for at the start of your Piano lessons for a fraction of the cost! The main difference you are going to notice is that a Keyboard is 61 Notes and a Piano/Digital Piano/Stage Piano are 88 Notes. So eventually you are going to run out of keys…. When does this happen? Well unless you are steaming along at a rate of knots with your Piano Lessons you should be able to use a keyboard for about 18 months.
What Are The Drawbacks of a Keyboard?
Another issue with a Keyboard over a Piano is the feel of the keys and that fact that they are both thinner & lighter. This means when you play your getting a very different feel. Is it a huge issue? No! But if you are taking lessons on a regular Digital or Acoustic it can be a little off putting.
Ok The Verdict?
Yes, learning Piano as a Beginner on an Acoustic Piano would be absolutely amazing! It’s going to get you started with all the right tools but let’s face it, its not always an option. So let you budget dictate what is best for you, within that budget you need to factor in either taking Piano Lessons within someone like us or Learning Piano via an App Like Simply Piano or for Free On YouTube.
I did another dive into What’s The Difference Between Keyboard and Piano which you can take a look at here.