Music BlogPicking the right piano/keyboard for your lessons

When you are starting your piano lesson journey you have so many questions.  Will your piano teacher be nice?  Will you get to play songs you like?  How long will it take me to learn?  And of course what type of piano or keyboard should I have to start with?  We will answer all of these questions in our music lesson blog.  Today’s question is about having the right piano or keyboard.

What kind of piano/keyboard is ok?

Let’s begin by saying that a simple keyboard is fine in the beginning as long as it has touch sensitive keys and at the very least 68 keys.  Touch sensitive means that it sounds louder when you press the key harder and it sounds softer when you hit the keys lighter.  This is very important at all levels.  You really don’t want your music to be the same volume all the time because you can lose much of the emotion you are trying to convey.

What kind of piano/keyboard is not ok?

Keyboards with less than 68 keys should not be used in the beginning.  There is simply not enough range to be able to play all the music you get in your lessons.  We already mentioned that touch sensitivity is important.  If it does not have this it’s not ok to start with.

What is the ideal instrument to learn on?

There are a few things that make for an ideal instrument to learn the piano on.  Keep in mind that (as mentioned earlier) a simple keyboard is ok for the beginning but it will not serve you long term.  If you plan to enjoy playing for many years you will need a decent instrument that will not hinder your progress.  Please note that we don’t feel either way about acoustic or digital pianos as long as they offer the same features and quality needed for effective learning.  Digital pianos are very common and the technology is very advanced.  A high quality digital piano can be just as effective as an acoustic piano when learning and performing.

The ideal instrument has:

1. 88 keys.  This will allow you to perform any music that is written for the piano.
2. Touch sensitive keys to allow for a full range of emotion in your playing.
3.  Weighted keys so that it feels like a piano should.  It’s even better to have hammer action.  Hammer action replicates the exact feel of real acoustic piano.  Here’s a great article on the differences between weighted keys and hammer action:  https://fireinsidemusic.com/hammer-action-vs-weighted-keys/

 

The most important thing:

Getting started and having fun!  At the end of the day what matters the most is that you are learning and enjoying the process.  Taking piano lesson can be so rewarding!  In fact it’s the most popular instrument at our music schools.

So, now that you have decided on which piano/keyboard to start with call us today to arrange your first lesson.