Quick question: How much does a piano cost?

A worthwhile, new acoustic piano will cost $5000+

A good second-hand piano may cost $2000+

A good, new digital will cost $2500+

A good, new keyboard will cost $350+

A good second hand keyboard will cost $50+

Now, on we go...

I am Stephen The Magnificent, and I can see through the mists of time. Journey with me now, into the future (oooooo, spooky!)

I see two different possibilities...

(1) a student will practise, their playing will improve, and they will continue for several years;

Or...

(2) a student will NOT practise; they won't improve, they'll get bored, and they'll drop out.

Wow, this psychic thing is pretty easy, huh!

Let's Deal With Option 2 First (the 'Drop Out' option)

It isn't reasonable to spend a fortune a piano, only to find that after six months the students wants to quit.

You'd be better advised to buy a keyboard to begin with...

Now, Option 1 (the 'Practise & Improve' option)

If a student is going to progress to higher grades, they'll need a GOOD instrument (not just an adequate one). This may cost lots of money.

However, it is unreasonable to buy an expensive instrument on the off-chance that a student will continue for several years.

Yet it is also unreasonable to purchase a medium price instrument that won't do them for higher grades (since you'll only have to go out and buy the more expensive instrument).

The best suggestion: buy a keyboard for now, save your money, then buy a really good piano (preferably digital) when they need it.

What's The Solution?

The best idea is to begin with a GOOD keyboard.

A GOOD keyboard will have the following features:

• 61 keys (or five octaves)

• touch sensitivity (the harder you press, the louder the note)

• a pedal jack, to allow students to use a sustain pedal

• a keyboard stand (so that the keyboard is the correct height, and so that the keyboard is ready for practise whenever required). Let's be sexist (but honest): boys will practise when the thought occurs to them, but if they have to clear the kitchen table, find the power adaptor, drag the keyboard out of the wardrobe, get their music books... you get the idea... well, they won't be sticking to piano lessons.

It would be useful (but not essential) if a keyboard had the following:

• MIDI - to allow connection to a computer. With MIDI, students can use a range of software to improve their note reading, theory, aural and sight reading skills, and even compose. With MIDI, students can play a note on the keyboard, and have it appear on the screen as music notation! They can then play it back, and fix notes using the mouse.

• General MIDI (or GM2). This standard means that students can utilize any of the thousands of GM backings available for education and performance.

• USB. These ports, found on computers, can be used with a standard USB Flash Drive to store or transfer songs or homework exercises between a computer and the keyboard, or from music lessons to home. They can also be used instead of a standard MIDI cable.

• A built-in recorder. Students can record themselves, and follow their music on playback to see if they've made any mistakes.

• Built-in metronome. Let's students keep in time, do their scales, and improve their speed (and saves you having to buy a real one!).

So, what's a GOOD Keyboard?

Yamaha and Roland both make good keyboards. Roland are better, but their more expensive. For beginners, I'd therefore recommend one of the entry level Yamaha keyboards.

Click HERE to see current models. The PSR-E313 & E401 are probably the best value.

Another good alternative is to look for second-hand Kawai X-Series keyboards, in particular the X-130, X-140 and X-150. These superb keyboards may be eight years old, but they are still better (MUCH better) than many of the new atrocities pedalled by the chain stores.

What Next?

Either your child won't practise, and you'll have a only bought a keyboard, and not an expensive piano, or they will practise...

After two years or so, you'll know whether they are committed to continuing.

Now is the time to invest in a serious piano.

I Would Recommend A Digital Piano

I know that some teachers still say that digitals are not as good as traditional acoustic pianos. Well, that's true... if the acoustic piano is a $20,000 dollar Kawai, Yamaha, or Schimmel etc.

But realistically, Digital pianos surpassed most upright pianos in quality about a decade ago.

Certainly they will never replace a Bosendorfer, Steinway or Kawai 9ft Concert grand the Opera Houses of the world, but for home use they mostly run circles around most of the Korean pianos.

About 15 years ago, many digital pianos were not fully weighted, and did not have proper pedals etc. For this reason the AMEB had a list of approved pianos. Today, even less expensive makes of digital piano meet these requirements without difficulty, and the AMEB (one assumes in tacit recognition of the fact) deleted their approved list (see AMEB News, July 2006).

Consider the alternatives...

Many students learn on pianos that are 50 years old (or more...). They don't tune them regularly (or at all), nor are they re-felted, re-strung or regulated. Most of these pianos are what is colloquially known as "ships anchors".

Or, students purchase one of the many "German" pianos that are available. The current AMEB Manual is filled with ads for these (such as Bechstein, WM. Knabe, Alex Steinbach etc).

The sad joke is that these are all made in Korea.

There are two main Korean piano manufacturers, between them making some 37 different brands of piano. 

When I used to work for RH Elvy (at that time one of Australia's largest piano specialist retailers) we had several "German" pianos side by side, in slightly different colours. People would prefer one "make" over another. Yet a brief look inside would have revealed that
all were plainly stamped with the seal of the same manufacturer.

These companies have bought the names of many of the great piano companies of the 1880's and the early 20th century. But the pianos are built in Korea.

One manufacturer boasts that the actions are made by Pratt-Read. This is a company that made metal components for pianos in 1798 (yes, over 200 years ago...). Now they make... well, find out for yourself at their website:

http://www.pratt-read.com/

Ads in the current AMEB handbook boast "celebrating 150 years of the world's finest piano from Germany", which raise two questions: 

• (1) what about Bosendorfer and Schimmel, and 

• (2) aren't they made in Korea?

OK, Bosendorfer is from Austria, but you know what I mean!

Another ad proudly shows that their piano uses wooden rails to connect the pedals to the piano action, not metal like some other manufacturers (those manufacturers including Steinway, Schimmel, Kawai etc)

The websites for these companies proudly show their achievements (Debussy said we were good; we won a contract to supply Japanese schools) hoping that you won't notice that these accomplishments were 100 years ago!

Debussy died in 1918 - he hasn't given any endorsements recently...

Another website proclaims that their soundboards are laminated for extra strength and to prevent warping. However, laminated soundboards are often a mark of cheap piano construction, allowing little resonance of the piano soundboard required for a bel-canto sound.

For information about second-hand pianos and soundboards, follow these links:
The Piano Place - Piano Overview
Why older pianos with solid soundboards are better
Kawai acoustic piano features - solid soundboards
Yamaha acoustic piano features - solid soundboards
Schimmel piano design
Steinway uses solid spruce soundboards

One of my favourite urban legends concerns white salmon. The story goes that a company was stuck with a load of white salmon that they couldn't sell (because good salmon is pink). They consulted an advertising executive who told them to write "guaranteed not to go pink in the can" on each tin... and they quickly sold the lot!

(For details, see HERE...)

Seems strangely applicable to acoustic piano marketing...

In contrast, modern digital pianos are always in tune, are unaffected by temperature, can be easily moved, can be used with headphones, have a working sostenuto pedal etc etc etc

And here is an important feature...

A $5,000 piano will sound like a $5,000 piano; and a $20,000 piano will sound like a $20,000 piano.

But a $3,500 Roland will sound like a $150,000 piano because the sounds used by its digital chip are taken from an expensive concert grand piano, and the reverb simulates the conditions in the Opera House!

It will also sound like a baroque harpsichord, a symphony orchestra, an electric guitar, a french horn... you get the idea...

Students can compose using a computer (as they play each note, it will show up on the computer screen as sheet music!), utilize backings for education, move the piano around the house (or even take it to school or church if required)...

Try doing that with a traditional piano.

Lastly, Digital pianos pay for themselves...

Acoustic pianos should be tuned twice a year. Each tuning costs around $150 dollars. That's $3000 over ten years - about the cost for a good entry level digital piano.

The age of digital pianos is very firmly here...

Are Some Digital Pianos Better Than Others?

Oh yes...

Some digitals advertise "fully weighted" when all they have is stronger springs under the keys.

Some have pedals that only work in an ON-OFF fashion, not like the continuous smooth action of a real piano.

Some are "touch sensitive" (meaning they get louder as you hit the key harder), but that's exactly what they do - just get louder. A traditional piano will also dramatically change sound quality - soft sounds tend to be more mellow, loud sounds tend to be brighter (as the hammer hits the strings more violently).

Some don't allow interaction between notes (harmonic resonance). Try this experiment on a traditional piano: play a note. You'll hear the note. Now hold the Right Pedal (the 'Sustain' or 'Damper' pedal), and play the note again. This time you'll hear other notes softly playing as well. This sympathetic resonance is the same as when music makes glass vibrate, and adds to the richness of the piano sound.

There is a manufacturer that incorporates all these essential sound elements into their design: Roland.

This is why I use, recommend, and personally own several Roland instruments (I own an XV-88, and I teach on an HP-203, the latest model). 

Click HERE to see the latest models.

This web page was created on 20 November 2007
Last updated 20 November 2007