How can a student get a Beginners Piano?
For the budding pianist, having access to a beginners piano with which to practice is paramount. That said, even a beginners piano could be too expensive for the average student. So what options are there for beginners who need a Piano Keyboard to practice on?
Four options for beginner piano students on a budget.
1. Beginner Piano Keyboard
The most affordable solution is a keyboard like the Yamaha PSRE363 , which retails at $349. This keyboard has touch-sensitive keys, meaning it can play loud and soft notes. This depends upon the pianist use of expression in controlling the way the keys are struck. It also has rhythms and auto accompaniment, which can teach the player how to play in time. It will also help with learning chords. On top of this the Yamaha PSRE363 has a built in lesson function. The built in lessons show the player what notes to play in order to play a song.
Unweighted keys
Though the piano keyboard has touch sensitive keys, they are not ‘weighted’. This means the keys are light to press down unlike a piano keys, which are heavier to press down. Therefore although a student will learn the coordination required to play the piano, they will not learn to control the dynamics (louds and softs) of a real piano with this. Furthermore, the Yamaha PSRE363 is also not a full length keyboard, meaning it only has 61 of the 88 keys that a piano has.
2. Beginner digital piano
Amongst the digital pianos a model like the Yamaha P45B is a very popular affordable solution. Firstly, the Yamaha P45B has all 88 notes of a piano and the keys are both touch sensitive and weighted. Also called ‘Graded Hammer Action’, this means that the weights on each key are made to feel like the hammers an acoustic piano. They are heavy at the lower notes gradually get lighter at the higher notes.
Additionally, the P45B has headphone socket, USB port and metronome and comes with a music rest and sustain pedal. Students can use the P45B with a computer, however the keyboard is not ideal in a professional live situation. It is also possible for the P45B to attach to a H frame wooden stand or sit on an adjustable stand.
3. Renting a Piano
Another option for first time piano students who want to try piano is to rent. At Pats music we have a partnership with rental company ‘Studio 19’. Through Studio 19 a musician can choose a new digital or acoustic piano and try it out for a minimum of 6 months. After this time if they choose to stop learning or want to upgrade their piano they can return the instrument at no extra cost, with the exception of the cost of freight if required. However if the student wishes to continue with the instrument they can buy it out or keep renting it and pay it off over time.
4. 2nd hand Pianos (Gumtree or eBay)
When the budget is tight it can in some cases be worth checking out Gumtree, eBay or Facebook market place. The obvious risk purchasing 2nd hand items privately getting stuck with a faulty item. With brands like Yamaha, Roland or Kawai their manufacture warranties are not transferable so if something does go wrong the instrument the warranty may not be applicable, even if it is within the warranty period. When purchasing privately we recommend asking your teacher or a piano technician to help assess a second hand instrument before you buy it.