Piano & Keyboard Gear Guide
Learning music is a powerful experience that provides students with skills that benefit them in many areas of life. This process requires practice at home on a quality instrument to reinforce and expand on the instruction given in private lessons.
While an upright piano in the living room used to be the sign of a cultured home, improvements in digital technology have made digital piano keyboards a very useful, accessible alternative to acoustic pianos, being easier to move and not requiring professional tuning and maintenance. However, along with the many quality keyboard options available, there are many keyboard pianos that do not provide students with the functionality they need to properly learn the instrument. While these low quality keyboards are attractive because of their lower price, they tend to make learning the piano a frustrating experience instead of a joyous experience.
Required Features:
Learning the piano absolutely requires a touch-sensitive keyboard and at least semi-weighted keys, though fully weighted keys are extremely helpful from the beginning and become necessary by the 2nd-3rd year of lessons to build proper finger strength and expressive control. A full size keyboard is 88 keys, and even beginning piano repertoire often depends on the full range of the instrument, so 61- and 76-key options become problematic rather quickly.
Minimum Option:
For around $250, the Alesis Recital (https://a.co/i35z2ga) gets you a basically proficient instrument with semi-weighted keys, functional musical expression, and a sustain pedal. The feel of the instrument is noticeably less responsive than higher quality instruments. This would only be sufficient for the first 1-3 years of development, but it can help a student to get started on a very limited budget.
Typical Recommendation:
The fully weighted keys of a step up entry level instrument like the $440 Yamaha P45 (https://a.co/e5ppo8S) are very helpful from the beginning and become increasingly necessary as a student learns intermediate repertoire. This instrument is also available with an elegant wood stand if you prefer a furniture look. (https://a.co/bK4NKGs). The P45 could be a lifetime instrument, and it’s also available and competitively priced in Stockton at Clancy’s Music. Purchasing from local music stores like this supports the musical culture of our city in many ways.
Preferred Recommendation:
If you want more features (additional voices, synthesizer-style controls, etc), the Yamaha DGX-670 (https://a.co/d/18CNznP) at around $850 keeps the same digital piano quality while adding these versatile features that open up a whole world of creative options. This is likewise available with a wood stand, and carried locally at competitive prices.
Higher Tier:
There are certainly many instruments with more features available with a budget of $1,000-2,000. Console pianos like the Yamaha Arius and Casio Privia series provide the look and feel of a traditional upright piano with matching benches available. More feature-rich stage pianos and digital arranger workstations generally require some musical and technical understanding in order to buy an instrument that fits your particular expressive and creative goals, and these can cost upwards of $3,000.
Accessories:
Your student will need a quality keyboard stand, and if you don’t get a furniture style stand designed for the instrument, this is an example of a good value stand. You want this to be sturdy so your keyboard doesn’t crash to the floor. You can find similar options in local music stores.
ChromaCast GoDpsMusic CC-KSTAND Double Braced X-Style Pro Series Keyboard Stand https://a.co/8N8CtbE
The Yamaha adjustable piano bench is a good value as well. The adjustable height of the piano bench allows the student to have their elbows and wrists positioned correctly and comfortably above the keys.
Yamaha OEM PKBB1 Adjustable Padded Keyboard X-Style Bench, Black, 19.5 inches https://a.co/dl3FT28
The piano student will also need a quality piano-style sustain pedal. The square pedals that come with some of the instruments make expressive control unnecessarily difficult. If the instrument does not come with a piano-style pedal, this is a good option:
M-Audio SP-2 - Universal Sustain Pedal https://a.co/d/hcyvMBk
Our Instruments:
In our studio, lessons are taught on a Yamaha S80 digital stage piano. Its original price was $3,000 before it was discontinued in 2002, and we purchased it as a used instrument for $750 back in 2012. It has a fully-weighted keyboard with a whole host of advanced features, but it lacks the convenience of the built-in speakers on the instruments we recommend here.
In our home, our own children play on a vintage Story & Clark spinet size upright piano (acoustic) that cost $40 used, plus the cost of a moving truck, ramps and dollies, and a $200 piano tuning that will need to be repeated every few years - not to mention a dozen hours spent researching, shopping, and coordinating the move and setup. Acoustic pianos are a significant commitment, but we have been amazed how often our children’s fingers (ages 1-13) find the keys of that piano - since it’s always “on” - as they start plunking out the theme song of the current favorite video game, lullabies and learning songs, or just an exploration of musical sounds. Seeing how our cheap acoustic piano with chipped keys has saturated our home with music, we wish we had taken the step sooner.
Used Instruments:
Used instruments can help you to get a higher quality instrument at a lower budget, but care is required in checking the condition of the instrument. Buying used instruments from reputable retailers (e.g. Music Go Round, Guitar Center) can help ensure the functionality of instruments, though even these are not foolproof. If you have an instrument in mind, send the listing our way and we’ll try to take a look.
Questions?
We are happy to help new, prospective, and established students through the shopping process. Let us know what your budget and preferences are, and we can help you to find the best instrument for you.
While an upright piano in the living room used to be the sign of a cultured home, improvements in digital technology have made digital piano keyboards a very useful, accessible alternative to acoustic pianos, being easier to move and not requiring professional tuning and maintenance. However, along with the many quality keyboard options available, there are many keyboard pianos that do not provide students with the functionality they need to properly learn the instrument. While these low quality keyboards are attractive because of their lower price, they tend to make learning the piano a frustrating experience instead of a joyous experience.
Required Features:
Learning the piano absolutely requires a touch-sensitive keyboard and at least semi-weighted keys, though fully weighted keys are extremely helpful from the beginning and become necessary by the 2nd-3rd year of lessons to build proper finger strength and expressive control. A full size keyboard is 88 keys, and even beginning piano repertoire often depends on the full range of the instrument, so 61- and 76-key options become problematic rather quickly.
Minimum Option:
For around $250, the Alesis Recital (https://a.co/i35z2ga) gets you a basically proficient instrument with semi-weighted keys, functional musical expression, and a sustain pedal. The feel of the instrument is noticeably less responsive than higher quality instruments. This would only be sufficient for the first 1-3 years of development, but it can help a student to get started on a very limited budget.
Typical Recommendation:
The fully weighted keys of a step up entry level instrument like the $440 Yamaha P45 (https://a.co/e5ppo8S) are very helpful from the beginning and become increasingly necessary as a student learns intermediate repertoire. This instrument is also available with an elegant wood stand if you prefer a furniture look. (https://a.co/bK4NKGs). The P45 could be a lifetime instrument, and it’s also available and competitively priced in Stockton at Clancy’s Music. Purchasing from local music stores like this supports the musical culture of our city in many ways.
Preferred Recommendation:
If you want more features (additional voices, synthesizer-style controls, etc), the Yamaha DGX-670 (https://a.co/d/18CNznP) at around $850 keeps the same digital piano quality while adding these versatile features that open up a whole world of creative options. This is likewise available with a wood stand, and carried locally at competitive prices.
Higher Tier:
There are certainly many instruments with more features available with a budget of $1,000-2,000. Console pianos like the Yamaha Arius and Casio Privia series provide the look and feel of a traditional upright piano with matching benches available. More feature-rich stage pianos and digital arranger workstations generally require some musical and technical understanding in order to buy an instrument that fits your particular expressive and creative goals, and these can cost upwards of $3,000.
Accessories:
Your student will need a quality keyboard stand, and if you don’t get a furniture style stand designed for the instrument, this is an example of a good value stand. You want this to be sturdy so your keyboard doesn’t crash to the floor. You can find similar options in local music stores.
ChromaCast GoDpsMusic CC-KSTAND Double Braced X-Style Pro Series Keyboard Stand https://a.co/8N8CtbE
The Yamaha adjustable piano bench is a good value as well. The adjustable height of the piano bench allows the student to have their elbows and wrists positioned correctly and comfortably above the keys.
Yamaha OEM PKBB1 Adjustable Padded Keyboard X-Style Bench, Black, 19.5 inches https://a.co/dl3FT28
The piano student will also need a quality piano-style sustain pedal. The square pedals that come with some of the instruments make expressive control unnecessarily difficult. If the instrument does not come with a piano-style pedal, this is a good option:
M-Audio SP-2 - Universal Sustain Pedal https://a.co/d/hcyvMBk
Our Instruments:
In our studio, lessons are taught on a Yamaha S80 digital stage piano. Its original price was $3,000 before it was discontinued in 2002, and we purchased it as a used instrument for $750 back in 2012. It has a fully-weighted keyboard with a whole host of advanced features, but it lacks the convenience of the built-in speakers on the instruments we recommend here.
In our home, our own children play on a vintage Story & Clark spinet size upright piano (acoustic) that cost $40 used, plus the cost of a moving truck, ramps and dollies, and a $200 piano tuning that will need to be repeated every few years - not to mention a dozen hours spent researching, shopping, and coordinating the move and setup. Acoustic pianos are a significant commitment, but we have been amazed how often our children’s fingers (ages 1-13) find the keys of that piano - since it’s always “on” - as they start plunking out the theme song of the current favorite video game, lullabies and learning songs, or just an exploration of musical sounds. Seeing how our cheap acoustic piano with chipped keys has saturated our home with music, we wish we had taken the step sooner.
Used Instruments:
Used instruments can help you to get a higher quality instrument at a lower budget, but care is required in checking the condition of the instrument. Buying used instruments from reputable retailers (e.g. Music Go Round, Guitar Center) can help ensure the functionality of instruments, though even these are not foolproof. If you have an instrument in mind, send the listing our way and we’ll try to take a look.
Questions?
We are happy to help new, prospective, and established students through the shopping process. Let us know what your budget and preferences are, and we can help you to find the best instrument for you.