Getting a piano for a beginner

I often get asked for advice on buying a piano for a beginner pianist and in many ways my response is fairly simple - buy the best you can afford.  Often when pupils start piano lessons parents are wondering whether the pupil will stick at it and perhaps therefore don't want to fork out too much money on an instrument incase the pupil decides after 6 months or a year that they don't want to continue.  I've had parents ask me before if a very cheap keyboard will do the job and even a roll up keyboard.  There have been times when I've seen the instruments pupils are having to play at home and I suddenly understand why they're not keen to do any practise!  They perhaps have a very cheap small keyboard or an old piano which is badly out of tune with many notes not working.  A decent instrument will be a joy to play and therefore encourage a pupil to want to practise and make progress in their piano studies.

Obviously the best option is to buy a good real piano.  However, this can often cost £2000 or more and spending less than this on a piano can be risky.  The next best option is to get a digital piano.  While nothing is quite the same as a real piano, modern digital pianos are very good.  If you can get an instrument with 88 keys and a good weighted action it should be suitable for a pupil to practise on right up to quite an advanced standard.

A cheaper keyboard has several disadvantages.  Firstly the keys aren't weighted and therefore will have a very different feel to a real piano. Secondly, many cheaper keyboards are not touch sensitive meaning the pianist can't bring out the expressive qualities of the music.  Finally most keyboards don't have 88 keys and as the pupil progresses on to more complicated music they will find they are running out of keys.

I've also seen situations where pupils don't have the right stand or stool for their keyboard. I even once had a pupil tell me he practises while lying on the bed!  Obviously its essential that the instrument is at the right height so the pupil learns to sit correctly and play with the right posture.

One other option is to look into renting an instrument or a hire purchase scheme.  Pinkham pianos, for example, have an excellent scheme where you can hire a piano from £10 per week with the option to buy. A decent instrument will also hold its value well and therefore can be a good investment.