Digital piano help!

[SunflowerDuck]

Hello!

My child has passed grade 1 practicing mainly on an old keyboard - but needs a digital piano to practice on to continue. She's a good grade at flute so likely to keep practicing.

I've seen a Roland Fp10 second hand locally. Can anyone tell me if this is okay as a beginner digital piano? I'm not at all musical, and we have a tiny house so size is also a consideration.

I'm not imagining her going past grade 5 at piano as she's started late/flutes her main thing but she is doing gcse music and wants to improve her piano.

Any thoughts?

You need weighted keys and pedals. I'm not sure it has pedals but normally you can buy those separately. I would check that out first.

As long as it has weighted keys and pedals ( sometimes you have to buy the separately it'll be more than fine.

It has weighted keys according to this list. And it looks like only one pedal. Is that enough for basic grades?

Thanks so much.

If you’re paying that much, I can recommend a Yamaha digital piano (yours may be good, but I don’t know them).

I'm not buying new but looking at second hand- so googling the models. This is the entry level Roland. I have no idea whether yamaha or Roland entry level ones are better!

It looks like Roland fp10 has 1 pedal and fp30 3 pedals - but it looks bulkier to me so will take up more of her room.

It's all just so much money even second hand- but her keyboard doesn't have enough keys for her grade 2 piece 😳

it does look good tbh. roland is a good brand and together with yamaha are used in schools as versatile instruments.

does it come with a stand? we had the choice between a 'travel' stand or a wooden frame stand that looks more like the picture you posted.

we have a yamaha p something and the teens are working towards grade 5 now. it's fine for practicing but they also can practice on a 'real' piano at school.

We have a keyboard stand that she currently uses... some of the second hand ones have the wooden surround.

Does yours have 1 pedal? Is it enough?

And well done girls for getting to grade 5! Yes I think my child could use a practice room at school and possibly at grandparents as well as music teachers but for daily practice it will be a digital one if we can find an affordable (!!) Second hand one. Dont want to spend all that money and get it wrong.

I found this forum really helpful when in a similar situation.
forum.pianoworld.com

it only has one pedal.
which has been fine so far.
when we bought it we never thought dc would get this far!

if they want to continue further we might consider an upgrade.

I asked the piano instructor to ensnare for suitability when I had this problem!

Evaluate not ensnare....

One pedal is fine. You only need the sustain pedal. I passed grade 6 when I was young and I don’t know what the other pedals are for! I think one mutes the sound but I have never seen any pieces using them. You need 88 weighted keys and one pedal at a minimum.

They are called digital pianos, not keyboards. That should get you the correct ones.

We bought a Kawai a few years ago and it's proved to be quite satisfactory. I can't remember the model sorry, but it wasn't one of their higher end ones as we just needed a stand in whilst our piano was away being restrung. It's nothing fancy but would be plenty good enough for the earlier grades. DS complains that the pedals don't feel very realistic but I wouldn't think that would be an issue for the first few grades at least.

Thanks that's great that 1 pedal is fine.

As for calling them digital pianos - I've reread my title and OP and that is what I've asked for help with? I'm not sure of the point. She currently has a keyboard- I want a digital piano but not sure what to get and if the entry levels are okay.

So far Roland FP10 is winning (1 pedal, smaller) but there is an FP30 (more expensive). If I'm spending several hundred I'd rather do it once!

An Roland FP 10 has 88 weighted keys (I enclosed a picture of the spec) but o lying 1 pedal.

Clavinova from Yamaha is my go to. You can get them from £200-£300 second hand. They have the best touch/sound from my point of view, closest to a piano. And they have headphones!

I'm a piano teacher and can assure you that

Whoops! That it's absolutely fine.

They're fine. I had one of those as a student actually.
My main piano at home was a very good yamaha upright. Played on a steinway grand for several years too.

The Roland is not high end but it is perfectly adequate.

I also have a Kawai stage piano which has been brilliant, it's got beautiful action.

Thanks Babyshark. It's helpful that a piano teacher is okay with it!

We don't have space for a much bigger one (tiny 2 up 2 down) and this is expensive enough at nearly 400£!!! It is amazing anyone learns with the price of instruments and lessons really.