To ask for recommendations for a keyboard?

[DM1209]

Apologies that this is in AIBU but quick responses required.

My soon to be 13 year old has been teaching herself the flute (oh my god my ears!), for the last 3 years. She has recently started looking around for a keyboard/piano as she wants to learn/teach herself. She has her own money saved up and has said she will use that and get something secondhand. She never, ever asks for anything for her birthday or Christmas unless it's academia related. This year she's asked for more language books and a calligraphy set. She has also had Covid last month which without sounding dramatic nearly killed her.

All in all I want to surprise her for her 13th birthday and get her a decent keyboard on a stand with a stool for her to teach herself. I have the space to set it up for her and she more than deserves it.

I have no idea about what would be decent. I don't mind spending money for her so my budget is in the £300-£400 region, less if I can get something that will work well and give her the ability to learn.

I have read about Yamaha and Casio but beyond that, I'm clueless! And books for her to teach herself, I need to buy those too.

Any recommendations please?

I have a Yamaha digital piano which I’m very pleased with. One hint: buy her some really decent headphones. Firstly it will save your ears and secondly they all sound far superior on the headphones than without for some technical reason.

Yamaha is one of the best at producing electronic pianos with a real-feel keyboard. Their P-45 punches above its weight in terms of price, and is at the upper end of your price range. Roland and Kawai are also good makes. For a beginner, it's really, really important that the keyboard have proper weighted keys that respond as similarly as possible to an acoustic piano, so that the student can learn proper technique from the beginning. Good piano technique will let you play any electronic keyboard, but it's much, much harder to go the other direction! If she should later show interest in organ or harpsichord, the technique is again different from piano, but most people make that transition from piano. Of course, still be best instrument for building sensitive, precise touch (and flat friendly, because it's extremely quiet) is the clavichord, but that's more of a specialist interest! ;-)

Can’t advise about keyboards, there are so many, but I dare say any mid range e.g. Yamaha would be good - someone will know for sure.

What sort of piano music does she want to play?

If it’s classical, I can recommend the Carol Barratt teach yourself books (1-3) for adult beginners - I’m sure they’d be fine for a 13 year old. I used them when returning to the piano after more decades than I care to mention 😱 - and I’d only ever passed grade 2, so I virtually had to start again from scratch.

Some extra very easy music would be good once she’s started. My sight reading was appalling (non existent!) for some time, so my piano tuner said just get lots of music and play it. I found the Read And Play series very good, not sure they’re so easily available now, but they go from very easiest beginner level to grade 8, lots of very short but tuneful pieces - I found them 2nd hand on Amazon or Abebooks.

Ask your neighbours which one they would prefer to hear...

Need full number of keys (88) for most piano music. Touch sensitive as well.

I got a Yamaha P45, stool and stand for under £400 when we set DD up when she started piano lessons. We’ve been very happy with it so far.

I second Yamaha with touch sensitive weighted keys and earphones. Your daughter sounds lovely! Wishing her lots of happy times and enjoyment learning a new instrument.

How about letting her buy the keyboard and you paying for lessons? She’ll learn far more and your ears will have a much easier time of it!

I too recommend the Yamaha P-45, which I have.
Only thing is, the speakers aren't that great. It's much better with headphones.

When music shops are open again (if still in time for her birthday), take her to have a try of different keyboards to find the brand she likes. I did this and found I much preferred the Kawaiis to the Yamahas. Our music teacher went on to recommend kawaii to his pupils who were looking to buy.

One thing is, when you say piano/keyboard - all the recommendations above are for digital pianos, which are a digital version of a standard piano with some digital features like extra sounds and things. It's what we have and I love it. An electronic keyboard is a different instrument - much heavier on the digital features (e.g. hunderds of sounds, pre-programmable multi tracks etc) and less about a realistic piano sound. Just making sure you know what she wants before buying!

I got a second hand Yamaha with 88 keys after years of being snotty about digital pianos (long tradition of piano players in my family) and it is great. It cost me £500.

We have just bought the Yamaha EZ220 for the very same purpose you mentioned. Picking it up today.

uk.yamaha.com/en/products/musical_instruments/keyboards/portable_keyboards/ez-220/index.html

I should add it was recommended in Rimmers that this was most suitable keyboard for beginners. Keys light up to follow lessons and 3 months free subscription to Flowkey tuition app.

Thank you so much everyone for taking the time to respond to me. I can't tell you how confusing trying to find something has been.

I have a beggining point now and feel a little more confident in my approach and in asking questions before purchasing.

I will definitely invest in headphones for her and make sure I look into the correct books.

She saves all of her money, never demands a thing from me and makes the biggest effort for everyone else in her life. She's more than worth it. Thank you again everyone :)