DD wants to learn to play the piano.....

[npg1]

DD has said she wants to learn to play the piano. She can have lessons at school which is a bonus but we dont have a piano at home. I was thinking of getting her a keyboard for xmas, would that be any good as a starter? It would be a cheapish one!!

It would need to be one with fully weighted keys as there is a huge difference in how you get a piano to sound and how you get a non weighted keyboard to sound.

Hmm. There's different schools of thought on this.

If your child is going to progress and be good, then yes, you need one with properly weighted keys,though the purists will tell you even that's no replacement for a real piano.

On the other hand, if you have a small child who is learning music for the first time, wants to have fun, and may give up after a few months, then personally, I think, get a cheap one at first. The price of a proper weighted one is prohibitive unless you really think it's going to be worthwhile.

hi MMOC Completely agreemwith you.We bought a yamaha keyboard from argos and when she really wanted to play and was showing a real interest to pursue the instrument -got a second hand piano.Def there is a differnce in the quality but wait and see

Do you have room for a piano at home? I think you will need one before very long and there seems little point in starting on a keyboard only to have to give up when good enough to need a real piano (though you could switch to keyboard lessons at that stage I suppose?)

Watch out for real pianos on freecycle - there are quite a few advertised on ours & I suspect some would be OK (though you do have to be a bit careful with old pianos).

I'd ask the advice of the teacher - could you get a message to them through the school? I'd also consider how enthusiastic your DD is and how good she tends to be at following things through. A keyboard (as opposed to electric piano) could be a really good way to get started - but its likely to have a much smaller range than a piano and, as has been said, will feel completely different. The teacher should have some kind of idea of what she expects her students to be doing and how limitting (or otherwise) a keyboard will be for them.

If you do decide to go for a real piano, get it checked by a good tuner before you decide - even if its free. It might cost you £50 but could save you substantially more than that in repair work if there are problems. Better to find out before you've spent the money to get it home...

Am a piano teacher and agree with all above

stillenacht - hopping onto this thread as DS1 (9) is also keen to learn the piano.

There's a Yamaha keyboard in Argos which is advertised as having "graded" keys i.e the harder you press the louder it sounds. I presume that's not the same as "weighted" keys ?

I'm not all that keen to buy a piano due to space, price and noise considerations (I know that sounds bad ).

Presumably keyboard teachers exist ?

I am, as you can probably tell an ignoramus on this, but DS1 seems genuinely keen and has good concentration etc.

Is it the Yamaha one?

Graded usually means graded hammer action which is the same as weighted. Granted one at that price probbaly isn't going to be subtle enough for a Grade 8 pianist but shouldbe OK for a beginner. Looking at the NP30 that one is semi-weighted. so it seems it has a lighter touch. it will probably have the effect of being easier to play than a proper piano or full weighted digital piano.

We have a Yamaha P70 which dh chose especially for its piano sound and touch (has to be portable as he transports it) but it was a lot more expensive. However at the top end of the range you can find yourself paying extra for functions (such as rythms and other sounds) you will never need.

ttp://www.argos.co.uk/ProductDisplayTRK019?partNumber=0660835

island - yes it's the NP30

Just had a look at the reviews of the Yamaha NP30 on Amazon and they are pretty good, although some reviewers say it doesn't have the feel of an acoustic piano - the keys are indeed lighter.

My question is now - of we get it, should be look for a keyboard teacher, or would a piano teacher be happy to teach on it ?

Thanks for your post island - forgot to say that above

Best bet is to call some teachers and ask. They should be happy to discuss the pros and cons to each choice. They may be able to sugest an alternative route to traditional piano that your DS is/is not happy with (if he wants to be a classical pianist c/w if he wants to play in a band).

The biggest problem I can see is that if your DS wants to progress through piano exams then he will be expected to take the exams on an acoustic piano. He may not be able to do himself justice if he can only practice on the keyboard and hasn't had the chance to develop the strength in his fingers to work with a piano keyboard. Depending on his goals and aptitudes it wouldn't be unreasonable for him to be taking exams within a year or two.

I thought I'd share our experience as we went through exactly the same questions just over a year ago.

My dd started the piano last year (when she was 6) and we bought her the Yamaha NP30 (after she started on a ELC keyboard ). She took her grade 1 exam this Spring (and got a distinction) and her teacher is preparing her for grade 3 next summer).

So, while the NP30 keyboard probably isn't as authentic as a real piano, in our experience it is perfectly adequate for the first few years of learning the piano.

Thanks for your replies

looooooong time till DD doing grade 8!

Get a little keyboard and see how she does. How old is she? Could she use real piano one at school/neighbours?

I asked for piano lessonas when I was 6 and hadlessons and little keyboard. Progressed and we got a piano.

Am music teacher now so did no harm.

Just enjoy it!!!!