Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Want to learn - where do I begin?

Hi. I'm new to PW today. I've never read or played music. However, my favorite instrument is the piano.

I'm 37 and was thinking maybe I should take the piano up as a hobby. That said, not sure where I begin.

Since I'm not 100% committed to it I don't want to invest alot of money off the gate. So I'm looking for advice regarding the piano itself. Do I go for a used older piano or buy a keyboard?

Personally, I'm thinking I should go with an older piano but then again perhaps I'd be getting more of a headache if it needs repairs, etc.

If there is anyone out there that could take me under their wing and steer me in the best direction that would be wonderful.

Play on...-

-Keyboard: don't even think about it. Keyboards are worthless.

-Digital piano: a step up from a keyboard, but not as good as a piano. You won't need to maintain it really and you can listen with headphones; it won't get you TOO far though, but it seems most people here agree that it is okay for the first couple of years. The cheapest one I could think of is the Casio CDP 100 for $299+money for stand+money for bench, totaling to about $400. For a bit more, you can always get a better one. Take advantages of all the sales at the moment, too.

-Piano: always a good choice; will 'give you headaches' from need for tuning and such, but it is worth it. Perfect touch and tone [for learning] on a good and maintained one. You could find a free one on craigslist.com and then just pay to have it fixed and delivered--or you can buy it from the store.

The piano is not something you will learn if you are not committed to it. It takes hours of practice to get anywhere and it will be frustrating. Lots of roadblocks and such ahead of you--but if you want to learn the piano, REALLY learn, then don't let anything stop you. Either choice in the beginning will work for the beginning.

By the way: no matter what SOMEONE suggests, DON'T buy anything Williams (Williams Encore, Williams Symphony, etc). They are garbage.

Another idea is to go to the local bookstore and pick up 'Buying a Piano/Keyboard for Dummies' or something similar and just browse through it. There will be a lot of chapters that don't really concern you, so it shouldn't take long to get a gist of the information you need.

After you've found one, the only thing left is to find a teacher (or a method series if you are going to self-teach).

Best of luck.

<edit>
I hate supporting this option in every beginner's thread, but it worked so well for me, so I have to ask: are you in any position to take community college classes? Most community colleges (that I know of) offer Beginning Piano classes. Usually, they offer a series (Beginning+Intermediate+Advanced+etc etc etc). These are usually great because you get a teacher for 16 weeks and it will cost you only $20-$50, depending on how the school prices the class.
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Thanks for the advice.

I know I have to get over the commitment part. I'm thinking if I land a real piano, something that I cannot stow away like a keyboard I'd be more inclined to play it.

I've posted a few ads for a piano so I will wait and see what shows up.

I did get a guy who says he has a 'Sangler and Suhne Piano ' and he wants $600 but I'm not sure if that is a good one or not. Or should I just hold out for someone to give me one... but those seem so old....

I think the digital piano is good but if I'm going to spend 400+ then perhaps I should throw in a few more hundred for the real thing...

Here's a suggestion: For starters, buy an inexpensive digital piano, like a Casio PX-120 ($500) or a Yamaha P85 ($600). You'll also need a stand of some sort ($50-$80) and a pedal ($25). Then, start with a teacher. You can look for a teacher who runs an independent studio, or you can contact local music shops to find one. If you decide that this is not for you, then you aren't out too much money, and can probably sell the equipment for a good bit of what you'd paid for it. If the piano bug gets you, then you have a decent basic setup for your first couple of years of playing, plus if you decide to buy an acoustic later, you can keep your digital for late night practice, or if you want to play at a friend or relative's house.

I wouldn't be in a rush to get an acoustic piano. As a general rule, it will cost you $150 or more to move it even a short distance, and once it is moved, it will need to be tuned, for $100 - $125. Plus, when you're first starting out, you won't know what piano you want. Better to get a year or so of playing under your belt so you can make an educated decision.

That's what I would have done if my wife hadn't stepped in. (She insisted on an acoustic.)

Good points....

to stay under the $500 range what digital piano options are there other than the Casio or is that the best one for this price range?

If you want a weighted piano style keyboard, which you do if you want to play an acoustic piano someday, and you want to stay in the $500 price range, the Casio is the way to go, IMO. The only other weighted key digital that I can think of in that price range is the Williams Encore, and it's a pretty bad instrument.

Ok so I know which digital piano would be a good starter, however, should I come across a real piano what are some simple suggestions about ruling out a piano vs another type of piano?

what about this DP?

Yamaha NP30 Portable Grand Digital Piano

Hi Upmm,

Look on Craigslist. If you can, get a "real" piano. You can do this for under $500.

-----------------------------
Play New Age Piano
http://www.quiescencemusic.com

Or what about this one?

Casio WK500DX

WK is not weighted or touch-sensitive. Don't get it. At the minimum, get the CDP 100 from Casio. I personally have an acoustic AND a digital piano, but that's because my brother is a pianist-in-making. Having both is the best option.

For now, you could settle for a digital piano and then either upgrade or end up owning both as well. I have the Casio PX-120 and it's pretty good. The sound is lousy, but the action is wonderful.

why get the PX-120 if the sound is "lousy" ? seems to be quite a investment for a first timer to just get something that sounds lousy...

I use the term "lousy" compared to an acoustic. You aren't going to find a great sounding DP for cheap. You seem to want to remain under a budget. For what it is, the PX-120 is great. It sounds good for playing, but it will not compare to an acoustic piano.

Other, more expensive models and series, may be more realistic sounding.

The PX-120 is a step up from a starter DP. It will last you through a couple of years of learning the piano, easily.

"Quite an investment" would be more like the people spending $14,000 or $140,000 (!!)--unless you plan to group yourself in with them, don't count on a grand piano with Steinway-like qualities. $499 is nothing compared to what some people are spending.

Point taken.... I guess what I meant was that dropping $500 dollars on a hobby would be quite an investment for myself.

So it still appears that I should tread towards the DP's vs. a used Piano.....

is this a good deal?

http://www.kraftmusic.com/catalog/digitalpianos/homepianos/index.asp?product=6119

anyone delt with that storefront before?

Another option is renting...Some piano dealers rent acoustic pianos, and typically they are decent pianos. Depending upon the dealer, it can be a rental, or a rent-to-own where the monies are applied to the purchase of that piano if you so choose.

That would give you the best of both worlds...an acoustic in fairly good shape, without the big investment.

MusiciansBuy has the same piano, with accessories, for $599.00 The only difference appears to be the Kraftmusic deal has a different and more attractive stand.

http://www.musiciansbuy.com/Yamaha-...gle&gclid=CKXGha_D6JcCFQa-sgod2U7RCg

Good idea...

I suppose the rentals are typically brand new units or would they be a used one?

What sort of price range would a person be looking at for such a piano... a student piano..

That site seems to have better deals...

for a beginner which kit would be the best option?

http://www.musiciansbuy.com/mb/searchresultjs.asp?q=P85KIT

Not too long ago, I looked at renting. Rental on a console piano was $44 per month. They had some spinets for slightly less. I don't think either of these would have been a new piano. They also had digitals for rent for about $35 per month. Acoustic pianos were also subject to a $250 delivery fee, and one tuning was included. If you kept the piano for a year or more, they would come out and tune it annually, at your cost.

On you question about buying an inexpensive used piano, there's a lot more to know about that subject that I can answer here. In my area, there are literally dozens of old pianos that can be had for $500 or even less. Most of these are old spinets that may not be worth the cost of a move. (You may want to look up "spinet" on Wikipedia to get an idea of the limitations of a spinet piano.) There are some older non-spinet uprights as well. For someone new to the piano, it's nearly impossible to pick out a good one. The standard advice is, "trust your fingers and ears", but that doesn't work for a new pianist, as he or she has not developed the technique to make an acoustic piano sound good, and has no baseline for what a piano should feel like. The other standard advice is to hire a piano technician to inspect any used piano before you buy it. So, if you start with a $500 piano, hire a technician to look at it for $100, move it for $150, and tune it for another $100, maybe it needs a little regulation or voicing, and you pay for that, your $500 piano can quickly become a $1000 piano. It will also be hard to sell should you decide the piano is not for you.

There are also some techs that have a few older used pianos for sale. You can find them by checking out Craigslist. If you see the same piano for sale repeatedly, that may be a tech who has some pianos for sale. Some also openly advertise multiple pianos. Assuming you can trust that tech, that's another way to find an inexpensive used piano.

On the Yamaha P85 vs. the Casio PX-120, I've not played the P85 so I won't comment on it other than to say it has a good reputation on the Digital Piano board here. As for what type of stand to get, I think that is personal preference. The only thing I will say is do not get a single X stand, as they are wobbly. You will need at least a damper pedal. I would lean towards the Yamaha stand that matches the instrument, but others would disagree.