Hey I needed some advice. I play the violin, but I always wanted to play the piano. I've got a tutor lined up and all, but I need a piano to practice with. I can't afford an acoustic piano even though I'd like one. So what Digital Piano do you think sounds and feels like a real piano and would be a good one to practice on?

My price range is under $2000(US)...the further under the better hahah.

Thank you for your help!

this thread I think applies to you Which Yamaha

$2K is a very generous budget. More than you need really.
The truth is that you can learn using any decent weighted hammer action digital piano. If you said you budget was $500 I'd recommend a Casio PX130 and you be happy with that. I had a $1K budget and bought a Yamaha P155

The first thing you need to do is decide what features you need. Will you mostly be playing with head phones? Do you require the piano to look like an acoustic piano and have a wood-look stand? Do you need it to be portable.

Next you have to try a few different pianos to find out which sound you like. Yamaha and Roland are very different. Next key the key actions of several

When I was shopping I set priorities, First I wanted a good key action. then aceptable sound it had to fit the budget. I thought the P155 has the best home practice piano for about $1K, very good keys and with headphone the sound is very good. I got the matching stand which makes the whole solid.

But there are many other options a Kawai CE200, Roland FP7, YDP160. With a 2K budget there are a dozen very nice options

first of all thanks for your thoughts.
Now as for whats most important in a DP for me is the over all piano feel and sound. If I learn on a DP will it carry over smoothly to an acoustic?
Then after that comes the speaker's strength and I don't mind buying a sub too if the tonal and key quality is that good.
Everything after the speakers is just gravy. I'm not looking for all the bells and whistles just a grand piano sound and feel. I realize it will never truly compare, but whats the closest I can get?
Basically unless I hit the lottery I won't be getting an acoustic anytime soon and graduation is a while off lol. So this is going to be my only piano for the next 5 years or so

Acoustic pianos are all different. The range is great enough that digitals fit within it. A good digital piano will have better keys then many older uprights you will play. One thing a pianist learns is how to adapt to a different piano because unlike most other musicians, pianists can't carry their own piano. Don't worry about the transition.

One thing in your favor is that if you stay with the big three brands and spend over $1K there or not bad pianos. You can't go wrong. It is more a matter of finding a best fit to what you like

You are right that speakers matter. They are always the weak link in a digital piano. All console style pianos will come with decent built-in speakers. Most portable have weaker or no speakers. But for most practice, believe me you will keep the volume low. That is the #1 advantage of a digital piano it has a volume control. (#2 is that they remain in tune for life)

What you need to care about also is the sound or tone. Do you like the sound of a Yamaha grand piano or do you like the softer hammer sound of a Steinway? This might determine which brand of DP you buy. And also as I said the key action varies a lot between models. Mode DP makers have 2 or 3 key actions they use in all their DPs. I think the #1 thing you should look for is a good key action, everything else is secondary.


One other thing, no one keeps a DP forever. They are like computers and cell phone. New ones come out that are so much better that you end up upgrading. So it makes sense to buy one to learn on and have a plan to upgrade three or so years later. Don't over spend on your first piano. You taste will change as you learn

If you want to add speakers, you can do that to any DP. But first you need to define your goals. Where is the litener are they in one seat that does not move or do thaey walk around the room? How big is the room?

You don't really need a sub. Pianos make sound only to about 40Hz, (Yes the low note is 21Hz but there are only overtones that start at 42Hz even on a large acoustic grand.) You can get 8" studio monitor speaker that can reproduce 40Hz. Pianos also don't have any sound up high and are pretty much dead by 12KHz. Now if you really want to get technical, audience seated even in the best seat in the hall hear almost exclusively reflected sound, both early and late - this is very hard to do with conventional speakers. opinion varies over what is a "Good" speaker. You will have to audition them your self. Bring a recording of a solo piano piece you know well to the speaker store. close you eyes and think if it sounds like a piano is in the room or speakers. If you ears are good this could be a very expensive exercise. I say for learning you don't need this, head phones are best

You should take some earphones with you to Guitar Center and Sam Ash and play every piano they have, (consoles, stage and portable) don't look at prices but take notes. Come back here and say what you liked and did not like.

I think I'm gonna go with the Kawai CE-200. I went to sam ash with my instructor and she pointed that one out as the best one while still being in my price range. Do you have any experiencing with with this model any pros or cons to share?