To those I haven't replied directly to= many thanks for your gracious welcome, your insights and your encouraging words.

I hope to get to know you all as I learn more and use these forums.

Best regards
Frito

One last word of warning - remember where you asked the question. Those people who bought a fine piano and later regretted it aren't here, since they no longer play piano.

If you can make an old decrepid, clunker of a piano sound good, then yes, go get a decent one and really be amazed. I am what you class as a lousey pianist too. I recently went and played on the latest Roland dp and it made me sound fantastic!

But I will be holding off buying one until I improve to a level that I will be happy in splashing out on a decent dp (I can't fit an acoustic in my flat)..

I curently practice on a Yamaha DGX-630. It sounds ok, and It has good feel, but I have always been drawn to Roland dps, they really do it for me, in terms of touch, sensitivity and sound. I will hold on to my dream for a while longer. Who Knows.

Actually that's a very good point!

Yes, I saw an ad on Craigslist selling a digital and a bunch of adult beginner piano books. Piano is not a hobby that will hold everyone's interest. My technician told me that those with the best pianos often don't play all that well. He's seen quite a few Steinways and even some Faziolis in my city that just sit as furniture.

Thanks, FormerFF
So it makes sense that there may be some sampling bias
But maybe some of the regretters want to sell their piano?

It's not just a matter of losing interest. I found out that it was unlikely that I would ever be able to play the piano at any satisfying level, hence the change of instruments.

I can say for certain that my piano is finer than my playing will ever "merit". But having a good piano has made a huge difference for me, and I don't regret it for a moment.

When I upgraded my piano, its improved tone and range changed my entire musical world. I loved its sound, so I played and practiced more. More importantly, its ability to reflect more nuance and subtlety in playing sparked an interest in music I'd never had any interest in before. And that challenged me to improve my playing to be able to actually DO some of that subtlety and nuance.

In fact, I'll never be as good as I want to be, and there are much better players than me who have done it with pianos of all types. But for me, upgrading to a finer instrument has been the reason for immense improvement (and enjoyment) in my playing in the last four years. I'd played at about the same level for many years (on an Acrosonic, a good digital and later on an older, tired grand), but suddenly found myself moving to a new level because the instrument allowed/demanded/inspired it.

To me, having the very best instrument you can afford makes perfect sense if you want to advance as a player. There's no threshold of skill that merits it - only a threshold of interest!

I took the plunge. My new piano arrived yesterday, and I spent the evening bonding with it. The pieces that I have been struggling with have become more pleasurable to play because the piano is quite responsive to my touch. It has a full and gorgeous tone. I was surprised by its ability to play soft as well as loud (I am used to little or no note coming out when I try to play softly).

I would like to thank everyone on this forum, but my very special thanks to Katie at Cunningham Piano. She is very knowledgable and patient, gave me a thorough tour of their impressive facilities, answered my multitude of questions, stayed with me through the decision, and kept me entertained in the process. Thanks also to the entire staff at Cunningham Piano, which is truly a class act.

Congratulations on you new purchase! Look forward to some pictures!

Telling us that your new piano was delivered without giving the details (model?) is like saying you just had a new baby without specifying the gender...

Congratulations! Can't wait to hear more about it and see some photos.

Where is that "This thread is worthless without pictures" icon when you need it?

Wonderful news, tho, Frito. There's nothing like a fine piano to satisfy your soul.

Cathy

Let me use a golf analogy here. In the early 2000's, when golf was at its peak popularity, many "adult beginners" (rich ones) came to the course with 2-3 grand worth of the latest and greatest equipment. They had the shoes, hats, and clothing to boot. Frankly, I was intimidated. They would then hit their first tee-shot only to flub it (whiff, worm burn, duff, etc). I would then think, "wow, they suck just like me, but I don't have all of that expensive stuff." lol

Same goes for piano....I wouldn't make an investment until you've demonstrated competent playing. But, if you can afford it, and it makes you happy, GO FOR IT!!

Always buy the best piano you can afford! It doesn't matter how well you play, because that which you can play will sound better, and of course your playing will still improve!

A piano is a big investment, so you don't want to end up regretting your purchase because a year or 2 later you've become a better pianist and you feel the piano is letting you down.



What exactly is wrong with keys nowadays?

WHat???

You ever played a Steinway or an Estonia, a Bösendorfer?

Every so-called lousy beginner should get at least a decent piano, for example a used mid-size upright in very good condition. Otherwise, the chances of staying lousy are just too high.

imo You should buy the finest piano you can afford.

Congrats Frito!

And another Cunningham fan too! +1

Tell us what you bought (there's a good chance I sampled your piano at Cunninghams) and post pic if you can.

Congratulations Frito!

Your experience seems to match mine. I might add, that after having my new grand and playing almost every day for the past 9 months, I still get that sense of awe at just how good it sounds each morning when I sit down and play.

Congratulations on your purchase of a fine piano. It is never a mistake IMHO to have the best instrument you can afford. I've never regretted buying a quality piano and love it everyday. I'll never have great talent but I enjoy my piano MUCH more than my car and they cost about the same...maybe the car is more. The feel of a quality instrument inspires more playing and touches the soul.

Enjoy your new piano! You will not be a "lousy beginner" for too long now, and your new instrument will push you to progress better than ever! You'll see

I'm thinking that perhaps what joeb84 was trying to say was that a real acoustic piano ("real keys") is better than a digital keyboard ("garbage keys").
Then it sort of makes sense.

I'm late to this thread, but in my opinion you should feel free to get as quality of a piano as you can afford even if you a beginner.

Here is my own story:

I took lessons for years as a kid and teenager, but due to a lack of practicing, I languished at level 2 or 3 for a number of years. Throughout my 20s, 30s and 40s, I had times when I took to playing and practicing - but would only manage to revive my limited skills. I had an old piano which had belonged to my grandparents and could only be tuned to itself.

In 2003, I purchased a Yamaha digital piano with weighted keys and enjoyed it because it was in tune and I could play with headphones so no-one could hear my mistakes. I played regularly for a year before I drifted off to other things. Meanwhile, my son and daughter began to take lessons.

In 2009, I asked my piano tuner to keep an eye/ear out for a good used piano and told him I was willing to spend $2500+. He got back to me a couple of months later saying he had a Starck upright piano he'd refurbished, which he thought would work out great for my kids and get them playing on an acoustic rather than a DP. I trusted his opinion as to the piano and purchased it for $900. For the next 1.5 years, my daughter happily played this piano and really loved it until last Fall, when at age 11 she abruptly decided that she "hated" playing the piano. Meanwhile my teenage son, who has a fantastic ear for music, stuck with the DP and almost NEVER played on the acoustic. I've since learned he never liked the tone or action of the Starck piano.

Last October, I ended up resuming lessons after a 31 year absence after my daughter refused to continue - I had pre-paid lessons for her so I took them over. It took about six months for my fingers and brain to get the rust out - but I persevered and gradually increased my daily practice time from 10 minutes to 1.5 hours. After playing on my Starck piano for extended periods of time every day, I began to sense that my piano was working against me and I eventually ended up seriously straining my hands from playing it (ice packs every night).

I realized that I needed to invest in a quality piano if I was going to continue practicing at this rate. This time around, I did my own research (mainly on the web) and began to learn what things I needed to consider in my purchase. Eventually, I learned of Fandrich and Sons, which basically rebuilds pianos with their own piano action which causes an upright piano to play like a grand. Fortunately, I live fairly close to their showroom and was able to spend a couple of hours playing all of their pianos (a wonderful experience). Ultimately, I settled on a used Fandrich and Sons piano which has an amazing tone and wonderful action. Part of me feels like I don't deserve such a wonderful sounding piano given my current piano skills (low intermediate) - but I also know it will inspire me to continue to improve.

I've had my new piano for several weeks now and LOVE it! It is so wonderful to play on an instrument which makes anything and everything sound good - even beginner songs. It is soothing and inspiring to play on a quality instrument. Additionally, my hands are no longer feeling strained from lengthy practice times and my son is also playing for extended periods every day on the Fandrich and Sons piano (which he also loves).

On the one hand, I regret spending $900 on a piano which is adequate at best, but on the other hand, it stair-stepped me up to a piano of much greater quality than I would have been willing to consider just two years ago. The lesson I take from all of this is to do research and spend as much as you can afford (I financed my latest purchase). Someday, I hope to move up to a quality grand.