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Dear Piano Friends,

pleasant to be here. I am 27 and started learning piano 2 weeks ago. Reading the notation etc is very new to me. As a child I played Hormonium (https://www.google.co.in/search?q=h...ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1333&bih=645)
very popular in India. As its a blowing instrument, my left hand was always occupied with the blowing.
Years ago Dad bought me a CASIO CTK 100. The sound was bad and also keys were so plasticy i did not use that much.
Now I own a Yamaha PSR 403e, Lot better. Although i have this instrument I did not take any classes yet. so I did not improve much. Since 2 weeks I get exercises to do so I am using my current keyboard a lot. I feel better with the left hand now. My teacher has a Kawai acoustic.

My question : As a beginner how important is a D.Piano? (I cant afford acoustic ones now) When do I have to upgrade to digital piano?
2. Any methods you recommend me to improve the finger strength? (I noticed that I need to train my fingers on a weightedkey piano)

thanks a lot, I wish to become one like you. Thank you for reading my story and replying
sas.

Hi sunshinesmile,

Good choice in taking up the piano - it's a fine instrument.

Get the basics under your belt: reading music notation is vital to being a successful pianist. After learning how to "count" the notes on the staff and learning some other basic notation such as rests, note values, dynamic markings, my teacher had me make flash cards to test myself (notation one side, answer on flip side) so that when I see a note appear on the staff, I would know exactly what it was without having to go, "middle C, D, E, F... it's a G!" I think it's rather useful.

Once you've learned the basics on music notation, I suggest you purchase books for beginners and start from there. IMO, don't worry about "finger strength" yet - that will come over time as you practice. That builds upon itself. Sure, there are piano exercises like those of Czerny, Hanon, etc. that increase finger strength/dexterity but I think it's a bit early to be worried about that, seeing as though you're only two weeks in. Just get a good feel for the keys and moving your fingers to the notes you see on the page.

As for a digital piano, everyone here will tell you that one with weighted keys is highly recommended, as it closely resembles that of an acoustic piano. Not all is lost if you only have the PSR-E403 to work with... it's better than nothing! But, yes, weighted keys, in my opinion, are crucial. So, upgrade as soon as you can!

Let us know of your progress and if there's anything else we can help you with. Good luck!

Welcome sunshinesmile, good luck on your journey.

scales and arpeggios are the best exercises you can do. They will build finger strength and independence. Do them daily and after a week or so you will notice a difference.

Even doing scales in the early days can be difficult so this youtube exercise is excellent to start off with

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_wBwx2830U

Dear Maestro,
thank you very much for your quick reply.
That's a good advice. I will start making the cards right away.I got some blank visiting cards.I will start the practice of reading of the notes too soon. I went to a Music store for pianos.

My choices were
P105,CLP 430, 440 from Yamaha,
PX 850 from Casio,
CN 34 from Kawai.

The problem is that the guy at the store doesn't have any instruments. They just take orders and get us what we order. so i have no clue how they sound. How they feel. I am totally depending on reviews.

People here suggested not to buy P105 if I can afford better ones. P155 has better keys but expensive.
Online review person Tim from AZ writes PX 850 is a good buy, but others here suggest yamaha or kawai. Also the store guy I went to did not show interest on Casio. A few Yamahas can be tried in my city, but not the Kawais or
What do you say about it?

I am trying to save dollor by dollor now so as to have a piano.
till then, I play my PSR 403.

Do you have any piano suggestions?
greetings,
sasya

I'd recommend finding a store where you can try the instruments. When you're playing the same piano every day, you better like the sound and touch of it. If that's somehow impossible, at least find some video reviews so you can see and hear the instrument in action.

Dear Earlofmar,

Thank you for the youtube video. I will practice this. I would like to know what really scales are. How they work etc. any website suggestions?

I am trying to find a D.Piano. Hope I find the right match soon.
any suggestions on D.Pianos?

greetings,
sas

Thanks Allard,
then I will go to another city to try the pianos myself.
Yes I am seeing online reviews etc a lot.
Yamaha seems to keep the price tag high, Casio Low some call them good ones, some say beware of them.
now, learning more about kawais.

Welcome! I am new to piano too, but twice as old as you so you have a big advantage. I got a Yamaha CPL 440 and am very happy with it. I was going to rent a piano for 6 months first to see if I could catch on to this, but went ahead and bought it instead. I am happy that I did. I am also very glad I decided to get a digital because I can practice and no one has to hear it but me.

Hi Carolinagirl,

Many say CLP 440 to be good. Wonderful that you are enjoying your time. I might also consider CLP 440. May be also CN 34, CA 65 hahaha from Kawai.
CLP 440 costs about $2600 here and a normal salary (in a good company) is about $500per month. So a Piano is a luxury here.

Hope there is one for me too. till then I keep learning.

what book do you use? Do you plan to take any exams?

greetings -sas

I have a variety of books. I have the Alfred All in One Course and also ordered the big note books (got them used on Amazon.com) that someone suggested. I also got the Big Book Of Piano Classics. Boogie Woogie for Beginners is on order too. I am taking classes right now but may not continue as it's a very long drive. I may change to going twice a month instead of weekly so the teacher can keep me on track. The piano you have may not be perfect, but you can learn a lot on it. Have fun! I know I sure am!

Sunshinesmile, my current teacher recommended The Brown Scale Book for learning scales so that's what I'm using, & I like it a lot. Can't remember where I got it - probably Amazon. But I've been playing 4+ years. My very first teacher started me with the Alfred's series - it introduces a new scale every few pages, along with pieces in that key, & the books are intended for self-learners. Alfred books are available from Amazon, or digitally from iTunes if you have an iPad or an iPod Touch.

I began with a Casio CTK 5000, which probably isn't a whole lot better than the 1000. But I used it for the first two years. During that time I advanced in reading sheet music, coordinating my hands to work together, improved my rhythm, got a grip on staying at tempo. When I did upgrade, I bought a KORG SP-250. It is pretty much a base model digital piano. No fancy bells or whistles but it suits my needs. It has weighted keys, the full 88-key range, and just a few other features.

Starting out on the KORG i began to work on dynamics much more. In retrospect, I think becoming somewhat proficient in the areas I previously mentioned made a nice transition into focusing on dynamics. I didn't have to think as much about the basics and could apply most of my attention into the dynamics itself. Some might say it would have been better to start focusing on dynamics immediately. Overall I am pleased with my progression since beginning, and I guess that is what matters.

Hope this helps.