Buying A Piano: Cos My Kid is a Child Prodigy(sorta)

So you're signing the kids up for lessons and you had a great idea to get by on the cheap, the infamous digital piano or keyboard. -- NOT SO FAST! You've just set Lil Leroy back before he even got started, how's he going to get to the Limo and Lights with that thing? Just remember a digital piano does not have the feel of an acoustic piano, most likely not the same number of keys(88 if anyone was counting) and it certainly does not sound like an acoustic piano. That said, if budget or space is an issue, go ahead, just be aware you've lowered the chances of the kiddies stickin' to it.

The point of this is not to talk about pianos at the top of the piano ladder... and most likely if you're in the market for a Grand(I might take that up at another time) than the budget that I will lay out is way too low, if you find a Grand for 1100.00 it's probably more suited for a kitty litter box than a piano. So I'm just sticking with vertical beginner type pianos, most likely used...

So you want your kids to get maximum enjoyment out of learning how to play piano... riiiiight?

The answer would be, YES.

Remember when you bought that guitar for 10 bucks at the flea market, because you always wanted to look like Keith Richards or in this case Captain and Tennille?

No, well I'll just remind you how your fingers had blisters and the sound was like a muffler coming detached from a Hyundai ... not pretty.

So you should look to spend between 1100.00-3000.00 for a decent quality USED piano from a dealer.

700.00- 2000.00 from a private owner, but there are some possible hidden cost in going this route, which I'll cover later...



These are two Bergman consoles, an economy piano if I've ever seen one(1100-1200) -- they look good, but I would probably lean toward a good spinet. I'm not a piano player, but the touch and feel seemed a bit spongy and unresponsive, a serious student would probably out grow it pretty fast, but can get it to do what they want with some effort and compromise...er maybe

Currently, the studio and console are the two vertical pianos that are in production.

The Spinet, in all its petite cuteness hasn't been made since the 80's -- it's purpose was to make a piano in a 'compact' model. It kinda worked... the problem with these pianos is the shortened scale(tuning anomalies), small plate and board(small sound) and an action that isn't direct blow. That said, it gets the job done until you're sure it's time to buy the 9ft concert grand, but can create big headaches for you and your technician when things start to go wrong... and with these, things seem to go wrong in a big way.

Console and Studio, these pianos settle in around 43" to 48" give or take, they have a direct blow action, larger plate, larger sound board -- which of course means larger sound. They normally cost a bit more than a spinet... but if you get a good one and pull regular maintenance, should take the kids up until they're not your problem anymore.

If you're in the market for a used piano, you're most likely going to run into the infamous Upright... ya know, it's that before the war piano that Grandma had in her living room and covered with hundreds of pictures and peppermints with fuzzy stuff on them. Normally, 50" or more -- although, it's quite common to find really beautiful Uprights, don't be tempted... this is NOT a piano to be played unless it has been rebuilt and 95% of them haven't been rebuilt. Not to mention, they usually weigh around 700lbs, do you know how much that's gonna cost to move?



This piano is being prepped for tuning, the bits sticking out from the action are mutes and are used to mute strings, so that unisons can be tuned --

Say What?

Now look, this is just my opinion, but this is someone who has been learning how to play various instruments for over twenty years. You don't necessarily need a teacher to start off with... so save that 15 bucks a lesson and think about investing in a home course or a book. Here's one that might get everyone off to a good start, Rocket Piano Course

Courses tend to get you started off with the basics, that said, that doesn't mean you'll never need to get a teacher for yourself or your child, eventually you will... because there is a ceiling, I just figure you plunked down a grand for a piano, or you're renting... why not check out a course and test the waters and see if there's true interest in learning how to play the piano.

But that's just my opinion.

Get Started With Your Piano Lessons

If that's not for you call up your local music store, they usually have a list of teachers and piano technicians in the area.

So you've found a piano that floats your boat, gets ya all hot and bothered.

The Dealer

If you're buying from a dealer, make sure you ask if delivery is included. If you're thinking about renting, ask if your rental fee can eventually be applied toward the purchase of the piano, if so this should effect what kind of piano you go for... A dealer offers a lot of advantages, most important of those advantages is the piano is prepped before delivery. Most used pianos come in with all kinds of strange things wrong with them, many of these issues are minor, but a good majority of these pianos have never been regulated, so at the very least the technician should give it a good once over and even things out -- and if they don't you can take the boys over to their house and re-arrange their furniture.

The Private Owner

Alright, you're probably going to get a lot more piano for the buck from a private owner BUT -- there are pitfalls to this route. So obtain yourself a piano technician to give it a once over.

Not Just a Pretty Face

It's not all about the outside, it's what is inside that counts... so some test you can do when you inspect a piano is run up a chromatic scale and listen for clicks, knocks... etc. Do certain keys stick? Do they just feel funny? Does it sound like the hammer is burying itself in the string when you press down a key hard? A piano technician can assess these issues and let you know how much you're about to get taken for... or if you're actually getting a good deal. It's not a happy day when you get home and find that you have a cracked bridge, or the cheap plastic flanges that the manufacturer put in the piano 30 years ago have begun to turn to a fine powder.

Don't forget about moving the sucker, don't even think about moving it yourself -- heavy is one thing with a piano, but it also has an odd center of gravity, so you can lose control before you know it... and you and the piano could end up broken.



If the piano is missing these, don't buy it, but you probably already knew that