Piano or keyboard recommentations for kids learning to play
My kids are learning to play the piano and I'm looking for advice on small piano or keyboard to purchase. I prefer something smaller so not looking for any of the fancy pianos since it will only be used by kids as they learn (the adults cannot play). I looked online and the prices for new vary considerably and same with the prices for used. My husband has strong preference for new since he will rather pay a bit more to ensure he is not getting something that is broken or does not work well since we won't know the difference, but there are so many used pianos for sale that I'm tempted. Any advice? What's the difference between a small piano and a keyboard (such as the Yamaha keyboard sold at Costco)? Any way to know what a used piano/keyboard is working or how risky is it to buy used? What's a reasonable price for a keyboard/piano of decent quality that will be goods for young kids to learn on and to have at home.
Parent Replies
Don't buy a keyboard. It has a totally different feel than a regular piano and if you want your children to eventually take real piano lessons, the keyboard will be a source of frustration when they practice at home. If you want your children to eventually learn piano, spring for a real "electronic piano" that has all 88 keys and "weighted keys" that mimic the feel of a real piano. Space wise it will be as small as a keyboard and you just buy a stand and a bench for it. The price starts at $300 (?) and goes up. For reference, we sprang for the next price range, which started at $1000, got a good deal at Guitar Center. But even the $1000 e-piano did not sound anything remotely like the nice grand piano that the piano teacher has, and one of the keys is already loose after one year of use, but it is good enough. You just get what you pay for. FYI Yamaha is a good brand.
If you get a keyboard maje sure it is 88 keys like a full piano. We purchased ours at Costco 7 years ago and it’s great! Compact and good sounding with decent action in the keys though not as much as an actual piano. If you get a used piano you have to figure in the costs of moving it and tuning it.
I have a comment about buying a used (real) piano. Don't do it unless you really know pianos. People have a hard time selling used real pianos because the price of moving the piano to your house and getting it tuned (and retuned all the time) is more than the piano itself. Buying a used piano only makes sense if you are buying a really nice one, and you know your stuff.
The main difference between the keyboard and a small (upright) piano is the number and weigh of the keys. If you want your kids to learn to play the piano long term, starting with piano is recommended, I am speaking from experience when I learned as a young child, I started with keyboard and had a hard time transitioning to actual piano key weight (I started when I was 5). But nowadays, Yamaha and other electronic keyboards also has weighted keys options so you just need to look for that and a minimum keyboard size of 88 keys. If you want the used piano options, go with a piano or music store where they can recommend a tuner for you. We also did that with my son and purchased a used piano from a music store.
I highly recommend going to DC Piano on San Pablo, on the same block as Ohmega Salvage. I bought a used Yamaha there as a gift for my husband and it sounds better and has more bells and whistles (instruments, effects) than anything new at a comparable price. It really sounds exactly like a piano. This store refurbishes old keyboards as well as pianos, and they are highly professional and skilled at what they do. Their focus is on pianos so they don’t have a ton of keyboards, but it’s definitely worth visiting as a starting point - they’d probably be happy to give objective advice even if it meant buying elsewhere. And while you’re there you can ogle $10,000 antique pianos for when the kid shows promise as a concert pianist!