Guide to buying a piano for a beginner

Benefits of music education, especially learning piano, are very well known and many people want to start piano lessons. But they don’t want to invest in an acoustic piano right away and are looking at alternatives such inexpensive keyboards and digital pianos. Good discussion about acoustic vs. digital pianos can be found on this website . In general, beginners can get by using keyboard for 2-3 months before buying an acoustic piano, but you need to understand a trade-off.

Acoustic piano is a complex mechanical instrument that can sing and must sing. Pianists learn how to do this very early in their careers. They learn how to extract the full palette of sounds by learning how to sit correctly, curve their fingers, apply weight to the keys and shape up sound with a wrist.  Playing on an inexpensive keyboard and digital piano is like painting with two colors versus painting with the whole palette if you play a real acoustic piano. That is why ideally you want to have a real acoustic piano right from the very beginning of piano lessons.

Now, I assume that you have decided to buy an acoustic piano. What are your options? What type of piano to buy? Buying a piano is like buying a car – you can buy KIA or Lexus, brand new or used one. And like cars, expensive pianos hold their value for a longer time.

First of all, if you are buying a piano and not getting one as a gift, don’t buy a spinet. Usually, the higher the piano the better quality sound you get and higher pianos hold their tune better.  We suggest the minimum height of 42-44 inches.

Buying a new piano. A decent console piano may cost between $2700 and $4000. Kawai and Yamaha are the most popular brands in this price range. Contact your local dealer.

Buying a used piano from a store.  A decent beginner used piano usually costs from $1300 to $2000. There are some stores in our area that sell used pianos. Buying a used piano from the store has some advantages. Most of the stores offer one year warranty and a free tuning.

Buying a used piano from a private party. Craigslist and local newspapers such as Sharon Advocate, Suburban Shopper and others are good sources to look for a piano. Very often you can find a real bargain.  And as you bring your mechanic to look at a used car, you need a piano technician to look at the piano. This service usually cost $65-$75. Some piano technicians provide the extended service – they watch craigslist for you and when they see a good deal, they notify you and go with you to evaluate the piano. Many of our students used this service. Usually you can get a piano 30%-60% below a store price and, even with the added cost of needed repairs and tuning, you will still get a bargain. Contact us for contact information of the piano technicians, who provide this service.

Free pianos. Sometimes people want just to get rid of their pianos and offer pianos for free or for a nominal price. Again, craigslist and local newspapers are good sources to watch for these offers. Usually once or twice a year somebody calls our Academy and offers a free piano. We maintain a list of people, who are interested in these offers.   Please sign-up if you are interested.

Piano moving. Piano moving, depending on the distance and a floor a piano needs to be moved from and to, may cost between $250 and $600. The prices vary a lot, so contact us for referrals.