Digital Piano Needed Which One?

Lillys_mum · 19 September 2007 at 12:28PM

My daughter has started piano lessons at school and we need to buy her a digital piano so she can practise at home.

Ideally we would like a full size 88 key one although the teacher has said that a 5 octave one would do to start with - so we would need to buy a full size one later on!!!

There are so many out there and we really don't know much about them.

Ideally we would like to spend around 300-400 but one for less would be great.

Any help greatly appreciated.

Jazzking · 19 September 2007 at 12:44PM

Hi,

I bought my first digital piano when I was doing a levels at school (some 8 years ago now!) and plumped for a Yamaha Clavinova (CVP-107)

This model's been superceded now but there are plenty others available. In terms of brands there's really only Yamaha and Roland, and each to their own preference....

I guess the most important thing is that it has weighted keys. It's all very well learning on a 5 octave keyboard and learning the notes, but if you're serious then I'd definitely try and find one which has the weighted keys so it feels like a piano at least.

You then need to look at whether you want a "portable" piano which is essentially just the keyboard with some speakers built in, or a full size piano replica - I would think for your budget you would be able to get a decent portable piano.

Finally, since it is for school use - definitely check out if your school has contracts with any music suppliers, you should be able to buy through school at a substantial discount. My school used Starland and you'll see from the link there's a perfectly good Yamaha P70 for £417, although if you get it through school you may be able to save the VAT at least, and maybe a bit more!

Hope that helps for starters!

Alex

pinkshoes · 19 September 2007 at 1:35PM

I've played the piano for 18 years, and recently bought an yamaha P70 which is perfect for beginner up to advanced:

http://www.yamaha-europe.com/yamaha_europe/uk/10_musical_instruments/50_clavinova/30_ydp_series/10_ydp_series/10_no_series/P70/index.html

Ideally I'd have bought a proper piano, but not really convenient for a 2nd floor flat! As well as having 88 keys, it's quite important to have weighted keys, otherwise it's more keyboard-like than a piano.

The above is the most basic model Yamaha do, and is around £499. Look out for people selling them 2nd hand.

inkie · 19 September 2007 at 5:04PM

Is there no way you could have a 'proper' piano. I find playing digital very different to the real thing.

Gingernutmeg · 19 September 2007 at 5:21PM

OH is a concert level pianist and would agree that there's nothing really to beat a 'real' piano when it comes to learning or playing. However, it's a LOT more expensive to buy a real piano - you really can't learn well on a £150 old iron frame piano of the type you see advertised in the papers. You need to be looking at spending at the very least about ten times that to get a 'good' piano to learn on, if you're serious about learning to play.

A good electronic piano is far more preferable than a cheap real piano - it's more portable and more saleable should your child decide that the piano isn't for them. You can also plug headphones in lol! (You can buy 'silent' real pianos - OH has one because the neighbours don't love pianists in London lol - but they start at about £3000 and aren't really affordable for most beginners). There's also the cost of moving the piano. We're moving soon and we've had quotes ranging from £250 to £550 to move an upright piano, and as a basic rule of thumb they add £100 per floor if they're moving it from or to anywhere but the ground floor. It's hugely expensive, a good digital piano is a far better option for now!

samf1971 · 19 September 2007 at 6:58PM

I've recently started learning the piano & I was very kindly given a Roland electric piano with weighted keys from freecycle, it's not the most modern I'll agree (about 7 yrs) but it sounds fantastic & I should imagine cost a fortune when new

Lillys_mum · 19 September 2007 at 9:40PM

inkie wrote: »

Is there no way you could have a 'proper' piano. I find playing digital very different to the real thing.

No we just don't have the room for a 'proper' piano, if we did I would have one as they are a beautiful instrument.

What do people think of the Casio digital pianos, they have the Casio Privia PX700 at a local shop half price at £399 instead of £799?
I don't know if it is a good buy or not, it does sound like a piano and it has the weighted keys.

mandm65 · 19 September 2007 at 10:53PM

Last year we bought latest Yamaha Clavinova (GH3 Keys) & we were very satisfied with it, excellent piece of kit and at the time that was the best possible option for us!
Trust above helps!
cheers

Bargain_Rzl · 20 September 2007 at 12:00AM

Hi, I have a Kawai. It's very slimline (depth wise) and the sound is wonderful. It was a bit pricier than you are looking to spend, though. I live in a small flat so don't have the space for a "real" one, and it's useful to be able to play with headphones in the middle of the night and not disturb the neighbours

Other advantages of a digi piano include portability, extra "voices" (harpsichord, pipe organ) and the fact that you never have to pay for a piano tuner

Digital Piano Needed Which One?

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