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My 7yr old has shown an interest in playing the piano or keyboard after we got her a 2 octave thing for a fiver!
I used to play about 30 years ago on a proper upright but we can't get one of those!
So any advice on how to choose a beginner keyboard/ piano?
Ive been looking around a bit at the more piano style but not sure how much importance I should put on things like weighted keys.
Or maybe just look at a keyboard with load of different sounds and built in tracks that might be more exciting for a kid to start with.
What have other STWers got for their kids?
Three more two-octavers?
😉
Second-hand digital piano off FB, Gumtree etc. If they get bored you've only risked a couple of hundred quid and you can always sell it. If they actually want to learn piano then weighted keys etc is a must in my opinion.
Or a synth/workstation if they are more into different sounds or composition.
piano and workstation owner here (er, well, sort of, strictly speaking my other half is the owner operator)
What's the budget? Would you go second hand?
'fancy' weighted keys on a keyboard start getting expensive quick quickly
cheap keyboards just have springs, ok to start out I guess, 'organ feel'
weighted keys have something solid in the key, so they're heavy, but, just plain sprung
then its hammer action which start feeling a bit more like a piano
then graded/gravity hammer action which is supposed to be like a grand piano as the weighting is correct to each pitch
Probably looking upto 250-275 tops.
There's the alesis recital pro which has weighted hammer action at that price but is a more dedicated piano style thing
Or cheaper keyboard style stuff with just normal keys but more non piano and composing features.
I'm wondering if I should just get something like a rockjam rj761 bundle as she can then decide what type of thing she's interested in. Something like this which is only 140.
Will look at 2nd hand as well
If you learn on cheap keyboard and decide you want to go on to a proper piano style, is it a problem adapting to the feel of proper piano style keys?
Ok I’m not 7 (considerably older)
I hit my 1 year anniversary of learning piano last week.
Just bite the bullet and get a weighted hammer action digital piano. I started on a synth and the key technique is totally different and your hands need to learn the feel. I can play synth stuff using my Roland digital piano (more than the budget sorry) easily. Playing proper piano technique on the synth was not a good experience.
These are remarkable for the money.
For synth stuff hook it up to an iPad/pc and play virtual synths of which there are loads of freebies.
Got my 8 yr old Yamaha P-125. Not cheap, think we went one up from start model p45. They're weighted and very good. Also I think they really hold value so if they pack it in, you should get large chunk back.
8 years ago we bought a brilliant Roland electric piano from stw'er. £200 with proper weighted keys, really nice to play. Bonus of having headphones when kids were practicing.
Three boys have had lessons and played it, but for last two years it's sat there barely played and we needed the space.
I've just sold it via FB marketplace - someone came and got it the same day
Has the current 2 octave thing full sized keys? How big are your 7 year olds hands?
For synth stuff hook it up to an iPad/pc and play virtual synths of which there are loads of freebies.
Yeah, I was gonna say this. I’d prioritise a decent key feel and solid build over pretty much everything. As long as it has midi outs then you can load GarageBand and it’ll sound like whatever else you want. Even older digital pianos with a rubbish synth engine can sound great through modern software. But my 6 year old only seems interested making the piano make drums sounds…
Yamaha
I am no expert and was in a similar situation a couple of years ago for my then 12year old. Was lucky enough to get a used yamaha ez220 (the keys can light up if you want, to aid learning) in its box and with a stand at a good price and to my untrained eye seems pretty decent for starting out on. It is pretty big mind. I went used as I didn't know if it would be something that got used lots etc so didn't want to spend a fortune but wanted something half decent. Glad I went used and didn't spend a fortune as it seems to be used as a shelf for his clothes these days. He still dabbles but more for the sound effects than the keyboard.
We have a 7yr old who started lessons about a year ago. On recommendation of his teacher, we got a budget digital piano with weighted keys, an SDP1 (£150ish) from gear4music. We avoided a keyboard as we didn't want him getting distracted by all the functions! The SDP1 has been ok, but speakers are starting to go a bit crackly. In hindsight, I should have spent a bit more and gone 2nd hand, but we weren't sure at the time if he'd enjoy it, he has really taken to it.
Probably looking upto 250-275 tops.
Casio CDP-S100 is close enough (currently £280 at gear4music, amazon, etc). We got one at Christmas, partly for kids to learn, partly for me to get back into. It's the one that the local youth music trust, who do lessons in the kids' school, recommend too. Piano teachers don't seem to like kids learning on keyboards, can be hard to move over to the weight of a proper piano later.
I'm really really impressed for the money - proper weighted hammer action, decent piano sound and a handful of others but it has USB so you can hook it up to a computer or iPad and dick around with things like Garageband, or use the apps like Skoove or SimplyPiano. It's only 10kg or so and can run on AA batteries if you did need to move it about for practice.
Andertons have done a few blindfold tests including it, this gives a good idea of how it stacks up:
Interested to know why you say, of a proper upright "[i]but we can’t get one of those[/i]"?
We have an upright that we've looked into getting rid of, as have a number of friends/acquaintances. The consensus is that you can't give them away.
Might be worth investigating, if you're being put off by the perception that they'll be horrendously expensive. Maybe talk to the music teacher at your daughter's school, or even contact local amateur orchestras - see if they know anyone who's got an actual piano they want rid of. I'd offer you ours, but from your user name I'm guessing you're a few hundred miles away.
Of course, if it's an issue of space/transport, then this advice is no use at all.
We got our son one of these - bloody marvellous for the price and he has become really good using it (didn't play at all before hand)
We have an upright that we’ve looked into getting rid of, as have a number of friends/acquaintances. The consensus is that you can’t give them away.
That I can believe. And on the expense front...
The first problem is moving them, they are big and delicate.
Then regular tuning.
And then the felts wearing out.
Then you find mice living in the thing.
Then the mechanism needing adjusting
When that's sorted the leather bits wear out.
Then the soundboard cracks.
Or some careless scrote has come round and damaged a key which is irreplacable because the thing is 100 years old and they're a careless scrote who isn't safe near nice things they don't own.
ARGH!
Of course if you just get a cheapo and don't worry about tuning or maintenance then very little of the above applies.
you can't play an acoustic piano with headphones in 🙂 this is the big bonus as well as all the maintenance and moving issues
second hand is the best bet, with 200 quid you'll get something good on facebook marketplace - but don't worry about full 88 keys just as long as it has weighting you'll be fine
Mrs P is learning on a Casio Privia PX110 that I bought used many years ago (immaculate, about £250 iirc) and it fits the bill very well with weighted keys (88, scaled hammer-action), natural sounds (Grand, electric/Rhodes, etc) and comes with it’s own stereo speakers (and of course headphones option)
Never gave any trouble. It (the stand it came with) accepts pedals, we just have a sustain pedal but there is an add-on piano-like pedal-bar worth looking out for. Useful for moving/gigging too as the stand can be easily removed and packed flat.
There are a few in the PX range and usually some on ebay or marketplace.