Tips for First Time Piano Buyers

The pianoforte, also called piano is considered to be a majestic musical instrument. Bartolomeo Cristofori of Padua, Italy invented piano in 1709. This musical instrument has strings attached to every key which produces sound when a key is pressed.

Pianos are available in different shapes, sizes, types and color.

There are mainly two types of pianos- acoustic pianos and digital pianos.

Acoustic Pianos

These are the traditional pianos and are mostly preferred by classical musicians. An acoustic piano provides great sense of touch, harmonics, reverberations and a great relationship with the heritage. These pianos have a great life-span. If maintained properly, it can be used for a century.

Digital Pianos

These pianos are in trend over the past few years. It offers a gigantic array of style. As acoustic pianos take a lot of space, these digital pianos can be fit anywhere and take much less space as compared to acoustic pianos. These pianos come in various styles and pre-recorded tunes. You can install your favorite song selection and play altogether. Many students nowadays are using digital pianos for taking piano lessons.

Buying a Piano

If you are buying a piano for the first time, here are some of the tips you need to follow. Adhering to these tips will help you in selecting the right piano.

Acoustic or Digital:  The first and foremost thing you need to consider is that you want to buy an acoustic or a digital piano. If your primary purpose is to learn a piano, then go for acoustic pianos. On the other hand, a digital piano has many features such as working with software, practicing with headphones, and playing a variety of sounds.

Upright or Grand:  Another factor to consider is whether go for upright or grand. If you have a limited space and budget, upright would be fine then. But, if you have a good budget and ample of space, go for a grand piano. It provides better leverage when playing black keys and between black keys. Also, the sound of a grand piano projects into the room.

Old or New:  If your budget is unlimited, buying a new will be a good option. However, a new piano’s quality is difficult to assess until years down the line. But if you are considering buying an old one, look out for that piano which is in an ideal condition. A piano which hasn’t been played that much and has spent its life in a stable environment (considering the temperature and humidity), may only require reconditioning for achieving a high level of performance.

Size:  Longer the strings, bigger the sound board, more enhanced is the tone. However, it is essential to match the size of the piano to the room. A large piano will produce more volume. So, you must assess the purpose of the piano and determine what size will be ideal for the space.

Think Long Term:  If properly cared, a piano can last a lifetime. So, when making a decision to purchase, you should think beyond your current family situation and home and project far into the future.

Brand:  If you are willing to buy a new piano, the brand name won’t make much difference. But if you are buying an old one , the brand name will surely make a great difference. With the new pianos, different brands will have same height, warranty and almost same cost. So it won’t make a difference. But prefer going for the one with a longer warranty. More the warranty, the better off you will be. The only advice which comes to when buying a piano is to shop around and purchase from an authorized dealer. If in doubt, talk to your piano lessons instructor. He/she might help you in choosing the right one.

Summing Up

In a digital piano, the new features will keep on adding with the advancement in technology. To master the art of playing a piano, true dedication, patience and determination is very much required. It takes years of lessons and practice to achieve the ability to be able to perform on such a royal instrument.