For an individual who is interested to learn how to play the piano, people may deem it challenging. However, with great focus and dedication of a beginner, comes a great reward. Learning how to play the piano marks the foundation of other instruments like guitar through the understanding of chords and scales.
There are a variety of pianos in the market that a beginner can start with among them is an acoustic piano. These pianos are versatile, high quality, and very suitable for beginners who have an interest to learn how to play.
This article compiled some of the insights you need to buy to help you buy the best acoustic piano for beginners.
Is an acoustic piano good for beginners? What you can benefit from it?
This is a piano that is known to be a ‘real’ piano due to the ranges of sound that it produces. Buying an acoustic piano as a beginner will pose a great advantage.
Below are the reasons why the acoustic pianos are good for beginners.
– Touch sensitivity
The acoustic piano has a touch sensitivity in each model on the weighted keys. This is because they have a string and a hammer where when the key is played.
It produces a natural reverberation of the strings which makes a great music quality. Acquiring this product, a beginner will be able to distinguish between different sounds produced by the piano.
– A long-term investment
The beginner who wants to invest one time on the purchase of the acoustic piano makes a great choice.
This is due to the minimal maintenance required for it while it retains value for long making a beginner gather more skills without the worry of buying another piano after a short while.
– Keys
For a beginner who wishes to start learning how to play the piano, it is recommended to start with 64 keys and above.
Most of the keys in acoustic piano are 88 in number and few of them have lesser numbers. This is the ideal number for piano playing.
These keys will equip the learner to get used to playing all the keys as required with no additional keys to play in the future.
– Sustain pedals
Unlike other pianos that may lack sustain pedals, the acoustic pianos are guaranteed to have them. The foot-controlled lever will enable the beginner to have numerous keys to play with the fingers while their quality tones are produced to enhance the sounds played.
How to choose the best acoustic piano for beginners?
While buying your first acoustic piano, it is important to do thorough research. Because when making your decision on what acoustic piano to choose for starters, it poses a great investment to your finances and learning.
Hence this decision should be handled with lots of care. Below are tips on how to choose the best acoustic piano for beginners.
– Weighted keys
When choosing the appropriate piano, check if the keys are free from damages and cracks and also if they have a smooth surface. It is important to check if the keys are posing adequate resistance.
When striking the keys, your finger joints should be cushioned from the shock transmitted. The softer you press the keys the softer play while the harder press of keys leads to a louder play.
– Sound
As a beginner, you should be keen to check the range and sound quality for better learning. It is through sound produced that you will recognize your music tastes, aims, and ambitions.
Different people possess different preferences of the sound quality from brighter to mellower tones.
Search for consistency of the piano sound and find out if volume keys are consistent. Evaluate the sound quality and ranges are matching with your needs.
– Ergonomics and circumstances
When buying your piano for the first time, it is good to know if it has the number of keys you would like. For beginners who begin with a 61keys piano should know that later they have to advance to 88 keys piano for further skills.
Also, with your best choice of a piano, you have to figure out if you will be playing the instruments seated or standing and if you can adjust the piano to suit how you would like to stay. You should know if the instrument is portable to move around with for classes or not.
– Learning tools
A preferred piano by the beginner should have extra tools like learning aids.
Among these tools include the keys which light up enabling you to follow closely, a built-in metronome, the ability to play as a dual-mode where the piano can be split into 2 sections of an octave to play with your partner. These tools are very useful for beginners.
– Headphones option
When you initially start practicing using a piano around the area with many neighbors in the same rented flat, you tend to cause noise pollution to them.
But with the options of headphones, it is easy to play your piano without distracting the whole neighborhood.
– Availability of sustain pedals
Choosing an acoustic piano with a sustain pedal will offer great merit as a beginner. The pedals are a foot-controlled lever that makes it possible to play your notes and have them sounding the same while you play other keys with your hand.
With the development of piano playing, the need for sustain pedal will come around. Initially buying a piano with those features will save you from buying another later.
– Brand and warranty
Quality and reliable pianos are produced by different brands in the market. The good reputation earned from these brands on the customer reviews and support services makes products to be chosen by many.
However, as a beginner you have to conduct your research and determine the best brand to buy from and how long the warranty is. Most brands offer a warranty of 5 years and above. This assures you in case of breakdown or defect of the piano, you can have another or have it fixed for free.
– Accessories
Look out for deals and bundles that include the purchase of your piano. At the end of the day, a beginner will always need to have accessories like a piano bench, a stool or seat, music stands, and items like headphones.
It is cheaper to buy a good piano with accessories than buying them separately.
Best Bundle – Casio PX-870 Acoustic Piano with Bench, Book and More
– Budget-friendly product
Each beginner has different passions, goals, and finances. When deciding on the best acoustic piano for beginners, consider buying a product of good quality. The quality will be determinant of your success. Due to a variety of brands in the market, the prices vary too.
Therefore as a beginner, you should buy a quality product that will feature what you need at an affordable price. A new acoustic piano may vary cost around $1000 to under $3000 and with minimal maintenance, it will last for years.
Best Cheap – Donner 88-Key Weighted Acoustic Piano
Which one is the best for beginner, acoustic, or digital pianos?
Although both types of pianos are good for beginner’s use, digital pianos are more recommended. The digital piano is conveniently designed with a handful of features that enable the beginner to improve their piano playing faster. Below are features of digital piano enabling easier use of a beginner.
– Other instrument sounds
Digital pianos are made with ranges of sound for quite all the instruments, for instance, saxophones, guitars, and choirs. This variety of sound and music beats are played as they suit the beginner.
Ability to start a drumbeat track and play to the beat. Hence, learning a variety of songs like pop-songs and hip-hop.
– Recording of practice
The recording feature is purposely made for the beginner. The piano has a port that enables you to connect to a computer and store the playing like a digital file. This keeps motivating the beginners to know if there are any improvements made.
– Portability
Unlike the acoustic piano that is heavy to move unless, by 2 to 3 people, the digital piano is light therefore easy to use. The beginners who attend classes on playing piano find it easy to buy a digital since they can carry it around anywhere.
– Volume control
The digital pianos have volume knobs that are fitted in them to enable control of the sound made. Besides, they have headphone output where you easily listen to what you are practicing without making noise for the people around.
– Minimal space is required
Possessing an acoustic piano makes a beginner worry if there is enough space where the piano can fit. However, purchasing a digital piano assures the user that very little space is required to store it hence convenient to acquire.
– Mimicked acoustic sound
With the improvement in technology, there is the evolution of digital pianos which has sound mimicked to the acoustics. Although the sound isn’t similar to that of an acoustic piano as it doesn’t use real strings, a beginner can use it for starters before deciding to own an acoustic piano.
Best Rated – Yamaha P71 Portable Digital Piano for Beginners
Conclusion
When you develop an interest in buying a piano and learning how to play it, an acoustic is a good choice. The instrument produces stunning warm and authentic sounds due to the strings attached to it making learning enjoyable.
Also, it is a beautiful instrument that matches the décor and heirloom of your home and a great investment that is used for years.
