Which piano is best suited for my children?

...this is a question which we get asked often at Lewis Eady Ltd.

Whilst Grandma Dawn’s 100 year old upright piano might make an attractive proposition both cosmetically and financially, it may not necessarily be the best option to learn on.

Firstly one needs to understand that pianos - like humans - have a lifetime. The average upright piano action is made up of over 8000 moving parts which are subject to wear and tear. Furthermore the tension created by the strings of a piano can be in excess of 15 tonnes per square inch which over time fatigues the soundboard causing it to loose tone and power.

In a nutshell after 100 years most pianos are dead and gone, and should be given a suitable burial (there are of course always exceptions to this).

So what options are there?

Keyboards are a cheap option starting at around $400 but have a lightweight touch derived from Organs and are really only suitable for the very early stages of learning. Furthermore they tend to have truncated keyboards of either 61 or 76 notes as opposed to a piano which has 88. If you must go down this route choose one which is ‘touch sensitive’ and make sure that you have a plan to upgrade to something better within a year.

Digital Pianos are more expensive but a more preferable option to keyboards. These have a full 88 note keyboard and a weighted action which - in the best brands - will closely resemble that of a piano. Be aware though, these to will have a lifetime. If your little Johnny has aspirations of becoming the next Ashkenazy, even the best digital pianos will only see him through to around grade 4 level (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music).

Acoustic Pianos obviously the best choice but these can be a real mine field as there are so many options.

In my next blog I will go into more detail on these in particular and will look at the options with new versus 2nd hand, and the difference in qualities available.

Lewis Eady blogs about pianos in general and in particular Steinway pianos are our passion.  New Zealand Pianos specialist Lewis Eady have been passionate about pianos since 1884.