Note: We do require that you at least own a piano or a 61 key (or more) keyboard before taking lessons. It should also be touch sensitive. In other words; when you press on the keys lightly it should play soft and when you press harder it should play louder. You don't need to bring it with you; you just need to own one.

This is perhaps the number one question I get from customers wanting to start piano lessons.
First off; allot of the answer depends on you, your preferences and your budget.

• *Incredible pure sound
• *Large budget
• *Plenty of space needed
• *No loudness restrictions

I’ve found some parents/students wanting to buy a grand or baby grand piano for the beauty of the sound it produces. The reasoning is that if the student hears the incredible sound, which can only be produced by a grand, he/she will become even more encompassed with the will to learn and practice piano lessons. If the student is loving that sound; he or she will spend more time practicing. I do believe this to be true, but please also see my thoughts on an electric/digital piano. To purchase a grand or baby grand you will need a fairly large budget and ample space, but if you have both it may well be worth your time.

A piano is often a very large investment, especially if you are looking for a grand or baby grand. These can be quite pricy new, and you may save a few bucks buying used. However; if you are going to purchased a used piano you should plan on finding another trustworthy expert such as a professional piano tuner. Bring this person with you when you have found a piano you think you would like to own and have that expert give you his evaluation of that instrument. Now you can feel more confident spending those thousands of dollars.

• *Lower budget
• *Good quality sounds
• *Built in features
• *Less needed space

Another option is an electric/digital piano. Some pianos have sounds with names such as “Grand Concert Hall Piano”. While this may be a high quality sound, it is not the true quality of a real “Grand Concert Hall Piano”. However; that’s not to say that electric/digital pianos do not have sincere value. Also; terms such as digital piano, digital keyboard, and electronic piano often mean the same thing depending on brands.
What a digital piano lacks in quality it more than compensates for in quantity. Remember in the case of the grand piano; “If the student is loving that sound, he or she will spend more time practicing”. Well; here the same concept applies . There are often many interesting sounds to be discovered on a digital piano. On some you can spend hours looking through; (listening through) the many sounds and then find just the right one to fit the composition at hand(s). Usually these instruments have a built in metronome and many have cool drum patterns that can really get a student grooving!
First and foremost; When deciding on a digital piano you need to decide whether you want weighted keys or not. Most piano instructors will insist that you begin or start your child off on an instrument with weighted keys. There are often playing and recital opportunities on instruments that will most likely be true acoustic pianos. These pianos feel very different from an electric keyboard with un-weighted plastic keys. So; it should be noted that if a student wishes to ever play on a real piano, then they should go with weighted keys. However; I have had students that are learning just for their own personal enjoyment and have no immediate intention of playing on anything other than their own instrument. In a case such as this; whatever will be will be. I started with this same intention, although it took extra work, it wasn’t the worst thing to switch over to weighted keys when I had to.
OK; with all that said, I recommend you start off with a keyboard that has weighted keys and a full 88 key range. Honestly; I teach 4 year olds from books that make use of all 88 keys.

Here are some digital pianos that we have found to be useful for a beginning student. You can find all of these at Guitar Center Online with FREE SHIPPING!

• *has Stand, Bench, Pedal, and Survival Kit
• *Many extra sounds
• *Metronome and Drum rhythms in many styles

• *Has Stand and pedals
• *No bench
• *Many extra sounds
• *Metronome and Drum rhythms in many styles

• *No stand
• *No bench
• *some extra sounds
• *Metronome

• *No stand
• *No bench
• *240 sounds
• *180 Rhythms and metronome

• *No stand
• *No bench
• *Quality basic piano sounds
• *Metronome

• *Pedal included
• *Stand Included 399.00 without
• *No Bench
• *Quality basic piano sounds

Why choose Phoenix Music Lessons?