Do I need a piano to start piano lessons?
One of the most common questions I get asked from prospective new piano parents and students is “do we need to have a piano to start piano lessons? Is a keyboard sufficient?” The answer to the question of what instrument a beginner needs to learn on can be a contentious one among piano teachers, with some teachers arguing that students should have an acoustic piano from the start, and others arguing that any keyboard is fine. In this blog post, I’ll go through the pros and cons of each, explain some of the different kinds of starter instruments you might consider, and explain where I land on this topic.
What are the different kinds of instruments?
For the sake of clarity for the rest of this article, I will refer to the three most common types of keyboard instruments owned by piano students. Many parents and students do not know the difference between a digital piano and a keyboard, and often use the terms interchangeably.
Acoustic pianos have 88 keys, hammers, strings and pedals. This can include upright pianos and grand pianos.
Digital Pianos are electronic instruments that have a full 88 keys. They may come with one pedal or a pedal unit with 2 or 3 pedals. They have weighted keys which means they can play dynamics, but do not have a hammer action and therefore feel different to the weight of an acoustic piano. They might have a few different sound options (e.g. grand piano, electric piano, organ) and a volume control.
Keyboards typically only have 61 keys, and these keys might be smaller than the keys on an acoustic piano. The keys are not weighted (they may sometimes be described as ‘touch sensitive’ but this is not the same as weighted) and therefore do not play with dynamics or much musical expression. They may have a great number of inbuilt sounds including synths and drum beats. They also have a volume control.
There are other kinds of pianos (such as hybrid pianos and stage pianos) which have slight differences, but these are generally less common in households of beginner students.
What did I learn on?
When I first started learning, I had “keyboard lessons”. We learned in a school hall in group lessons, on 61-key, unweighted keyboards. There was minimal technique training, the emphasis was simply on learning to read notes and play them on a keyboard. I also had a similar Casio keyboard at home, which I learned on for the first 2-3 years. I loved my keyboard for all its extra functions, and I used the ‘demo’ feature to roughly teach myself every piece I could. When I started to get ‘proper’ piano lessons, my parents got a second-hand upright piano off a family member. The piano was not in the best state - it had been left untuned for so long that it did not re-tune to concert pitch, and so up until my HSC, I learned on a piano that was a semitone lower than concert pitch and often got out of tune.
The reason I include this is to say that a highly motivated student will be able to learn on anything, provided they have something to practice on. It is also important to note that I am probably the exception - I had less-than-ideal instruments to learn on and still pursued the piano to a high level. The vast majority of students might be put off by having instruments that have a poorer sound quality, touch, fewer keys etc. This is one of the main arguments people make for investing in a good quality instrument from the outset.
The case for getting a good acoustic piano for beginners
A good quality acoustic piano has a number of benefits for the beginner piano student. The most significant is the benefits for a student’s technical development. Acoustic pianos have a hammer mechanism which strikes strings to produce sound. The hammer action creates weight in the keys, which feels very different to un-weighted keys that might be on a keyboard. The weight and resistance of the keys requires students to develop efficient technique by using the weight of the arm to depress the key. Students who have keys that are not weighted may develop the habit of pressing the fingers down, because the keys do not produce enough resistance as to require the use of the arm weight. This leads to tension in the hand and fingers when playing on an acoustic piano.
The mechanics of the piano are integral to learning to play with expression and dynamics. These skills cannot be adequately developed on a keyboard, and can only be developed to a point on a digital piano. Furthermore, many keyboards do not include pedals, and many digital pianos have pedals which feel quite different to the pedal on an acoustic piano. This limits the ability to develop pedalling technique. Finally, acoustic pianos produce a different sound to digital pianos or keyboards. A good acoustic piano produces a wide range of dynamics and tone colours that are difficult to replicate on digital pianos or keyboards.
In short: an acoustic piano sounds and feels different to a digital piano/keyboard, which makes it more difficult to develop the technique and musicality required for playing on an acoustic piano on a keyboard.
Why sometimes keyboards/digital pianos are necessary
Keyboards or digital pianos have a few distinct advantages over acoustic pianos - they are smaller and lighter which makes them easier to move, they have volume controls and headphone outputs, and they are less expensive. For families who live in apartments, have to move frequently, or are otherwise limited on space, an acoustic piano may not be logistically possible. Cost is another factor. Parents often have the (very understandable) hesitancy to outlay a large amount of money on an instrument that their child may lose interest in. This hesitancy, while understandable, also needs to be weighed against the fact that playing on a keyboard may lead students to become frustrated by the limitations of the instrument, such as the sound quality, or the fact that it feels so much harder to play on an acoustic piano in lessons, or the missing notes at the top or bottom. In circumstances like this, the child losing interest becomes a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy.
That being said, some students (such as myself as a student), find the access to sounds, connectivity to technology, recording and demo features present in some keyboards and digital pianos to be motivating for self-directed learning or composing. Depending on the student, access to these features might provide additional benefit.
What do I recommend?
For an absolute beginner, any instrument is better than nothing. Use what you have if you already have something.
If you have a keyboard, know that it realistically will need to be upgraded if you/your child continues lessons past the first two years.
If you do not have anything at the moment, invest in an 88-key digital piano at a minimum. This will work for most students, most of the time. Buy the most basic model and save the extra money to invest in some good accessories (stand, bench, pedal unit).
If you are not concerned by space or portability, consider looking for a good quality second hand piano (Good quality usually means not something listed for free on facebook marketplace).
An acoustic piano is almost always a better option than a digital, a digital is always a better option than a keyboard.
Does brand matter?
In short, yes. Choosing a more reputable brand typically means better quality as well as making it easier to find compatible accessories for digital pianos.
For upright pianos, start with the following brands: Yamaha, Kawai, Beale
For digital pianos, start with the following brands: Yamaha, Roland, Korg
What should I budget?
For a brand new entry-level digital piano, budget between AU$500-$800. You might be able to find something for up to half this on the second hand market, but it can involve waiting for the right deal to come along and/or travelling for pick up.
For a brand new upright piano, budget between AUD$6000-$10,000. Second hand you can find good pianos for AUD$2500-$5000, although you will need to budget for a professional piano mover and tuning on top of this.
Accessories to consider factoring into your budget are an adjustable height piano bench (AU$150-$250 new), and a frame and pedal unit for digital pianos if not included with your purchase (AU$150-$300 new).
References & Further reading
Ajero, M. (2013). Random access: Blurring the lines between digital and acoustic pianos. American Music Teacher, 63(1), 50-52.
Arencibia, P. (2020). Discrepancies in Pianists’ Experiences in Playing Acoustic and Digital Pianos. In S-H. Lee, M. L. Morris & S. V. Nicosia (Eds), Perspectives in Performing Arts Medicine Practice: A Multidisciplinary Approach (pp. 179-194). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37480-8_12
Clews, D. (2023, August 9). Best Piano Brands 2023: Whether you’re an acoustic or digital piano player, these are the companies you need on your radar. Musicradar.
Van Den Broek, A. (2023, November 5). Acoustic Vs Digtial Pianos. Inner West Piano.