If your child is just starting out, it is fine to use a smaller keyboard temporarily. However, once your child becomes serious about continuing lessons, it’s important to have the very best instrument you can.  An instrument itself can inspire us by its sound and feel. While the minimum you’ll want to spend on a new acoustic piano is about $3,500, the good news is that a digital piano can be purchased for as little as $500.

One of the main reasons behind the invention of the piano in 1700, was to provide an instrument that could be more expressive by providing a wide range of dynamics and sensitivity to touch.  The instrument which developed in 19th century, resulted in the beautiful sounding and technological marvel that is today’s acoustic piano.

In recent years, digital pianos have made great strides in imitating the sound and touch of a piano.  As in everything, the quality can vary considerably.

Here are some basic requirements for a digital instrument which will contribute to success at the keyboard:

A full keyboard of 88 keys which should be the same size as regular piano keys (if you are just starting out and using a smaller keyboard, 60 keys is fine).

Touch-sensitive keys --  This means you can get some variety of volume depending on how hard you drop into the keys. 

Weighted keys which means the action feels more like a piano providing resistance.

Pedal (“the soul of the piano”)  The right pedal on the piano is called the damper (or sustain) pedal and allows sound to reverberate.  (Having a second or third pedal is not very important at this point.)  The sound should last for at least 15-20 seconds.

A sturdy music desk (or stand) to support the sheet music or books.

If the digital piano is a “slab” (not part of a larger cabinet) it needs to be placed on a sturdy stand to allow the player to sit comfortably and have forearms parallel to the floor.

Lots of instrumental voices (“bells and whistles”) are not necessary but can be lots of fun!

Headphones might be useful.

If the digital piano comes with letter names on each key, best to remove them.

Brands you might look at are Yamaha ($500-10,000), Cassio ($500-5,000), and Roland ($700-20,000).

Please take this information into consideration as you look forward.  Having a responsive instrument will help your child grow as a pianist and a musician!