Starting your child at piano lessons for a parent can be a daunting process.
First, it’s gauging your child’s interest in music, is it a passion or just a fad?
Then you have to find the right teacher or music school to help develop your child’s love of music and skills. And finally, it’s out to buy them their first instrument.

This is where a lot of people get confused or frightened when they look online at acoustic pianos and see a 3000 euro price tag. So let us offer some guidance to make the process a little easier.

Firstly when starting off with piano lessons, the bare minimum your child will need is a 61 note, touch-sensitive keyboard. Touch-sensitive means that when you strike the key harder you will get a louder note and when struck softly you get a quieter note. 61 note keyboards are perfect if you’re on a budget or not sure if your child will keep up the lessons.
They will get your child through the first few exams and are a great stepping stone.

The make and model I recommend looking at is the Yamaha PSR E373.

It’s a fantastic keyboard with great sound that won’t kill your bank balance.

If your child is passionate about music and you want to invest in something better?

Then next we are looking at a digital piano.
A digital piano plugs in and powers up just like a keyboard but has 88 hammer action keys like an acoustic piano, and a sampled piano sound from an acoustic grand piano.

There are two types you can opt for, a portable digital piano or a furniture-style piano.

The portable style digital piano is perfect if you are short on space or on a tight budget.
They have the 88 hammer action keys and the sound of an acoustic piano, with the portability of a keyboard. You can pick up a portable model with a stand for under 500 euro for those on a budget. Plus the portability means after your practice you can put it away neatly.

A few models to check out are the Yamaha P45, Yamaha P125, and the Roland FP30, Roland FP60, and the Roland FP90

The furniture-style piano resembles a traditional acoustic piano, with a wooden cabinet, 3 pedals, and a stylish look.
If you are looking for something that resembles a traditional piano this is the type for you.

My favorite furniture style pianos are Yamaha, they come in two ranges the YDP series.
With the YDP103, YDP144 and YDP164

These are fantastic pianos, each one is sampled from a Yamaha CFX grand piano with piano keyboards modeled on Yamaha’s acoustic piano action.
For the beginner, these are fantastic options with a starting price of 799 euro for the YDP103. Once again perfect for the budget-conscious.

The next series is the CLP range. With the CLP725, CLP735, CLP745, CLP765 ( BABY GRAND ) CLP775, CLP785, and the CLP 795 ( BABY GRAND )

These are Yamahas premium digital piano range with added features such as:

Bluetooth
Virtual resonance modeling
Binaural headphone system
App control

Both the Yamaha CFX grand piano sound and the Bosendorfer piano grand sound.

If you are looking for a superior quality instrument that will see your child all the way through their grades and beyond, the Yamaha CLP range is for you.

Finally, for the traditionalists, we come to the timeless classic, the acoustic piano.
Here you can opt for a new model like a Yamaha B series

A reconditioned model like a Kawai BL series or Yamaha U series or a hybrid like a Yamaha silent piano.

One big advantage of an acoustic piano is that they hold their value better.
If your child decides that music is no longer something they wish to pursue and you wish to sell it on, this is a big plus.

With all the various models and options I’ve mentioned I’m only scratching the surface of the specs and differences between them. However, if you feel like diving deeper into the world of pianos just give Waltons a call and we can guide you through the maze.

Just call 01-8207425 or email info@waltonsmusic.ie

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