How to choose a first piano

A first piano does not need to be expensive, but it does need to behave like a piano. Everything you practise at home — finger strength, evenness, playing softly and loudly — is learned through the keys. If they feel like a toy, your home habits will not carry over to a real piano, and progress slows without you knowing why.

Three things matter most for a beginner: the number of keys, how the keys feel under your fingers, and a sustain pedal. Sounds, screens and built-in rhythms are a bonus.

An acoustic upright makes its sound with hammers and strings. Nothing quite matches its touch, and a good one lasts for decades. But it is large and heavy, it needs tuning — usually once or twice a year — and it cannot be turned down, which matters in a flat with thin walls.

A digital piano plays recordings of a real piano through speakers or headphones. It is lighter and smaller, never needs tuning, and with headphones you can practise late without disturbing anyone. Good ones imitate acoustic keys closely, though not perfectly.

For most beginners in a flat, a good digital piano is the practical choice. If you have the space, love the sound of a real instrument and can practise during the day, an acoustic piano is a wonderful one. Both work: what matters most is the keyboard.

• Full size: 88 keys, like an acoustic piano. With 61 keys you soon run out of notes at both ends.
• Weighted, hammer-action keys: heavier in the bass, lighter at the top, like a real piano. Light “synth-action” keys build no finger strength.
• Touch sensitivity: the harder you press, the louder the note. Without it you cannot learn to play softly and loudly.
• A sustain pedal: ideally a real piano-style pedal, not a small square switch.

Light 61-key keyboards are fine for a first try, but a beginner who means to keep going will soon outgrow them.

A used acoustic piano can be a good buy, and some are even given away — but a free piano that can no longer be tuned costs more than a new digital one. Before buying, ask a tuner to look at it, or check at least this:

• Every key sounds and comes back up quickly; none sticks or rattles.
• It holds its tuning: ask when it was last tuned.
• The tuning pins are tight, and the frame and soundboard have no cracks.
• Moving it: an upright weighs around 200 kg or more and needs professional movers.

A used digital piano is easier to check: try every key at different strengths, listen through headphones for crackles, and make sure the pedal and power supply are included. Older models often feel heavier and sound less natural, but they still beat a new keyboard with light keys.

Prices change, so instead of numbers, think in three tiers:

1. Entry level: a new digital piano with 88 weighted keys and a pedal, or a good used one. Enough for the first years.
2. Middle: a digital piano with a better key action and sound, in a cabinet with three pedals — or a used acoustic upright in good condition.
3. Long term: a new acoustic upright or a high-end digital piano, once you know that playing is part of your life.

The makers people search for most are Yamaha, Kawai, Roland and Casio, each at several levels. Compare the key action first and the sound second, and try instruments in a shop if you can.

Add comfortable headphones, a sturdy stand and a bench at the right height.

At Amadeus we tell every beginner two things. First, there is no need to buy right away: take a few lessons and see whether you really want to play. Second, when you do decide, an acoustic piano or a digital piano with a full-size keyboard both work — and we will advise what to choose.

An instrument at home sets the pace: those who also play between lessons (15–20 minutes a day is enough) move much faster. You can practise reading notes without a piano, too, with our free note reading trainer.

Getting ready to start? Read about piano lessons for adults and our article “Is 40 too old to learn the piano?”.

Not sure what a word means? Look it up in our glossary of music terms.