Daughter o'mine has expressed a previously unsuspected yearning to learn piano.How do we meet this need?

Question

For,of course,we feel it is "a good thing" that she has some familiarity with musicality,and mother took lessons,and there are other children in the family who will benefit,so why not?

We have thick walls.

But we have no piano.

We don't even have any suitable cardboard that she could draw her own keyboard on and practice silently a la Tveitt.

She claims her artistic temperement is stifled.Between ourselves,I think it's a heady mix of indigestion and early teenaged melodrama.

However, as it is "a good thing" and has the potential of "being a positive experience" and in the spirit of "allowing her every opportunity" we have,in our parental weightiness, said "We Will Think About It".

Now, Help! Please...Quick...

There does seem to be rather an excess of options available in these fast times.

Electronic ones,roll up,not-cardboard-plastic ones,mahogany heavyweights that makes electronic piano sounds and require dusting ,light plastic tinny sylphs...

Which do we buy?

Answer 1

I agree with Luke, I was going to say the same.

Answer 2

you dont actually have to buy a piano i never had one when i played piano... i asked her if I could come more regulary to lessons and she said yes! so just ask the teacher! :)

Answer 3

I would start off by getting her an electric keyboard, not too expensive. If it's piano she's wanting to play then don't bother with the number of backings or effects it has, instead look out for ones with weighted keys, that will give her a lot better practise when it comes to playing piano; as she will have better control over the dynamics/keys.

Answer 4

I'm inclined to agree with Luke.  Not least for the reason that you need to get 'proper' pianos retuned every month.

You don't mention her age but she will leave home eventually and you're either going to have to move it - or get stuck with it.

As your question states, you can buy a roll-up USB keyboard but without proper keys it won't provide her with a proper experience.



Buy her the nicest keyboard you can afford at least until you're sure what kind of aptitude she's got for it.

Answer 5

If money is a concern, than try a keyboard or check craigslist.org- a lot of people have been giving their pianos away or selling it for not a lot of money. Most of these people  require that you be able to pick it up. If not, than take your daughter with you to a store nearby and see which one feels most comfortable and seems to suit your needs(would you need wheels to move it around easily, etc.)

Answer 6

Get a cheap(ish) electric keyboard for now. For all you know this could be a phase she's going through at the moment and she might get fed up of playing the piano. But as she progresses move up the ladder, and buy her bigger and better quality ones.

Answer 7

I am a piano teacher and can I just say that if she is young I would get her a elecric keyboard because she could be going through a phase and if you get a piano it would be an expensive phase!

Although you can get cheap pianos if you look in the local papers, if it gets the other children in the family to start the piano. I would get a piano with three pedals because the middle pedal makes the piano sound really quiet if at the start you want a bit of piece of quiet!

I hoped I helped!

Answer 8

Luke says it well.

You sound like a cool mum!

Answer 9

I agree with most of the previous answers but will add a couple of comments a) if you buy an electronic keyboard make sure that it either comes complete with its own speakers (or you wont hear it) or if not you are able to connect the output to a radio or similar, b) do not buy poor quality make sure the thing plays well and easily - there's nothing more off-putting to a beginner that having to fight the instrument before you can express your artistic poetential, c) above all encourage her, if she has ability she will blossom, if she hasn't she will give it up.

Learning to play properly is too demanding to approach it as a passing fad or fancy.