I'm interested in learning to play piano.

Question

Can you suggest what brand of keyboard I should buy? Preferably under 200. I don't have the time for piano lessons because of sports, school, and work. Are there any programs that you would suggest using to teach myself how to play?

Answer 1

Yamaha!!!

Answer 2

Honestly, for less than $200, you're not really going to get a great keyboard, so it won't really feel like a real piano. But a lot of keyboards come with programs on them that teach you a little. But as far as brands go, Yamaha if you can get one at the price you want.  

Answer 3

You don't say for what purpose you want to learn to play.  If you just want to play keyboards for your own pleasure or as a casual hobby, maybe play in a non-professional band, then that's one thing--if you want to get really good and be able to work professionally, that's another.

If you just want to play for funsies, then just about any decent electronic keyboard will do.  Look for a decent name like a Yamaha or Casio or Panasonic or Wurlitzer.  One important thing is to check the technical specs of the keyboard; look for one with full-sized, touch-sensitive keys.  To get user reviews and easy links to technical specs for all kinds of keyboards, try:

http://www.harmonycentral.com/

Now, if you want to learn to play piano in a professional way, you will not only need full-sized, touch-sensitive keys, but also weighted ones.  The weighted keys feel precisely like the keys on an acoustic piano, and that makes a difference.  If you start out with weighted keys, you will be able to play non-weighted keys equally well, but if you start out on non-weighted keys, you'll have a much harder time if you ever want to translate yourself to an acoustic piano (or an electronic one with weighted keys).

Now, those weighted-key pianos are expensive!  But if you are willing to do a little shopping around, you can find one in your range--check your local Craig's list, troll around on ebay, and especially look regularly at http://www.shopgoodwill.com/

As for self-educating--you honestly will not make progress half as fast as you would with even irregular lessons from a good teacher.  But if you insist on self-educating, frankly, there are plenty of resources, and I rank all of them just about equally.  There will be some instructional websites linked from that Harmony Central website; you can find books and cds and videos cheaply on ebay or at used bookstores.  Try a lot of different things and see which ones work for you (anything that seems too advanced, set aside or bookmark and try again every six months or so until you catch up with it).

Answer 4

piano is actually a really easy instrument, since you don't have to know how to set up your mouth or anything...just the fingerings for keys. :)

i suggest yamaha. It's a reallly good brand for pianos, and mine has lasted about 17 years already. :) good luck!