Age is only a state of mind and should never be viewed as a barrier to prevent you from achieving a particular goal. Perhaps the circumstances of your life didn’t allow you to pursue your dream when you were younger; maybe you didn’t have any interest in playing the piano then, or you were simply too busy with your career or raising a family. 

Whatever the reasons were that kept you from learning the piano, they mean nothing today.  If you are truly passionate about playing music at this time of your life and you have the opportunity and the desire, it’s up to you to make it happen.  And you can.

Do you have access to a piano or digital keyboard? Are you sufficiently motivated to devote the necessary time and effort to practice? If you answered yes to those questions, then you have what you need to get started on a joyous adventure that you’ll treasure forever.

Learning a musical instrument these days is even easier when you factor in the convenience and immediacy the Internet offers for self-study. Without ever having to trek to a private teacher every week for a 30-minute lesson, and for less than the cost of dinner for two, you can take advantage of an online piano course and begin learning scales, chords and other musical concepts right from your home.

It’s much easier than you think and before you know it you could be impressing your friends and playing your favorite songs.  There is an abundance of online piano courses to choose from.  They cater to all types of music, but essentially they teach the same thing. 

Of course teaching methods will vary and they are many ways to check out which piano course may be right for you before you make your selection.  What’s important is that you get rid of the myth that you are too old to learn to play the piano.   That’s simply nonsense!  Just get out there and go after your dream to learn the piano.   You’ll be happy you did.

A very important factor in helping to motivate a child to learn piano is for them to have their own piano or keyboard so they can practice their music and have a sense of ownership and pride about their musical instrument. Hopefully this will work to inspire the child to practice and continue to improve their piano playing skills. Of course, it is wise to determine how much enthusiasm the child has about learning to play piano prior to your decision to purchase one just for them. When a child is first learning to play on a piano, they won’t need a full size 88-key piano keyboard, but as their skills grow and they become more advanced piano players, they will certainly want to have a full piano with a regular sized set of keys.

A digital piano or keyboard is a wonderful idea for an introduction into a child’s piano playing study. A digital piano usually has the ability to record music and even download music files from the internet, which can be great learning tools to aid in the child’s piano playing development. Another added benefit of these features on digital pianos is the capability to save the music you play, and can e-mail it to anybody you want. Children can send songs they have played and recorded on their digital piano through email to grandparents or other relatives, and won’t they be proud! There are many more great features on most high quality digital pianos and keyboards as well. A majority of them have several pre-recorded songs that can be utilized as learning tools as your child plays along with the recording. On most digital keyboard pianos, the child can mute certain parts of the recorded songs and play the muted part themselves on the keyboard. This is a fun and excellent way for a child to learn piano, when it comes to learning to play piano, there is nothing better than hands-on experience.

The piano is and has been increasingly used in various countries including Australia and other western countries as part of a solo performance, chamber music, accompanying other musical instruments or as a part of an ensemble. I am sure most if not all of us admire a sight of a pianist or even better a signing pianist sitting on a chair doing their magic on the piano. Piano is not only used as a musical instrument but many musicians over the past have talked about its versatility in composing and rehearsal of songs. However, due to its bulkiness and expenses, other musical instruments are usually used instead of the piano.

Therefore it is very important to seriously ponder what you are looking for when buying a piano, to ensure that you are buying one that suits you, your skills and even better your budget. As I have already mentioned a piano can cost from about $2000 to as much as $80 000 for those grand performance pianos, therefore buying a piano is a major investment on your part. But what do you look for when you want to purchase a piano, even more so if you can’t play yourself and hoping that your kids, whom you are sending for those expensive piano lessons, will one day be able to play at least as half as good as Oscar Peterson.

Firstly, make a criteria of what you are looking for, in terms of size, colour, and most importantly how much you willing to spend. Shop around, I know many of us can be wary of piano salespeople and you may feel that they are steering you in a certain direction, but piano sales company that have been in the market for a long time such as Hutchings Pianos in Sydney are quite reputable. If you are not sure it may be useful to hire someone who knows about pianos to accompany you when you are going to make the purchase especially in checking out the technical aspects of the piano and whether these fit with your other requirements.

The other important question is whether you buy used or new piano. This is eventually up to you, after weighing the pros and cons of each. New pianos are an attractive choice because not only are you getting a brand new piano, but you are getting one without any wear associated with use thus it will last for over half a century, that of course depends on how you take care of the piano after buying it.

Brands like Yamaha and Schimmel are familiar to most people as these companies have been producing pianos over a century in various pats of the world such as Japan, Germany and the US, furthermore these companies have deservingly earned this reputation by producing high quality pianos . However, cheaper brands like Beale and Alex Steinbach have risen in the past few years and if you shop around carefully you may get a good deal.

After settling on certain piano, very carefully investigate the seller’s warranty and if this warranty covers you in your location. Also think in the long term, how hard or easy is it going to be for you to trade in the piano if you want to buy a better one. And also check what is covered in the warranty, especially the conditions of return. Also look at the aesthetic quality of the piano and how it is going to fit in with your house, for example certain pianos will work well in rooms without carpets and vice versa, check with the seller and the technicians.

Used pianos also offer an attractive alternative option as they are relatively cheaper and with careful consideration one can buy not only affordable but also a good quality piano. Besides, if you buy a grand piano, for example one made prior to World War II you can always claim and rightly fully so to your friends and family, that your piano is an authentic antique. And we all know how everyone loves antique products. To find good quality used pianos, again check with reputable Piano dealers, negotiate for a better deal. Before making a used piano purchase it may prove useful to determine the age of the piano, through enquiring about the name and the serial number of the piano. Caution should be exercised for rebuilt pianos.

I hope I have given insight about purchase of pianos, remember you are making a lifetime investment when purchasing a piano therefore, don’t be afraid to ask questions about the piano that you want to buy. It is important for you to ensure that you get a piano suited to you tastes as much as possible. Books about purchase of pianos such as one by Larry Fine may prove useful in providing a more comprehensive insight into buying of pianos. Good luck!

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Buy affordable pianos, Find New and Used Pianos for sale and rental, tuning and repair, Piano accessories, books, all AMEB grades, sheet music, piano CDs, music stands, metronomes, piano stools or benches, statuettes, piano lamps, piano covers and gifts.

Author

I am a thirty year old music technician; I also work part time in The University of Sydney in the faculty of creative and performing arts. I currently live in Bondi Junction in Sydney. Live with my family of four. My hobbies include, playing music, going to the beach, surfing and barbeques on weekends.

Musical instruments are mainly categorized by the way they generate sound. All musical instruments fall under one of the following – string, wind, percussion and keyboard, though there may be further divisions and sub-divisions. Examples of string instruments include guitars, violins, ukuleles and cellos. Wind instruments include pipes, sax, clarinet, flute and such other types. Drums, bongos, cymbals and bells fall under the percussions category. And keyboard instruments include pianos, harpsichords, organs and accordions. Over 1000 musical instruments are available across the world, including folk instruments.

If you want to play on your own, then it is better to start with a musical instrument you like, and then gradually master the instrument by joining music classes. If you like music in general and are not interested in specializing in any particular type of instrument then a keyboard can be the perfect choice. Electronic keyboards nowadays can produce all sorts of sound ranging from guitar tunes to drum beats. A variety of DJ equipments are also available on the market nowadays, which provide creative sound mixing options for the wannabe DJs as well as for the experienced disc jockeys.

On the other hand, if you were thinking of organizing a band then you would need different types of musical instruments. A band normally includes a couple of string instruments, percussions and preferably a wind instrument.

You can purchase your musical instruments online. Choose your favorite instrument from the various websites that you will find on the internet. They often offer discounts if you buy their package deals, which include various types of musical instruments. This can be your best option if you are planning a band with your friends.

Musical instruments can be a costly affair, especially if you are planning to buy the best available on the market. These can set you back by anything from $100 to over $10000. A good Yamaha or Roland electronic keyboard may cost almost $2500. Used musical instruments are often a good choice, especially if you are learning to play a new instrument. For beginners it is advisable to invest in musical instruments in the lower price range.

Musical instruments can also be made at home with items of daily use. Homemade musical instruments mainly fall under the category of percussion instruments. You can make almost anything, from shakers and jingle bracelets to drums and tambourines. You can also make wind instruments such as comb harmonica or kazoo. These help your child to be creative and can keep them busy. And you can now have your own band at home.

Digital Pianos are greater value than an acoustic piano with prices starting from £315 for a PDP220 Digital Piano by Gear4music, with professional quality pianos costing well into the thousands. Roland produce a range of advanced digital pianos including the RG-3 Digital Grand Piano with Moving Keys at £8919.

Features to considerIt is important to consider carefully what your needs are before buying a digital piano. Below is a checklist of things to watch out for when shopping for a digital piano.

Other things to think aboutUsing your digital piano for practice in the home makes it worth investing in headphones. Also consider where you will use the piano, and check if it comes with a stool.

The keyboard on the other hand would sound thin, definitely lacking without auto chord/bass. Of course, arranger keyboards are considerably cheaper than new organs and take up less room. This has created a new generation of keyboard players, some of which could never afford the hefty cost of an organ.

So is this the end for the electric organ. So how do organ manufacturers address this problem? Well they were and still are designed to be a piece of furniture. Great big lumps of wood, which appeal to the older generation, which is why they have the reputation of being an older person’s musical instrument. This need to be changed so they appeal to all generations. The next major change has to be the hefty cost. A top of the range electric arranger keyboard such as the Roland G70 would cost between two to three thousands pounds. The top of the range Roland Atelier organ will cost you in the region of twenty thousand pounds new.

This change may have already started with new models from Yamaha with the Yamaha D-Deck organ and the top of the range Yamaha Electone Stagea. Both are portable and very modern looking. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of information on these models unless you read Japanese. Yamaha have decided there is no organ market in the UK, Europe or the USA. So if you want one of these models you will have to import it yourself.

At the time of writing this, even these new modern looking organs are now out of date. As far as I am aware the Yamaha Stagea electone organ and Yamaha D-Deck organ do not have the “Super Articulation” that is available on the Yamaha Tyros 2 arranger keyboard. There are also a lot of brand new features on the latest crop of arranger keyboards, which include Roland G70, Korg PA 800 and the Ketron Audya, the latter, still a prototype.

So if you want an electric organ set up. You might be better of buying two arranger keyboards and a pedal board. It would be considerably cheaper than importing the Yamaha Stagea and you would be assured of the latest sounds and technological advancements.