How to choose and buy a piano?

What piano to buy? When? For how much?

 

Piano for beginners:

You have decided to learn piano, you are starting the course. The first two months of the course, you can attend without buying an instrument. That will enable you to evaluate your motivation, your time, and your desire for the investment. Afterwards, surely, it will be essential to acquire an instrument.

It is easy to find beginners’ electric pianos in the classifieds, on Ebay, and at piano stores. A used electric piano should cost around £ 500. There are better designed, higher quality pianos: for those you must enquire at your local piano store. Of course, your initial investment will be greater, on the order of 1000-1500 Euros. Electric instruments present the advantage of having a small size and a quiet working which are beneficial in an apartment; and also they don’t need to be tuned.

 There are also acoustic pianos with a silent system. These are relatively expensive. In all cases, it is better to buy a factory-installed silent system rather than to have one installed after buying the piano. 

Pianos can also be rented.

 

How to choose an acoustic piano:

The ideal approach, when choosing an acoustic piano, regardless of whether it’s an upright piano or a grand piano, is to call in a professional. That is, a piano tuner. She or he will be independent and can give you indispensible advice. This service has a very reasonable cost and you will avoid spending sometimes thousands of euros on a piano that is not worth it. This is valuable for used pianos as for new ones, and even for pianos sold in a shop.

Avoid ordering a piano from a catalog. The piano is a very subtle instrument. Within the same brand and range, the differences in sound are very important. Each piano has its own personality.

 Also note one peculiarity: your instrument will need to evolve with your skill in piano. At a particular moment you will be confronted with the need to sell your piano before buying a better quality piano that responds better to your interpretation needs. A piano bought new will rapidly lose a part of its value (up to forty percent in the first two years). A used piano carefully chosen can bring the same price and in certain cases more than its original purchase price.

 

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