Piano or Keyboard?
The most common inquiries that I receive from first time learners, whether they are adults or kindergarteners, are 1) they should have a piano or keyboard to practice at home 2) acoustic (real) piano or keyboard, which one they should get
1) YES.
Let’s think about this. When someone starts swimming lessons, the student would probably not show up at the first lesson with a T-shirt and trousers. Or when your child wants to learn how to play soccer, most likely you would need to prepare a pair of spikes and adequate outfit for that.
Same goes with the piano lesson. Sometimes I am shown iPhone apps of piano keys and asked if those are sufficient. I really wish I could say yes. When we play the piano, acquiring the correct finger formation is a very important key, and iPad or iPhone screen are not pressed down key by key.
That being said, before signing up for the lessons, you are more than encouraged to play with the apps and get to know which key is CDEFG and corresponding sound to each letter. It is always fun to play app games, right? And that could be a great introduction to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
2) This is a very difficult question to answer, even though I immediately know what to say as my opinion.
| PROS | |
| Piano |
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| CONS | |
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| PROS | |
| Keyboard |
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| CONS | |
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So-called “the real made piano”, such as the one you see on stage of Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, has the great feel of touch. A real made piano, which is called acoustic piano, can give so many different tones, including soft to loud to begin with, to optimize the musical creativity. The sound of acoustic piano changes by a subtle finger formation. Therefore, the player can learn to control and engage the best sound that needs to be expressed. It requires some training ( that is why we the piano teachers are here!), but when you acquire the skills, the joy is to become priceless.
And acoustic pianos just look good! Some people have them as a furniture purpose to decorate their place, each brand has its unique design, color and type for the piano.( Some vintage ones have an elaborated finish with gold!) These are all by the hands of piano builders who take time to make the best quality piano, and you will find artistry in it.
However, urban areas like new york city where the space costs a fortune (!), having a real piano maybe an issue. Also, you cannot control the volume by a great degree, either you will have a clumsy moment with the neighbor or spend some money for the sound proofing.
On the other hand, electric keyboards is a bit more compact, light weighed, and the price is economical. The volume is highly adjustable, so you can still practice at 7am in the morning while other family members are still asleep.
Of course you can spend a lot for it, too. there are some brands that sell keyboards for a few thousand dollars. I have taught on some high-end keyboards in the past, I was pretty impressed by the quality of the sound. The keyboard’s touch has improved so much over the decades. Still in my opinion, the plastic material cannot win the genuine feel on the keys. It has a limitation how you can make different tones by one voice. But, electrical piano owners have a bonus! There is usually a voice change setting to choose different sound, such as pipe organ and chorus.
You want to know what I would answer? Sure, it is of course the acoustic piano which can make the most “piano music” alive in my opinion. I have played on many different electric ones and I also own one. There are many classical/jazz musicians who use a keyboard because of transportation issue to a gig place since not every restaurant in NYC owns a piano. When we need to practice until 1am in the night for our upcoming concert, the keyboard is a good supporter.
I would like to leave it up to you, whether the acoustic or electric piano is your choice. In any way, I hope that piano learning can provide you something fun and enjoyable. If you are looking for a good advice to choose a good keyboard instrument, stay tuned for my future blog or contact me via email to connect you through good piano companies.
