The Best Piano for Beginners

If you are a beginner, or if you have a child who wants to play piano, you will want to make sure you are starting out with the right equipment!  Having an upright piano, a baby grand, and a digital piano all at the same time, I have some experience with all of them as I would play from one to the other.  As a piano teacher of 17+ years, I have been asked what piano I would suggest for beginner students.  Since I have taught and played, I have found what I feel is the best piano for beginners.

So, what is the best piano for beginners?   The Casio Privia PX-160 is my top recommendation for a piano for a beginner piano player.  It is full size with 88 keys, it is weighted (making it equivalent to the feel of an acoustic piano), and it is the perfect entry level piano for a beginner.

But why would I recommend a keyboard over an acoustic piano such as a grand or an upright?  And why do I recommend the Casio Privia Px-160 in particular?  Let’s take a look.

 

Digital Keyboard vs. a Grand Piano vs. an Upright Piano

 

 

In my house, I have had an upright acoustic piano, a baby grand piano, and a digital piano — all in the same room!  It was like a dream room to me.  I just went in there and smiled looking at my favorite thing ever (a piano!) in three different varieties.  Check out my picture!  My house isn’t huge, so you can imagine people’s surprise when they opened up my front door to look at not one, not two, but three pianos right there!   Haha.  Love it.

Anyhow, my point is that I have had ample opportunity to try out the nuances of a digital keyboard, an upright piano, and a baby grand piano.

My honest opinion for my favorite piano?  A grand piano (or baby grand).  It is just beautiful.  It plays well, it sounds amazing, and it just responds like a charm whenever you touch the keys.  It’s like a love affair every time you sit down to play the piano.  I LOVE playing on a grand piano!

But is a grand piano what I would recommend for a beginner piano player?  No.  My reasoning?  The expense, the space, and the maintenance.  If you are a newbie, then any kind of grand piano just doesn’t make any sense for you for these three reasons.

 

Grand Piano Disadvantages: 

• Expense.  Baby grand pianos begin in the ten thousand dollar range for a new piano.  For a used baby grand, you can find them within the 5-10 thousand dollar range.  Grand pianos are about double the price of a baby grand.
• Space.  The space that any kind of grand piano takes up is a lot.  Many people don’t have that kind of room, and if they do, they don’t want the baby grand to be taking up that kind of room!  Because of it’s size, it has no flexibility for moving it.  Once you move that thing, you don’t want to ever move it again unless you absolutely have to.  It is best to hire out a piano mover if you do want to move it and it is one heck of a production when you do.  I do have an article on moving a grand piano if you are interested.
• Maintenance.  A grand piano needs to be tuned at least once a year.  You will want to keep up on the tuning so that it stays at its optimal performance and longevity.  The tuner will also keep the parts to the piano at optimal performance.  You will also want to keep the wood, or the material that your piano is made of, polished and kept up well.

 

Upright Piano Disadvantages:

An upright piano is supposedly going to give you the high quality sound of a grand piano, although through my experience, it just doesn’t.  It’s impossible to get exactly the same quality when the strings are not hit by a hammer through gravity, such as a grand piano would be.  You see, a grand piano has hammers and strings that are horizontal, so when you press the key, the hammer is allowed to fall through gravity.  An upright piano mimics this action, but because the strings and hammer are upright, the hammer is “pulled” into the string.  Just a nuance, but the seasoned ear and the seasoned player can tell the difference.

But, an upright piano is a viable and a good option for a newbie or even a seasoned pianist.  It can be a great option for getting you from the beginning pianist stages to the end.  It provides good quality sound, it is an instrument with real strings and hammer action, and they can sound simply divine.

Why I don’t recommend this as the best option for a beginner piano player, is because it also takes up space, requires maintenance, and it also is expensive (and if you are getting it for cheap, then that’s what you’ll get).

• Space.  An upright piano takes up about five feet of length, and anywhere from four feet high to six feet high with a width of two to three feet.  You might have a great wall or space for this, so it may not be an issue.  But do take note that if you do get an upright piano, it needs to be placed on an inside wall.  Of course, you can put it wherever you want — there is no such thing as the piano police.  But the best recommendation for an upright piano is on an inside wall.  This is because the weather from the outside wall can affect the instrument.   As it fluctuates between hot, cold, humid, or dry, the instrument can be affected.  It can potentially damage the internal workings of the piano.  So your options on an upright piano placement is limited.
• Maintenance.  As with a grand piano, an upright piano ought to be tuned yearly.  The tuner can also do a check-up and do general maintenance for you.  In our area, the cost of a tuner runs about a hundred dollars in addition to any replacement fees of parts.  You will also want to keep the wood, or the material that your piano is made of, polished and kept up.
• Expense. Although not nearly as expensive as a grand piano, an upright piano can still be quite spendy.  You can spend thousands of dollars on an upright piano, even up to ten thousand dollars.  I would be surprised if you could find a new upright piano for less than a thousand dollars.  Now, if you are going to buy a used upright piano, then be very cautious.  At least where we come from, free pianos are listed all the time.  If they are free or cheap, there is a reason for it.  You get what you pay for in this department.  Buying a piano is a hassle.  With the effort of picking up the instrument from the seller and moving it into your house, you will need 3-4 strong people.  Not to mention you don’t want to buy an instrument with loads of problems that you may not forsee.  So even if you are getting a deal, be very cautious with a used piano.

 

Then why a digital piano?

For a beginner, a digital piano is ideal for a number of reasons.

#1 Mobility.  A digital piano is easily moved to any location.  This is so convenient, especially for a beginner.  As you are getting used to the instrument and as you learn to play, you can move the piano to wherever is best for you to play it!

#2 Low Maintenance.  A digital piano never needs tuned.  Ever!  Once you buy it, it is tuned for life.  It has very little to no maintenance.

#3 Headphones.  It is amazing to be able to plug in your headphones as you play the piano.  For starters, it just sounds good when you are fully immersed into your music.  You don’t get as easily distracted.  When you are playing the piano – you are in the zone!  If you have other people around, they can really appreciate the fact that they don’t have to hear it either (especially as a beginner, lol!).  Obviously, a digital piano can change volume as well, a great benefit for practicing around others.

#4 Affordability. The cost of a digital piano is minimal in comparison with an acoustic piano.  Totally affordable, especially for the beginner.

#5 Digital Capabilities.  With the right digital piano, you can connect your piano to apps such as Garage Band.  You have the ability to create your own song, with band accompaniment and everything!  You can connect your piano to the computer and record your own compositions (such as Noteflight or MuseScore).  You can also connect to different programs that can teach you — saving you the cost and hassle of hiring a teacher.  (Although I would still suggest piano lessons from a real, live teacher.)

#6 Ability to record.  As you play piano, it is highly recommended to listen to yourself.  Easier said than done.  With a digital piano, you have the ability to record what you play and have it play back to you.  Priceless for practicing.

Disadvantages of a digital piano?  The greatest disadvantage of a digital piano is that the tones coming out of a digital piano are recorded – not live, actual sounds from a string and hammer.  You can imagine why this is a disadvantage.  It doesn’t quite sound the same – although as a beginner you likely won’t be able to tell.  The other disadvantage is that the feel of the keyboard will be different.  It won’t quite have the same feel, though some pianos get pretty dang close to the same feel as an acoustic piano.  Every piano will have a slightly different feel to it though anyone.  So having a digital piano which as closely as possible simulates the feel of an acoustic piano will be plenty sufficient.

Not all digital keyboards are created equal.  You have to be very careful in your choice of a keyboard otherwise you will end up with buyer’s remorse.  That’s why I suggest the Casio Privia PX-160.

 

The Ideal Beginner Piano: Casio Privia PX-160

Even as a beginner, the right digital keyboard is important for your success.  There are several things that you will want to make sure you absolutely have in your keyboard.

Since one of the greatest disadvantages to having a keyboard is that the sounds are digital, not live, you will want a digital piano that sounds as close to the real thing as possible.  The Casio Privia PX-160 claims:

Casio’s proprietary sound source, AiR (Acoustic and intelligent Resonator) provides the grand piano sounds in the PX-160. Casio meticulously recorded the sound of a 9-foot concert grand at 4 dynamic levels. The AiR engine delivers this sound with seamless dynamics for a remarkably expressive and powerful performance. Damper Resonance is simulated by AiR for uncanny realism when the damper pedal is used.

Now that may or may not mean much to you.  But being as I had an upright piano, a baby grand piano, and the Casio Privia PX-160 digital piano all in the same room at the same time, I can tell you that the Casio Privia PX-160 sounds pretty awesome.  To my trained ear, I can tell the difference — I am not going to lie and tell you I didn’t.  But this could also be because I know these three instruments well, so it’s hard to fool me.  But I was still impressed with the sound quality of my Casio Privia PX-160.

Another disadvantage to digital keyboards is the feel of the keyboard.  You will want something that simulates the real thing as much as possible, both with sound and with the feel of the keys.  I have to emphasize how important it is to have a full size keyboard with fully weighted keys.  There are many options out there who don’t have these.  Please don’t waste your money on them.  A full size keyboard becomes essential.  A smaller keyboard will last for the very beginning stages of piano, but you will outgrow it within a couple of months.

Having weighted keys means that the keys will play louder or softer depending on how hard or soft you play the keys.  This is absolutely essential in a keyboard.  Any pianist needs to be able to learn how to play louder and softer from the very beginning.  It becomes habitual, and a nuance that is needed to be learned from the first lesson.  So don’t go cheap on that or you will regret it.

The Casio Privia PX-160 does have both of the essential features of a full size keyboard with weighted keys.  If you care about the details, it says:

The PX-160 utilizes Casio’s famous Tri-Sensor Scaled Hammer Action II keyboard. This action features new simulated Ebony and Ivory textured keys for an incredible feel and its three sensors capture the dynamics of a performance with unparalleled speed and accuracy. Casio’s proprietary Hammer Response feature takes into consideration the speed at which different sized hammers move inside an acoustic grand piano relative to the velocity the keys are played. This timing nuance provides the ultimate key-to-sound experience that is unmatched by the standard actions of other brands.

From my experience, I can tell you that I can play all of my exercises without any delay in the sound.  There are other digital pianos that would delay the sound and blend the notes, if not miss playing, or sounding, some keys altogether when you begin to play quickly through your drills.  I have not noticed this on the Casio Privia PX-160.

Being able to hook my keyboard up to the computer and get all the advantages of digitizing is amazing.  You may or may not be using this as a beginner.  But I find it awesome!  This keyboard has what you need to make that all possible.

Of course, one of my favorite features of the Casio Privia PX-160 is the affordability.   As I was buying my Casio Privia PX-160, the piano store described it as an entry level professional digital piano.  It was the most popular digital piano in their store at the time I bought it two years ago, and it still is the most popular.  To me, that shows that it has stood the test of time.  I would buy it again in a heart beat.

There are definitely nicer keyboards out there with more features and even better sound quality and feel.  But they cost.  That’s why I love the Casio Privia PX-160.  It is affordable and doesn’t break the bank.  It has all the absolutely essential features, especially as a beginner.  That means it fits in your budget.  While it doesn’t have a  touch screen for your convenience, I have found that it has been fine without one.  I would rather buy the quality of the piano, vs spend more on a touch screen but compromise on the quality of the sound.

Just because I feel like I need to tell you every little detail I can, I also have to say how convenient the two jacks are for the headphones.  As a teacher, super convenient.  Also great for my students who are playing duets.  I also love how the speakers come out the front.  And I love the white version — that’s what I have.  That’s just me.  🙂

 

The Piano for the Beginner and Beyond

The other reason I root for the Casio Privia PX-160 is because it is a piano that can grow with the pianist.  As a seasoned pianist, I still thoroughly enjoy my Casio.  It is simple enough for the beginner piano player, but has enough class and quality to maintain itself through to the advanced player.

I think that is my biggest issue with any of the less expensive and thus, lesser quality digital pianos.  There are plenty of those out there.  While it can work for the beginner, it doesn’t last for long!  Many of those features will be outgrown within a few months.  Any piano that does not have a full keyboard of 88 keys is not sustainable for a piano player.  The pianist will begin to use more of the keyboard within a few months or at most, a year.  Thus, it isn’t worth spending the money for the cheaper pianos.

The quality of the other pianos is not worth paying for either.  I own two other digital pianos that were cheap, relatively speaking.  I have taken good care of them, but they have gotten their use.  They lasted about 3-4 months before they started having issues.  The speaker outlet began to wear out, so I could no longer use headphones in them.  Then some of the keys stopped working.  The most annoying thing about those pianos is the sound quality though.  They just wear on your ears!

If you have no other choice than to buy one of those, do it anyway because at least you will get going!  But if possible, opt for something like the Casio Privia PX-160 for its quality and longevity.