Hello,

I was wondering if it's better to wait for when I will move out to a place in 6-7 months where I will be able to play an acoustic piano without annoying the neighbours,

or is it okay to start taking lessons and practising on a good keyboard piano ?

Would it be hard to get used to the acoustic later on ?

Also, do you have any suggestions for a good keyboard piano ?

Some piano buffs may disagree ( I am grade 7 though hehe), I have an acoustic, and a keyboard DGX-620 by yamaha, it has weighted keys which is VERY important as it's better for your fingers, and will help you settle into a real piano if you ever get one. It comes with a sustain pedal, a decent stand, and get some really nice headphones with it, it works wonders

They are fine up to a point. I have practised diploma level stuff on mine, but for the real details (intonation etc) you really need to work on a acoustic. It depends on your level! My grade 6 pupil is learning on her digital and has occasional lessons on a baby grand to help with her tone and control.

I'm doing grade 8 in the summer. I practice on a digital, or whenever I can on a decent grand, but do lessons on an upright acoustic. It always takes a few minutes to get used to the better instruments, but there is no doubt in my mind that they are better, and that I play better on them. Coming back down to the digital, it takes much less time to get used to.

A good digital piano is a lot better than no piano! You will not do youself any harm. There is more difference in feel and playability between a tired or neglected acoustic piano and one in reasonable condition than there is between a good upright and a good digital.

A grand piano feels and responds quite differently to either - but you never find anyone stresssing about practicing on an upright because it might make it hard to get used to a grand later!

I have a Yamaha P80 and have been very happy with it. It was bought second hand on eBay about a year ago and is still worth about the same as I paid for it. Other members of the forum will doubtless have different favourites.

I'll second that!
And particularly for beginners...plenty of my young beginners have started on keyboards (that's keyboards are opposed to digital pianos which are obviously better again) and have graduated to full size pianos once their parents were sure they were keen...

You're doing well if a significant number do decide that a piano is a good idea at some point....

I know!

I've been genuinely surprised over the last couple of years. I can think of two off the top of my head - one young lad (8) who only started in August last year, and got a digital piano for Christmas! Another wee girl the same age whose grandparents had some money put aside for her, and after about a year, she got an acoustic of her own! There's been others too, piano seems to be having a proper revival where I am...

[I only got to replace my mum's old piano about 2 years ago! Hope the wee things know how lucky they are... ]

It can be very strange alright.

I have one pupil, who is approaching the end of Pianotime 1, whose parents went out and out of nowhere bought her a new piano. (Although I wish they had consulted me, its not a great instrument!) On the other hand, I teach a boy who is attempting grade 2 on a keyboard.(bought a pedal last week ) This is a family with 3 new cars in the last 3 years and quite a few holidays...can anyone spell priorities!?!?!?

Even if they upgraded to a better keyboard (with weighted keys at least) it would be a vast improvement.

I've been there too...
One of my girls is doing her Grade 3 in the summer, plus she's taking Standard Grade Music, [piano ought to be her first instrument with that, but for some reason the school is pressuring her to do keyboard...another story....]. She had an ancient old piano which was supposed to be getting replaced - then they moved house and couldn't afford it - recently several keys have stopped working and it's so badly out of tune, she's back to practicing on a keyboard....

I travel a lot and have a cheap keyboard (£60.00) that runs on batteries and is easliy portable. It is good for snatched time and for working out fingering. Not a great feeling otherwise but makes a good sound. I've also got a digi piano with weighted keys which is my main instrument as I sold my accoustic piano whilst I build a house. It is good enough - a Roland RD 170 - and has sustain and touch sensitive keys. It will never repalce an accoustic one. I would say go for it and get practising. A day without playing the piano is a day wasted!!

I would say go for it too.

A long as your instrument is touch sensitive I would carry on and get started.

A very eager pupil of mine just got a good Grade 1 pass (118) despite only having at home a teeny tiny 3?-octave keyboard, without touch sensitivity, and no pedals - even though one of her pieces she played with "effective legato pedalling" according to the examiners notes. I have now started work on the parents... "Just imagine what she could do if she more opportunity to practice on a proper acoustic instrument" etc etc. Come to think of it she probably can't fit the Grade 2 scales onto her instrument. Even she might struggle if the only practice she can do is on a window ledge...

Thanks for your replies everybody !

I think I'll go ahead and start

go for it ..!!

i started learning on a little tiny keyboard for probably 2 years lol
you'll be fine
((then i got a yamaha digital piano which i love
and ill probably take all my grades practising on
and one dayy when i have my own house
im going to buy a beautiful amazing REAL piano
its a good incentive to become a decent pianist))
haha
but yeh go for it
x

I used to have keyboard lessons and did my grade 2 when i was younger so when i had to have piano lessons as part of my a level music i still used the same instrument and it is a pretty basic instrument.
I managed to do grade 3 which i passed with Distinction and the prepared for my grade 4 on it as well. Obviously i practiced at college on an upright whenever i could but i think you'll be fine for 6 months or so on a keyboard until you move house. i wouldnt worry to much about it for the moment.

It's fine as long as by 'keyboard', you mean digital piano.

No. I don't think people mean that. Here we're talking about keyboards. Those cheap things you can carry about. Many people are not so lucky that they can afford a real piano, or even a digital one. It's often the case that a child (or even an adult) needs to show that they are ging to stick with the instrument before the commitment to spend so much money can be made.

i personally love my piano, and cant imagine learning on a keyboard but my friend is doing her grade 8 and has only ever had a keyboard.
So yes, i think its fine.
x

it should be okay, but personally i've never liked the idea of playinga keyboard, especially when you want to practise for a piano. but as long as you feel comfortable with it, then you're fine!

make sure that you set it to 'touch' or whatever makes the sound depend on how hard you press the key, so that you can use dynamics without trouble!

I want to second everyone who said 'go for it'. I've been delaying starting the piano for years because of similar considerations (couldn't afford an accoustic). Then a year ago I got a digital piano which is very good (Roland 101). I'm planning to take Grade 1 this summer. My piano teacher thinks I can safely learn up to Grade 5 - 6 on my digital, and I do have lessons on her accoustic (Yamaha / Kemble) - it takes a minute or two to get used to but learning on the digital has not damaged my progress in any way. Yes, I'm saving for an accoustic one day, but that will be in quite a number of years.

Good luck!

It's not too bad, it's better than nothing.

I have taught several pupils who have started on keyboards (as opposed to digital pianos). One of them was promised a piano if she passed grade 2! She duly passed G2, then it was - well, if we don't have to pay for her braces (for teeth) she can have the piano. Anyway, she duly got the piano and went on to G3, and passed, but promply gave up!

I think the main thing that I found was making sure that there was good posture and hand position, and getting them to play loudly, or even mf, because the keyboards require such little effort from the fingers that they get used to pressing very lightly. I usually spend the first 5 minutes getting them to "think piano".

Personally, I think it's okay. Obviously, it's better to have a real piano rather than a digital one or a keyboard, but there's no reason that you shouldn't be able to learn on an electronic instrument.

I'd just passed grade 4 keyboard (on a keybaord, naturally!) when I decided to switch to piano. I couldn't get a piano right away, though, so I just practised on my keyboard. When I finally got a piano (not a digital), I found it pretty easy to make the switch between the two instruments.