My son has said that he would love his own piano in his bedroom I don't think it's just a phase, and I know how he is with his music - although he's quite happy doing his practice and playing his pieces downstairs for all to hear, there are other things he wants to do in private. With the guitar, he'll play it anywhere, but his 'private' stuff - composing and improvising and experimenting - he does in his room. At the moment he does very little of this on the piano, though he used to do more. I haven't said yes or no, or even that I'd think about it. I'm certainly not rushing into anything and I'm waiting to see whether he mentions it again, as it came out of the blue last night. But it wasn't just a whiney 'I want' - he has obviously been thinking about it a lot.

There's no room for a piano in there (I can just imagine trying to get the upright up the stairs - even if I was prepared to let it out of the living room, which I'm not) and I don't think his bedroom floor would take the weight anyway. So I was thinking of a keyboard, but I have absolutely no knowledge or experience of these.

So as a bit of background research while I see what develops, does anyone have any advice? Would a keyboard in his room be a good thing? Does a keyboard sound right for the sort of thing he wants to do? If so, any recommendations? Any pointers would be welcome, thank you

I think a keyboard sounds absolutely right for a bit of composition/improvisation/experimentation, and will be easy to transport and fit into his bedroom. There are hundreds of different models out there - go for a reputable make and you shouldn't go too far wrong. You have an acoustic piano for the 'serious stuff', so you don't need to worry about getting a weighted action digital piano, which will be a lot more expensive. I'm sure your son will have a lot of fun with all the extra features - voices, backing tracks etc available on a keyboard. One small suggestion - get him some headphones as well....or you may live to regret it!

Yes, definitely get him a keyboard. I have one in my bedroom with 88 keys (and headphones) and the acoustic one as well (not in my bedroom)

Yes, I think a keyboard sounds fine for your son. It's not as though it's his only keyboard, since he has the 'real' piano downstairs. It seems a very sensible idea to me, crotchetymum.

Great idea.

Do get a good one though with touch sensitive keys (weighted action, if you can afford it, is even better but a bit more money and heavier too). Far more important than full 8 octaves which you can do without.

We bought our son one 'for messing around on' but it was too much of a toy compared to a real piano and he never used it. We later got a better one which he used far more (and then yet another even better one which we all use). Husband (mega serious diploma level piano player) now looking to add yet another to the collection!

Does your son have a computer in his room? If so, he would likely enjoy using his computer when composing, so check that the keyboard has a MIDI interface (and maybe get him to do a little research on what is involved when connecting a keyboard to a computer).

Thank you for your replies everyone - they're very helpful and I now know what sort of things to look for.

Allears, he doesn't have a computer in his room, which is a constant bone of contention between us I'd still rather he didn't have one permanently, but I might have to let him borrow my laptop sometimes if asks nicely

Very wise. I told my kids they could have their own computers if they built them themselves. The computers were built before the words were out of my mouth...

My daughter has a Yamaha P-140 electric piano in her bedroom. It is full size but sits on a portable stand so it quite compact. It has weighted keys and a sustaining pedal (you can buy the other pedals separately). She loves it. It's especially useful for playing quietly early in the morning or for practising scales as she finds this so tedious but relieved slightly by using the other instrument sounds such as the organ and harpsichord. It's also very easy to move around if you want to site it elsewhere.

Sadly it doesn't get much use because she hates playing the piano so much but I am very pleased with the instrument.

We paid about £700 for it from normans.co.uk but I haven't looked to see what it costs now.

Thanks - I'll take a look