If you are looking to learn the piano, you will find that it is extremely hard to do so if you don’t have the instrument. Going to a piano lesson a few times a week is better than nothing at all.
That said, only having access to a piano for a few hours every week is not going to help you learn in a short period of time. Learning the piano is all about practice and repetition, and without having a piano at home, this is not going to be possible.
So, you need to get the instrument, but large acoustic pianos can be extremely expensive and space-consuming. You might be wondering, “should I buy a keyboard to learn piano?” The answer is yes, get a keyboard. Let’s explain why.
Cost
One of the biggest reasons why you want to consider getting a keyboard to learn piano is because of the cost. This is especially the case if you do not yet know just how dedicated you are. Many people start learning an instrument and then decide that it’s not for them.
You don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on a full-size acoustic piano as a newbie. If things don’t go to plan, you just blew a ton of cash on a fancy ornament that will never be used. There are keyboards that can be purchased for a few hundred dollars or less.
Get a simple keyboard and use that to practice. If you find that you are turning into quite the prodigy and want to go for the real thing, you can always do that later on down the road. Learning how to play on a real piano won’t be any different than learning on a basic keyboard, so there is no point in spending thousands when you aren’t too sure about it yet.
Spatial Issues
Another reason why you want to consider going for a keyboard to learn, rather than a piano, is because they take up much less space. A real piano is large, and it is heavy. You more or less need a full room dedicated just to the piano.
The smaller your home is, the larger this issue becomes. There’s also the fact that pianos are heavy, and depending on where you live, even just getting it into your home can be a challenge. Basic keyboards are much smaller, they take up much less space, and are much lighter.
Most keyboards can even be folded down into a compact package for easy storage. If you have serious spatial constraints to deal with in your home, a keyboard is definitely the better option to go with.
Tuning and Maintenance
Something else to consider when it comes to full-size acoustic pianos is that they are going to require care, maintenance, and tuning. Do you know how to tune a piano? If you are just learning how to play, chances are that you don’t even know what the notes are.
If you don’t have a mastery of the notes and exactly what they sound like, as well as what sound each key on the piano produces, you won’t be able to tune the piano. Electric keyboards don’t require any tuning or real maintenance of any kind. It’s a much easier instrument to learn on and to maintain.
Technological Features
Another reason why you may want to consider going for a keyboard rather than acoustic piano for learning purposes is due to technology. Sure, acoustic pianos are large and elegant; they certainly look the part, but of course, they are not electric, and therefore they won’t come with any special features.
On the other hand, a good electric keyboard is going to come with lots of cool features for you to play around with. For one, may beginner keyboards may come with learning functions, such as a “Simon Says” type of function.
Keyboards may come with learning and educational features which will actively teach you how to play. Some may simply get you repeating notes until you form a full song, while others may have programs to teach you about musical notes and timing.
Moreover, keyboards often come with recording and playback capabilities, something that always comes in handy for learning. This way, you can play something which you are in the process of learning, and then play it back to yourself to see how it sounds, and then make the appropriate corrections and adjustments to your playing.
Conclusions
If you are new to the world of piano, it is recommended that you get a small keyboard rather than going for a big acoustic piano right from the get-go. You will save money and space, you won’t have to tune it, and you’ll get access to some really cool features.
