| The trusty old piano has graced many a living room in | | | | 5. You don't have to worry about humidity or |
| this world. But if you're looking to play the piano what | | | | temperature changes. |
| instrument should you buy? | | | | 6. Because the piano is smaller and weighs less you |
| Piano Prices | | | | can actually transport it to another house without |
| Pianos come in a few different shapes and sizes. The | | | | having to hire professional piano movers. |
| two most common sizes are the Upright Piano and the | | | | 7. The cost of a good digital piano is around £1000: |
| Grand Piano. | | | | considerably cheaper than a good upright piano. |
| - Upright Pianos start around $3000 (£1500) and go | | | | Now the piano purists out there would say that: |
| up to $20,000 (£10,000) | | | | 1. The feel of a digital piano is not the same as a real |
| - Mini-Grand Pianos start at around $10,000 (£5,000) | | | | piano. I agree but the digital piano manufacturers are |
| and go up to $30,000 (£15,000) | | | | improving this all the time and it's really pretty good. |
| - Grand Pianos start around $50,000 (£25,000) and | | | | 2. The sound isn't as good as a real piano. Again this is |
| go up to $150,000 (£75,000) | | | | being improved all the time. Go try one today and you |
| But don't worry you don't have to be a millionaire to | | | | will see what I mean. If you have the money then you |
| own a piano. Because pianos are made of wood with | | | | should try the Yamaha AvantGrand ( |
| an iron frame they last for a long time, so there's a | | | | Personally I think the pluses out weigh the minuses. But |
| healthy supply of secondhand pianos on the market. | | | | like most things in life it's a subjective decision that you |
| They start from around $1000 (£500) for a good | | | | need to make, based on your budget, the space you |
| example up into the thousands for bigger and better | | | | have available and how much you like having a |
| makes. Click Here for a Comprehensive List of Pianos | | | | Beautiful piece of furniture in the room. |
| Digital Pianos | | | | Maintenance |
| How do you get the sound of a grand piano when you | | | | Obviously if you have a digital piano then no |
| only have a small space in which to put one?...Get a | | | | maintenance is needed apart from the odd clean with |
| digital piano! Now I'm a professional musician and | | | | a duster and a damp cloth (to remove those sticky |
| although I'm not the world's greatest pianist I do enjoy | | | | finger marks!) |
| playing the piano. I bought a Technics digital piano eight | | | | But a traditional piano will need TUNING! |
| years ago and I've been really happy with it. | | | | How often should you tune your piano? Actually you |
| The great points about a digital piano are: | | | | shouldn't wait until it is painful to listen to. Regular tuning |
| 1. It never goes out of tune (One of the MAJOR | | | | will keep the piano in better condition and will be more |
| considerations for me as I'm very sensitive to incorrect | | | | pleasurable to the ear! Every six months to a year is |
| pitch). | | | | advisable. Any longer than that and it will need more |
| 2. It doesn't take up as much space. | | | | work to get the piano back up to pitch. |
| 3. You can plug in headphones and play all night if you | | | | If your home varies in heat and humidity throughout the |
| want. | | | | year(whose doesn't?) then you may need to tune the |
| 4. You often get other sounds as well, making the | | | | piano more often. If you move the piano then let it |
| piano even more versatile. (my favourite is the organ | | | | settle before tuning. How much will it cost? A qualified |
| sound so you can pretend you're in a big church | | | | tuner will probably charge around $100-$150 for a basic |
| playing at full volume!) | | | | tuning of your piano. |