A reputable and accomplished piano teacher will advise you to purchase the best piano, so that it will be exciting for you or your child to play, but at the same time, you should buy only what you can afford to pay. Pianos can be traded up easily, as the need arises and bear in mind that it will be a financial loss only when no one wants to play it. In this article, I will discuss some tips about purchasing the right piano for you or your child.
Shop Around
The time has come for you to buy a piano. It will not make sense to buy the first piano you see, which is why it is imperative that you visit a few musical instrument stores to get acquainted with various manufacturers, names, types, and qualities of each piano that you come across. Ask questions about the pianos for sale and obtain brochures. If it helps, write down whatever you learn about the different pianos, so that you can look back at your notes later.
Play the Pianos
While you are browsing, do not be shy to take the time to play the pianos. Alternatively, you can ask the sales representatives to play a few pieces of notes that have major and minor scales. Listen intently and you will realize that each piano has a vaguely different tone – soft, loud, brilliant, or mellow. Regardless of style, each piano generates a different tone and extraordinary sound. In addition, make sure you take the size into consideration especially if you have a small room or space for it.
• Upright Pianos
These pianos range in height from 36’ to 51’. Any type of uprights requires the same amount of floor space, which is about five feet by two feet. The most sought after upright piano is the studio piano, which stands at 44’ and above. Another type of upright piano is the consoles that stand at 39’to 42’. Spinet upright pianos stand at 36’ to 37’ but they are no longer built. Many manufacturers stopped producing spinets because they did not produce excellent sound and they were just less impressive compared to studio and console pianos.
• Grand Pianos
A concert grand piano stands at less than five feet to nine feet and baby grand pianos for sale are normally around five feet high. Compared to others, grand pianos are more responsive and have a faster touch. They are more powerful to any upright pianos. Nevertheless, other larger and better quality upright pianos can have equal tone quality or even better than the smaller grand pianos. As a side note, the grand pianos have a horizontal action; whereby upright pianos have a vertical action.
It is highly recommended that you take an experienced pianist with you when you want to buy a piano. Get as many opinions as you can from experienced pianists on various types of pianos. However, it is imperative that you know the tonal preference is extremely subjective, which means, at the end of the day, your opinion counts the most when it involves the sound that you prefer. Listen to the high, middle, and low notes and learn to comprehend what makes a particular piano more appealing to others. Do not waste too much time on pianos that are not your cup of tea.
Which is the best way to shop for pianos – online or the traditional way?