Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Is it overkill to get a high end piano as a beginner?

This is the situation I would like to see in my house. Right now my piano and I are banished to our basement because my DH often watches TV in our living room. When I first told him that I would like to buy a piano, he was very against it. He was concerned about the physical and mental adjustments he would have to have to accommodate my piano. So putting my piano in our basement was the best solution not to disturb his life style.

Now that my piano skills are slowly getting better, my DH begins to show interest in learning the piano himself. So when I want to replace my piano, we may search for "our" grand, not DancerJ's upright, and we may put it in our living room, not in the basement.

We spend most of our "social" time in our kitchen/great room, and our formal living room was one of those rooms that was basically unused. Kind of a museum to a time when living rooms were, well, lived in. So a grand piano fit in just fine in there.

But my husband has never once showed any interest in it! In fact, in all the time we have had a piano, including the first day we had it, I don't think he's ever touched it, except inadvertently, and I'm almost 100% sure he's never put a finger on the keyboard. Funny thing, because even if I weren't a piano player, such a large instrument in my house would cause me to at least want to check it out once in a while. At my chamber workshop this past summer, when I wasn't playing, I was drawn like a fly to a light bulb to the other instruments I rarely get to see up close! Fortunately for our bassoon player, I refrained from putting lips to reed.

Anyway, to the OP, I agree with the poster who said that only you know your commitment level to the piano, and that's what should guide your choice in terms of quality level of the piano you get. You're not flirting with the very low end, which brings into considerations of the piano being so bad that it reinforces your sense that you weren't going to like this anyway, so it's really a price thing--if you really feel that this is going to be a big part of your life going forward, then get the best piano you can and don't look back.

I hadn't yet started taking lessons when I purchased my piano, but I knew with absolute certainty it would be a major part of my life from then on out. It's interesting because I don't think I've ever felt that way about anything else before actually doing it.

So, knowing I was going to spend a lot of time with it, I took my time finding pianos and ultimately purchased a grand piano, and the largest one that would reasonably work in the room in which it was intended to go. I didn't get a top tier piano, but mine is made well and gives me pleasure to listen to. I just needed it to be something I couldn't "out play" for a the foreseeable future. And that's certainly the case. I have a few long-term pianistic goals for myself and when I reach them, I'll step up to a top tier piano.

Edited to add: I can't wait for retirement when I can spend my time playing piano all the damn time. But retirement is still at least a couple of decades away so... I think I'm going to retire to a house with my teacher and we can share one piano because she'll just be happy NOT to be playing piano all the damn time, haha.

After thinking over this in the night, I came upon another thought:

If you are able appreciate the difference between a cheap piano and nice piano while listening, then you will also enjoy it while playing. Even as a beginner.

In terms of grand vs. upright I would consider these points, in order of importance (to me).

1. A well regulated grand action usually gives better control at very soft volumes and has faster repetition. These issues are not likely to be encountered by you for some time.

2. A grand can be a beautiful piece of furniture and will likely be the focal point of the room it is in. In your case this seems to be a minus.

3. A grand projects sound much more than an upright against a wall. This also seems to be a minus in your case. Bear in mind, a good upright, even against a wall, can produce a very big sound. My family often complains about how loud my 52" Baldwin is from the opposite end of the house.

4. A grand is usually more expensive and requires more room, which makes it a much better status symbol.

Are you the type of person that would be more motivated to progress by the money you had to spend on a piano? If you are, then by all means by a more expensive piano. Are you the type of person that is willing to pay twice as much for 10% more quality? If you are, then buy the higher quality piano. Are you driven by instant gratification? Then buy one of the pianos you mentioned right away. Otherwise, take your time and find the piano that is best suited to you.

I think that now that you know how good a high-quality grand piano can sound if played well (by your teacher), it will be very difficult to settle for anything less, especially as you can afford it.

If I was to buy an acoustic piano now, I wouldn't settle for anything less than a seven-foot grand from one of the better manufacturers. But that's because I've played so many good grands (including concert grands, fully-prepped for concert performance) over the years that uprights and small grands with sub-fusc bass are only just about tolerable, but not as a long-term piano for daily practice.

But when I was a beginner (aged 10), I'd never seen a grand piano (let alone touched one), so I thought the little vertical my parents bought was the bees' knees - even though the keys would stick periodically and the sound was (and still is - the piano resides, unloved and unplayed, in my parents' home) shrill and brittle. And no bass to speak of - just dull thuds. It wasn't until I was sent abroad to continue my studies that I had access to much bigger uprights with much better sound (when I wondered how I could ever have put up with that 'beginner's piano' back home, let alone got to ABRSM Grade 5 on it). And it wasn't until my late teens that I played a grand for the first time - when I was working towards my performance diploma with my new teacher, a concert pianist who had two grands in his home.

It would have been inconceivable for my parents to have bought even a decent-quality upright back then, for their children to learn on, let alone a grand (though there was certainly no lack of space in the house). Now it would be inconceivable for me to put up with that rubbish vertical.....

bennevis,

I can relate. I started out on a cruddy, yellow-keyed vintage Everett console that couldn't be tuned due to internal problems. Going to the piano store was a blessing and a curse because I loved playing real instruments, but switching my technique over to them was impossible. I've overcome that since getting a real grand. At least having such a piece of garbage gave us perspective.

The OP does not even know how to play piano.Yamaha or Kawai Upright between 7K to 10K is more than enough.
It is nice to have or play on a Fazioli, Steinway, etc, but it is not necessary at all. Try for several years, if OP can play well, go for an expensive piano.

You should get the best piano you can afford *for the space the piano will occupy*. I think the beginning stages are exactly the right time to play on a great piano, because the better the piano is, the more inspired you will be to practice.

A proper grand is simply too big for the room you describe, especially if it is acoustically bright. The sound will be too loud and you won't be able to judge sound quality properly. But what you can do is get a high quality baby grand, in the 5'2" to 5'5" range. Then you'll have the action and feel of a grand (and all 3 pedals functioning properly). If it is still too loud for the room keep a heavy blanket on top of the lid.

When talking to your wife make a big deal out of the storage space that will be created underneath the grand (it worked for me...)

From my observation, I do not believe that piano will inspire to practice more. As long as the piano is decent, it will not deter people from practicing. One does not need to have a great piano to be inspired to practice.

I have a friend who often placed in amateur competitions still practices on his old, crappy and ugly white Pearl River piano. As long as we have decent piano, I think it is good enough.

You know what, if I were in your position, I'd buy the Kawai grand, I'd love it, I'd learn to play it, and I'd start my grandkids off playing on it too!

I think it's a wonderful idea, and if it all falls through, a Shigeru should be fairly easy to sell.

DO I think you'd regret it? No. Buy the piano!!!!

I don't think the piano will make any difference in whether you stick with a learning program or not. You either love playing piano or you don't. If it were me, I'd buy a relatively inexpensive piano and then, in 3 or 4 years, if it sticks, invest in a great piano since you know you'll use it for years.

I cannot agree more!!!

Isn't it silly? If you have to keep a blanket on the piano, why bother to buy such a piano in the first place?

I cannot agree more. I only have a beginner's piano, which doesn't stop me from getting inspired. I just need more time in the day.

No, and yes.

Shigeru Kawai is Kawai's premier line. They also have more affordable grands; so do Yamaha, Petrof and other brands.

So, my advice is, first, definitely go with a grand at least 6 ft. long.
Second go with a more affordable grand and think of upgrading if you feel for it later.

You will much more appreciate the tone and action of a grand each time you play it. The grand will attract you to itself and will make you want to play it more. Just sitting in front of a grand is a totally different experience than playing an upright.

Go for a grand. But for now don't spend $$$$$$ yet.

Good points here. Your long term commitment and consideration for your wife are issues you need to think long and hard about. The Kawai K-500 will be less intrusive from both a space and sound volume aspect, and might be much more tolerable for your wife. As for your commitment to piano, only time will tell. You might find that playing for a time on the K-500 will let you make a much more informed decision if and when you decide to upgrade.

In principle, "buy the best you can afford, right from the start" is great advice, but sometimes we don't have the money, space, or family forbearance to do so.

I don't entirely agree with this. A "high quality baby grand," particularly those in the 5' 2" range have such built-in compromises to the scale design that the bass is usually thin or muddy, and is certainly not an inspiration to play or to practice. Moreover, the price of such a piano is probably well out of the range of the OP.

I certainly wouldn't pay the current price for a Steinway model S (5' 1") when the same price would get me a very good 6 foot-plus model from Yamaha, Schimmel, Shigeru Kawai, August Förster, and Estonia, all of which, from a musical standpoint, are much more "musical" instruments than the Steinway S. A moot point, however, since this size piano wouldn't fit into the OP's suggested location.

Regards,

Get the Kawai Grand and have a player installed so you can enjoy it one way or the other!

Lots of opinions, so I'll throw in mine. It sounds like a nice quality upright is the ideal answer for you, keeps wife happy and gives you the opportunity to make another run at learning the piano. It also sounds like you have many other plans for retirement other than the piano, so make it an enjoyable part of your life rather than pressuring yourself to try to live up to the expectations that getting a grand would create. You can always upgrade later should you become obsessed, but it will take many years for you to recognize the "limitations" that an upright would present, and most pianists never bump into that ceiling.

Enjoy learning and making music.

Life is short, make all the music you can on the greatest instrument you can find...everyday...it adds beauty and meaning to life.