645

Hi - my nipper started piano lessons at school. We don't have one at home, but the teacher suggested getting an electronic keyboard - say for £100 or so. No idea where to start!!! Anyone bought one, got any advice of what I should look for, or specific models? can you get decent ones for this sort of money, or should we spend more?

Help gratefully received!

Cheers

davegtt

buy second hand from ebay for something half decent at £100 Best I can suggest sorry, been a few years since Ive tinkered with Keyboards, keep telling myself to start up again, was rather good in my youth

FlightMan

Here you go http://www.elc.co.uk/toy-41963?&parent_category_id=535.

SAved you £6 as well.

David Lock

Penny change on this one

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/5407945.htm

How old is Chopin Jnr?

They can be fantastic fun but also a one week wonder if nipper chooses. I got a Casio years ago which got dragged out of the garage after years as my boy suddenly got into music and keyboards.

I'd try a local paper for a second hand one first. Get one that works off mains power as they eat up batteries. dl

And to add Yamaha are a decent name in the market and you don't need to spend any more than £100 IMHO. What you get for a ton is fantastic I think - and a lot more fun than a piano on its own.

Trucker Ted

One tip i would give ,is get one with full size keys,might be a wee bit of a stretch just now but means they get used to it from the start as some keyboards are really too small. You wont go far wrong with a Yamaha psr or even a casio.Go to your nearest music shop and give the keyboards a try ,they may even have trade ins.I learned on a casio and it still works perfectly after 16 yrs,been looking lately at a Yam tyros 2,just trying to sell it too the wife now

ScoobyDoo555

I teach piano & keyboard

The Full-size keys comment is perfectly valid..... as long as the child is developed enough to utilise the bigger keys, otherwise, it will be painful, and not very enjoyable.

Yamaha pretty much have the "home" keyboard market sown up, although there are some much better 2nd hand options.

Also consider the answers to these questions :-

Piano or keyboard lessons?
Weighted or unweighted keys?
Do you want auto-accompaniment (sp?)
Synthesiser with piano samples?
Do you want to record it into the computer?

Gimme a PM if you want more details

Dan

David Lock

Hi Dan, have you got any links to the 2nd hand options you mention. TIA, David (Talking £150-£200 not £1000 btw)

Dr Hu

Hi dan,

How spooky is this - I 'aqquired' a Piano at the weekend as I've always wanted to learn to play the piano.

I'm trying to teach myself to read music as a first off, but sort of struggling to learn where the notes on the staves correspond to the notes on the keyboard.

It's the old Every Green Bus Drives Fast thing again!

Is there a 'way' of learning this, or is it just familiarity and practice?

I bought one of the Teach yourself the piano type books, and its ok, but i'm considering lessons.........

MJW

Put a sticker on the middle 'c' and everything else is relative from there ! You can teach yourself the basics, but its better to have lessons, IMO.

[edit] here's where the notes go, it's just a case of remembering them :

Technics

A lot of the previous comments are valid but consider a Technics Keyboard. I have been using them for years and they are extremely user friendly. Technics stopped production a couple of years ago.but there are a lot out there. Top of the range, the Kn7000 still fetches £1200 second hand but a KN3000 / KN 4000 /KN5000 can be got for upwards of £150. They last forever.
Another point, buy a music book with up to date songs rather than (Michael row the boat ashore!!!!!!!) It makes learning a lot more pleasant.
Another option , if you have the room, is to consider a second hand organ. Most have now gone on to keyboards but there are some great bargains to be had selling at around £100 upwards
Finally if you buy from E-Bay take care - There have been quite a few scams with keyboards but mainly the top of range higher end of the market,
Best of luck.

mattstant

I second this advise.
I once borrowed a keyboard for an abortive attempt to set up a band and couldnt work out why i kept hitting bum notes and the wrong chords ,till i finally realised that the spacings were subltley narrower than a full sized keyboard and i was reaching for keys that weren't there

ScoobyDoo555

Used to teach on Technics stuff Really good stuff.
Will try and dig out some links

The 1st thing to do is get a dry-wipe pen. Write the notes onto the keyboard
starting with C

C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C - and repeat up the keyboard (in dry wipe, it will come off!! ) Once you get your head around the octave, it's quite easy really.

Music notation in relation to the stave etc is quite simple

Lines - E,G,B,D,F (Every Good Boy Deserves Favour)
Space - F,A,C,E

The rest is practice, practice, and more practice. I've been playing for about 28ish years, and still learn more each day

Dan (will PM the invoice )

ScoobyDoo555

No ebya links allowed!!

Yamaha PSR 230
Yamaha PSR 540
Technics KN800/1000/1200 etc (up to your price limit)

Roland E30

Dan

KiwiGTI

Learnt piano since i was 4 and I certainly recommend a full sized one with weighted keys.

ScoobyDoo555

Forgot to add - as above, for piano, weighted keys are a must. Even over semi-weighted.
But be prepared to pay for them....

Dan

645

Thanks for all the great comments.....I may well pm you Scoobydoo555.

Cheers.

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

I won't let my wife see this thread - I can only imagine the reaction this advice. She HATES people that do this, and even worse write the notes in the book...

she's been teaching for years now (keyboard, piano, brass, woodwind) and insists on ALL her students (from 5 to 65 I kid you not, although Derek might be 67 now...) learning without the aids.

She will however heartedly recommend the Technics, we have a Technics digital piano I think it is the PX664 - they sample the steinway piano and it sounds lovely (Einaudi.... mmmm....) plus the weighted keys REALLY help.

I'll ask her tonight and see what she says (might even show her that comment, it can be a laugh watching her explode )

mattstant

check out ebay there are some remarkably good deals on second hand Yamaha Clavinovas that have proper weighted keys and a good sound

Dr Hu

yes - when I have tried to learn in the past I wrote the key names on in pencil, then wrote the notes in the book.......I did'nt learn a thing as it was match the letter to the key.

This time I'm trying hard to actually read the notes off the stave, and match it to the proper key......I'm getting there slowly.....

ScoobyDoo555

I'm not saying to leave the notes on there but as an aide memoire for a starter (hence dry wipe pen), you can rub off the notes once you remember them.

Dan