Acoustic vs. Digital Pianos

Paying for piano lessons for your child is a big investment. Protect your investment by purchasing a quality instrument that provides your child with the best environment for learning and enjoying playing through to adulthood. My favorite brands for both digital and acoustic pianos are Kawaii and Yamaha.

Have a questions about pianos? I'm happy to help. Contact me.

Acoustic Piano PROS and CONS

Acoustic Piano PROS

The sound is solely being controlled by the pianist fingers which builds strength in the students fingers and if played properly has a beautiful, rich sound unmatched by any digital piano.
Acoustic pianos are hand built and as a result each piano has its own lovely distinct characteristics and sound.
Contrary to what you might thing, a new acoustic piano can be affordable and around the same price as a high-end digital piano.
Because an acoustic piano isn't electrical it can be played even if the power goes out during a storm.
They rarely — if ever — need repairing of any kind especially especially a quality brand like Kawaii or Yamaha.
Having a piano in the house is a show piece that can be handed down from generation to generation. A high-quality piano holds its value far better than any high-quality digital piano.

Acoustic Piano CONS

Acoustic pianos are mechanical instruments therefore there is no "turning down" the piano. When a student plays the piano, the whole household will hear it.
Purchasing a new piano can run as low as $7,000 which is still a lot of money for many parents. An excellent piano can cost as much as $75,000 for the average person. Of course, there are pianos that costs more than $100,000, too, but those are generally purchased by professional theaters, virtuoso pianists or for music conservatories and universities.
Acoustic pianos need annual tuning and maintenance in order to maintain its overall health and performance quality. A Certified Piano Technician will generally cost $100-150 per visit although it depends on your area.
Pianos are very heavy and can take up a lot of space in your home. Moving a piano from one house to another should only be done by piano moving professionals. This can costs several hundred dollars.

Digital Piano PROS and CONS

Digital Piano PROS

High-quality digital pianos can provide a child with several years of enjoyment and learning through intermediate playing.
A new, high-quality digital pianos ranges from $900 to $12,000 which makes it more affordable than many acoustic pianos.
Many high-quality digital pianos offer a very realistic experience to that of an acoustic piano.
Students can play with head phones so they don't disrupt the household when practicing.
Digital pianos can offer many additional features like changing the voices to other instrument sounds and recording your playing.
As compared to acoustic pianos, digital pianos are relatively light and can moved easily from room to room or house to house. In most cases, you don't need to hire Piano Moving Professionals to move it to a new home.
Digital pianos never go out of tune so there is no routine maintenance needed.

Digital Piano CONS

Like all technology, digital pianos depreciate in value rapidly in just a couple of years.
Less expensive digital pianos can adversely affect your child's progress (inadequately weighted keys) and can lead to bad habits that are hard to overcome. These low quality pianos also creates a problem when the student must play on an acoustic piano for recitals.
Digital pianos are mass produced and known for occasionally needing repairs which can be a real hassle as well as costly if you did not purchase it from a reputable showroom or if it's out of warranty. It may take a week or more to have it fixed.
If the power goes your child won't be able practice or have their lesson.
Power surges or brown outs may damage your piano. I recommend purchasing a UPS Battery Backup.
Digital pianos don't take the abuse that they are often subjected to in a household with children or with a student that is playing at an advanced level.
You will likely need to upgrade to an acoustic piano to support a student who is playing at an advanced level.

The DO'S and DON'TS when purchasing a piano

DO visit a piano showroom or retail store that specializes in both acoustic and digital pianos. Most offer discounts and finance options. Plus, it's fun to play all the pianos of which there are likely dozens. This is also important (especially for acoustic pianos) because the key action and sound is different for each piano. A showroom will often employ a technician so that any repairs can be handled with minimal hassle to you.

DO consider pre-owned pianos from a reputable showroom.
You can get great deals on excellent pianos and will generally come with a store warranty. Some showrooms also allow you to rent a piano and build credit towards its purchase.

DO your research before buying any piano, especially digital.
There are a multitude of manufacturers and a huge range of quality (just like cars). Be aware that an inexpensive piano will likely be an inferior instrument for your child to learn properly.

In my many years as a pianist and teacher, I've seen a direct correlation between poor student technique and low quality digital pianos. I've also noticed a correlation between inadequate pianos and students giving up piano lessons in only a couple of years. Imagine learning how to play basketball with a net that is too high or learning to play tennis with a hole in the racket? Give your child the best chance of success by buying the best instrument you can.

DON'T allow a sales person or marketing ploy convince you that an inexpensive digital piano is good for beginners. In my opinion, this is the worst thing you can do especially for young students whose fine motor skills are beginning to develop. Inferior digital pianos will lack the key resistance needed for the child to build finger strength and will not offer a realistic piano experience. This will hinder the child's ability to play with artistry and they'll likely find it unpleasant and won't want to practice.

In addition, buying an extremely low-end piano to start will likely required that you upgrade to a better piano in a couple years so there really isn't any overall cost savings.

DON'T purchase a digital piano from Amazon or other online retailers unless you're prepared for the hassle of packing it up and returning it because it doesn't work properly.

This might seem like a convenient option but only creates headaches if it arrives damaged or if it needs repairing in the future. If something breaks, you will need to source and independent repair technician who specializes in digital pianos. These individuals are very hard to find and the cost will not likely be covered by warranty.

DON'T purchase through social media or online advertising without a piano technician inspecting it first. If this is unrealistic then arrange with the seller to see it in person so that you can check that all the keys play, that all the buttons work and that the weighted key technology in functioning properly.

DON'T bring home a free acoustic piano without a piano technician inspecting it first. Just because it's free doesn't mean it's worth having and it will cost several hundred dollars to move it to your home.

DON'T purchase a digital piano with less than 88 keys or without weighted keys.