Do I need a piano at home in order to take piano lessons?
It is ideal to have a piano at home, but you are able to start lessons with just a keyboard at home or using a piano at school or at a friend's house. As you begin to play more difficult, technically challenging pieces, I would strongly encourage you to invest in an acoustic piano. If you are unable to afford a new acoustic piano, here are a few things to do to find a good used piano:
1. Find a music store in the area that sells used pianos. They will often have either insurance offered with the piano, a few free tunings, or another comparable "deal." Piano stores also usually have sales around the holidays - wait to see if you can get a good deal on a nice piano!
2. Check out craigslist.org for pianos for sale. When you are looking for a used piano that is not guaranteed by a music store, make sure you do your research! You want to see the piano to confirm that it is in good condition and has been regularly tuned (at least once, if not twice a year). Also, check all of the pedals and play all of the keys on the piano to ensure that they work and don't "stick."
3. Ask your friends and relatives if they know of anyone who is looking to get rid of their piano, or anyone who would be willing to allow you to practice on their acoustic piano at least once a week.
When you acquire a used piano for little or no money off the private market, it is likely that you will need to get it tuned and possibly even repaired before it will be usable. Check your local business listings to find someone who's willing to make a house call and assess your piano's condition.
1. Find a music store in the area that sells used pianos. They will often have either insurance offered with the piano, a few free tunings, or another comparable "deal." Piano stores also usually have sales around the holidays - wait to see if you can get a good deal on a nice piano!
2. Check out craigslist.org for pianos for sale. When you are looking for a used piano that is not guaranteed by a music store, make sure you do your research! You want to see the piano to confirm that it is in good condition and has been regularly tuned (at least once, if not twice a year). Also, check all of the pedals and play all of the keys on the piano to ensure that they work and don't "stick."
3. Ask your friends and relatives if they know of anyone who is looking to get rid of their piano, or anyone who would be willing to allow you to practice on their acoustic piano at least once a week.
When you acquire a used piano for little or no money off the private market, it is likely that you will need to get it tuned and possibly even repaired before it will be usable. Check your local business listings to find someone who's willing to make a house call and assess your piano's condition.
What is the difference between an acoustic piano and an electric keyboard?
The lower end models of digital keyboards do not have weighted keys, or "touch-sensitive" technology, which in essence allows the keyboard to respond to a heavier or lighter touch (sounding softer when not played as hard and sounding louder when hitting the keys harder). The digital pianos with weighted keys are a bit more expensive. However, even with this technology, they still do not produce the same sound as an acoustic piano and the action of the keys on an acoustic piano (the hammer hitting the string when the key is pressed) is practically impossible to be produced on a digital keyboard.
Because of the difference, it is very hard to work with technique on a digital piano, as students are unable to duplicate on the digital piano what they are working on with an acoustic piano. Also, once the student reaches a certain level, a digital piano would not be "good enough" to perform their pieces, as a different touch would be needed and the digital piano would need to respond to the student's playing in a way that only an acoustic piano would be able to.
If you are unable to afford a piano, purchase an electric keyboard that has the full 88-key keyboard and that has touch-sensitive technology. However, it is almost guaranteed to be detrimental to the technique that I (or another piano instructor) will be working on with the student in his or her lesson just because of differences in touch, action, and response to the keys being pressed. Find a friend who owns an acoustic piano and will allow the student to practice on it at least a couple times each week.
Here are a few websites that help show the differences between digital and acoustic pianos. It is very beneficial for the student to be able to practice on an acoustic piano other than at his or her lesson.
http://www.concertpitchpiano.com/DigitalVsAcoustic.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Choose-Between-Digital-or-Acoustic-Piano
http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~vhouser/keyboard.htm
http://www.thepianoroom.com/buyingapiano.htm
Because of the difference, it is very hard to work with technique on a digital piano, as students are unable to duplicate on the digital piano what they are working on with an acoustic piano. Also, once the student reaches a certain level, a digital piano would not be "good enough" to perform their pieces, as a different touch would be needed and the digital piano would need to respond to the student's playing in a way that only an acoustic piano would be able to.
If you are unable to afford a piano, purchase an electric keyboard that has the full 88-key keyboard and that has touch-sensitive technology. However, it is almost guaranteed to be detrimental to the technique that I (or another piano instructor) will be working on with the student in his or her lesson just because of differences in touch, action, and response to the keys being pressed. Find a friend who owns an acoustic piano and will allow the student to practice on it at least a couple times each week.
Here are a few websites that help show the differences between digital and acoustic pianos. It is very beneficial for the student to be able to practice on an acoustic piano other than at his or her lesson.
http://www.concertpitchpiano.com/DigitalVsAcoustic.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Choose-Between-Digital-or-Acoustic-Piano
http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~vhouser/keyboard.htm
http://www.thepianoroom.com/buyingapiano.htm
I have no musical background. Can I still help my student practice at home?
Absolutely! Ask your student's teacher for advice on how to help your student practice at home. I will usually write down specific ways for the students to be practicing their pieces, so even if you have no musical knowledge, you can at least read the instructions and make sure that they are being followed. Many parents occasionally sit in on their child's entire piano lesson, or just the tail end of it, to get an idea of how the student's pieces are to sound or to see the proper hand position.
How long should it take me to go through a lesson book?
There is no set amount of time that it should take a student to complete a set of books because of the difference in method books and learning styles of students. Because there are many method books available to piano students, and those books are geared towards different ages and abilities, it is virtually impossible to estimate how long a student will be working through a lesson book. All students learn at different speeds and in different ways. Some students pick up on rhythm concepts very quickly, but struggle with learning their notes on the page. Others struggle with rhythm concepts, but find it easy to read and memorize music. Don't be discouraged if you don't think you are learning at the same speed as other students. Focus on perfecting the pieces that you are working on instead of comparing yourself to others - you will feel much better about yourself!
