What is the best digital piano for beginner piano students?
There are a lot of options for digital pianos and it can be overwhelming weeding through them all. I am hoping to clear up some confusion for you and give you a few options to check out, providing some good recommendations for the best digital piano for beginner piano students.
First of all, we need to go over the criteria for a good digital piano:
- Weighted Keys
- A Stand for the keyboard
- A music stand
- 88 keys (a full-sized piano)
- A good, realistic, piano sound
Now that we have the criteria out of the way it’s time to answer the question, what is the best digital piano for beginner piano students?
Yamaha DGX
With all of the above criteria considered, my absolute favorite digital piano that I would confidently suggest hands down as the best digital piano for beginner students for the price would be the Yamaha DGX series. These pianos look more like a piano than a keyboard, have an excellent sound, have weighted keys, and are a full-sized piano. Yes, there are definitely better digital pianos out there but they are much more expensive than this one. This is the best piano for the price. I have used these pianos in different piano studios and they never disappoint. If this piano is in your budget, then I suggest you stop reading right now and go and buy this piano.
However, if this is out of your price range then keep reading, I have more great suggestions.
Yamaha YPG
This piano is a distant cousin of the Yamaha-DGX. It looks very similar but it doesn’t come with a pedal kit (instead it just includes one flimsy pedal) and it doesn’t quite hold up to the quality of the DGX. That being said, it is a little less expensive and is still a great contender considering its price. Most beginner piano students won’t be using the pedals yet anyway, and overall it is a stellar instrument to learn on.
Roland Go: Piano 88
For a little less dough you can purchase the Roland Go: Piano 88. Roland is an excellent brand of digital piano and you really can’t go wrong with a Roland. This one doesn’t have as sturdy of a stand as the previous pianos, and it has fewer fancy features, but it’s a solid reliable digital piano that would be a terrific instrument to learn on.
Artesia PE 88 Mobile Piano
If you’re still looking for something a little less costly, then this Artesia PE 88 Mobile Piano from Costco isn’t bad. It’s very basic, and has an even flimsier pedal than the Yamaha YPG, but it does have all of the essentials: 88 weighted keys, a stand for the keyboard, and a stand for the music. It will do. If this is in your price range, then I wouldn’t hesitate to buy it. Costco usually has a few good options in their stores around the holidays so make sure you check them out.
Okay, I understand that even a nearly $300 piano is a lot to swallow when you have a young child starting piano. You aren’t even sure if they are going to like it, I get it! If this is the case, if it’s between not taking piano lessons at all or learning on a less-than-preferred digital piano, then I say buy the piano that might not fit all the essentials. Here’s why: It’s better to learn how to play the piano on a mediocre instrument than to not learn how to play the piano at all.
Alesis Harmony
For this I would recommend the Alesis Harmony from QVC. There are not 88 keys (only 61), and they are not weighted; however, it comes with a music stand, keyboard stand, and the piano bench. Consider this as a starter piano and plan to invest in one of the other pianos I listed above (or an acoustic piano) after a year. I wouldn’t go much longer than a year on this piano, but in one year your child will have an idea of their talent and taste and you’ll feel more confident investing in a better instrument.
Once you have chosen a digital piano to purchase, sign your child up for lessons with Piano Prep Academy! Put your new digital piano to the test and see how well your child will be playing the piano after starting lessons. Piano Prep Academy offers 4 12-week courses at only $24 a course! That’s an entire year of piano lessons for less than $100.