Buying a Piano

Buying A Piano 

How to buy a piano is a really big question in reality. Lots of factors come into consideration when people first think of buying a piano: how it looks, the price, the manufacturers name, the size, and much more. Now, although these have bearing on the final decision, the only two factors you should concern yourself with at this stage is “touch and tone.” 

Making The Right Choice

Whether you have never even touched an acoustic piano before, you will have a preconceived idea of how it should sound (tone) and how it should feel when you press the keys (touch). It is amazing how many people, who have never played the piano, within a few minutes of trying different pianos are making informed decisions; I like that one, I don’t like that one. 

If you have played before, this is much more pronounced. Whether it is a piano you’ve played before that you have fond memories of, or you are looking to play in a certain style, you will be dismissing pianos in very short order. While we are on the subject, that is good approach; dismiss the noncandidates quickly. No one will be offended, it’s your personal preference, it doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with the piano, but it simply doesn’t suit your taste or fit what you are looking for. 

Try Before You Buy

Try as many as you can, you are there to make a large purchase and you shouldn’t feel hurried. A good technique I have seen used many times is to just play a single piece of music; it quickly highlights the tone between different pianos. Then, if you have a shortlist, try different style pieces to determine if the piano has the range that you are looking for. 

No two pianos are the same. For example, I once came across two model 5 Bechsteins with the very next serial number, literally out of the Berlin factory together, which could not have sounded or felt more different to each other. And yes, that is a true story; my piano tuner noticed I had not seen the sequential numbers. All pianos age differently, some have had work done to them before, tuned more regularly, all sorts of factors.  

Let me finish by saying, in this brief guide to choosing a piano, you will know when you have found the right one. Yes, you can buy one over the internet, just press the buy it now button, but we always prefer that you make the trip and experience the differences yourself; it’s always worth it.