All About Choosing and Buying Pianos
-
caroline3sg:
The touch of keyboard & piano is different. Strength is needed to play piano and you need varying strengths throughout the music piece. Even amongst different make of piano, the touch (& of course sound/pitch depending on its height) is different.
Also, a piano has pedals which a keyboard doesn't. Even if you can get pedals to attach to your keyboard, it will still feel different. Ultimately, the child has to experience and be able to judge how much pressure to use and how long to press down on the pedals, location of the pedals, etc.
Personally, I prefer the piano because the weight and texture of the keys make the playing \"feel\" better. Kind of hard to explain it in words but if you have played on both piano and keyboard before, it'll be easier to understand what I mean. My nails hitting the plastic keys on my keyboard also annoys me from time to time, even when I have short nails. -
I forgot about the pedal. But I was thinking for a start, children won’t need to use pedals. Only at Grade 4. If the child wants to move on from Grade 1, then justifiable to get a new piano.
-
Thanks for the feedback. Oh yes, I've a slight idea on the weightage and the spacing of the keys.
Just wondering if it is worth the trouble bringing back to my place and then being told that I've to spend more than tuning. Afterall, it is rather old piano. :oops: don't know how to ask and what to ask.
As for purchasing of new piano, would only invest if my kid is really interested and willing to practise; preferably on his own. Although, I've been advised to purchase...I'm still holding back. Worried it will become another white elephant. -
caroline3sg:
I forgot about the pedal. But I was thinking for a start, children won't need to use pedals. Only at Grade 4. If the child wants to move on from Grade 1, then justifiable to get a new piano.
My daughter started piano lessons barely a year ago at Ossia, Chua Chu Kang Centre and she went through a number of theory and practice books already. A few of them are pre-theory books, I think. We haven't been asked to register for any exam yet but her current practice book includes pedal practice. She also mentioned recently that her teacher has asked whether she could practice on pedals at home. Since we have no piano, just a keyboard, she told him no. Therefore, he has skipped the lessons on pedal for now. That's why we are considering getting her a piano, but I don't think I want to get her a brand new one until she is much older and is sure she wants to continue with lessons (and can take good care of her things). -
Hi heyho and schellen,
Yes, you can buy a 2nd hand piano at Cristofori even if you are not one of their patron. I think they sell it in their warehouse in Bedok. You can call them up to enquire or check the Straits Times where they advertised regularly.
As with regards to taking over a “old” piano from a friend, I think you have to check whether it is of a reputable brand. If it is one of the reputable brands such as Yamaha, Kawai, Seinway, Bechstein…etc, maybe can consider it. But you have to ascertain its condition. A piano that is 15 years-old can have a lot of problems if not maintained properly. If you are really interested, then get a qalified piano technician to check it up before committing.
If the piano is one of the many “economical” brands, then I suggest you give it a miss. If you you really want to get a real piano for your children and if you do not want to spend too much, you can still buy a new piano without spending too much (either side of 3k).
Cristofori has many brands that you can consider. Or, you can check out Wendl & Lung or Hailun. Both of them are sold by PianoMaster at Geyland East and they are quite well-recognised abroad. I have bought a Wendl & Lung earlier this year and I have no complaints about it. -
Thank you!
Goodness, Bedok and Geylang! Making the trip to the showrooms are a hassle already. Does anyone know of any that are in central or west area? New pianos but cheaper range also can. We are still considering whether a piano is worth it for our daughter since we don’t know how committed she will be plus we also have to consider the opportunity cost. -
[Moderator's note: Topics merged.]
Hi, my girl started piano lessons 6mths back and I am thinking of getting a piano...what brand/model is good enough for beginner as i would not want to invest too much ....pls advice, thanks -
Hi, I was recommended this brand Pearl River (made in China) which cost
S$2999. Recommended for beginners and quality quite good. You can also
ask your daughter’s piano teacher to recommend too. -
pinky:
Hi, I was recommended this brand Pearl River (made in China) which cost
S$2999. Recommended for beginners and quality quite good. You can also
ask your daughter's piano teacher to recommend too.
Thanks. The teacher recommended yamaha & kawai but not christofori.
I hv not heard of pearl river, will go & find out more -
Hello
My son currently is study at christofori, they are a lot of branded there and got a offet too.
please go and take a look, it might help
have a nice day
Jenny -
I got the Pearl River piano from Cristofori during their sale. Perhaps you can call and check with them.
-
pinky:
I got the Pearl River piano from Cristofori during their sale. Perhaps you can call and check with them.
u mean brand new set ? is it advisable to go for 2nd hand piano ? -
For 2nd hand piano, you have to factor in how much time and money you need to spend on repair, maintenance and tuning. So ultimately, the answer is: It depends on the condition of the 2nd hand piano and your expectations (plus size of wallet).
-
yes, i agree what schellen said.
i also plan to buy the piano soon but after i confirmed with the teacher, she says not need, temporary key board can already.
and i also advise by my friends, after her daughter confirmed and intestered in and she start to buy the piano then.
she says not need to buy the expensive one first, because her kid still very young and she might request to change future if they want to have better one. -
Hi,
We got a 17 yr old (3 yrs back) yamaha upright from century piano at liang court. We paid around $3500. Good condition and looks brand new as the shop owner source from Japan personally and will do touch up before selling. There is also free tuning for quite a long time (maybe 4 or 6 times?). We only started to pay for last 2 tuning which the shop owner does it personally.
Kids were studying in Ossia then and her teacher didn't encourage us to go to Cristofori as she heard too many stories. She told us to go for a yamaha or kawai.
We were contemplating digital as it's cheaper. In the end, we decided against it when we realise that piano has a resale value if it is well-maintained. So the $3k that you pay today will still be worth money if you eventually want to sell it and it's well maintained. In view of that, it's also more reliable to go for those popular brands as with any products for resale value reasons.
The piano has been good. We do not encounter any issue so far. Also, there is a buy back scheme as part of the purchase with the shop and comes with I think 10 yrs of warranty.
I am not music trained. But there is a difference between playing on a piano and keyboard since the weight of the key is different. This is important if there is a long term view towards learning piano. This might affect the way their fingers curve etc... when they play. I still don't understand :roll: but this appears to be an important aspect that teachers watch out for.
But like all parents, we can't guarantee that kids will continue sometimes. In our case, we've 3 kids and was thinking if first 2 didn't pursue, then maybe the 3rd will???? -
Just to add, we got a exam model (at least 120cm???) for long term view. In case they pursue, they can continue to use the same piano until grade 7? I don’t think it’s worth to spend few k on non-exam model and then change again later as it might cost more in the end.
-
MMM:
Just to add, we got a exam model (at least 120cm???) for long term view. In case they pursue, they can continue to use the same piano until grade 7? I don't think it's worth to spend few k on non-exam model and then change again later as it might cost more in the end.
Thanks for yr comments.
Any idea where to go for 2nd hand piano at good rates ? -
For us, we shopped around based on those ads in the papers. For a start, I recall visiting Kawai music school at parkway (they carry 2nd hand pianos), another shops in Toa Payoh and Suntec before going to century piano at liang court. I was tempted to go to Cristofori becoz of the ads but decided to give it a miss based on the teacher’s comments.
I think we end up with century piano because they had quite a good range. They will also touch up the piano so the condition looks new and much nicer as compared to those we saw. It’s been 3 yrs and their after sales is good. They are the ones who call me up to remind me about tuning (even when it’s free). So I never have to remember. Also, I feel that they "don’t " run away after selling us the piano. The owner is still tuning and taking care of the piano. His tuning cost $70 (1/2 yrly). Also, we’ve shifted the piano twice using movers they recommend and everything is still working well.
Note that they will usually “open” up the piano to show the “interior”… we are layman so we just check if anything is “broken” or “rusty” or if it looks ok… Also price wise is close after looking around, so we felt it’s a better buy comparing what we saw. A friend got hers at a shop along upper/ bukit timah area and she’s happy too.
But one observation is that it’s not easy to get a apple to apple comparison as the age and condition of those 2nd hand piano differs.
Note that for yamaha piano, there is a code on each piano that is engraved on the interior. The shop usually has a book that shows for each code, which year,etc… was it mfg. So the shop can’t lie about the age of the piano.
It’s probably good to set a budget and ask them to recommend on your budget. The price should be negotiable.
Hope that helps. -
MMM:
Thanks ! At least i know where to go but which brand is more recommended ? Do i need to bring my girl to 'test' it ?For us, we shopped around based on those ads in the papers. For a start, I recall visiting Kawai music school at parkway (they carry 2nd hand pianos), another shops in Toa Payoh and Suntec before going to century piano at liang court. I was tempted to go to Cristofori becoz of the ads but decided to give it a miss based on the teacher's comments.
I think we end up with century piano because they had quite a good range. They will also touch up the piano so the condition looks new and much nicer as compared to those we saw. It's been 3 yrs and their after sales is good. They are the ones who call me up to remind me about tuning (even when it's free). So I never have to remember. Also, I feel that they \"don't \" run away after selling us the piano. The owner is still tuning and taking care of the piano. His tuning cost $70 (1/2 yrly). Also, we've shifted the piano twice using movers they recommend and everything is still working well.
Note that they will usually \"open\" up the piano to show the \"interior\"... we are layman so we just check if anything is \"broken\" or \"rusty\" or if it looks ok... Also price wise is close after looking around, so we felt it's a better buy comparing what we saw. A friend got hers at a shop along upper/ bukit timah area and she's happy too.
But one observation is that it's not easy to get a apple to apple comparison as the age and condition of those 2nd hand piano differs.
Note that for yamaha piano, there is a code on each piano that is engraved on the interior. The shop usually has a book that shows for each code, which year,etc... was it mfg. So the shop can't lie about the age of the piano.
It's probably good to set a budget and ask them to recommend on your budget. The price should be negotiable.
Hope that helps. -
Error