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What type of piano should a beginner buy?

Cheap pianos for young beginners: digital pianos and keyboards. If the idea of an acoustic piano is beyond your budget or you are just not sure yet, you could consider to buy a digital piano or keyboard. It would be the easiest, quickest and hassle-free option when buying a piano for young learners.

hampsteadpianoacademy.com - How-to buy a piano guide for beginners

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Acoustic pianos: new, second hand or rented?

In other words, acoustic pianos are the real pianos ; the instruments that better respond to the fingers’ touch.

However… Don’t buy it if you can’t try it!

It is very important to compare and play many different models and to take your kids with you to let them try all. When they hear the sound they like, they will feel which piano is the right for them.

Buying a new acoustic piano

If you are ready to buy a brand new piano, you will make no mistake. You will be investing in your family’s enjoyment and your children’s intellectual stimulation. Moreover, an acoustic new piano has a much longer lifespan and holds its value better than a digital piano, the latter built to have a turnover and become obsolete after a while. Just like Iphones! When buying a real piano, you should bear in mind that no two pianos will ever be exactly the same. Even if they are the same model and brand, so we always recommend to try it in situ instead of buying online. The best acoustic piano brands are Steinway, Fazioli or Bosendorfer but also the most expensive. There are more affordable models from brands such as Yamaha or Kawai, or second hand pianos.

How to find a second hand acoustic piano

Used pianos are also an option, but it may be more difficult to find “a healthy one”. You will need to travel around to play each of them and then pay for the delivery to your home. In addition to all the things covered so far in this piano buying guide, there will be more checks needed: equal quality, sound and response throughout the whole keyboard, strings, hammers, dampers, pedals, buzzes, distortions… Although they will be cheaper than new, be careful, bargains could be deceptive and you might end up paying more for restoration, extra tuning or other issues. If you would like to give this option a try, bring a professional along with you to tell you the real condition and value of the piano. If it needs any work, ask for a quote and be realistic about numbers.

Renting an acoustic piano

If you are not sure if your little Mozart will quit next year or lose interest rapidly, do not take the risk and rent a piano instead of buying it. This option will allow you to see how much it is being used and enjoyed before paying a notable amount of money. It will give you more time to decide. Or you could also opt for the “home rental with purchase option”, where the monthly rent will be reduced from the total prize if you eventually decide to buy.

Otherwise, the instrument can be easily returned!

Hybrid pianos

Last but not least, ask the piano retailer for some hybrid models. They are a combination of acoustic and digital, combining the advantages of both. While these instruments work and sound as real pianos, they also offer the possibility to plug in your headphones and practice silently at any time. Available in grand and upright size, what else!

Where to buy a piano

Some piano stores in London, not too far from Hampstead and St John’s Wood, are Hampstead Pianos, Jaques Samuel Pianos and Markson Pianos Ltd.

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What is the most used key on a keyboard?

the space bar The number one most popular is... the space bar. Another fun fact from Goud: 90% of people only use nine fingers when typing — they don't use their left thumb, because they use their right thumb to hammer the space bar. Microsoft built a keyboard with a split space bar.

businessinsider.com - These Are the Three Most Popular Keys on a Keyboard

Pop quiz: What are the three most popular keys on a computer's keyboard?

Microsoft's Senior Product Marketing Manger for Hardware Suneel Goud was at our office showing us some of the company's ergonomic keyboards.

While doing the demo, he told us the three most popular keys.

The third most popular is... the "backspace" key.

The second most popular is... the letter "e".

The number one most popular is... the space bar.

Another fun fact from Goud: 90% of people only use nine fingers when typing — they don't use their left thumb, because they use their right thumb to hammer the space bar. Microsoft built a keyboard with a split space bar. The left space bar can be converted into a backspace button so people can hit the third most popular key with their unused left thumb.

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