Frequently Asked Questions

As you begin to travel your musical path, whether yours or your child’s, questions may arise about what is required to be successful.

Here are some answers to common questions.

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What kind of piano is required?

  Pianos come in two “families”: acoustic and digital.

Acoustic piano 

The following is from pianobuyer.com and I couldn’t say it better:

The advantages of the acoustic piano start with the fact that it’s the “real thing,” inherently capable of nuances that are difficult for the digital piano to emulate. The experience of playing an acoustic piano — the harmonics, the vibrations, the touch, the visual appeal, the interaction with the room, the connection with tradition — is so complex that digitals cannot reproduce it all. And, provided that it’s a decent instrument and properly maintained, the acoustic will continue to serve you or a subsequent owner for several generations, after which it might be rebuilt and continue to make music.

Acoustic pianos require at least once a year tuning. Upright (vertical) and grand pianos can be chosen based on space and investment considerations.  Importantly, evaluate the sound of the instrument – do you like it?     

Digital piano

Digital pianos can afford a fine learning experience, particularly for beginners. The benefits are that they never go out of tune, players can use headphones and they can produce more sounds than just a piano sound.

Many can also record the student as he/she plays. 

If you decide on a digital piano I require that a student have a digital keyboard with weighted keys and the touch sensitive feature.  

The weighted keys afford less adjustment for students to play an acoustic piano at the lesson or anywhere else – such as recitals. Graded hammer action is not necessary.

The touch sensitive feature enables the student to play loud and soft sounds with just the force of their fingers.  This enables expressive playing from the very beginning.

 The drawback is that digitals don’t hold their value.  New models with more features are produced quite often.

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How much practice is required? 

The study of music increases the enjoyment of music.  

To achieve excellence requires daily (or almost daily) practice.

If elementary aged students play everything on their assignment in the way that I instruct them to (at least 5 times for each piece plus assigned technique exercises) they should find themselves practicing 30 minutes each day.  Dividing it into two 15 minutes sessions can be better for some students.  

Middle School students will find themselves at the piano for about 45 minutes, which also can be divided into smaller sessions.

High School students will spend about an hour each day practicing.

Busy schedules may prevent this much time for piano, but progress can still be made even with less time each day. Consistency is key.

For adults, daily practice will produce the desired progress. Reserve judgement on your progress for two years!