Purchasing a Piano
Purchasing a piano is an exciting musical journey! Here is a starting point for your search.
Digital piano or acoustic?
Acoustic pianos are the standard wood instruments, either “upright” or “grand”. Upright pianos are constructed with their keys and mechanisms vertically aligned whereas grand piano keys are situated parallel to the floor and come in a range of sizes from 5’ to 9’ long.
Digital pianos are completely electronic, now available with a range of sound options and keyboard sizes.
Digital piano details
Its quite easy and convenient to start with a digital piano with the option to upgrade to an acoustic or more advanced digital later.
The most important details when shopping for a digital piano are weighted keys and 88 keyboard size.
It is important to get an instrument with weighted keys which mimic an acoustic piano’s touch. Weighted keys as a category are advancing amongst digital pianos as well. “Graded Hammer Standard” for example provides a heavier touch in the low end and lighter touch in the high end so it can be played with the expressiveness of an acoustic piano.
Additionally, pianos are standard 88 keys. Check closely when purchasing digital pianos because they also come in 72 and 66 keys.
Check these local and online sources to start your piano journey
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Music Music in Salem, Oregon
Check out this local retailer and try many different pianos in person!
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Portland Music Company
A mainstay in the Portland music scene, this shop is worth a trip to PDX since they carry a variety of digital keyboards to try out.
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Yamaha
Yamaha instruments are a standard high quality. You can’t go wrong with a standard 88 size Yamaha keyboard in any of their categories.
