Question: We have a digital piano at home will this work while we check if our child enjoys playing the piano? I want to see that they are practising before we invest in a real piano.

Answer: Although this may seem logical in fact in reality this doesn’t work. A digital piano is a completely different instrument to an acoustic piano. The work we do right from the first lesson needs to be practised at home on an acoustic instrument to secure the learning and to realise the benefit of your investment in piano lessons. Piano students need the appropriate tools in order to succeed. My experience is that students with a digital instrument at home do not practise either well or at all. If your child gives up after a short time it’s hard to know if it was because they didn’t like piano or if it was because they didn’t have the appropriate tools needed to succeed. A digital piano uses an electronic signal to generate a sound using a speaker. The touch required to make the sound on an acoustic instrument is very different - it is very detailed and sophisticated and takes years to refine. Laying the right foundations from the start makes an enormous difference to your child’s enjoyment of the instrument and also their progress. Even weighted digital keys do not mimic the muscle strength or co-ordination required to play a real piano. A sound generated from a hammer hitting a string creating vibrations from a real piano is very different to a weighted key creating an electronic sound signal which occurs regardless of the quality of touch. Learning sensitivity of touch for sound generation is both critical for technique and playing satisfaction. Pedal technique cannot be taught on an electronic instrument. Trying compare these two very different instruments is like the difference between walking barefoot on real grass or astroturf.

I prefer not to teach students who do not have an acoustic instrument at home as I want my students to succeed. If you start learning with me you will be required to purchase an acoustic instrument relatively quickly. I am very happy to work with you to help you source a good quality inexpensive acoustic instrument for you or your child. Alternatively if you would like to learn on a digital instrument may I suggest seeking a teacher who specialises in keyboard.