How to Choose a Piano:
The Beginner's Buying Guide

So you're ready to start piano lessons — or upgrade your current instrument — but aren't sure where to begin. Choosing a piano can feel overwhelming with so many options, price points, and technical terms to sort through. This guide breaks it all down: what actually matters, what the specs mean, and which instruments are worth considering at each level.

Acoustic vs. Digital

This is usually the first decision, and there's no universally right answer — it depends on your space, budget, and goals.

Acoustic pianos generally offer higher quality sound and better technical development. The key action on a well-maintained acoustic allows for finer dynamic control, and a good instrument will carry a student well into advanced levels. They're also a beautiful addition to any home. The tradeoff is cost, space, and the need for regular tuning and maintenance.

Digital pianos have improved enormously. Today's top models feature graded hammer-action keys that feel remarkably close to an acoustic, and modern sound sampling means the difference is much smaller than it used to be. You also get volume control, headphone output (great for practising at night), and no tuning costs. For most beginners, a quality digital piano is a perfectly solid starting point.

Digital Piano vs. Electric Keyboard

These are not the same thing, and the difference matters more than most people expect.

The biggest distinction is key action. Digital pianos have weighted, graded hammer keys — the resistance you feel when pressing a key changes from heavier in the bass to lighter in the treble, just like an acoustic. Electric keyboards typically have light, springy, unweighted keys, which feel nothing like a real piano.

This matters for technique. Students who practise on unweighted keys develop finger habits that don't transfer well to a real piano. Touch sensitivity is also a factor: most digital pianos respond to how hard you strike a key, just like an acoustic. Only a small number of electric keyboards offer this feature.

Key count is another consideration. Digital pianos almost always have a full 88 keys. Most electric keyboards come with 49 or 61, which limits what students can play as they advance — and they'll need to upgrade within the first couple of years.

Electric keyboards do have one genuine advantage: price. Entry-level models start well below a quality digital piano. But if a student is serious about progressing, the cost of an upgrade later usually outweighs the initial savings.

What the Specs Actually Mean

Polyphony

Polyphony is the number of sounds a piano can produce simultaneously. When you hold the sustain pedal and play chords, multiple notes overlap — and if the polyphony is too low, older notes get cut off. For most students, 128-note polyphony is sufficient. Higher numbers (192, 256+) matter more for advanced playing and layered sounds.

Key Action

Weighted, graded key action is the most important feel factor. Better actions simulate the escapement mechanism of an acoustic grand — a subtle resistance you feel partway through the key press. Manufacturers use different names for their actions (Yamaha's GHS, Roland's PHA-4, Kawai's RHC), but what you want at minimum is fully weighted with touch sensitivity.

Sounds

For a student piano, the quality of the main piano sound matters far more than how many sounds are included. Better instruments sample each note at multiple dynamic levels and add subtle details like string resonance, damper noise, and pedal sounds. These nuances make the playing experience feel more alive and more connected to an acoustic.

Digital Piano Recommendations

The tables below were originally compiled in 2021. Models that have since been discontinued are marked — current successors are noted where applicable. Specs and prices change; we recommend confirming availability with your local music retailer.