If an older piano is chosen, it should be one that was of good quality to begin with, and has been restored to like-new condition.

And with a young talented student, moving up to a quality grand is never a mistake. And when you include other factors - the costs of moving, tuning, and repairs an older piano’s shorter remaining life lack of warranty protection the need to hire experts to make repeated trips to evaluate the conditions of various older pianos - a new or more recently made instrument may start to look like a bargain in the long run.įor these reasons, I would encourage the financially able family to look at good-quality new pianos, or better used pianos no more than 15 years old. No amount of practice on such an instrument can overcome its shortcomings. When a piano’s action can’t be regulated to the correct touch, or its strings tuned to a harmonious sound, the student, unable to duplicate what was taught in a lesson, will become frustrated and discouraged, and will lose interest. Students don’t have enough experience to distinguish between a bad piano and their own lack of ability. In many cases a piano that is too old, too small, or simply not good enough will soon become useless to the student. However, a bad purchasing decision at this point in a student’s learning tends to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Parents may not want to invest a lot of money in a piano - after all, the child may lose interest - so an older, cheaper piano may seem the logical place to start.

1940 wurlitzer spinet piano