Recommendation for 17yr Old

[DavidTJ]

My daughter is learning the piano - She has a strong general interest in music and may hope to make a career in it...
She has a cheap Casio keyboard which she says is not adequate for what she needs apparently any as the reaction time from key to sound is too slow (not like a real piano) So she has asked for the Yamaha P45 which is nearly £400!
I have no idea if this is really what she needs or indeed if we need to spend so much. Advice appreciated.

 

[Biggles]

Welcome.

The Yamaha P45 is a digital piano retailing at about £330, its bigger brother the P115 is about a £100 more.

I would suggest that you take your daughter into a music store and let her try out a few units of differeng makes and manufacturers,

The digital pianos will have the full 88 keys but arrangers and workstations will generally have 61 keys. Depending upon what and how she wants to learn is dependent upon what to get her, either way if she is keen enough I would certainly up the budget to £6-700 where there are a lot to choose from. Roland Juno DS61, Yamaha PSR EW400, Yamaha PSR S670 will give options for her to look at if she decides on something other that a digital piano

I assume that since you quote UKP that you are in the UK, but as you have not stated in which county I can only be general in my area which is Lancashire. Rimmers in Bolton have a vast showroom, Dawsons and PMT in Manchester, Promenade Music in Morecambe, Music Matters and my own favourite A and C Hamilton both of theses are in Preston. Rimmers, Dawsons and PMT have multiple stores. If you happen to be near Blackbun then Reidys are a great store but tend to be more guitars.

As always ring prior to visiting to see what they have in stock and it will also give them chance to have it set up.

 

[cpcohen1945]

It is impossible to play standard piano music on a 61-key keyboard. And the playing technique for weighted keys is significantly different than technique for synth-action keys.

If your daughter is seriously thinking about music as a career, she'll probably want (and need, in the near future) something that qualifies as a "digital piano". That means:

. . . 88 keys

. . . "weighted action" or "hammer action" (as opposed to "synth action" or "semi-weighted action", which are both spring-loaded).

The Yamaha P45 is about as cheap as they come, with those specs. The Casio PX-150/160 would be another candidate.

So I suggest breaking your budget (if you can), and getting what she needs, rather than what you're comfortable with spending.

. Charles

 

[Rayblewit]

Hi David,
17 year olds are rather flippant and frivolous (generally speaking) when it comes to dedication and commitment. Often influenced by their peers and often easily led to wrong advice.
Ask yourself 'am I wasting my cash on a 7 day wonder or making a wise investment for my daughter.'
If its the latter, put some onus on her too and get a commitment from her.
If you are comfortable then shop with her together and get what she wants or more importantly what she needs for her advancement in learning (what you can afford). Don't compromise for cheap models. She wants a P45. You need to see it first hand and be sure it is in fact the one for her. Go and test drive it.
She is still only half baked at 17 and maybe has not done adequate research into the full features and possible pitfalls of the P45.
Check it out (for yourself since you are paying) and compare with other models. Don't rush the decission.
What is her preferred genre? Classical? Pop? This could have an impact on choosing style or type of keyboard too.
Enjoy the experience shopping with your daughter.
Best wishes ray

 

[Rayblewit]

The Yamaha P45 is a digital piano retailing at about £330, its bigger brother the P115 is about a £100 more.

Hey David,
This is what Biggles was alluding to . .

 

[cpcohen1945]

Interesting, but:

a) I think the P115 is recorded a bit louder than the P45 -- and the louder piano usually sounds better.

b) He demonstrates polyphony on the P115, but _not_ on the P45. I suspect that what he was playing, didn't use more than polyphony=64 -- the P45 would have handled it fine. IMHO, you need both complex music, and a good ear, to "show up" polyphony limitations on a "P = 64" digital piano.

Other features -- I think those were fair comparisons.

. Charles

 

[Biggles]

It has been a week since David posted and then nothing.

Without knowing more about what direction his Daughter wants to progress then being specific is somewhat problematic.

 

[Rayblewit]

I agree Biggles. We all do our best here to offer our humble opinions in response to specific requests. David (the OP) has not even seen any of the above since his profile states he was last seen here last Wednesday at 4.07.
So it's up to him now to check his alerts. If he does then he should respond. I should imagine we will get a response soon.

If a person doesn't respond to these kind of discussions then I regard them rude and ungrateful.
Ray