Best digital piano for beginners

Your 'school budget' may be stretched in many directions: books, day trips, lessons, educational toys and who knows what else! You'd love a piano for your kids but are they affordable?

If you're a parent wanting a low-cost, high-quality piano for around £300-£500, read on!

I'm not a piano technician or salesman. I haven't played every piano in existence. So why listen to me?

I'm interested in the RESULTS these pianos can get your kids.

Internet 'research' can get bogged down with features but most parents just want to know:

I've helped HUNDREDS of families already; I believe I can help you too!

Remember to get a stand, unless you have some other way of achieving the perfect height (around 70-75cm from floor to keytops).

I've played a Roland FP-10 and love it. Some of my students have the bigger brother FP-30X but most have the FP-10. Read on to find out why I think the Roland FP-10 (or FP-30X) is the best budget option.

Click here to see the latest price on:

Amazon

Gear4Music

Andertons

PMT Online

Why does keyboard action matter? Muscle memory. If I wanted a pen to help my child learn to write, I wouldn't give them a toothbrush!

Learning to play the piano is full of nuance and, with a good piano teacher by their side, the early months are critical in developing good habits that faciliate music-making for years to come.

My personal favourites are the Roland FP-10 (my go-to recommendation for students) and FP-30X (my own piano - has a few more sounds, bigger speakers and can be bought with a nifty three-pedal stand), both featuring Roland’s PHA-4 Standard keyboard. This is known for its sensitivity and realistic feel, made possible by high-resolution sensing and escapement (like an acoustic piano).

This PHA-4 key action is the best I've sampled amongst beginner pianos - it's found on even Roland's much more expensive FP60X piano.

A great piano sound inspires practice. It’s not just about making the right notes—kids should feel like they’re playing something beautiful. The digital pianos in this post belie their low price and get their sound samples from iconic Steinway or Yamaha pianos.

The Roland FP-10 and FP-30X have Roland’s SuperNATURAL Piano engine, which delivers a rich, resonant tone that feels lifelike, especially through headphones (the speakers are not large).

All of the pianos I mention in this article will either come with a pedal (good enough to get your kids started) or have the facility to add one later.

Rather than stress about this, just remember you can pick up an improved pedal like this M-Audio SP-2 for a mere £15-20!

I hear GREAT things about the following pianos, but my experience of them is more limited.

For your extra outlay, you'll get a more robust cabinet and bigger speakers which give a better sound, three pedals and a few others 'bells and whistles'!

I think the important thing to remember is that there isn't a 'bad choice' amongst any pianos mentioned in this article:

Check price on Andertons here

Check price on Amazon here

I do love that this has three pedals - this can come in handy when dealing with more intermediate/advanced pieces.

Check price on Gear4Music here

Another robust piano with high-quality sound and three pedals. Kawai is increasingly a brand I trust, having heard from students who own them.

But what about acoustic pianos? There's something very special about acoustic pianos: the sound, the tactility, the way it fills a room.

My first online teaching setup during COVID, using my Yamaha U5 -March 2020

I had a Yamaha U5 (see picture above) and loved it. Frankly, though, you'd need £2k+ to get an acoustic piano that's worth your effort to move, tune and play. Anything below that might be pretty as 'furniture' but could be unhelpfully rough for your kids to play.

If the instrument is poor, motivation will (probably) be poor too.

If you want to have a look at some 'bargain' acoustic pianos, do check out these guys (you can check past auction results): https://pianoauctions.co.uk/

But, really, don't feel short-changed buying a digital piano - my opinion of them has changed massively since actually using one in my online teaching. Recent years have both reduced the cost and raised the bar on what you can expect from digital pianos.

The important thing is: don't wait! You could keep your eyes open for second-hand pianos, but for an entry-level piano you'd struggle to do better than...the Roland FP-10!