Where do you stand on the digital versus acoustic issue? Do you encourage your students to get acoustic pianos or are you more open to high quality digitals?

While I think good acoustic pianos are fantastic for students to have at home, a lot of the time digital pianos are actually the better option. When parents are purchasing a practice instrument for a beginner, they’re unlikely to want to invest enough to get a really solid acoustic piano. 

And a digital piano wins over an old beaten-up acoustic every time.

Take a listen to today’s show to hear about what sparked this topic, why I recommend digital pianos to my students, and which ones are my favourites.

Transcript

If you’d like to download a PDF transcript of this episode, please click below.

Inner Circle Members: You can access your PDF download now from the Resource Library. Not a member?

In this episode, you’ll learn

• Where competitions fit in my piano teaching philosophies
• What I would recommend for a student’s practice instrument
• The types of pianos and keyboards and how they compare
• Why I don’t agree that students need to start at 3 or 4 years old
• When and why a digital piano is better than an acoustic

Links Mentioned

• How to Choose the Best Digital Piano for Your Students
• Future of Piano Playing is in Peril article
• Roland FP30
• Kawai ES Series
• Kawai CA Series

Today’s Sponsor

The jewel in the crown of the Casio piano range is the Celviano Grand Hybrid. The premise behind this instrument was to merge the finest elements of an acoustic piano’s authenticity with the benefits of innovative Casio digital sound technology. A unique collaboration with the esteemed acoustic grand piano manufacturer C. Bechstein, has resulted in a stunning hybrid instrument. Each Grand Hybrid is equipped with a Natural Grand Hammer mechanism, full-length, wooden grand piano keys and an exquisite selection of three world-renowned acoustic grand pianos tones.

Casio CELVIANO Grand Hybrid Pianos offer a full range of functions that provide meticulous support for music lessons such as recording functions, Hall Simulator, Headphone Mode, USB and MIDI connections and Line input and output connections.

Unlike acoustic instruments, no tuning is required and the keyboard mechanism does not require any adjustment, which can mean significant savings in terms of maintenance costs.

For more information click here to see the Celviano in action.

Get $100 off Annual Inner Circle Membership

As a valued podcast listener, you’re eligible for a $100 discount on an annual Inner Circle Membership. This discount lasts for as long as you’re a member and whatever price you sign up for today is the price you’ll pay as long as you remain a member.

Copy this coupon code to use when you see the “Coupon Code” box:  PIANOPODCAST.

Thank you for Tuning In!

There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, and I’m grateful that you’ve chosen mine.

Whether you’re at the gym, on the bike or in the car, I know that you and your students will get lots out of what you learn in the long run.

Just make sure you try out some of the ideas before they get lost in the business of your next lessons!

If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons on the left of the page.

Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes or on my Facebook page. Reviews are extremely helpful when it comes to show’s ranking and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally.

Lastly, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

Where do you stand in the digital versus acoustic divide?

Do you notice a difference between your students who practice on digital pianos? Do you think Fanny Waterman was right to point the finger at these instruments?