Piano Learning and Tips for Setup

I am actually relearning piano, and I'll share with you some background and tips for piano choice and setup.

Many years ago, I considered myself a beginner to beginner intermediate piano player. However, my piano became damaged, and there went my piano playing days.

Over 15 years later, I decided I wanted to play again and told my husband what I wanted for Christmas. I wanted an electric keyboard by Yamaha.

My very first piano was an upright piano that I saw at a garage sale. It was just up the street from me, and it was only $100. I hired some of my co-workers to pick it up and bring it to my house. Where they sat it is where it stayed for the length of time that I owned it. It was too heavy for even my husband and I to push together to have it straightened up with the wall. But that really didn't matter. I played it anyway. But the other thing about the upright piano, was that it required regular tuning. It was something that had to be done around quarterly. Perhaps it was its age, and also it was due to temperature changes with the seasons.

The electric piano that I got after that first piano, was a Clavinova by Yamaha. I really liked it. It had weighted keys, and pretty much played like a regular piano, and it didn't require any tuning. I bought this one from a music store, it was pre-internet days. It was built into its own stand and looked like a real piano. I probably had it around ten years or so. However, I had an elderly cat at the time that had peed on it. It affected the inner parts of the piano, and the repairman couldn't make the keys that were affected, make their normal piano sound again. I went piano-less for approximately 15 years.

Based on my previous experience, I knew I wanted an electric piano again. I was also impressed with Yamaha, and did some searches on that to see what was available. We decided on a Yamaha P143. This time, I wanted just the keyboard instead of having it built into the stand. I could have gotten this model with a stand that was specifically made for it. But I had noticed that there were stands that were adjustable and also piano benches that were adjustable too. I went the adjustable route, and am glad that I did.

As my husband and I got it set up, I remembered in my Book One piano book, about the proper way to set at the piano. The person's legs should be at a right angle from the bench, with their feet being flat on the floor. So we made adjustments to the bench first so that I could sit properly. From there, I positioned my arms as if I were playing, to determine the height of where the piano should sit on the adjustable stand. Voila, I had a piano and bench that were both at the right height for me. That is a God-send. My back is a lot more comfortable from what I remember it being from my earlier piano experiences.

Since it had been so long since my previous piano, I had gotten rid of my piano books. I wanted something without a lot of sharps and or flats, and chose a beginner level with Disney songs. I was plugging along, but soon realized that I needed a refresher, especially for the bass clef staff. It's not too late for me to relearn playing piano. : )

The same company that I had a lot of my teaching books from when I first learned piano, was still around. This time, they combined different lesson types into one book. In book one, they include both theory and solo. It has you start off playing using numbers to identify your fingers, and to play strings of notes and short songs using a number method. As you get practice with that, it then moves on to identifying the notes on the scales. I'm over half way through this first book and have ordered the second book. My skills and my confidence are both improving.

If you are thinking about getting a piano, I recommend first deciding on what is important to you, and also the amount of space that you have for a piano. The digital piano, for the most part, takes up less space. You can get keyboards with less keys even, or get a full size keyboard. If you are getting a digital piano, I also recommend getting a stand and a bench that can be adjusted. (Unless the standard height is already a perfect for you.) Digital pianos are also more portable, should you be in a band something, and need to transport it.

Some people still prefer the overall feel and sound of a regular (non-digital) piano. If you are leaning this way, I do recommend that you try out different models, both for the sound, and also for the comfort level. There are probably options out there that I may not be aware of; just check it out and see what works best for you.

The model that I got has ten different sounds that you can choose from, from basic piano, to grand piano, harpsichord, strings, and more. It's kind of nice to pick a different sound to play, especially if you want to practice the same song over repeatedly. : ) It also has a sustain pedal. You can see the Yamaha P143 digital keyboard and check the price on Amazon.

I chose the adjustable piano stand and bench by Liquid Stands, which is also on Amazon: Adjustable stand and bench combo. It took a bit of figuring it out on how to put these items together, but we got it done. Liquid Stands also included a number that one could call should they need help.

The beginner book that I got as a refresher is Alfred's Basic Piano Library, All in One Course. You can check out this beginner level piano book on Amazon. The pictures are for kids, but it still works.

There are also other Yamaha models to choose from on Amazon. All the best to you in finding the type of piano that works best for you and the tunes and lessons too.

Cheryl Paton

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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