Piano - A Beginner's Guide

So you’ve decided you want to learn the piano? Now has never been a better time to start! When choosing to learn a new instrument it can always be a little daunting to know what equipment you need, what is essential etc.
At Sutton Music Centre we have many years of experience in both providing musical instrument equipment advice for beginners to seasoned professionals as well as providing musical instrument tutoring.
We aim to provide you with a list of essential products to start you on your journey!
 
Your First Piano/ Keyboard:
You will obviously need a piano or keyboard of some form for you to practice and learn on. Thankfully you don’t have to have the money or space for a Grand Piano to become a proficient pianist. In fact, most players will rely on a stage piano (electric piano) or keyboard at home for their practice.

 

Acoustic Pianos:
Let’s say you really love the sound of an acoustic (real) piano and you don’t want anything else. This would limit you to Upright, Baby Grand and Grand Pianos however, if you have the budget and real estate to go for this option then why not?
Acoustic Pianos will obviously vary depending on builder and brand but will overall have 88 decently weighted keys and three pedals (soft pedal, sostenuto pedal, and damper pedal).


Electric/ Stage/ Digital Pianos:
Most players will utilise some form of Digital Piano for both practice and performance. Digital Pianos range from very basic entry-level keyboards all the way up to pro digital workstations which can hold multiple sounds alongside feeling as close to an Acoustic Piano as possible.
We have a range of Digital Pianos available in store for you to try- click here to check out our online store!

Accessories:
Now you’ve got yourself a piano of an electric or acoustic style, you may be thinking “what else do I need to become the next Elton John/ Jordan Rudess/ Franz Liszt?”
Well here’s a couple of bits and bobs that can help give you that little edge on your first few steps of your Piano playing journey.

 

Music Stand:
Once you get started playing piano you’re going to find that you’re spending a lot of time in front of sheet music. Why not impress all your friends with a super sleek music stand to place your sheet music on? Check out our range of stands here.

Stool:
Whilst not necessary it is certainly encouraged for you to use a piano stool whilst practicing/ performing; the height adjustability is really important when trying to maintain good technique as well as pushing you into better posture whilst playing.

 

Sheet Music:
Every good Pianist has a large repertoire so why not start off by grabbing a few books of music? Whilst we stock all the exam books that you could possibly need, we also have plenty of collections of modern musical theatre and rock + pop for you to purchase and learn- you’ll be the life and soul of every party that has a piano!