The minimum cost of good-quality pianos ranges between $300 to $600. Now, as a beginner, are you ready to invest such an amount when you don't even know how to play it? Moreover, it's not always about the price. Many people can afford pianos, but they stop themselves from buying one thinking about the space and care it needs. For instance, it costs around $250 (minimum) to tune a piano. Many reasons leave you with only one option–learning piano without buying one. Therefore, I have decided to talk about how to learn a piano without a piano.
How to Learn Piano Without a Piano? First of all, don't worry! If you've decided to learn piano without a piano, you can definitely achieve it. There are several ways to do so. Let's go through these options one by one.
1. Learn Piano on a Keyboard
If you are looking for options other than piano because of its size and weight, I recommend keyboards. Many piano brands manufacture good-quality keyboards, such as Yamaha, Casio, Roland, etc. Let's take a look at why a keyboard is a good substitute for pianos.
Keyboards Create a Similar sound to Pianos Being an acoustic instrument, pianos create physically amplifying sound. While keyboards can't replicate the sound, they go close to it. In other words, the keyboard creates the most similar sound to pianos. The slight sound difference wouldn't be a problem in your learning process.
The keyboard and the Piano have Similar Key-Arrangement The most recommended piano for learning comes with 88-keys. And, if you're taking this seriously, I would also suggest learning piano on something similar–an 88-keys keyboard.
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An 88-key piano and keyboard have middle C in the same position
Setting your hand on piano keys is one of the primary things in piano learning, especially the ability to play with both hands simultaneously. To do this, one must be well acquainted with the instrument. So, if you plan to go back and forth with the piano and keyboard, try out instruments with the same number of keys. Both are the easiest instruments to learn. Don't worry about the key arrangement; it's always the same.
The keyboard and the Piano have Keys with Similar Width Many find it hard to learn piano without a piano because piano keys are a bit wide compared to their substitutes. Even if they learn using piano alternatives, it becomes difficult for them to adjust their hands on piano keys later. You won't face such problems with keyboards. The keys are a little narrower than piano keys, but it will be perfect for the initial learning phase.
Pros
Affordable
Portable
Has several sound/effects options
Can practice piano chords and scales
Cons
Not acoustic
Mediocre music quality
2. Learn Piano on Computer/Laptop Keyboard | QWERTY PIANO Desire to learn piano but can't spend a penny? If you're answering yes, don't worry! I've got your back. You can learn piano on your laptop/computer keyboard. No, you don't need to buy anything else. Just the keyboard attached to a computer/laptop will do. You will use a Qwerty piano to play on the keyboard.
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What is Qwerty Piano? Qwerty piano is the computer keyboard piano. On this piano alternative, specific keys on the computer keyboard represent specific piano notes. You can use the Qwerty piano to memorize piano notes and practice playing the piano when reading sheet music. I recommend Qwerty piano for self-learners (who have just begun). But, if you're taking piano lessons, I recommend buying a keyboard or a digital piano. However, you should still use the Qwerty piano to practice when you get time at the office or other places where you don't have a keyboard/piano.
Pros
No investment
Portable
Helps memorize piano notes/keys
Cons
Limited range
Mediocre music quality
Can't practice piano scales, chords, and arppeggios
3. Learn Piano Through Apps on Phone/Tab [caption id="attachment_10644" align="aligncenter" width="692"]
Image Credits: Pianist HD[/caption] When it comes to portability and practicing piano anytime, anywhere, mobile phones win the race. There is nothing like having a piano right there on your phone. You maybe in the bathroom or on a long train ride; you can still play piano whenever you want. All you need is an app on your android smartphone or IOS such as Iphones or Ipads . Best Piano Apps on Android are:
Pianist HD
My Piano
Piano Melody
Real Piano Best Piano Apps on IOS (Iphones and Ipads) are:
Best Piano Apps on IOS (Iphones and Ipads) are:
Perfect Piano
Gismart Piano
Simply Piano
Pros
No investment
Portable
Helps practicing melody
A good option to memorize piano notes/keys
Cons
Can't play with both hands
Limited range
Mediocre music quality
Can't practice piano scales, chords, and appregios
Why Should You Look for Alternatives to Piano? When it comes to musical instruments, the piano is one of the best first instruments ever. It creates awesome music and can enhance the quality of any song/music. So, why should you not buy a piano and look for piano alternatives? Keep reading to know the answers.
1. Pianos are Expensive
I think piano experts and beginners can agree with the fact that pianos aren't pocket friendly. One can think about buying a guitar without burning a hole in their pockets but not a piano. Beginning with an initial price range of $300, a good quality average piano costs around $10,000. You might not know the fact that the costliest piano is 2.6 million dollars. Even though the piano is a fantastic instrument–both music and room decor-wise–it's not affordable for beginners. So, here comes the question: why should you spend hundreds of dollars buying a piano when you can't even play it? The simple and direct answer to it is: NO, you shouldn't. Instead, you should look for ways to learn piano without buying one, which I have already covered above.
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2. Pianos are High Maintenance
For starters, you will need a big, open room/space to keep a piano, especially if it's a grand piano. Then, according to the change in weather, you will also need to change its position. Don't forget the fact that you will need hired help (two or more people) to shift it from one place to another. Then comes the head of tuning the piano. For all its glory and legacy, there is a price, and tbh, the price is quite high. If the learner is not yet sure about pursuing learning piano for a long time, I suggest learning piano without a piano. You can go with a keyboard or piano app. That way, you can try your hand at learning to play without actually going through the turmoil of its maintenance.
3. Pianos aren't Portable There are many who find it hard to take piano learning lessons on somebody else's instrument, especially beginners. It's nothing serious; it's just that newbies find it hard to adjust their hands to an unfamiliar instrument. For such learners, a portable piano alternative is a great relief. They can take the same instrument to piano classes that they use to practice piano at home.
FAQs Can I learn piano if I don't have one? Yes, you can learn piano without a piano. If you're taking offline classes and your piano teacher has the instrument, in that case, you don't need a piano at all. You can practice piano notes on your fingers, mobile piano apps, etc. And, if you're taking online piano classes and need a piano alternative, then you can always go for a keyboard or a digital piano. What is an alternative to a piano? There are several alternatives to a piano. If you need options that are physically similar to a piano, then you can try out keyboards/digital pianos. These alternatives create similar sounds, follow the same key arrangement, and give the feel of playing the piano. But, if you don't want to invest anything at all, then you should go ahead with Qwerty piano (computer keyboard piano) or mobile piano apps. Is it OK to learn piano on keyboard? Yes, it's perfectly alright to learn to play piano on a keyboard. Firstly, because keyboards create similar music to piano. Secondly, keyboards have the same key width and arrangement as pianos.
