How to Rent or Buy a Piano
The keyboard has been the instrument of choice for your family as your child uses it to practice piano. But the only thing is that if your child is learning piano quickly you may need to upgrade to an 88 key keyboard or a piano. Often most parents decide to try out piano lessons for their child but do not want to invest or rent a piano yet. They want to see if the student likes to play or has an aptitude for it, so if they do have a knack for the instrument think about upgrading. This means that you need to either rent or buy a piano so your child can make the transition from your keyboard to a piano.
Should you rent or buy? That depends what you want to do. Piano rentals can vary from cost to $15 a month up to $50 a month, depending on the store and the part of the country you live. You may have to rent it for several months before it can be returned. Also, some piano rentals can be credited toward a purchase of a new piano. If you want a shiny, scratch free piano to be the focus of attention in your living room, then a rental piano is not for you. Rental pianos endure a lot of wear and tear as they go for a months to several years from home to home. There will be scratches and maybe gouges in the wooden frame of the piano and the bench. If you plan to place the rental piano in a recreation room or your child’s bedroom, it may not matter what it looks like.
You can also buy a used piano by looking online, piano sales by universities and music schools, or browse the ads on Craigslist (where I know people have had great deals) or classified ads in your local Sunday newspaper. Be aware that you should not have to pay a lot of money for an old piano that may need work. Be ready to bargain with the owner of the piano, as some owners think their piano is worth a lot more than it really is. Don’t pay full price unless it is a good deal already. You will probably have to pay for a moving company that specializes in moving pianos to get the piano located to your home. Depending on the geographical area you live, it could cost $100 to $150 for moving the piano.
Last, if you want to buy a new piano look in your newspaper for ads by music stores that want to clear their inventory in months like June, January, and September or October. You may find some great price reductions as many music stores want to liquidate some of their inventory of pianos. Some may even take a cash offer, so be ready to make an offer. There are some stores that will not do business this way, but it does not hurt to try! When you buy a piano at a store you will probably get a complimentary tuning once it is in your home for a couple of weeks. Most stores do not charge for moving the piano to your home.
Make the best choice for your family and do your research. One more important thing: Make sure your child tries the piano because if they don’t like it they will not play it. The action of the keys are very important so you must bring the piano student with you when you look at a piano. If the action of the keys is too stiff the keys will be hard to press, and they will not look forward to playing. Don't waste your money no matter how good the piano will look in your home.
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