I am not at all musical.
Noone in my family was musical.
The closest i came to music was playing “London’s Burning” on the recorder when i was in primary school. The below is not me playing but will give you an idea if you have never heard it before.
So now over 50, and with a three year old who is growing fast, i would like to see if I missed something by not learning to play music. And hopefully, if there are instruments around the house, maybe inspire my daughter to try at a much earlier age than i am starting.
Having been involved with computers since the age of 11, I am used to programming and touch typing on a keyboard, so I figured that may help me if i started with a piano. Living in a victorian terrace doesnt give much space for a piano and the cost is pretty high so, to begin with at least, I decided to get a digital piano.
The first challenge is deciding on which one.
After reading a few articles online, i decided a basic criteria as follows
- it should be a full 88 key keyboard like a real piano
- It should have graded weighted keys like a real piano
- it should last for at least a few years before needing to be upgraded
- It should be easy to use
After watching a number of review videos on youtube, I decided the Roland FP-10 digital piano looked good and met the first two criteria, as well as being quite a bit under £500. But i did note a few downsides. There were not a lot of controls and no LED display so making changes would take some effort and what we call RTFM in the computer business.
Also, in one review, i noted that the 96 polyphony sound (number of sounds that can be played simultaneously) was quite low and it was mentioned that this might be a problem for some classical music after grade 2.
The next model up is the Roland FP-30X digital piano. This has the same sound generator as the FP-10 but has better speakers, 256 polyphony and more connectivity options. This sorted out most of the issues of the FP-10 and would give a little change out of £600. But i still thought it was worth looking at the next model up just to see the difference.
The Roland FP-60X digital piano is the mid range model. Again this has the same sound generator as both the Roland FP-10 and Roland FP-30X and the same polyphony as the FP-30X. The speakers on the Roland FP-60X are better and face upwards meaning the sound is clearer. There is an LCD display and a lot of functions are accessible using controls on the keyboard, so meets the easy to use criteria that the other models did not.
The downside was the Roland FP-60X was about £1200 which was way too much as a starter machine. However, looking on Amazon.co.uk, they have reduced the white version to under £900. In addition, they offer 5 months at 0% interest. So that was the decider.
Since i will also need headphones, a stool and piano stand to get started, taking the interest free option on the digital piano means i still have enough left over to get those accessories and start playing asap. Expecting delivery on 2nd January and aim is to start playing for fifteen minutes every day.
So my starter digital piano will be this
- Roland FP-60X Digital Piano
- Roland DP-10 Damper Pedal (Included with FP-60X)
- Rockjam RJKBB100 Bench
- Rockjam Z-Frame Heavy Duty Keyboard Stand (with 3 months Skoove)
- Meze 99 Neo Over Ear Headphones