“Do not neglect your music, it will be a companion which will sweeten many hours of life to you.” – Thomas Jefferson

Resources

Links

  • Keyboard (1) - Yamaha YDP Arius Series - My Favorite Floor Model Digital Piano : I never thought I'd say it, but I'd prefer my students purchase a high-quality floor model digital piano like the Yamaha YDP 184 in the Arius series than buy an acoustic upright. The nicer floor models look very much like a real acoustic with their wooden cabinets and attached pedals, but have a smaller footprint and don't weigh much. Yes, a portable keyboard is cheaper, but they usually don't come with a stand, a bench or a pedal. Those have to be purchased separately, and when you tally up the costs, it's worth considering spending a smidge more and buying a cabinet-style keyboard that comes with all of those accessories. Whether you buy a floor model or a portable model, why go digital at all? Technology is so advanced nowadays that digital pianos provide fantastic action and sound at a fraction of the price of a really good upright piano, plus you can do so many things technologically that you can't do with an acoustic. You can record, transpose the key higher or lower so you can play along with your favorite artist, connect it to your computer and compose and practice with interactive programs that give you all kind of practice help. You can experiment with different instrument sounds, practice with the onboard metronome and more. Plus you never have to tune a digital piano or pay $500 to move it to another location. Best of all, you can practice with earphones on so you don't disturb neighbors on the floor below or family members who want to watch TV when you want to practice! The Arius series has luxury models like the YDP-184 down to basic models. Countless schools and churches, including all the ones where I have worked, have purchased these workhorse instruments for institutional use. I have one in my own studio next to my baby grand and love them both equally. Just make sure the model you buy has individually weighted, fully weighted keys - not partially or semi-weighted as on some of the cheaper models.
  • Keyboard (2) - Yamaha P-125 - My Favorite Portable : The nicer floor model digital pianos made by Yamaha, Roland and other makers are every student's dream, but if those are out of your price range, I highly recommend the Yamaha P-125. This keyboard has wonderful fully-weighted action and sound, just like an expensive acoustic, yet is portable. It also has other bells and whistles that make learning and playing so fun. I have used this series of models exclusively for all my gigs over the years. You may notice the cheaper price of the P-45 model. This keyboard is only semi-weighted. You need fully weighted keys! You don't have to buy the Yamaha brand - I only recommend it because it's the only brand I've ever used and it has served me so well that I couldn't imagine a better product. Whatever brand you purchase, just make sure you get a keyboard with 88 keys, and make sure the keys are individually weighted, and not semi-weighted as mentioned above.
  • Keyboard (3)- Donner SE-1 Portable : I've never played one, but lots of my students own this affordable keyboard and say they like it! It sounds good and it seems to offer the proper resistance to their fingers.
  • Keyboard Bench (1)- Donner - sturdy, non-folding : You must have a real keyboard or piano bench to play properly. A chair won't do. If you don't have hundreds to spend on a fancy bench, this Donner bench will give you more sturdiness and stability than portable models but won't break the bank.
  • Keyboard Bench (2) - Yamaha Portable : Great little bench that is less expensive, height-adjustable, and folds for storage.
  • Keyboard Stand - RockJam Portable : I don't own this stand, I own one that cost twice as much because stability and sturdiness are so important when playing a portable keyboard. I prefer this style of stand to the typical "X"-shaped stand because it's much more sturdy and stable, and this is the least expensive stand of this type I could find. A rickety "X" stand gets annoying real quick because it wobbles when you play, and your shins knock into the cross-bars when you're using the pedal - ugh!
  • Keyboard Sustain Pedal : This is a universal pedal that works with all models. You'll need to buy this if your portable keyboard didn't come with one.
  • Livestreaming Equipment (1) - Laptop Table-Top Stand : This is a heavy-duty very sturdy, stable stand for your laptop. It is height-and-tilt adjustable, which you'll need to get the optimum view of your face, hands and keyboard during lessons. To get the laptop camera eye high enough, you'll most likely need to set this stand on a sturdy footstool (link provided.)
  • Livestreaming Equipment (2) - Folding Footstool : If you put this sturdy little stool on a desk or table by your keyboard, then set your laptop stand on top of it, you'll achieve the right height and camera angle for live-streaming lessons.
  • Livestreaming Equipment (3) - Laptop Floor Stand : This is an alternative to a tabletop stand. It scares me a little because it looks like it would be easy to trip over the legs and send your laptop crashing to the floor!

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