Students who take piano lessons should have an instrument at home to practice on. At a minimum, a piano for practicing should have these four things:
- Touch sensitive. This means that the harder you strike the key, the louder it plays, and the lighter you strike the key, the quieter it plays.
- Weighted keys. This means that instead a simple spring pushing the key back up, a series of mechanics is in place to make the keys feel like the action of an acoustic piano with its hammers and levers which make the notes sound.
- A Pedal. Using the pedal is an essential part of playing the piano and should be a feature of a student’s piano.
- A sturdy stand, bench, and music rack. The piano should feel like it is sturdy and does not feel like it moves around when played. You should also have a proper bench (not a chair), and the music rack should hold a book or several sheets of music without easily flopping over.
There are two basic types of pianos: acoustic and digital/electronic.
Acoustic pianos are an ideal choice for an instrument because they have the characteristic sound and feel of a piano, including all the things listed above. If possible, I recommend getting an acoustic piano. An acoustic piano will need to be tuned by a professional technician about once a year, and is larger and much heavier than an electronic keyboard. There are, however, a lot of great deals (including free!) out there on acoustic pianos if you look and are willing to have it moved to your house.
If you choose to go the digital piano route, make sure it has the four things listed above, as well as a good quality, characteristic piano sound. I personally have a Cascio Privia keyboard in my house that I like the sound and feel of, and I also have experience with and recommend the Yamaha P-45 digital piano as a good quality, basic model of piano for most students. There are, of course, many options in digital pianos besides these, including many higher end models. A good place to start looking is your local music store.