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Buying a piano can easily become a daunting and challenging task if you are completely new to the instrument. The customer today is faced with a myriad choices and it's easy to get confused by the wide array of models available in most piano stores today. How does one choose the best piano for one's budget? Piano manufacturing companies of all shapes and sizes are offering hundreds of models to their customers, each having its own set of features. Indeed, the unsuspecting buyer will be simply spoilt for choices. Keeping a few simple things in mind while buying a piano can help you rise above the hype and zero in on that 'perfect' model.

The first thing to remember is that a piano should suit the buyer's needs. Choosing the wrong piano could prove to be detrimental to enjoyable playing. It can also put an unnecessary strain on your bank account. An amateur player could be well off with a mid-end piano, which in spite of having less features than its costlier counterparts, will suit the purpose of the player perfectly. Professional or more experienced players can, of course, settle for more sophisticated models with advanced features.

The piano today comes in three main flavors - Grand pianos, Upright Pianos and Digital Pianos. Grand pianos range in size from approximately 4 foot to 9 foot long and contain about 8,000 ' 10,000 intricate parts. That's right, a piano is deceptively simple to look at from the outside but houses many small constituent parts within its large frame. More than a musical instrument, it's a masterpiece of engineering and human craftsmanship. With a curved right side, a flat left side and a lid that can be raised, grand pianos are generally considered top of the range for pianos. However, there are some excellent upright pianos that many give many Grands a run for their money.

With the largest variant known as the Concert Grand, grand pianos in general vary widely in sizes. The smallest ones are lovingly called Baby Grands. Concert Grand pianos often reach 9' and over while Baby Grand pianos are usually smaller than 6' in height.

The other popular model of the piano is the Upright Piano. It is also called as the Vertical Piano sometimes. They are usually less complicated structures than the Grands, having fewer parts in the range of 5,000 ' 6,000. Consequently, they cost significantly less. The general rule of thumb is that the taller the upright, the better the action.

With the proliferation of digital technology in the last few decades, digital pianos have recently flooded the market. Many years ago, the quality of sound that digital pianos produced left a lot to be desired. However, modern digital pianos are nothing short of analog pianos, as far as the sound emulation is concerned. A good digital piano will cost you approximately $1,000 upwards. They often have their keys weighted in the same manner as you would find on Grand and Upright pianos. In fact, once you start playing on one, you will soon forget that you are playing an electronic instrument. Some of the best names in digital pianos are Yamaha, Kurzweil, Roland, Alesis, and Technics.

The Internet is a great place to hunt for a good bargain on a piano. Just search around a bit and I'm sure that you will soon be able to find the right piano for yourself. Happy playing!