DD is really keen to start some form of music lessons. She will have the chance for school based lessons from next academic year. However, many of her school friends are starting this year outside of school, and this is something DD has always been keen to do.

She would love to learn to play a piano - but they are so expensive, even second hand ones in shops seem to be. They are also big!
She has a big keyboard and will play about with thatm and we have recorders but she isn't as bothered about that at present.
So what else could we have a look at for her; something smaller maybe?
Any musicians out there who could recommend a good first instrument?
Also, where to go to look and buy?
And how to find a decent music teacher?

Mine learnt the piano from 6 and we only have a touch sensitive keyboard. They learnt at school, but gave up because their lovely teacher left and was replaced by an awful teacher.
I think a piano is a very good grounding for other instruments. I learnt both the descant and treble recorder in primary then went on to play the flute at secondary.

Are the touch sensitive keyboards okay for learning onthen, rather than a traditional piano? I thinkt he touch sensitive keyboards are a fair bit cheaper aren't they?

Hula it will depend on the teacher. Some may be okay with touch sensitive keyboards (ours isn't). Check first.

Recorder. Sounds boring, but is cheap, portable, and quite versatile and is good preparation for other wind instruments later.

Dd plays recorder and piano and enjoys both equally. She plays her recorder in a folk band and really enjoys participating. (she is 10)

DD started harp and violin at 6 and loves both. The harp is like piano in that they can "play a tune" very quickly which is often more satisfying for younger children.

We already have recorders galore but she is really keen on the piano. Have been told to consider a clavinova/electric piano so going to look into that more, especially to start with. Will need to look for a teacher who is ok witht hat.

Call your local council and see if they have a piano glut! My friend worked fro the bin hotline during her year off before college and got herself a free piano. People get lumbered with pianos when old relatives die and they don't know what to do with them. They often have a list of people needing to offload pianos. I have never done this BTW so I don't know whether you'd be laughed at for trying.

My advice is that you need to let her play the instrument she actually wants to or she won't do it. I wanted to play the cello from about aged 4. I started lessons at 8. I played til I was 18. My bro had wanted top play teh guitar from aged about 4. My mother decided to make him play the French Horn. It was TORTURE for all of us for a year and a term. He wailed, he gnashed teeth, they argued, he faked coldsores and did everything to get out of playing. He's now a professional guitarist.

That is what I am thinking. She has mentioned wanting to play a piano for over 2 years now, since starting school really. Only seems fair that if she is going to have elssons it should be in something she is actually interested in.

If you are going to buy an electric piano, get one with weighted keys rather than just touch sensitive. eg. clavinova.
If you get one with just touch sensitive she won't be able to get the range of dynamics (volume) that she needs to play properly.

Have you tried asking for a piano on your local Freecycle site? I've seen them offiered quite often. I learnt several instruments at school, I always wanted to learn piano but never got the opportunity, DH finally bought me one as a wedding present and I love it dearly. Califrau is right, she should learn the instrument she loves.

Agree with Nat1H, get an electric piano rather than a keyboard, as they feel very different. If you get a bottom of the range one (only one voice, no bells or whistles) they only cost a few hundred pounds, so comparable with a piano, but much smaller, no hassle of tuning, and practice can be done with headphones on or the volume turned down. I studied to grade 8, and currently have an electric piano because I don't have room for a proper one, and I don't feel that it's second best, although I know some people disagree.

Otherwise, maybe post a wanted ad on Freecycle / Gumtree / local free ads? My parents recently sold their piano for a pittance to a dealer, even though it was a lovely instrument. I bet there are loads of people who'd like their unused piano to go to a good home.

recorder

then see how she gets on

I'd like a clavinova (headphones!!!) but they are £££££££

let her learn the piano and if the article I just listened too on Radio 4 is correct, she can later on train as a piano tuner and earn lots of money and they are very very scarce these days

you can easily pick up pianos free or cheap as they are such a bugger to move, they are very heavy and it's a specialist job.

have just got dd a ukelele .. she wanted to learn guitar, i think the key is the instrument that they like the sound of the most.

You could take her to a music shop and have a look and try on what's on offer, then get down to netto as they had some good deals on clarinets and flutes recently !

It is no good steering her toward another instrument if she really wants to learn piano! She will just give it up because ahe is not interested. I learned piano from the age of 4 and am now a music teacher. I have learned other instruments on the way (because I have had to), but I do not enjoy playing them anywhere near as much, and nvere play them for pleasure. Buying a different instrument would be a waste of money IMO.

Yes, have been told to look at the proper electric pianos and not a keyboard. She already has the latter anyway.

Have been having a look, with thoughts of getting her one for Christmas, and then lessons in the new year. I think they look like the best options.

Enid - recorder doesn't cut it really' It just isnt the instrument she wants and it think that is the key here.

Have spoken to someone aboutt he digital painos/clavinova and we can get a decent beginners on from around £350-£400.

dd started the electric guitar today at school , for her birthday she also got a drum set and has been learning the keyboard with dp for a while.

Our house is rarely quiet.

I tried dd on the recorder and it just didn't cut it so I can sympathise. I woul also love a piano, and for the first time we have room but that may not be the case when we move again.

I'd just say: make sure you find the right teacher, who will approach the whole thing through play to start with. If your child isn't yet reading completely fluently, then learning to read music will be very slow and frustrating for her, so lots of improvising and just being around the piano is good.

I've done piano teaching in the past, and regretted the couple of pupils who started earlier than age 8, though that may have been my shortcoming, not really knowing how to step away from the expectation of formal playing with such a young child. It is certainly my experience as a musician that starting formal piano and other lessons at 8, 9, and even 10 for my first instrument did not hold me back at all later. I started with group recorder lessons aged 6 too!

I am a piano teacher and I will teach children who have keyboards to practise on, but only for 20 minute school based lessons. This is because I am more teaching them how to read music and how the scale works and about rhythms - when they get better most do get a piano or borrow one off a relative.

For a 30 minute lesson at my house I want at least a clavinova (or other equivalent). IME it is cheaper to get a proper piano than a clavinova, even the tuning of it evens out because if a clav goes wrong it is expensive and difficult to get someone to fix it (we are in NZ - it may be easy and cheap in the UK).

ABRSM have lists of teachers they can send you in NZ so I presume they can in the UK. Or try the ISM.

I have taught lots of 6 year olds and the secret is to get them to do one thing at a time and put it together really gradually. I use 3 (!) books with the young ones, so that they learn technique, new things and get more pieces to play at the same level before moving on.

Ds started the cello just before he was 4 and he would not entertain any other instrument!

Sign up to Freecycle in your area (look on google). I have seen lots of pianos being given away for nothing on freecycle, although you will obviously need to pay the removal cost and to have it tuned, which should come to about £100.

You have to be really careful with cheap and free pianos - it's a little like buying a secondhand car: if you don't know what you're doing you can end up with a real turkey. My parents got a cheap second hand one for my sister and it was great for a few months, then constantly went badly out of tune as the frame was shot. Our piano tuner told us he'd recently been to four different Ebay pianos that were all heaps of junk.

I have to say that just because a child isn;t reading fluetly it doens't mean they will find reading music difficult. Ds 1 is very mathermaticaly minded and has taken to the 'dots and dashes' like a duck to water despite only having been in reception since sept. Yes, I was a music teacher and can help him but he learned crotchets, minims and semi-breves in 2 lessons. He understands middle c and can find c anywhere on the piano also d + e. He's only had 3-4 'lessons' from me as I don't push him at all and go with his enthusiasm.

As to the op I agree with whoever said that you should let your child choose their instrument and if that's the piano then piano it is. You really can't explain why you want to learn one instrument over another it's something that you just feel iyswim. I started recorder, then treble in infant school and loved it. I then wanted to play the violin but wasn't allowed to so I started the 'cello. (piano came way later for me!) When I taught I let children practise on the piano at school -could that be a possiblility for your daughter? She could practise in her break times and then you would see if this were a passing phase or something she is serious about before making a large purchase.

DD started clarinet at the beginning of this academic year and is already playing tunes - I am so proud of her - she is small for her age but a clarinet is handleable for her and it isn't that expensive as we hire it from our local music services - about £30 a term I think although that is just until we know she wants to carry it on - they are about £200 - £300 to buy.

Really agree with the advice to let her play whatever instrument she wants to play, that is the most important thing.
If it is the piano, see if you can find a decent one second hand, through a reputable dealer.
Recorder is also a good starter instrument.

My ds (4) has started the piano at school and loves it (tried to get him to learn the recorder but he wasn't at all interested). He was adamant that he wanted to learn the piano and did a test at school to see if he was ready to learn. We got a Yamaha digital piano and piano stool for under £500 from an online shop (next day delivery too). The teacher recommended a digital piano to start with and it sounds like a normal piano but can also sound like strings/organ etc and it has about 50 preset tunes so you can hear how good it can sound. My ds loves practising and also playing along to the preset tunes (well trying at least). It also has headphones and a volume control (perfect for 6am practice sessions!!).