Having access to a quality piano every day is essential to piano study. Though I cannot recommend a specific piano or price range, I can recommend either an upright console or a full grand piano if you have the room in your home and your budget. When shopping for a piano, it is a great idea to have a piano technician with you to check out what you are thinking of purchasing. You can find a qualified piano technician from The Piano Technician’s Guild, or by asking your piano teacher. For a really good reference on purchasing a piano, what to look for, and things to consider in buying a used piano, pick up a copy of The Piano Book by Larry Fine. Your teacher might keep one in her studio to lend out to piano shoppers, so do ask! For parents or students interested in finding a suitable starter piano, the following dealers in Chicago come highly recommended and several of them you may check out online. Kurt Saphir Pianos 123 Greenbay Road Wilmette, IL 60091 (847) 256-5226 This is where I have previously purchased my pianos. They are very helpful, informative, and will find you exactly what you’re looking for. American Music World 7655 Roosevelt Rd Forest Park, IL 60130 (708) 771-1890 They have a large selection and also have rentals (which they allow to go towards the price of purchasing the piano). Grand Piano Haus 3640 W Dempster Skokie, IL 60076 (847) 679-9160 They have a selection of used pianos. Harmony Piano 5907 N Lincoln Avenue Chicago, IL 60659 (773) 334-4400 They also have rentals. Heavenly Pianos (847) 480-7353 Displaying a large variety of models and price ranges, they currently have good used pianos starting at $750 and up. By appointment only. PianoForte Chicago Thomas Zoells, 408 South Michigan Avenue 60605, (312) 291-0000 They have a good selection of new and pre-owned student pianos, digital pianos, and accessories. Rent-to-own. Radford Piano Services, Inc. 773-761-KEYS (5397) They do rentals of used student pianos as well as rent-to-own deals. If what you have looked at so far doesn’t seem to be in your budget, looking at craigslist as well as your local classified ads might result in finding some excellent deals on used pianos (you will be responsible for delivery though, whereas the above dealers will take care of that for you). Keyboards: If you must use a keyboard* (you don’t have the room for a piano or have especially cantankerous neighbors), it is essential that it has 88 touch-sensitive (or weighted) keys and at least a damper pedal. Do not purchase used keyboards. For more information on shopping for a piano or a keyboard, I recommend you visit www.know-your-keyboard-piano.com. It is a very helpful site that might make your quest a little simpler! Listed below are some keyboards that fit the requirements: Roland RP-201 (my recommendation, and what I use to practice if necessary) Casio PX100 Casio PX110 Casio wk 8000 Casio px-700 Suzuki C-11 Yamaha dgx 620 All of the above keyboards can be found at Costco, Best Buy, and/or Circuit City with price ranges of $600 to $2,000, though this is often more costly than purchasing a used piano. (A bench and an adjustable stand must also be purchased with an electronic keyboard.) * I do not recommend using a keyboard for piano study AT ALL. You will not develop the sensitivity of touch necessary to control the sound at a piano if you practice on a keyboard. ********************************************************************************************* Also necessary for piano study (whether you purchase a piano or an electronic keyboard) is a good adjustable footstool, which can be found at www.ymonline.com for about $50, though any hard, sturdy, flat, adjustable surface may do. If you come across any other trustworthy dealers in the area, please let me know so I can include it in this list! And if you have any further questions, please e-mail me! http://www.ptg.org/Scripts/4Disapi.dll/4DCGI/Directory/RPT/Person.htmlhttp://www.pianoatlas.com/pianobook.htmlhttp://www.kurtsaphirpianos.comhttp://www.americanmusicworld.comhttp://www.grandpianohaus.comhttp://www.harmonypiano.comhttp://www.heavenlypianos.comhttp://pianofortechicago.com/http://www.radfordpiano.com/store/index.php?cPath=51http://www.craigslist.comhttp://www.know-your-keyboard-piano.comhttp://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.php?ProductId=1060http://www.ymonline.commailto:info@faithslakermusic.com?subject=Piano%20Dealers%20in%20the%20Areamailto:info@faithslakermusic.com?subject=Piano%20Purchase%20Inquiryshapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1shapeimage_1_link_2shapeimage_1_link_3shapeimage_1_link_4shapeimage_1_link_5shapeimage_1_link_6shapeimage_1_link_7shapeimage_1_link_8shapeimage_1_link_9shapeimage_1_link_10shapeimage_1_link_11shapeimage_1_link_12shapeimage_1_link_13shapeimage_1_link_14
Faith Slaker Music
Piano Shopping in Chicago
 
 
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