Buying an Instrument
The piano I now use in Eccleston for teaching is a Schimmel W114 upright bought from Forsyth's (Manchester) in January 2017. The staff were very considerate, very knowledgable and patient. I also work with a digital 7 octave Casio which has surprised me with its good performance; it still surprises me with hidden abilities.
The budget that you have for purchasing a piano or keyboard will depend on the level of commitment given to learning. You may never become a band member, teacher/performer yourself, but if you are going to prepare for a piano exam, you will need something reasonable to practice on. A good piano does not come cheap normally, although if you are on ebay at the right time, you may spot a real bargain from eg a couple trying to get rid of as their elderly parents are downsizing. Keyboards are naturally a more popular starting point for people who are new to the minefield of choosing an instrument: they are cheaper and more practical for modern households as they can easily be moved around. Keyboards also have the advantage of facilitiating practise with headphones, thus not disturbing others/babies/neighbours. Not every parent looks on that favourably though: they want to hear their child put in some reasonable amount of practise and not just mess around, which is easier with headphones. Keyboards are prone to a certain lifespan: apparently some manufacturers are only producing spare parts for keyboards & digital pianos for around (wait for it) five years. Ouch. An acoustic piano (ie upright, baby grand- doesn't need a power cable) is not burdened with that problem, although it does need regular tuning. A piano can drop in pitch considerably through neglect: it's not unusual for an old piano to be a whole tone (2 semitones) flat. I'd suggest at least once a year, costing around £50 to £80 each time. I don't think digital pianos need tuning, so for years they can be completely free of maintenance fees; but then after six or eight you can get tripped up by something like a malfunctioning circuit board; a replacement board may not be available anywhere.
For a child who is expressing interest in learning, and there is no piano in the house, a keyboard (5 octave ie 61 keys as industry standard) is probably the best starting point: parents are only too aware of how the fascination can wear off after 6 months. In short: don't rush to spend £6,000 on a new piano.
The budget that you have for purchasing a piano or keyboard will depend on the level of commitment given to learning. You may never become a band member, teacher/performer yourself, but if you are going to prepare for a piano exam, you will need something reasonable to practice on. A good piano does not come cheap normally, although if you are on ebay at the right time, you may spot a real bargain from eg a couple trying to get rid of as their elderly parents are downsizing. Keyboards are naturally a more popular starting point for people who are new to the minefield of choosing an instrument: they are cheaper and more practical for modern households as they can easily be moved around. Keyboards also have the advantage of facilitiating practise with headphones, thus not disturbing others/babies/neighbours. Not every parent looks on that favourably though: they want to hear their child put in some reasonable amount of practise and not just mess around, which is easier with headphones. Keyboards are prone to a certain lifespan: apparently some manufacturers are only producing spare parts for keyboards & digital pianos for around (wait for it) five years. Ouch. An acoustic piano (ie upright, baby grand- doesn't need a power cable) is not burdened with that problem, although it does need regular tuning. A piano can drop in pitch considerably through neglect: it's not unusual for an old piano to be a whole tone (2 semitones) flat. I'd suggest at least once a year, costing around £50 to £80 each time. I don't think digital pianos need tuning, so for years they can be completely free of maintenance fees; but then after six or eight you can get tripped up by something like a malfunctioning circuit board; a replacement board may not be available anywhere.
For a child who is expressing interest in learning, and there is no piano in the house, a keyboard (5 octave ie 61 keys as industry standard) is probably the best starting point: parents are only too aware of how the fascination can wear off after 6 months. In short: don't rush to spend £6,000 on a new piano.