4/4 School of Music

As a beginner, or someone shopping for their first electric or acoustic guitar, there are several different categories to pick from.

Which ever guitar you choose, make sure that…

The strings aren’t really high off the fret board.  This is good. Twice this much space would be difficult to play.

It is comfortable to hold.  This Stratocaster design electric guitar is usually the most comfortable for beginners.

$70 – $100

Usually these guitars are smaller sized for smaller players. These guitars generally aren’t crafted to last for a lifetime. But if you aren’t sure whether or not you want to play for a lifetime, they can be a good way to test the waters. The Squire Mini Strat is a good entry level model that gives the Fender feel without the Fender price. If you are looking for an acoustic guitar in this price range, Epiphone and Jasmine by Takamine have several quality instruments for the price. If you are confident that you (or who you are buying for) will play guitar longer than a few months, this range is generally not recommended.

$100 – $200 – TOP PICK if you are NOT sure you will stick with it.

In this category, Squire, Epiphone and Ibanez offer the best value. Most of these are full sized and can last the typical beginning student one to two years. The major factor to consider with this range is whether you want the Les Paul feel of the Epiphone Junior, the Stratocaster touch of the Squire Bullet or the rocker appeal of the Ibanez GRX20Z. For younger girls, Daisy Rocks offers surprisingly good quality guitars in shades of pink. For acoustic guitars, Epiphone and Yamaha have the best options for these prices.

$350 to $750 – TOP PICK if you ARE SURE you will stick with it.

These are are top recommendations for beginning students. It can be frustrating for a new player to practice hard and still not be able to get a good sound because their instrument is holding them back. Fender offers their "Made in Mexico" models in this range and what you get is a quality guitar that can last a lifetime if you want them to. (I have an MiM Strat that I’ve owned for 17years and still play!) Epiphone Les Pauls offer high quality instruments and feel extremely similar to their Gibson counterparts. Ibanez has become a very reliable brand and offers many guitars that have hard rockability and looks.  Fender, Epiphone and Takamine are the most popular in this range for acoustic guitars but if you are looking for something a bit more unique, Breedlove Guitars (Made in Oregon) offer high quality acoustic guitars at a great value!

$750 and Up!!

At this point, the world is limitless with options. You can spend thousands of dollars on high end guitars with premier tone and playability but aren’t necessary at all for learning the instrument. Once you’ve been playing for a while, you will get a sense for what your dream guitar is. You don’t need to start with the best. When you are ready to rock stadiums, you’ll know what to get.

Please call us at 425-485-8310 if you have any other questions about purchasing a keyboard or digital piano for yourself or your child.

As a beginner or someone who is shopping for their very first digital piano or keyboard, there are four main categories from which to choose.

$30-80 Keyboard for Kids

Usually less than 61 keys and NOT touch sensitive. Touch sensitivity means that the harder you press the key the louder the sound of that note. Only children under the age of 7 should consider these keyboards as they are an inexpensive way to see if your child is really interested in sticking with piano lessons for more than a couple months. If you feel pretty sure your child will be taking lessons for longer, don’t even consider one of these.

$80-$200 Portable Keyboard

In this price range you will generally find Casio and Yamaha brands are the best quality and value. Most of these have 61 full-sized plastic keys. This is the minimum that you really want.  Make sure to get a "touch-sensitive" model.  Touch sensitivity means that the harder you press the key the louder the sound of that note.  This is the most important thing to look for.  It is how a real piano works.

Many of the keyboards in this range have lots of extra sounds and beats built in.  These can be fun but are not necessary to learn to play.  In fact you might choose to get the simplest keyboard so that you aren’t temped to waist time instead of practicing.  Practice is the only thing that will make you a better player! Make sure you like the "Piano" sound that the keyboard has to offer.  That is the sound that you will spend most of your time listening to.

$350-$700 Digital Piano (Our Top Recommendation for Beginners)

For around $450 or so you can get what many teachers believe to be the best value in terms of playability and sound. Again Casio and Yamaha rule the roost.  We have had excellent luck with the Casio PX series or the CDP-100 keyboards.  Here is a link to Guitar Center where you can shop around for them. www.guitarcenter.com We have many of these at our school and absolutely love them!  They feel great, are very small in total size and sound really nice.  88 full-sized weighted keys give these the feel and range of a real acoustic piano.

$700 and up!  Digital Piano.

There are so many options available in this price range and you can spend thousands on the state of the art models that literally play themselves but what fun is that?  In all seriousness, the extra high end features are not necessary to learn the instrument.  After you have played for a while and decide you want to score a symphony you can always upgrade to one of these beauty’s that have every sound in the orchestra, band, concert hall and more!

Please call us at 425-485-8310 if you have any other questions about purchasing a keyboard or digital piano for yourself or your child.

4/4 School of Music, LLC
Seattle | Kirkland | Lynnwood | Everett | Bothell | Redmond | Renton Wa.