[bismillah]

Hello all,
I'm a poor University student. I did grade 8 when I was 16 and continued lessons to the end of school aiming to do the diploma thing but I got a bit stressed over A levels so never took the thing, and then stopped playing so much when I went to uni, despite taking my piano with me. I don't seem to quite derive the same pleasure from it. I think the issue is that my piano isn't really a piano, and when at school we had some really great ones I played on all the time, so in comparison mine is awful...
Mine's a yamaha clavinova keyboard which was about &2000 new about 10 years ago and at the time was the bees knees of keyboards. I now want a real proper piano, but I can't spend that much on one. So I have a couple of questions:

1. Is my keyboard a bit worthless now- has technology moved on so much it would be hard to get much out of it if I were to try and sell it?

2. Can I expect to get something better than what I've presently got if I were to spend &1000 - 1500 on a piano in addition to what I'd get selling the keyboard? Would a grand piano so cheap be dreadful?

Space isn't an issue... I guess I just want something lovely for no money, and I know it's not going to happen, but I would really like something that my fingers can work on, the keyboard is just so soft that my agility on a proper piano has gone out of the window and my fingers have just become lazy and weak, as its just not sensitive enough to show any difference between good and bad technique, so everything is slipping scarily fast...

I've got a while to muse over things. I'm hoping that I might be able to raise those funds and maybe a little bit more with some frugality at uni this year and my 21st next summer, but I thought I would start looking into things just so I know what to expect.

Any advice on this at all would be really gratefully received. I feel I need to be a bit more armed with what I can expect before I go venturing to piano shops...!

thanks very much!

[Barrie Heaton]

If you budget is only 1500 + the pennies you will get for the keyboard I would keep the keyboard for now 2,500 would get you a good second-hand upright there are some grands for sale on the site in your price rage but they probably need a lot of work on them

Barrie,
_________________
Barrie Heaton
Web Master UK Piano Page

[D Minor]

1. Is my keyboard a bit worthless now- has technology moved on so much it would be hard to get much out of it if I were to try and sell it?

I would agree with Barrie.I bitterly selling my Clavinova.Keep it!

2. Can I expect to get something better than what I've presently got if I were to spend &1000 - 1500 on a piano in addition to what I'd get selling the keyboard? Would a grand piano so cheap be dreadful?

I`ve just purchased a Yamaha U3 from a well known music store in Liverpool....it was &3000,but I haggled them down a bit and got interest free credit.The way this works is if purchase is &5000,you make 50 payments of &100 per month.If &2500,25 payments of &100 etc.It`s the only way I could afford it and &25 per week is not bad at all plus the fact I hate paying interest.Also included in the deal was free delivery and tuning.

Good Luck.