Beginner’s guide · 2 minute read
What a beginner needs
Before buying or renting: what matters in a first instrument, what does not, and what to ask the teacher.
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GuidesRead before you buy.
Short, practical guides for people buying, renting or keeping a piano in Singapore. Written for the buyer, and specific enough to take along to a viewing.
45 guides
Start here.
Each guide stands on its own. Where a point is already set out on the sale, rental or model pages, the guide links there rather than repeating it.
Try a planning tool.
- Rent or buy: compare your own quotations
- Room footprint: enter your measurements
- Keyboard explorer: find middle C
- Serial reference: find the official maker lookup
No figures are sent or saved by these tools. The guides also include written explanations without JavaScript.
See existing event rental photographs and customer reviews and client references. Historical examples do not establish current inventory.
Start learning and choosing
Learning guide · 4 minute read
How many keys does a piano have?
A standard piano has 88 keys. How they are arranged, where middle C is, the repeating pattern of each octave, and what smaller keyboards leave out.
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Buying guide · 3 minute read
Weighted keys and hammer action explained
What weighted keys, hammer action, graded action and touch sensitivity mean, how they differ, and what to compare on the instrument itself.
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Choosing an instrument · 3 minute read
Acoustic or digital for practice
A practical comparison of acoustic and digital pianos for home practice: touch, sound, maintenance, headphones and room needs.
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Choosing for home · 3 minute read
Upright or grand for your home?
Start with the room and delivery route, compare the actual instruments, then check the complete quotation before choosing.
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Buyer’s guide · 4 minute read
Piano pedals explained
What the sustain, soft and middle pedals do, how they differ between uprights and grands, and what to ask at a viewing.
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Home setup guide · 2 minute read
Bench and posture for young students
Correct seat height, foot support and arm position for a child at the piano, and what to discuss with the teacher.
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Practice guide · 4 minute read
Quiet practice options
The practice pedal, silent systems, digital alternatives and room management: what actually reduces the sound and what to ask before choosing.
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Learning guide · 4 minute read
Silent, hybrid and digital piano differences
How a silent acoustic piano, a hybrid piano and a digital piano work differently. What to check on a used system and what the labels do not tell you.
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Learning guide · 3 minute read
What a piano soundboard does
How sound travels from the hammer to the string to the bridge to the soundboard, what the frame does, and what a buyer can observe versus what needs a qualified assessment.
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Reference guide · 2 minute read
How many strings does a piano have
Yamaha describes around 230 strings, depending on the model. How groups change across an acoustic piano, and what the count cannot tell you.
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Reference guide · 2 minute read
Piano key materials
A key body and its playing surface are different things. Read current maker examples without assuming one material on every piano or identifying ivory from a photo.
Read the guide →Buy and compare used pianos
Buyer’s guide · 10 minute read
Used piano viewing checklist
A 45 minute routine for the viewing itself: what to play, what to listen for, what to look at inside, where the serial number is and how to read it, what to ask, what to photograph, and what to plan for delivery.
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Pricing guide · 2 minute read
What affects used piano prices?
The factors that set a used piano price, the questions to ask, and what the quotation should include, written for buyers rather than dealers.
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Buyer’s guide · 1 minute read
Choosing a dealer
How to compare used piano dealers: instrument sourcing, condition assessment, quotation transparency, delivery and after-sale support.
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Buyer’s guide · 2 minute read
Original vs reconditioned vs rebuilt
What the terms original used, reconditioned and rebuilt actually mean when buying a piano, how they differ, and what to ask.
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Reference · 2 minute read
Serial numbers and age
Where to find the serial number on Yamaha, Kawai and other pianos, how to read it, and what it can and cannot tell you.
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Buyer's guide · 3 minute read
How to compare pianos at a viewing gallery
A practical method for comparing two or more pianos side by side at a viewing gallery: what to play, what to listen for, how to record your impressions, who to bring and a printable worksheet.
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Grand piano guide · 3 minute read
Assessing a used grand piano
What makes a grand assessment different from an upright: room and route measurements, what to ask the seller or technician to demonstrate, and the grand-specific quotation.
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Choosing an upright · 4 minute read
Yamaha U1 vs U3 vs Kawai K300
Three upright models, one practical comparison: check the exact instrument, try them in the same room, measure access and compare the complete quotation.
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Model comparison · 3 minute read
Yamaha U1 vs U1J
The U1 and U1J are both listed on Yamaha Singapore’s U series page with slightly different dimensions. Here is what to check on the actual piano.
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Model comparison · 3 minute read
Yamaha U3 vs YUS5 comparison
Both are 131 cm Yamaha uprights. What the manufacturer references distinguish, what they cannot tell you about a used example, and what to compare at a viewing.
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Model comparison · 2 minute read
Kawai K300 vs K500 comparison
The K-300 is 122 cm, the K-500 is 130 cm. What the manufacturer dimensions show, what the extra height changes in practice, and what to check on the actual used piano.
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Reference guide · 2 minute read
Upright piano dimensions and weight
Manufacturer height, width, depth and weight for five common uprights. What the numbers mean for room planning and delivery, and what they do not tell you.
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Reference guide · 3 minute read
Baby grand size and grand piano lengths
What baby grand means, how grand piano lengths compare, and what the size tells you about the instrument and the room.
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Model comparison · 3 minute read
Yamaha U1 vs B3 comparison
The U1 is from the U Series; the B3 is from the B Series. What the models are, how B3 differs from the new B30, and what to check on a used example.
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Model guide · 1 minute read
Kawai K-3 vs K-300
The K-300 is Kawai’s named successor to the discontinued K-3. What the current reference says, what it does not tell you about a used K-3, and how to assess the actual instrument.
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Model guide · 2 minute read
Yamaha GC1 vs C1X
The same reference length does not identify the same model. Compare GC1M and C1X facts, separate electronic variants, and check the actual used grand.
Read the guide →Rent for practice, exams and events
Home practice · 4 minute read
Rent or buy a piano?
A decision guide for families and adult learners, including the costs that a monthly rental figure leaves out.
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Events and productions · 3 minute read
Planning an event piano rental
A checklist for organisers: what to tell the piano supplier, venue manager and performer before the instrument arrives.
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Exam rental · 2 minute read
Exam piano rental
Renting a piano for ABRSM or other music exam practice: what to confirm about the instrument, period, delivery and return.
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Institutional rental · 1 minute read
School and institution rental
Renting pianos for schools, churches and institutions: what to confirm about instruments, logistics and ongoing maintenance.
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Production guide · 3 minute read
Piano for filming and production
What to plan when you need a piano on set, on camera or in a recording: instrument choice, finish, production brief and crew responsibilities.
Read the guide →Plan the room and care for a piano
Home setup guide · 3 minute read
Preparing a room for a piano
What to have ready in the room before delivery day: placement, floor protection, climate management and what to confirm with the delivery team.
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Delivery guide · 3 minute read
Piano delivery: HDB, condo, landed
A buyer-side checklist for HDB, condo and landed deliveries: access, route, permits and questions for movers and building management.
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Moving guide · 3 minute read
Piano moving guide
What to arrange with a piano mover, what access information to provide, and what to check after the move arrives.
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Ownership guide · 2 minute read
Piano care in Singapore humidity
Check the conditions in your own room, choose a position and plan tuning using manufacturer guidance.
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Tuning guide · 2 minute read
Piano tuning: what to know
How often a piano needs tuning, what the tuner checks, how to prepare the room, and what to ask when you book an appointment.
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Maintenance guide · 3 minute read
Tuning vs regulation vs voicing
What tuning, regulation and voicing each address, the signs that indicate each is needed, and what to ask a technician.
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Owner’s guide · 2 minute read
Keys sticking or sluggish
What it means when piano keys stick or return slowly, the common causes in Singapore, what to observe and when to call a technician.
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Owner's guide · 2 minute read
Piano buzzing, rattle or tone change
What to note when a piano makes sounds it should not: how to describe a buzz, rattle or tone change, safe external checks and when to call a technician.
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Reference guide · 3 minute read
Concert pitch A440 and pitch raising
What A440 means, why a neglected piano drifts below concert pitch, what a pitch raise involves, and what to tell the technician or event provider.
Read the guide →Return, repair or sell
Owner's guide · 3 minute read
Returning to an unused piano
What to note about a piano that has sat silent for years, when to call a technician, what not to do yourself, and how to book an assessment.
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Owner's guide · 2 minute read
Repair or replace an older piano
How to decide whether an older piano is worth repairing: what a technician should assess, how to compare costs and what the decision actually depends on.
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Seller guide · 2 minute read
Selling a used piano
What to prepare, what to photograph, and how to compare outright sale, trade-in and consignment before deciding.
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Visit the viewing gallery
A question the guides did not answer?
Ask it. The viewing gallery is open monday to sunday, 11am to 5pm, and a straight question gets a straight answer.