Got a new digital piano? Setup and your first week
A new digital piano needs about half an hour of setting up before the first lesson: put it on a stable stand at the right height, set the bench so your forearms are level with the keys, plug in the sustain pedal before switching the piano on, and connect it to your phone or tablet if you're learning with an app. Then practise for fifteen minutes a day. By the end of the first week you can know your way around the keyboard and play a first tune with your right hand.
This guide goes through the setup step by step, then gives a plan for the first seven days.
How to set up a digital piano
The stand
The piano needs to sit still when you play. The furniture-style stands that manufacturers sell for their own models are usually the steadiest; a folding X-stand works but can wobble, so tighten it and check it's level. A table is fine if it doesn't bounce and lets you sit at the right height (see below). Put the piano where you'll see it every day: a piano in a spare room gets played less.
Leave room for the pedal under the keyboard and for your phone or tablet on the music rest, which is where it goes if you learn with an app.
Bench height and how to sit
Height matters more than most beginners think. Sitting too low makes you lift your shoulders and press down with your arms; sitting too high makes the wrists bend.
- Height: with your hands on the keys, your forearms should be roughly level with the keyboard, elbows at or slightly above the keys. An adjustable bench makes this easy; on a chair, a firm cushion works.
- Distance: sit far enough back that your elbows are a little in front of your body, not tucked against your sides.
- Where: sit centred around middle C, on the front half of the bench, with your feet flat on the floor and your right foot near the pedal.
- Hands: fingers gently curved, as if holding a ball, wrists level, shoulders relaxed.
The sustain pedal
Plug the pedal into the socket marked Damper, Sustain or Pedal on the back or underneath the piano, and do it while the piano is switched off. Many digital pianos check what kind of pedal is connected when they start up; if you plug it in afterwards, or press it while the piano is starting, it can work backwards, holding the sound when your foot is up. Yamaha's support pages describe this. If it happens, switch off, take your foot off the pedal and switch on again.
If your piano came with a small square footswitch, it works, but it can slide around on a hard floor. A piano-style pedal stays put better. You won't need the pedal much in the first weeks; it's worth having it connected so it's ready.
Headphones
One of the best things about a digital piano is that you can practise at any hour. Most models have a headphone socket at the front or underneath, and plugging in usually silences the speakers. Check whether the socket is the large 6.3 mm or the small 3.5 mm size; an adapter covers either. Over-ear headphones are more comfortable for long sessions than earbuds.
The metronome and sound settings
Most digital pianos have a built-in metronome; find out how to switch it on and change the tempo (the manual's quick-start page usually shows it). Leave the touch or key sensitivity on its default setting for now, and make sure the piano is on its main grand piano sound. A practice app can do the counting for you: in PianoKite, play-along starts with a count-in and can add a metronome.
How to connect a digital piano to a phone or tablet
To learn with an app, the app has to know exactly which keys you press. There are three ways to get that:
- Bluetooth MIDI. Many newer pianos send the notes you play wirelessly. Check the specs for "Bluetooth MIDI"; "Bluetooth audio" alone only plays your phone's music through the piano's speakers and doesn't send notes. You connect from inside the app, not in the phone's Bluetooth settings.
- USB. A piano with a USB to Host port connects with a cable: a USB OTG adapter on Android, or Apple's USB camera adapter on iPhone and iPad.
- The microphone. With no MIDI at all, or with an acoustic piano, the app can listen to the notes instead. It's less exact than MIDI for fast passages and big chords, but fine for melodies.
The step-by-step guides: connect a digital piano to Android, and Bluetooth MIDI vs USB vs microphone to decide which to use. For specific models, see the Roland FP-10 and FP-30X (both have Bluetooth MIDI), the Yamaha P-45 and P-125 (USB) and Casio, Kawai and other Bluetooth pianos.
PianoKite's phone apps are on their way to the stores. Until then it runs in the browser: Chrome or Edge on a computer or an Android phone can connect to the piano over USB or Bluetooth MIDI, and on iPhone, Safari can use the microphone.
Your first week: a day-by-day plan
Fifteen minutes a day beats an hour on Sunday. Much of what you practise settles between sessions, so short daily practice gives it more chances to stick. Here's a plan for a complete beginner; if you played as a child, you may move faster.
| Day | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Find your way around. The black keys come in groups of two and three. C is the white key just left of each group of two; find every C on the piano, then middle C, the one nearest the middle. Learn the finger numbers: thumbs are 1, little fingers 5, on both hands. |
| 2 | The C position. Put your right thumb on middle C and one finger on each white key up to G. Play up and down slowly, one finger per key. Then play a three-note tune such as Hot Cross Buns (E, D, C). |
| 3 | A steady beat. Clap and count "1 2 3 4" with the metronome at a slow tempo. Then play one note per beat, then notes lasting two beats (half notes) and four beats (whole notes). Rhythm is half of music, and it's the part beginners skip. |
| 4 | A first real tune. Mary Had a Little Lamb or the melody of Ode to Joy, right hand in C position. Go slowly enough to play it without stopping. |
| 5 | The left hand. Left little finger on the C below middle C, thumb on G. Play up and down, then the same tune with the left hand. It will feel clumsy; that's normal. |
| 6 | Counting in three. Not everything goes in four: waltzes and many carols count "1 2 3". Try a simple tune in three-four time, with a little weight on beat 1. |
| 7 | Review and choose a goal. Play everything from the week. Then pick a first piece to aim for over the next month, from the beginner pieces or the easy Christmas songs. |
That's roughly what the first two units of the PianoKite beginner course cover, and they're free: Hello, Piano (the keys, finger numbers, the C position, Hot Cross Buns, Mary Had a Little Lamb and Ode to Joy) and Feel the Beat (counting, long notes, rests, counting in three, and Jingle Bells). Each step checks what you actually play.
What should a beginner learn first on the piano?
In roughly this order, and overlapping:
- The keyboard: note names and how they repeat. See piano keys and note names.
- Five-finger positions in both hands, starting with C. They let you play real tunes before you learn to move around.
- A steady beat, counted out loud. It matters more than speed.
- Reading the treble clef, then the bass clef. You don't need to read fluently to start, but start early. See how to read piano sheet music.
- Hands separately, then together. Coordination is its own skill; build it with simple pieces.
- Short real pieces. Pieces you want to play keep you practising. The easy classical pieces for beginners are a good list.
Leave scales in every key, the pedal and fast pieces for later. If you're wondering how long it all takes, see how long it takes to learn piano, and if you're starting as a grown-up, learning piano as an adult.
Common first-week mistakes
- Sitting too low. Especially on a dining chair. Raise the seat until your forearms are level.
- Flat fingers. Play on the fingertips, with the fingers curved. Flat fingers are slower and weaker.
- Only using the right hand. Give the left hand its own few minutes every day, from day one.
- Starting a piece that's too hard. A famous piece in its full version can take years. Many pieces exist in beginner versions; learn one of those first.
- Playing fast and messy. Slow and correct builds speed; fast and wrong builds mistakes. Read how to practise a new piece before your first real piece.
- Turning the volume right up. Loud practice is tiring for you and the household. Practise at a moderate volume, or with headphones.