FAQs
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How much does it cost to have a premier piano lesson at Royale Piano?
Click here to view rates for piano lessons.
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Do I need to own a piano?
Although it is ideal to own a piano before starting piano lessons at home, we understand that learning to play piano can become a quickly expensive investment. If you do not own a piano, you do not need one to start piano lessons, but we strongly recommend renting a keyboard to use for practice. This is especially cost-saving if you are unsure about the level of commitment you will ultimately have. Musical instrument stores will sometimes have rent-to-buy options when you rent any of their instruments. For renting or purchasing a piano, check out:
Classic Pianos Portland store: https://portland.classicpianos.net/
Beacock Music Store in Vancouver, WA for rental options: https://beacockmusic.com/t-getstartedwithaninstrumentrental.aspx
Michelle’s Pianos: https://michellespiano.com/piano-services/portland-piano-rentals/
Check out Steinway & Sons in Lake Oswego for top of the line pianos: https://www.steinwaypianos-portland.com/
You don’t have to own a piano in order to learn how to play piano, but you’ll want to get a really good one eventually. At Royale Piano, we would be happy to help you find a good deal on a piano purchase that fits your budget. Let us know, we’d love to help!
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An acoustic piano is always the ideal instrument for lessons and practice. That said, in our modern world, it isn’t always the most practical option. A digital keyboard is a terrific and very sufficient alternative—and in some cases may even align better with your musical goals, especially if you’re interested in music production or recording.
Digital keyboards also allow for headphone use, which can be a major plus. Acoustic pianos do include a mute pedal, though seasoned piano teachers know that on many older instruments it tends to work more in spirit than in reality. For this reason, a well-chosen digital keyboard can be an excellent and practical choice for many households.
There are many high-quality digital pianos that closely imitate the experience of playing an acoustic instrument. To best replicate that experience, I recommend choosing a full-sized, 88-key keyboard with weighted keys and touch-sensitive response. Touch sensitivity allows the instrument to respond dynamically to how you play—pressing harder produces a louder sound, while lighter touch creates softer tones. Weighted keys help develop proper finger strength and technique by more closely matching the feel of an acoustic piano.
Below is a list to a few links to great piano options for full-size, weighted keyboards that are excellent for home practice. These are all electronic, portable, and touch-sensitive with built-in speakers and realistic piano feel:
🎹 Yamaha P-125 – $679 (pricing as of 2025)
Yamahas are considered the best brand for electronic pianos (I've been practicing on an acoustic Yamaha and a Juno-DS Roland electronic keyboard at home for the last few years - they both sound gorgeous and are very reliable!) This one is one of the most popular models because of its clean sound, realistic touch and modern look. But all of the pianos on this list will work just as great!
🎹 Yamaha P-225B – $699
An updated version I found of the P-125 with a more compact design.
🎹 Yamaha P-143B – $499
A newer, budget-friendly model with all the basics needed for effective practice.
🎹 Yamaha P-45 – $429
This is the most affordable Yamaha option with weighted keys.
🎹 Roland FP-30x – $599
Another really great brand with really nice touch and tone. The reviews seem to report that it has a little heavier action than the Yamaha (and just physically a really heavy piano in general!), but this one and Yamaha P-125 are easiest to plug in to computer to record on digital audio workstations for music production. Plus it has a lot of really cool instruments (56 preset tones) you can switch the piano voice to, which would probably be really fun for Alexis and Adele! 😊🎶
Links:Yamaha P-125
Cost: $679 (on Amazon)
Yamaha P225B - Newer Model of P-125
Cost: $699
Yamaha P-143B
Cost: $499
Yamaha P-45
Cost: $429
Roland FP-30x
Cost: $599
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Thank you for your question! Practicing is the single most important thing you can do to improve at the piano and honestly, it’s often even more important than the lesson itself (yes, I said it!). Let’s look at why that’s true: how practice strengthens your skills through the science of learning and how practice impacts your progress.
Regular practice helps create and strengthen neural pathways in the brain, which support both cognitive understanding and muscle memory. The more consistently we return to our practice, the stronger and more efficient these pathways become.
I often explain this to students by using an analogy: imagine you’re trying to visit a friend’s new home after a heavy snowfall. The streets are covered, and there’s no clear path yet. You follow your GPS and walk in one direction, but it turns out not to be quite right. You adjust, walk a slightly different route, and eventually find the house. The next day, you return again, leaving new footprints or “impressions” in the snow. Over time, those repeated footsteps form a clear path - and eventually, you don’t need the directions anymore! You simply know the way.
Learning works the same way. Each practice session reinforces the path, making skills feel more natural, confident, and automatic over time.
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Thank you for your question. For pianists actively preparing to perform, we recommend practicing your music 5 to 6 days a week leading up to the event. For general practice, a routine of 3 to 5 days a week for about an hour each session is ideal. However, the effectiveness of your practice depends less on the amount of time spent and more on the quality of your sessions. Focused, goal-oriented, and efficient practice will help you progress much faster than simply spending time at the keyboard without clear direction. We help you set those clear, goal-oriented practice routines at Royale Piano.
It is also very normal for young children not to feel motivated to practice everyday. Many will find it challenging to sit alone with their practice for 10-15 mins in the beginning, so we recommend monitoring your child throughout their first practice weeks and exercises at least 3-5 days a week (2-3 days is also a good frequency that will help maintain and build skills). You will start to hear their beautiful music progress over time.
Later on, it will naturally take more than 15 mins to go through the sight reading pieces, etudes, scale practices and solo performance pieces. So practice times naturally increase to longer times, essentially increasing to about 30 mins to 1.5 hours per day or more due to the increased length of repertoire. So overall, 30 mins is the ideal practice time for little ones.
For older students, we generally recommend aiming for up to 30 minutes of practice, 3–5 days a week, as material allows. That said, practice time at Royale Piano is not a rigid requirement or a test—especially at the beginning - and you may not always need a full 30 minutes to work through your material. That is completely normal.
At Royale Piano, we meet students where they are. Practice routines are shaped around individual goals, learning styles, and available time, allowing students to move forward at a pace that feels both manageable, fun and motivating. This flexible approach helps students stay engaged, confident, and in control of their progress. Again on some days, 10–15 focused minutes may be all that’s needed or all that’s possible—and that still counts. Over time, as your repertoire, scales and technique expand, the practice naturally grows into longer sessions, often reaching 30 minutes to over an hour.
Also please try not to feel discouraged or hard on yourself when mistakes happen. Mistakes are not a sign of failure - they’re a sign that learning is happening. Each time you return to the piano, even briefly, you’re reinforcing understanding, strengthening coordination, and deepening your connection to the music.
If you take lessons at Royale Piano, you will always have clear guidance on what to focus on during practice, so you’re never left wondering how to use your time effectively.
Again we want to re-emphasize that it is important to remember that longer practice doesn’t automatically mean better practice. The brain learns best in focused, manageable bursts. Practicing past the point of mental or physical fatigue can actually slow progress. While advanced and concert performing pianists may practice several hours each day, they’ve built up to that level of practice and endurance gradually over many years and are pretty used to it.
Above all, we encourage practicing with mindfulness. Work through a section until it begins to feel more comfortable, then allow yourself to pause. Taking intentional breaks, stretching, going for a short walk, and releasing tension are just as important as playing itself. Prioritizing comfort and body awareness helps prevent strain and keeps piano practice enjoyable, sustainable, and stress-free over the long term.
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Probably within in your first free trial lesson with Royale Piano! Schedule today! 🙂
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Short answer: No. You do not need to know how to read sheet music in order to play the piano or to play music.
Throughout music history, much of music was taught and passed down orally—through listening, imitation, memory, and experimentation—long before written notation became common. Even today, many accomplished musicians across styles such as jazz, pop, gospel, rock, and contemporary music rely heavily on their ear, pattern recognition, and feel rather than traditional sheet music.
At Royale Piano, we fully understand that reading music can be very challenging for many students—especially at the beginning. If reading notation feels overwhelming, you’re not alone, and don’t give up! There are so many other effective ways to learn piano that don’t rely solely on note reading, and we’re happy to meet students where they are in their learning process.
That said, we do teach sight reading, and it remains an important part of piano training. Learning to read music opens doors and expands musical independence. We also understand that coordinating two hands while decoding notation can feel like a lot at once. Because of this, we introduce reading gradually and support it with alternative learning tools—such as interval recognition, chord patterns, ear training, improvisation, and guided repetition—so students can continue making music even while reading skills are still developing.
We encourage students not to abandon sight reading, but we also recognize that it is often the most discouraging part of learning an instrument. Our goal is to keep music joyful, accessible, and motivating while building skills step by step.
Try to think of sheet music as a communication tool - a way to write down musical patterns and ideas. It is not a measure of talent, intelligence, or musicality. If the sight of notes on a page has been holding you back, we hope this reassures you: you can absolutely begin piano lessons without fear and grow from there.