There's a story in my family about my father trying to join the "young adults" group at church when he was like 30, and the group was for high school/college. Oops.

Cindy, if you can afford the piano, go piano. It's not as portable, but the sound is infinitely richer.

My mother is buying this as our family Christmas present, either way. My instinct is to choose the keyboard, because it's less than half the price, and I don't want to take advantage.

Would the sound still be infinitely richer with a spinet piano, Corwood?

I had an old upright player piano, growing up, but the player mechanism was broken. The spinet pianos are constructed differently, and I have an impression that the sound suffers due to their compact size, but I don't know if that's accurate, or just a personal prejudice.

On the other hand, I'd rather look at a spinet piano in my den, than a keyboard. On the third hand that I ought to have sprouted by now, I can more easily move the keyboard to another room or even down cellar.

I'm going against everyone and say keyboard. - if you get someone that really wants to play , you can get a piano when they want one. and my main reason - getting rid of a paino or organ , even for free seems to be really difficult around here, unless it is in perfect shape. Also - I'm going to add the expense of a regular piano tuner. You want one, really. Plus , ther eare things they can do with the keyboard - like plug it into the computer and ( with the proper software) 'write ' their own music. and soundeffects might capture there interest in music as well.

That's good to know, beth, and good point about getting rid of the piano. When we sold our last house, we had to put in the p&s that we were leaving the old upright there (that had been left their by the previous owners). I think tuning a spinet is complicated, too.

My comment on the keyboard would be to find out if it's got weighted keys. On mine, you can turn on a setting that will detect the weight you use to press the keys and respond accordingly, like a piano. Much more like using the "real thing," and easier to prepare for possible future "real" piano playing.

I'm thinking if it's $400, it should have that feature, but you may want to check to be sure.

That's a good point, Ailleann, because it is such a different experience to play with the weighted keys. All I know is she saw it at K-Mart (which surprised me, because it's re-conditioned; I wouldn't think a budget chain like that would sell a re-conditioned instrument); it's a Yamaha (which is a good name, they even make grand pianos), and that it has 88 keys.

Maybe I'll look at them both. I do play piano, and guitar. I miss having a piano in the house. The kids were all a little more interested in guitar lessons (and I don't blame them, I like it better, too), but I learned guitar first, and even though I learned from a serious guitarist, and learned much more than chords, I think it handicapped me, when I went to learn the piano. I think they'll learn more about music learning the piano, first. I've suggested we start with a couple of years of piano lessons, and then move onto guitar. They all seem agreeable to that plan.

There's a story in my family about my father trying to join the "young adults" group at church when he was like 30, and the group was for high school/college. Oops.

Adorable!

Our church started a 20s and 30s group, last year. Friends asked us why we weren't joining. I was 37 or 38. Scott was 40 or 41. I said I didn't want to be drummed out in a couple of years and Scott was too old. They now specify in the announcements that you don't have to be in your 20s or 30s, but I think most of the couples around our age feel the same way.

I'd start a Middle Aged group, but who the frak wants to join something like that?

I get my "grown-up" tasks done by bribing myself with cookies and cartoons, so I'm not sure if that makes me an actual grown-up. I guess it does, because I still have to make the cookies and pay for the TiVo subscription that records my cartoons.

Nora, from way back:

OMFG!

(totally work safe)

Bwah! Misused acronyms are the best.

(I somehow mentally added a "not" to your "totally work safe" disclaimer, and neglected to click until I was catching up on my blogs just now, and realized that the OMFG link I was about to post was very probably the same one you'd already posted...)

it's a Yamaha (which is a good name, they even make grand pianos), and that it has 88 keys.

This sounds more to me like what they call an "electric piano," which are quite nice and would definitely be fine for new students. You won't get quite the feel as a "live" piano, but it's got its benefits.

Though I'm surprised at the "reconditioned, but at KMart" part.

Would the sound still be infinitely richer with a spinet piano, Corwood?

I think so. I use a decent synthetic piano sound for recording, but it still sounds boxed on a good pair of headphones. And the naked ear is more sensitive in an acoustic setting.

My brother and SIL had a Yamaha electronic piano setup in the basement for the kids when they started music lessons, and when my niece showed real talent and enthusiasm for the instrument, they ended up getting a spinet piano for the living room and selling the Yamaha. She's still playing it five years later, as well as her cello and voice lessons, so it was a good investment.

I think I'm a post-adult. I felt kinda adult when I had a wife, a 3 bedroom house in the burbs, a 3 hour commute, my career was going somewhere and we had Sunday dinner with my parents. Now I live alone, have a condo up the street from my office, a job that pays the bills and my parents live two thousands miles away. I go to live music, thai food, drinking sessions or movies on five minutes notice and I don't even have house plants. It's like being in college without the learning anything interesting part.

I guess I was acting more like my notion of adult when I was married and working for a big company, but I always felt like an imposter adult. Even owning a house that young was kind of a lark, in that the downpayment on our first house was a second mortgage secured by our cars. Now I live alone and stay out late drinking and listening to live music, something I never did when I was younger.