Online music education – spurred along by the pandemic – is flourishing. Adults used time in lockdown to learn new instruments or start practicing long-abandoned ones; a July 2021 report from UK Music found that one million adults had taken up an instrument during lockdown. Families also started learning to play instruments together.
It’s easier than ever for newbies to start playing the piano at their own pace, aided by a spate of online piano apps offering step-by-step video lessons, comprehensive teaching and hundreds of popular song tutorials. Many are paid, but still come in significantly cheaper than in-person lessons would cost.
We were sent the Roland FP-30X digital piano to review, which comes with three months’ free lessons courtesy of online platform Pianote. We’re not at Josh Groban levels of proficiency yet, but for the past several weeks our home has been filled with music, laughter (and some learning too). My six and eight-year-old kids were particularly delighted with the keyboard and lessons, and have been enjoying teaching me scales. Here’s what we thought…
Roland’s FP-30X digital piano: What you need to know
Roland is a leader when it comes to instruments, particularly digital pianos, and 2021 was a record-breaking year for the brand as keyboard sales went up 60%. In February 2021, Roland launched its latest FP-X series of digital pianos, FP-90X, FP-60X and FP-30X, the entry-level model we’ve been playing.
At $699.99, the FP-30X is the least expensive of the bunch, although it would be a stretch to refer to it as affordable. If you’re looking to invest in a piano for whole-family use, it is a premium, quality instrument.
Available in black or white, this piano is a real statement piece, yet it’s still compact and easily portable at around 30 lbs (we’ve moved it around so the kids can tap on it on the floor or follow a lesson at a table). One feature that sets Roland’s digital pianos apart is the touch and feel of the keys, which have a sensitivity typically found in far more expensive, acoustic pianos. Like Roland’s more expensive piano models, the FP-30X has 88 full-size keys with “hammer action” for a more realistic feel.
As my friend, a piano teacher, tells me: “Roland’s digital pianos are excellent for making music and the sound bank is superb.” The sound quality is rich and expressive, whether the kids are practicing their lessons via Pianote or playing around with the various sounds (piano and non-piano) available on the keyboard. It also wins points for ease of use, Bluetooth connectivity (Bluetooth MIDI can be used to connect to apps for anyone wanting to get into composition) and has two outputs for headphones.
Overall, this digital piano is just a delight to play (and display), for a newbie or more experienced player, and suits kids who are four and six as well as tweens and adults. Interestingly, although it’s against the rules in more traditional environments, having the keyboard on our living room floor for several weeks (our model didn’t include a stand) made our kids approach the instrument in a different way. They were much more relaxed and experimental with it, and played with it much more regularly than they had with more formal keyboard set-ups (we have a Yamaha P45 for beginners; they like this keyboard far more).
Three months’ free of Pianote lessons
Roland is also offering a tempting incentive for anyone who purchases a digital piano through 6/30/23: three months’ free lessons from Pianote, an online piano-learning platform that doubled its memberships in the past year..
The deal isn’t available on all Roland models, but you’ll find you can access it by purchasing one of over 100 Roland digital pianos and keyboards, including the FP-30X we tested and Roland’s (more affordable) GO series of compact keyboards.
It’s very easy to set up the Pianote lessons once your piano arrives. Just register the piano at this link and you’re given a code for access to live lessons, step-by-step sessions, song tutorials and support from any phone, tablet or computer. There are several teachers on Pianote, but the primary one is director of content and keyboard artist, Lisa Witt, who’s been teaching for nearly two decades. Her style is playful, friendly and engaging, and she has a stunning voice, too — check out her take on Bette Midler’s The Rose, one of the songs you can learn with the app.
Pianote offers a comprehensive learning experience for those who have never tried piano before, with videos starting from true basics, like how to sit at the piano and recognize notes on the keyboard. Students can then move on to chords, musical notation and learning about different musical styles. There’s plenty of content designed to supplement more experienced players, too.
Each step of the method is broken up into multiple bite-sized videos, so you can learn at your own speed or use Pianote to supplement your existing knowledge. That’s what our eight-year-old did – she picked up right where she’d left off from in-person lessons she’d last had two years ago. There are live lessons where you can receive feedback on your playing, and you can always submit questions via email or chat. There are also extensive bootcamp and foundation videos, covering everything from left-handed patterns to riffs and runs, so every aspect of the piano-learning experience is covered.
Pianote’s method of teaching is a lot more fun and flexible than a traditional set-up. You can jump around with lessons, or ignore them entirely to start practicing a song you want to learn (there are over 100 to play, including hits from Ed Sheeran, The Beatles, Lady Gaga and Olivia Rodrigo, as well as kiddie basics like “Happy Birthday”). You have the option to choose whether you learn songs using chord charts or sheet music. Pianote is also gamified. You earn completion bonuses and points when you finish each level.
For more experienced players, there are some interesting courses to check out, like jazz, songwriting and Brett Ziegler’s fun Cocktail Piano for Beginners. The instructors are engaging and easy to follow. We were impressed with how enraptured our kids were when following the lessons. We won’t pretend they did them in any kind of order, though! Practical topics are also addressed in videos, covering subjects like imposter syndrome and whether or not it’s worth it to get a music degree.
Pianote’s website estimates that a year of private piano lessons is $1,700, while Pianote costs $197 a year (there’s also a 90-day challenge for $49), but you also get three months free with a Roland piano purchase. Even with school in session, we found our kids were a lot more willing to practice using Pianote because it was pressure-free and easy to use any time of day or night. There’s a lot of value for money in this online course, especially compared to others we’ve tried previously. Plus there are downloadable resources, like the 500 Songs in 5 Days lesson chord chart, which is 1423 pages long.
Our six-year-old, a total beginner, enjoyed Pianote the most, repeatedly re-watching certain videos until she mastered them. She’s now learning scales.
The verdict on Roland’s FP-30X digital piano with Pianote lessons
There are undeniable advantages to learning piano online, anytime and anywhere that works for you. Platforms like Pianote also encourage our kids to practice more than we’ve ever seen them practice before, because it doesn’t feel like work (and we’re not forcing them to go through it systematically, lesson by lesson). So while they’re undoubtedly enjoying the creative side of learning an instrument much more, we’ve no doubt they’re missing out on some of the technical learnings, although that’s our issue rather than the app’s.
We can’t fault the Roland digital piano either. It’s a piano-for-life with an amazing sound and feel, perfect for performers and families alike. Unlimited Pianote lessons at your fingertips can turn someone from total beginner to fairly confident student if used consistently for three months. The biggest negative is the cost: $700 is a lot for a starter piano when you can get a workable version from $250.
That said, the LUMI Keys, a fun, light-up keyboard with just 24 keys, is $299 for a piece of kit that’s a fraction of the size of a full piano. However, the LUMI Keys is one cool tech toy. It wins points for portability since it can easily accompany families on trips or out and about. The LUMI app includes 40 basic songs (from nursery rhymes to classical pieces) and 60 interactive lessons. Or, save $50 on a LUMI Complete package (now $29.99) with 600+ contemporary and classical songs, 200+ hours of lessons and new material added monthly.
Source : Get 3 months of Pianote lessons with a high-end Roland digital piano
