The term of ‘folding piano’ is not a term I could have ever imagine existing. Someone has clearly got a better imagination than what I do. The other day when I was just scrolling on Facebook, I saw an ad for a folding piano, so I Googled it and found that they most definitely do exist and that there are quite a few different ones available.
For those of you that cannot imagine what a folding piano looks like, it is like a full size piano that can fold in 2 places and some fold in 3 places, making it a very portable option, which would possibly be a great option if you had a small home. The dimensions folded up would probably be about 30-40 cm (12-15 inches), by 15-20 cm (6-8 inches ), by about 20cm (8 inches). This means that they are even smaller than a keyboard, when it is folded up.
Despite being compact, it does unfold to be a full length piano keyboard, which if the sound is good, it makes it far superior to an ordinary keyboard. Price wise, the different makes and models available vary considerably in price, just like a keyboard would.
It is important to note that I do not own one, nor do I receive financial compensation for this review. I have done some research and I think that they are better than a keyboard, simply because you can have the same portability as a keyboard, but with a full 7 octaves, compared with a keyboard that only has 5.
It is important to note, that the keys are not fully weighted, like an acoustic piano, but they keys are semi weighted. For a piano student, or someone who likes playing easy to moderate level music, the folding piano would certainly be an adequate option to play.
For those of you that play the piano to a high standard, the folding piano might not be satisfactory enough for you to be happy.
In doing some research, it became clear that it is not an instrument suitable for professionals, however, I did come across a professional piano player who accompanies choirs and he thought that the folding piano would be useful for himself, during rehearsals.
I watched a couple of YouTube clips about folding pianos and I must admit that I was surprised at how good they sound.
Especially if I didn’t have a lot of space to have an acoustic or electric piano, I would seriously recommend having a look at a folding piano – it could be the best fit for you and your circumstances.