A piano is acoustic — a large, fixed instrument with weighted hammer-action keys and 88 keys total. A keyboard is electronic, portable, and usually has 61 to 88 keys, often without full weighting. Musically, both teach you the same skills: chords, scales, hand coordination, and reading notation. We use keyboards because they're more accessible, more affordable, and easier to practise at home — but everything you learn transfers directly to a piano.

A 61-key keyboard is the better starting point for most beginners. It's smaller, lighter, far more affordable, and gives you five full octaves — more than enough to learn scales, chords, songs, and theory. An 88-key with weighted keys becomes useful only if you're committing to classical piano repertoire long-term. Rodden can advise you on the right model based on your goals before you spend a rupee.

Not as a beginner. Weighted keys mimic the resistance of an acoustic piano and help build finger strength, but they're not essential when you're learning chords, melody, and basic technique. Unweighted or semi-weighted keys are perfectly fine for the first one to two years of learning. If you progress towards advanced piano work, weighted keys become worth the upgrade.

Most students play simple two-hand pieces within two to three months of consistent practice. Coordinating both hands feels strange at first because your brain isn't used to running two patterns simultaneously, but it clicks faster than people expect. Rodden builds two-hand coordination gradually, starting with one hand at a time and layering them in.

Yes — many keyboard styles like pop, Bollywood, and worship music are played using chord symbols rather than full sheet music. Standard notation gets introduced gradually as you progress, but you can start playing songs you love within weeks without it. If you want to read classical scores fluently, that becomes part of the theory work later on.

No. Adults often pick up keyboard faster than children in the early stages because they grasp music theory concepts quickly and have the discipline to practise regularly. Rodden teaches adult beginners who haven't touched a keyboard in their lives, and adults returning to the instrument after years away. There's no upper age limit.

Keyboard classes at School of Music are ₹4,000 per month for 8 sessions — four instrument lessons plus four theory sessions. Each session is 45 minutes long. Lessons are available in person at our studio in Calangute, or online for students across Goa and beyond. Trial classes are available before you commit.

 No, we don't train students for grade exams. Our focus is performance — playing real music, expressing yourself, and building lasting skill. If you later decide to pursue a Trinity or ABRSM certification, the foundation we build will more than prepare you, but exams are never the goal.