Are you wondering what to buy a pianist this year? Or are you a piano player looking for a handy gift list to give to family and friends? Then you’ve come to the right place. In this article, you’ll find more than 25 gifts for piano players from books, sheet music and accessories to funny gadgets and apparels.
Are you looking for gift ideas for yourself or a fellow pianist? Then you’re in for a treat.
I’ve compiled more than 25 gift ideas that piano players will love from products I own myself or wish I owned. You’ll find items in different price range so that there’s something for everyone.
Here are the 25+ gifts for piano players I’ve come up with…
Books that inspire
Piano players sometimes need inspiration like everyone else so why not get a book that motivates them in their piano practice and teaches them the art of learning? The following books are some of my favourite books:
Mindset
In this book, the author Carol Dweck talks about the two mindsets, fixed mindset and growth mindset, and how to change mindset to learn better, teach and have better success in all aspects of life.
Make it Stick – The Science of Successful Learning
This book offers strategies to learn and teach more effectively than how we traditionally do so. I highly recommend this book for both learners and teachers.
Peak
This is another book where the authors Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool show through real-life examples and studies that talent is not born but created and that through deliberate practise, we can all become talented individuals.
Limitless
Of course, this list would not be complete without the latest book in my collection Limitless which I’ve mentioned on several occasions. I couldn’t recommend this book enough. It’s full of tips and tricks to embrace a new mindset and to learn how to learn so you’ll be ready to learn anything your heart desires, piano included.
Books on practising and performing
A big part of a pianist’s life is practising, so a book on practising would make a perfect gift. Here are a few books I recommend that I’ve found really useful in my own practice:
The Musician’s Way
This book covers all the important topics of a musician’s life: the art of practising, collaborating, performing, memorising, and preventing injury.
Performance Success
The author Don Green talks about how stress affects you under pressure and offers seven essential skills for optimal performance and how to practise these leading up to a performance. The book includes practice logs so you can monitor and evaluate your progress over time. This book really helped me when I was preparing my A-mus exam (diploma-level exam).
Piano Compilations
Another great gift for piano players is a piano compilation. One can never have too much music!
The Essential Keyboard Repertoire
As you know, this is one of my favourite book series. The series has eight volumes, each of which contains between 75 to 100 pieces in Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern styles — great value for money.
River Flows in You and Other Eloquent Songs for Easy Piano Solo
If you’re more into non-classical pieces, then I recommend this compilation. It includes easy arrangements of well-known songs such as River Flows in You, Ballade pour Adeline, Kiss the Rain, Forrest Gumps’s Theme, Comptine d’un Autre Été and more.
Subscriptions
Why not get a subscription to a piano learning app like Piano Marvel (use this link to learn more and get the discount code), a place to find books and music like Scribd or sight-reading apps like Note Quest or Read Ahead?
Or you could offer a yearly subscription to the Pianist Magazine. The magazine is available in print or digital edition. It contains practice tips and lessons by professional pianists like Graham Fitch, piano-related news, professional recordings and over 40 pages of sheet music from beginner to advanced in each edition (great for sight-reading!).
Piano Accessories
This is the iPad I use to read scores downloaded from the Internet. I recommend getting the 12.9 inch iPad so you can read the scores comfortably.
This is the pen I recommend for making annotations in ForScore or other score-reading apps. It works well and has palm rejection meaning that you can rest your hand on the iPad while writing.
To make your life a little easier, I recommend a page-turning pedal like the Firefly by PageFlip. It’s very easy to use, automatically turns itself off and is non-slippery (crucial point to consider!).
Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro Headphones
If you want to practise on your digital piano without disturbing the neighbours, you could consider a good set of headphones like the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro. They are closed headphones, are one of the most comfortable headphones out there and offer a spacious soundstage.
I have bought a pair of these headphones myself (80 Ohm) and really like them. I would definitely recommend them, especially if you practise many hours a day.
Having an adjustable piano stool is very important for proper posture and wellbeing. Piano benches that are not adjustable tend to be too low and not comfortable. I use something very similar to this one with a storage compartment:
Piano gadgets and apparels
Gadgets and apparels are always fun gifts to give or receive. Here are the ones I would go for:
Music Treasures Circle of Fifths Watch
Wouldn’t this be handy, a watch that shows the time and the circle of fifths? 😄
QuikStaff Musicians Pen
This pen is a cool little gadget for musicians that you can use when you don’t have manuscript paper at hand. I use one for teaching.
Piano Composition Notebook
This notebook contains manuscript pages and ruled pages making it an ideal gift for piano players who like to jot down their thoughts and their musical ideas.
Unisex Piano T-shirt
Or why not a T-shirt (for either men or women), a singlet (tank top) or a jumper with piano keys?
Apparels by TwoSet Violin
For fans of the Australian YouTube duo TwoSet Violin (check them out if you don’t know them) you could get a funny t-shirt, jumper, pair of socks or bag from their shop. I own several apparels by them, including this one:
Other ideas
Other great gifts for pianists could include concert tickets to their favourite artist, a set of piano lessons, or other gimmicks like mugs or bags with funny piano-related images.
So, what do you think? Is there something on this list that spiked your interest? Have I missed anything?
Make sure to share this list of piano gifts with your friends and family, or to take it with you when Christmas shopping!
Some of the links in this article are affiliate links which means I may get a small commission if you purchase the products I recommend but at no extra cost to you. This helps support the blog and allows me to write blog articles like this every week. So thanks in advance for your support!
