There are a number of questions that you should ask yourself before jumping into a purchase that may be as major as buying a piano.

Has the beginner ever played before?

If the beginner that you are considering buying a piano for has never so much as played the instrument before and there is no one else residing in the house that will play, some serious thought should be put into the decision. In fact, if this is a situation that you are currently facing, it might be advisable, if possible, for the beginner to take a few lessons at a studio or to purchase a less expensive, electronic keyboard to begin with to be sure that the beginner will hold some interest in the endeavor after the initial novelty begins to wear off.

The last thing you want to do is go out and spend more that twenty thousand dollars on a very large instrument that will take up quite a bit of space in your home only to find that there is no real deep interest there. A keyboard is a good, inexpensive and portable learning tool that will help you gage if there is a real interest there, and it will still be of use later down the road after a full size piano is procured.

What fits my situation?

If you are sure that purchasing a piano is the right decision, then you've got some serious studying to do.

In all reality, the best brand of piano for your beginner is going to be the one that fits your particular situation, in terms of price, size and sound quality.

There are plenty of excellent manufacturers of pianos available in every imaginable style and price range: Steinway, Wurlitzer, Kawai and Yamaha each have different musical quality and each manufacturer comes with a potentially very different price tag (Steinway produces pianos that are well in excess of six figures, where as Yamaha produces a quality instrument for under twenty thousand dollars.) Each brand will have a style, sound and price that will appeal to different types of players.

Pianos come in two different "body types", uprights and grand pianos. Grand pianos normally produce a better sound quality, but uprights are often far less expensive and easier to fit into your home.

You'll want to visit plenty of show rooms, do a lot of testing out different brands and talking to a good deal of sales people, teachers and technicians in order to narrow down the possibilities and begin to select the piano that may be right for you. You want a brand that has good merit, a solid reputation and that offers a good warranty.

Once you've got a manufacturer in mind that you feel comfortable with, it's time to pick the most appropriate model for your situation - if at all possible, try not to buy the manufacturer's least expensive model. It's no secret that the cheapest model in terms of cost is probably the manufacturer's model that is also of the lowest quality, a few hundred to one thousand dollars price difference could mean a world in the difference of quality of the instrument.

Don't despair that you can't afford the world's greatest piano right from the beginning, many reputable manufacturers have a "trade up" option that will allow you to upgrade to a better model when you feel that you may have outgrown your current piano.

When it comes to buying a piano, as with making any other major purchase you want to be armed with information -ask a lot of questions and buy what you can afford. Pick a manufacturer that has a trade up option so you'll always be able to have the best possible piano for your situation.