Piano players do not need many tools and once you have them, you do not need to upgrade them for many years.
Here are some:
Metronome
Metronome is a device which is responsible to produce a sound at exactly the same intervals of time. Usually, it produces a click or a beep. You can use any free metronome available from the app store or play store on your phone or basic metronome available free for your computer or laptop here. If you are serious about practicing the piano you should get a separate device not draining your phone or laptop battery. Metronomes are very simple and very inexpensive devices. I like the traditional, classy look of the metronomes that is why I have this one.
Get it on Amazon here
If you do not care much about the visual appearance of the metronome, you can get a nice, small metronome with a tuner. The additional functionality of the tuner can also be used when practicing intervals. The good ones are made by KORG (a famous musical instruments manufacturer) and you can find it here. KORG has been on the market for years and is a manufacturer of the superb products. I personally own few of them.
If you want the simplest on earth metronome available maybe try this one. It has all the functionality you need and is portable and rather small.
Night Light
Sometimes you need a task light to better read sheet music. In past centuries, people were using candles but today we have modern LED lights instead. I find the LED lights are the best choice for playing the piano in the dark. They are light, maintenance-free and will not burn your house down! They are also inexpensive and you can get them on Amazon here. You can stand them on the top of the piano or you can clip them to your instrument sheet music stand. In addition, they are especially useful in darker rooms away from the window.
Keyboard Dust Cover
The keyboard of the real piano or electronic piano needs protection from dust. Dust will get everywhere and it can be expensive to clean the mechanism of the keyboard – you cannot do it by yourself simply using a just vacuum cleaner! The only solution is a dust cover. I like the soft cloth ones since they also protects from accidental scratching. You can get a nice, inexpensive one on Amazon here.
Headphones
Sometimes you need headphones to practice. Get a pair of noise-canceling, high-quality sounding headphones which will fit your keyboard connection. And most importantly, will be comfortable when practicing for an extended amount of time! I recommend the one made by Yamaha. You can find them here.
Books
The best book of a music performer is My Young Years by Arthur Rubinstein – a famous pianist. I got this book from my mother for Christmas when I was a teenager. I read this book a few times. It is very entertaining. You can find it on Amazon (if it is still available) here.
