BARGAINS : WHERE SOUND OF SAVINGS IS THE KEY CONCEPT.

Byline: Trisha King & Deborah Newmark

When it comes to price and selection, beginners and professionals will feel at home at Keyboard Concepts Inc.

Beginners can practice silently on an electronic keyboard by using headsets. Electronic keyboards that can be used with headsets or plugged into a computer start at $299 instead of $499.99 retail.

Keyboard Concepts' Van Nuys store has a 12,000-square-foot showroom offering names such as Steinway, Baldwin, Schimmel, Young and Chang, Roland, Piano Disc and more at discounts of 25 percent to 50 percent below retail. The Thousand Oaks store has 4,000 square feet of showroom space.

If you aren't ready to invest in a piano, rentals run $19 to $70 a month. Should you later decide to buy a piano, a year's worth of rental fees will be deducted from Keyboard Concepts' discounted prices, not the manufacturer's list price.

In addition to keyboards of all kinds, Keyboard Concepts carries sheet music and accessories at discounts of 10 percent to 50 percent off retail.

If you've made your purchase from Keyboard Concepts, there are free keyboard and digital workshops on the second and fourth Thursday of every month (Van Nuys location only).

Keyboard Concepts Inc. stores are at 5600 Van Nuys Blvd., Van Nuys, [phone]; and 104 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks; [phone]. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Most major credit cards are accepted.