Starting learning at later ages...

[cardinals]

Do you think beginning lessons at over 30 or 35 years old will be too late for building up technique stuffs or improving musicality? My issue has been tone of voice, evenness in lengths of notes, making fortes sound less dull and keeping pianissimos sound clearly, and more importantly, relaxation of my hands, arms and shoulders and independent motions of each of my 4th and 5th fingers...

Actually, I thought, as one gets older, it would be far harder to play accurately especially fast pieces like etudes or scherzi...so I have spent most of the hours on minimizing wrong notes playing extremely slow...but all my teachers kept saying that it is time to think more on the musical elements since the technique is already good enough...

How likely is it, in your opinion, to improve the musicality from now on to reach the level of those who have learned over many years since their childhood? Do you believe age will really matter in trying to achieve this goal?

[dan101]

Different ages tend to have different needs. My latest student is an adult in her mid-fifties (I taught her kids about a decade and a half ago). She really wants to learn and is picking things up at extremely quickly. However, she just wants to play for relaxation.

I think adults can learn very rapidly if they have the time. Can they attain professional concert levels of performance? It's possible, but not probable. Can they reach levels where they can impress friends and themselves? Most certainly.

[nyonyo]

If you had no piano background at all, it may take longer to learn.
However, if you practice about 2 hours a day, you should be able to get better within a year.
There will time that you feel you hit the invisible wall, but keep practicing and you will eventually break that wall....It happens a lot to me....Many times, I thought that I cannot do certain thing, but after trying and trying....suddenly I can do it...

In my case, my fingers is fast enough to do any passage. If I cannot do, for example, certain trill, it usually I made mistake by trying to many notes....Therefore, you need to pay attention of what you are tyring to do if you cannot do certain thing. You may play incorrectly..(trying something that is impossible to do). A good teacher is essential....

[point of grace]

Different ages tend to have different needs. My latest student is an adult in her mid-fifties (I taught her kids about a decade and a half ago). She really wants to learn and is picking things up at extremely quickly. However, she just wants to play for relaxation.

I think adults can learn very rapidly if they have the time. Can they attain professional concert levels of performance? It's possible, but not probable. Can they reach levels where they can impress friends and themselves? Most certainly.

yah!!! really really totally true