self taught?

[aewanko]

is autodidactism (self-learning) good when learning the piano? I think I posted this a long time ago but who cares?

[danny elfboy]

is autodidactism (self-learning) good when learning the piano? I think I posted this a long time ago but who cares?

Why not?
It doesn't depend on self-learning per se but on your learning path, your choices, your sources, your material, your experimentation and so on. Self-learning is the most natural thing which we do anytime we learn a song or the plot of a movie or how to reach a street. But we are a generation who is losign the instinct of the self-learner not to mention the social and cultural circumstances which allows one to being a self-learner (for example one an artist self-learning pupil, would spend time observing other artists or painting in the street allowing people to judge his drawings and all of that)

[hyrst]

All learning is generated by the self - whether guided or from discovery.  It seems you have a reason for asking this question.  Do you want to express that?  Perhaps you would receive more clarification if you revealed your reasons a little more clearly in your asking.

[leshmye]

I learned classical as a start for a few years, but couldn't play anything without the music score! Then I picked up rhythm guitar, and learned a bit of bass guitar. By observing the pianist in a band while playing the bass guitar, I began to understand playing piano by chords. I suppose you can call that "self-taught"? Since then, I went back to playing piano, and am loving it.
I offer free tips and tricks on my blog just for fun, teaching people who are interested to play piano in a simple way. Do check it out if you care trying.   PianoShortcuts.com

[aewanko]

All learning is generated by the self - whether guided or from discovery.  It seems you have a reason for asking this question.  Do you want to express that?  Perhaps you would receive more clarification if you revealed your reasons a little more clearly in your asking.

reasons eh? well most (not all duh) of you got piano lessons from a teacher. I cant find one in our area. and I also want to know if self learning is bad or not?

[hyrst]

Well, if you have noone to teach you, then go ahead and do what you can.  There are no bad habits that cannot be undone.    Sure, a good teacher might be able to give you a boost in learning - knowing effective ways of learning things.  But, if it is a choice between doing it yourself or missing out completely, it seems reasonable to learn yourself.  You wouldn't be the first.  Hopefully you will one day have access to a teacher who can help you sort out any technical things and to observe you and teach you about interpretation.  Just remember to listen carefully - what produces a good tone?  Listen to lots of good recordings, so you get used to hearing a good sound and interpretation, so you can imitate.  Listen and experiment.  Read lots and try different movemtns out unitl you find what works. 

[slobone]

If you're serious about learning classical music, you need a teacher. If you want to be able to play pop songs, it's possible to teach yourself -- many people have. But unless you're some sort of natural genius (which you probably would already know if you are) taking lessons is just a more efficient way to get the basic technical stuff out of the way.

[ryanyee]

is autodidactism (self-learning) good when learning the piano? I think I posted this a long time ago but who cares?

i always do that. from bach to beethoven to rachmaninov to shostakovich. everything. my teacher's too chicken to teach me those pieces

[rc]

I read an essay a while back, written by some distinguished professor ages ago, where he described teachers as 'senior colleagues'.  I thought it was a pretty good way of looking at it. A teacher is someone who's further ahead of us on the path that can point out pitfalls and show us the best direction.

For some people, this guidance may be reassurance.  To others it could save them years of struggling in the wrong direction.

There are also bad teachers, maybe they have good intentions, or mismatched intentions.  For whatever reason, some teachers may steer a student in the wrong direction.  Because of this, with or without a teacher, I believe everybody should take a certain responsibility for their own destinies, to know what they want and be able to judge for themselves what's working and what isn't.