Hey , I'v ebeen playing piano about 2 years, with only a handful of lessons....mostly I've been teaching myself to improvise sort of like beethoven might have. I make up melodies attempting to imitate him and other romantic composers. of course my technique, if compared to a trained concert pianist, would seem coarse and knobbly.....but I sure am having a HELL OF A LOT OF FUN!!!!! I just let go......let my heart pour out into the piano....and I feel it so strongly......everything I do....and if I dont say so myself it doesn't suck =Dyou dont have to know the exact notes if you want to play beethoven's style =D (thats the bottom line) just like, figure out some theory, like some weird key like C#...learn the important chords....mess around on it.....dilligently make up little melodies and things....build on them over a long period of time of doing this hours a day and you'll play like beethoven in no time..LOL I bet someone is going to reply to this with their nose protruding halfway into their message, saying that the way I've approached piano is childish or whatever.......AND THEY HAVENT HEARD ME PLAY! GYA HAH!-AterMelodius