Thinking about piano lessons?

[brian_s]

Hi folks,

And to think I had such high hopes of picking up playing again. After reading through a number of different threads in this forum I'm beginning to doubt I can do it all by myself.

I can play the piano and read music, but haven't done so in any serious way for a long time. Now I've got more time available and I want to devote at least some of it to regular practice and playing.

I think I got to grade 4 as a child, but haven't taken any lessons since then.

Are there people out there who have actually managed to teach themselves to play? Or is it best to take lessons? I'm concerned that if I sign up for lessons I'll be expected to follow a rigorous practice schedule dictated by music exams, which I'm just not interested in.

What have other peoples' experiences been who are similar to me?

Hope to hear from at least some of you.

Thanks.

brian_s

[lostinidlewonder]

Personally I believe that everyone has to be able to teach themselves piano before going to a teacher. This is not always possible for young children but for adults they have to have some grasp as to how they learn and what works better for them. Sometimes you may not know about all the options and directions you may take but that is not always important, you may simply try you own way and see how you go then ask a teacher for critique/improvement. But everyone is different, some people like to be a "blank sheet" and let a teacher fill it in for them, but this is a little mindless and I always encourage these rare types to have confidence to work and explore on their own and stop being so cautious. We must do things wrong to fully appreciate what is right!

An effective use of your time while studying music is something that is difficult to understand without a mentor. You simply "Do not know that you Do not know". You may use brute force repetitions to memorize a passage, you may neglect improving reading skills, how to mark your score with observations that accelerate your memory etc etc.

Piano is my profession but I was predominantly self taught. My teachers merely directed my focus not so much teaching me how to play, if you learn by being told you rarely remember or understand how to apply, find it out for yourself through guidance will make it more natural and from yourself, thus you will be able to apply it and adapt it as required. All good pianists will be interested to experiment with trial and error how to develop technique, they constantly push to understand how our muscular memory feels and how to push it further into an effortless touch (producing the desired sound with least amount of energy).

It is important to understand your ability at the piano, it is no good to play pieces that are too difficult for yourself as it will stunt your progress, you will still progress but not as fast as doing pieces more at your level. Sight reading is also a very important tool to develop as this determines the rate in which you can learn your music, doing music too difficult for yourself will stunt your sight reading growth as well. You should aim to somewhat fluently sight read parts of pieces you are attempting to play with both hands, doing pieces too difficult for yourself does not allow this discipline.

[nystul]

Having already learned the fundamentals of the instrument, you do not need lessons to enjoy playing for the rest of your life.  However, if you want to learn pieces that are considerably more difficult than those you have played in the past, and are willing to practice every day, then having a teacher would surely help you to progress.

Think about your goals as a piano player.  If you do look for a teacher, make sure he/she understands up front what you are trying to accomplish.  When you are an adult with no intention of music as a profession, and you are willing to pay the weekly fee for lessons, you should be allowed to work on the schedule you feel comfortable with and not be pressured into extensive practice, preparing for things that are meaningless to you, etc.  Basically if you are willing and able to put in enough practice time each week to justify the cost of lessons, you should be able to find a teacher who will work within your goals.

[m19834]

Hi folks,

And to think I had such high hopes of picking up playing again. After reading through a number of different threads in this forum I'm beginning to doubt I can do it all by myself.

There are many things you can do on your own, but even if you don't have aims at becoming a professional pianist, a good teacher can still save you hoards of time in demonstrating a command at the instrument, as well as giving you focus and direction in your endeavors.  With teachers whom have devoted years of their lives to studying the instrument, studying music, studying with teachers and other musicians themselves, and have spent years just plain teaching, you have to realize that they will have a wealth of knowledge which can enrich your own experience by miles if you let it.  We may get loads of ideas on our own, there may be things that we can and do learn when there is nobody else looking, but if you want to be a part of a particular kind of art, it simply involves other people.

I'm concerned that if I sign up for lessons I'll be expected to follow a rigorous practice schedule dictated by music exams, which I'm just not interested in.

It is possible to find a good teacher whom is a good fit for you.  However, as a teacher myself, I will admit that it gets tiresome to have students who want to sound phenomenal (or even just 'good') yet are not willing to put in the work.  So, as far as a rigorous practice routine, you have to realize that is not just *for* the teacher, but basically entirely for your own good and development.  If you are wanting to devote time and energy to the endeavor, why not make sure it's as efficient as possible by having wise guidance to accompany it ?

[brian_s]

Thanks for the really useful feedback about finding the right kind of piano lessons for my particular interests and goals. I've been collecting an awful lot of information about piano lessons generally and I'm now going to sift through it and make some decisions on what to do next.

To Lostinidlewonder I would reply that I really do see the purpose in exploring my own ideas and abilities BEFORE taking lessons. And I suppose I've been doing that to some extent. That's really why I've come to the conclusion that I need someone's guiding hand.

I think I'm going to look for a teacher who understands that, as an adult, I should decide what I want from my lessons and that I have a right to expect that my teacher will provide the focus and direction to get me there.

This is because I've just found a really interesting report on piano lessons, which outlines the whole process of decision making in relation to piano lessons and whether you need them.

If anyone's interested, you can find it on www.doyouneedpianolessons.com

And I hope it helps others as much as it's helped me.

Thanks again for your feedback.

brian_s

[m19834]

I think I'm going to look for a teacher who understands that, as an adult, I should decide what I want from my lessons and that I have a right to expect that my teacher will provide the focus and direction to get me there.

Well, that is more or less true and is somewhat what I indicated in my last post, however, keep in mind that it's also a teacher's responsibility to see a path towards certain goals that the student just doesn't necessarily see for themselves (which is why you are there).  So, keep in mind that the path may not look exactly the way you might think it should. 

Thanks for the link, I will check it out !

[pianowolfi]

Thanks for the really useful feedback about finding the right kind of piano lessons for my particular interests and goals. I've been collecting an awful lot of information about piano lessons generally and I'm now going to sift through it and make some decisions on what to do next.

To Lostinidlewonder I would reply that I really do see the purpose in exploring my own ideas and abilities BEFORE taking lessons. And I suppose I've been doing that to some extent. That's really why I've come to the conclusion that I need someone's guiding hand.

I think I'm going to look for a teacher who understands that, as an adult, I should decide what I want from my lessons and that I have a right to expect that my teacher will provide the focus and direction to get me there.

This is because I've just found a really interesting report on piano lessons, which outlines the whole process of decision making in relation to piano lessons and whether you need them.

If anyone's interested, you can find it on www.doyouneedpianolessons.com

And I hope it helps others as much as it's helped me.

Thanks again for your feedback.

brian_s

I must say, this sort of links look more than fishy to me.

[m19834]

I must say, this sort of links look more than fishy to me.

Yeah, I just followed it and it's pretty fishy, in my opinion, too  .

[brian_s]

Hi folks,

Actually, when I went to the link that I included in my last post, it never occurred to me that it was 'fishy' in any way, by which I take it you mean it looks like a scam?

I suppose I can see what you mean, but, all I can say is that the report I downloaded on piano lessons gave me a lot of information on how to go about choosing them. It was especially useful in identifying questions to ask a potential piano teacher.

As a matter of fact, since that last post, I've taken some of those questions to several local teachers, all of whom have been really co-operative. As a result I think I've just about decided on which teacher to sign up with.

So, all being well, although I'm still at the beginning of relearning how to play piano, I hope I've managed to find an appropriate starting point. And that's largely thanks to the comments and suggestions I've received from other members of this forum, but also thanks to the report I mentioned.

I'm almost deterred from including the link again because of what was said about it, but, in the interests of helping others who might benefit, here it is: www.doyouneedpianolessons.com

I'll let you know how I get on with my first lesson.

And thanks again folks!

brian_s   

[peterjmathis]

If you have the basics down already, there's no reason you can't do it on your own. It takes dedication, but you'll need that either way. Find a book or program to follow if you think you need the structure.