Learning without lessons?

[endrien]

Hello, I am currently 15 years old and have taken an interest in the piano through various videos online and I just enjoy the sound of it! With things like school and work I would like to be able to learn on my own schedule and not have to pay a lot of money for lessons. The only other instrument(s) I have really played is percussion for a period or 2 or 3 years when I was much younger(Grade 5-7 I believe). I cannot remember much from then and I don't know much about reading music(Percussion never really required too much note knowledge since I didn't play the xylophone). I would like to learn how to play a piano and play "newer" songs and probably more classical pieces later on when I am a lot more experienced. I am considering buying a Casio LK-270 with 61 touch sensitive keys(which I hear is important)or a Casio CTK-541 to use to play for now as it doesn't cost much and I would like to make sure I can stick with it before spending a lot of money.
Anyways back to the main point, how would I go about learning without taking lessons? Any recommendations such as books, websites, computer software  etc would be greatly appreciated!

Also I hear people going on about learning by ear or by sheet music, what is the difference(aside from the obvious)? And How long do you think it would take without lessons to reach a point where I could play some songs relatively well?
Thanks!

[caioramos]

It works but its very limited. But at the end of the day, it all comes down to your goals and intentions. If you just want to be fairly good, casual, its totally fine cause you can find your own way of learning things, of course, when learning by yourself its easier as age goes, your still 15 so its maybe not that easy. But still, very doable since you have some previous knowledge on music.

Now if you want to get serious at piano, everyone needs a good teacher except very few exceptions (there is always one), period.


Caio

[jimbo320]

Hi Endrien,
Everyone will stress the importance of having a teacher and it is. But if trying to learn on your own is your goal I may be able to steer you in that direction. I'm not saying self teaching is the best way of going about it, but it's a start. To be frank that's what I'm doing. In fact, the Casio LK310 which is close to the 210 was my first keyboard. After some improvement I traded up and got a Yamaha PSR. Anyways here's some links to good beginner on-line studies.
https://www.pianonanny.com/start.html
https://--https://--https://--https://-https://www.doremifasoft.com/frpiinandex.html
If all you want is to watch someone else show you how to play asong try this site...
https://www.purelessons.com/  .....Good luck.

Musically, Jimbo

[quantum]

Learning can take place without a teacher, but usually would occur at a very slow pace.  There are some things you just cannot learn from books, they have to be shown to you by another person. 

Lessons are not really expensive when you consider how much you can get out of one session versus how long it would take you to cover the same material on your own. 

[pianist1976]

have taken an interest in the piano [...] I am considering buying a Casio LK-270 with 61 touch sensitive keys(which I hear is important)or a Casio CTK-541 to use to play for now

An small clarification (small but I think that it's very important): if you are going to practice in a 61 keys casio then you are not going to play piano, you are going to play keyboards. They are quite different. A piano has 88 keys and the way of play it is really different. It can be talked a lot about this but in brief, you must consider that the weight of the keys has nothing to do from one to the other.

And How long do you think it would take without lessons to reach a point where I could play some songs relatively well?

If by "songs" you refer literally to songs (playing, for instance, Beatles' songs), I think that you can play them in a very short time. How much exactly, I don't know, it depends on your talent, time available, etc. If you refer to classical music, this is a more complex question. I don't personally recommend self-taught systems to play the very demanding classical repertoire. But for the so called "light music" with no great pretensions, although not completely recommendable it's more sensible than with classical. The books by Roger Evans to play piano and keyboards are in my opinion reasonably good to start learning to play simple music in a short time but I insist: I'm not recommending in any way to be self-taught.

Learning can take place without a teacher, but usually would occur at a very slow pace.  There are some things you just cannot learn from books, they have to be shown to you by another person.

I agree with you. I'd like to add that the risk is not only the slower learning process but the uncorrected vices and had habits which are very easy to be acquired but very difficult to get rid off.

[chelseasmilexx]

Well I happen to learn piano without lessons as well and I am also 15 (turning 16 pretty soon tho). Learning without lessons is more challenging than having someone guiding you, however what I did was to see other people play and learn from them. You have to be determined and confident in yourself that you can play as well as them and I believe that if you keep on practicing, you'll improve greatly in playing the piano

Good luck!

[endrien]

An small clarification (small but I think that it's very important): if you are going to practice in a 61 keys casio then you are not going to play piano, you are going to play keyboards. They are quite different. A piano has 88 keys and the way of play it is really different. It can be talked a lot about this but in brief, you must consider that the weight of the keys has nothing to do from one to the other.

If by "songs" you refer literally to songs (playing, for instance, Beatles' songs), I think that you can play them in a very short time. How much exactly, I don't know, it depends on your talent, time available, etc. If you refer to classical music, this is a more complex question. I don't personally recommend self-taught systems to play the very demanding classical repertoire. But for the so called "light music" with no great pretensions, although not completely recommendable it's more sensible than with classical. The books by Roger Evans to play piano and keyboards are in my opinion reasonably good to start learning to play simple music in a short time but I insist: I'm not recommending in any way to be self-taught.

I agree with you. I'd like to add that the risk is not only the slower learning process but the uncorrected vices and had habits which are very easy to be acquired but very difficult to get rid off.

Yes by songs I literally mean songs from various pop/rock artists and bands, however I would at some point like to be able to play some classical pieces. I really don't have the time nor money for lessons otherwise I would take them. To my knowledge it would take a year or two of lessons to really get anywhere?

[quantum]

To my knowledge it would take a year or two of lessons to really get anywhere?

A good teacher will have you going somewhere on your very first lesson.

[endrien]

A good teacher will have you going somewhere on your very first lesson.

I've been thinking about lessons and I may be able to get into some. However I need to figure out how often they are usually and how much they usually cost.

[john11inc]

There's a big, big difference between playing the keyboard and playing the piano.

It's an unfortunate truth that doing the latter requires the down payment for a piano.  If you look on Craig's List you can probably find an upright or a Clavinova fairly cheaply.  If you can't read music, you probably need a teacher for at least a year or so.

[endrien]

There's a big, big difference between playing the keyboard and playing the piano.

It's an unfortunate truth that doing the latter requires the down payment for a piano.  If you look on Craig's List you can probably find an upright or a Clavinova fairly cheaply.  If you can't read music, you probably need a teacher for at least a year or so.

I believe for most things I would be playing a keyboard would suffice, and in the future if I really needed those extra keys I'm sure it wouldn't take too long to transition between the 2. A keyboard would also be useful as I could use it to interface with my computer for various other types of music.

[jimbo320]

Please John, enlighten us. What differences are there?

[Bob]

Touch.

Tone, and control over producing the tone.  Having a premade tone and having the whole process of the original piano, being recorded, being stored, being reproduced by the computer or keyboard, being spit out through headphones or speakers.

Possibly repetition, if the keys can do that fast enough.

Possibly the pedal.  Some are just an on/off switch and don't allow any gradation.