Introductions With Some Questions.......

[iainhol]

I recently received a letter in the mail stating that I had been named in a class action lawsuit against a former employer and was entitled to a fair sum of money. I spoke to wife about how we should spend it - she encouraged me to do something for me. As a young boy growing up in England, I had 5 wishes - live in America, live in Australia, play polo professionally, get my pilots license and learn to play with piano. At age 28, I am doing fairly well - the only one I have left is to learn the piano. So with this money I am going to invest in a piano and some piano lessons.

A Piano
I plan on purchasing a Clavinova CLP - I have done a fair amount of research and don't need all the bells and whistles but want just a good playing digital piano, therefore I thought this would suit the bill. I do not think I am able to get an acoustic piano as space is very limited. What are your thoughts? Can I plug a headset into them?

Practice
I intend to practice about 3 hours a day on weekdays and 2 on weekends - I am a nurse and only work weekends so my weekdays are spent with my young son (making faces, singing head shoulders knees and toes and riding our dogs) so with his bedtime being before my wife gets home, and his naps I should be in a very good position to spend time in front of the piano. I am a firm believer that the only difference between myself and David Fray is he has spent more time in front of the piano than me -

The Plan
I intend to blog my quest of become a piano player - My goal is to create a list of music I intend to master in a year, starting from the very basic to Bach keyboard concerto in in A major (at the end of the year). Each week, I will create a list of what I intend to master and will go at it - must haves already on the list are - Thomas the tank engine, Andrew Llyod Weber Love Changes Everything, Elton John Can You See The Love Tonight and then blog the results. I think it will be a fun way to document it.

Lessons
How many lessons do you think I will need per week? I am not sure how many hours of practice they require between lessons to keep progressing, so I am really clueless on this.

Then Beyond
After my year of blogging, I will continue to take lessons and hopefully go to some competitions and continue to improve. My goal is so once I retire from nursing I can spend a few years on a cruise ship before I get sent off to a nursing home - means I wouldn't need to invest in my 403B 

What what are you thoughts on my plan?

[iainhol]

Bump!

[bachbrahmsschubert]

I'm so happy to see an individual with such a passion for music!

A digital piano should be fine so long as it has weighted keys (something I'm sure you're aware of).

Have you studied any piano before? If you're a complete beginner with no knowledge on reading notes, pursuing a Bach concerto in a year is a very significant stretch; though I encourage you to set goals for yourself.

If you're serious about entering competitions in the future, you have no choice but to get a teacher. If you decide you'd rather treat this as a hobby, a teacher isn't a necessity but still very helpful. The standard lesson schedule is one hour per week, though some teachers prefer 30 minute lessons; I find that a waste of time unless it's regarding small children. Your practice schedule seems fine. You can get a lot done in 3 hours of practice if you practice the right way. That's something a teacher will help you with. And hey, maybe you can teach your son some music too.

I started teaching myself the piano when I was 17 and didn't take lessons until I was 21 (I am currently 23) and am now a performance major at a University. Never feel discouraged by your age (which you clearly are not) or the progress level of other people. From my limited experience, there is no greater tool an individual can have than to be self-driven. Know that a stranger on a piano forum has your full support!

[iainhol]

Thank you ever so much - it is always nice to get words of encouragement. I will certainly keep you up to date on my progress. I am very excited about this!!