Your current practice regime: 0 hours 0 times a week.Anything more than that will be a start.What's the rush? And, what makes you think you are in a position to assess whether piano playing is actually a "group of skills such as sight reading etc" rather than a coordinated set of knowledge and technical skills developed together?I'd also add that all practice should be "deliberate" in your sense of the term, and that the things that develop "over time as a by-product" should not be underestimated in importance.
I don't think it's a matter of practicing one element, then moving on to the next. There may be separate skills, but coordinating them is essential.If you do a search of the forum for "efficient practice" you will find a wealth of material. Also, the two free books you get with a gold membership here I understand to be quite useful. Chang's Fundamentals of Piano Practice is also often frequently cited.I should also add that there's nothing like getting a good teacher to get you going faster.
I think learning to play the piano is something where planning ahead gets you nowhere. Unless you plan to get a teacher. You simply have to start the work and see how it goes.Also, what is being "competent at a beginner level"? A beginner is not supposed to be competent. You get more competent by learning and practicing. But it takes years to be really competent in any of it.
I worry I will do the same thing of learning tiny amounts in the lesson without being able to practise to actually apply those things...
What? Are you suggesting you'll have plenty of time/ability to practice if you don't have a teacher but none if you do? That's, frankly, nonsense. Either you have the time/ability or you don't.
@ possiblepianoplayerPiano playing is a very physical thing. It makes no sense to try and learn that without the feedback your body gives. The best alternative for you to get at least a theoretical understanding of the instrument itself would be one of those Google android or iTunes apps.
I wouldn't call these skills but if you plan to tackle advanced repertoire you need patience and determination UNLESS you are a complete freak and learn things super fast.Even before starting with a teacher, I would suggest you start on this. The preliminary exercises don't require a piano.For a beginner, I would suggest you first gather your resources, skim everything, and at least mentally make note of what you want to get through. In addition to the basic method books, there are so many great books written by great pianists/teachers that you can purchase or freely download off the web that teach you about the philosophy of music. Since you don't have access to a piano, these kinds of readings will probably be great for you to read in the meantime.The teacher should have taught you differently than a student with access to a piano. I'm also surprised he/she didn't made arrangements for you to get some practice time in somewhere. A lot of the basics are concepts; not having regular access gives you ample time to think about a lot of the theory. When you do actually get time on a piano I would think your practice would be super efficient.@outin: I think some sort of planning is crucial. Without planning, how will he get resources such as books/videos/etc.
@outin: I think some sort of planning is crucial. Without planning, how will he get resources such as books/videos/etc.
One can use time for planning and gather a huge amount of books/recources/videos/etc. which may ultimately prove mostly useless...and one may end up understanding that the task is so huge that it's better to forget it. There really is such a thing as information overdose.Or one can start the journey and look for the resources when they are actually needed.Although I didn't realize the thread was about studying piano without practicing or having access to a keyboard...Then IMO it should be about studying music, not piano playing.
Search for Graham Finch on the net. He is a great resource and his methods works.For someone who is already used to play the piano, planning and reading notes (aka mental practice) is very useful. I have played for many years and I can do that as I can simulate the hand movements in my head and literally feel it in my muscles - because they are already used to it. But I doubt that it is a good method for a beginner. (I am not very good, but I have experience.)So either you find yourself a piano somewhere, where you can practice a litte, or I suggest you postphone your plans until you have better possibilities. Meanwhile, you can always read book like those already recommended here, and of course listen to good pianists and good piano music as much as you possibly can! Anyone with focus and devotion is a "super learner". Nobody without focus and devotion is a super learner.
Although I didn't realize the thread was about studying piano without practicing or having access to a keyboard...Then IMO it should be about studying music, not piano playing.
Trust me, if you're a freak you would've devoured any theory books by now. When I think of a freak, I think of someone who lived on my floor my freshman year. He typed up a 12 pager in 45 minutes and got an A- on it (class average was a C). That's not all though... He only went to class once, and right before writing the paper he spent about an hour reading through like 170+ pages of Foucalt, Derrida, Barthes, and Althuser. I'm certain he was familiar with some of the readings, but to put things in perspective it took me an hour to get through 6-8 pages of the really dense material and other students consider me a quick reader/learner! Some of the readings were such a pain that most students didn't even bother doing the reading and just bullshitted from class discussions.Anyway, I digress...The DVD I linked would be suitable for anyone at any level. This is easily available without purchase, if you know what I mean.I'm not too familiar with beginner method books (I don't teach and I've only used them when I was very young). I suggest you hit up amazon/sheetmusicplus and read reviews (I'm sure you already know this!).I mean before you start, you should clearly evaluate your goals with piano. If you just want to do this to have fun/dick around, my suggestions are probably not for you unless you enjoy learning for the sake of learning.Regardless of the genre you want to get into (e.g. classical, jazz, pop, etc.) I would suggest:1) This harmony and theory workbook. I actually bought it and never really used it (because I'm lazy and if I'm going to study I'd rather focus on something related to my major), but it's very good. I mean it's extremely simple and easy, but it'll give you a strong theoretical foundation. You do not need a piano for this.2) A cheap and shitty keyboard, such as this, for the sole purpose of learning to read music. I strongly suggest that you keep it under $100. Most people quit when they realize how much work is actually involved.3) The Piano Handbook . I recently bought this so I can get acquainted to piano music that isn't classical. This is pretty much an encyclopedia in the sense that it gives an overview of something then moves on. This also goes through the basics. I suggest using this conjunction with a search engine and these forums to get more in depth study suggestions. I'm sure imslp also has tons of pdfs of beginner pieces.4) Ear training software and sight singing resources. You can purchase this or get a book+cd combo. For now, just look this up ear training in a search engine and use a free resource. You want to acquaint yourself with intervals. Do this everyday for a few months. This is boring as hell, but something all serious pianists should do. I'm not serious so I don't do this, but according to one of my teachers, this training enabled him to hear the music when looking at scores.Couple the above which will set you back $100 with imslp and online resources and you'll have a very strong foundation. You won't have any technique, but technique can be developed in months if you're determined and have the right teacher guiding you.I do have to warn you that my suggestions are extremely dull. If I were a teacher, I would probably not teach with the books above (I would definitely incorporate the concepts in them, but I would never assign them). The suggestions above are only suitable for someone who is extremely determined.If after going through the above a bit, you're still interested in learning piano, message me and I'll give you tons of other suggestions that you can look into while you're studying the above. Also, there are so many great books and articles that give insights on voicing/phrasing/timing, but I wouldn't suggest those until you at least learn to read music. If you're a quick learner like you claim, I'd expect you get through the first book (you don't need piano for it) in a few days.
I must stress that I'm not advocating the mere gathering of resources. I'm saying gather your resources and most importantly, create a plan.
Since I am merely an interested amateur, I would like to know what skills you would list as important to playing the piano
No, I'm saying I can't practise at all because I don't have the money or space for a piano.
Visit or join a church, locally. Most of them have a second rate piano in the basement or fellowship hall, that they will let you practice on. . Or buy a trashy keyboard at a charity resale shop. Here I see them for $15 sometimes. Don't overthink this. Piano is a physical skill, and words are somewhat useless. One key skill, is developing control of your third fourth and fifth fingers, especially of your non-dominant hand. My mother used Schmitt's G. Schirmer exercise book for this, on our piano. You can develop similar skill with a violin, if you can't afford a piano. Guitar develops the right hand, but not the left if you use a pick. You can begin this process by using tools to build models, whittle or other physical skill. I can thread up a machine nut, blind, upside down, behind a bulkhead, with my fourth and fifth fingers, as a result of piano training. The reverse process is valid training.And you can take up music as a hobby, by simply singing off printed music, with a tuning fork as reference.
You got some good replies, so I can be a little facetious. (But not too facetious...)Patience. Adult students tend to be easily frustrated because they practice for a few weeks and they're not playing the kinds of things that they had wanted to be playing by then. The way I think of it, children have the advantages that they don't know they sound bad, and nobody expects them to sound good. You know what you want to sound like, and you're not going to sound like that. You are not going to learn piano faster than an eight year old child will! Possibly you will learn slower than that kid, because your adult brain just doesn't soak up new things the way young minds do. Accept that, and approach it like a child who is happy just to be playing a simple blues tune by week 5.I would say follow a method book, and whatever you find difficult, that's what you should work on. Get a genre book that fits your tastes, like a "How to Play the Blues" type of book, and work on that. Later on you might start working out of a book like Hannon, but that's not where you should begin. You begin by picking up the basic skills. You learn where the keys are and develop two-hand coordination by playing a lot of whatever you have at hand. I don't think there are specific exercises that can speed that up. You just have to do it, and work on difficult things until they are no longer difficult. The practice that counts is the practice that makes you uncomfortable-- it's difficult, it requires focus, it's not the same as noodling around with fun stuff that is already easy for you. You need a keyboard to practice keyboarding. If you take lessons at a music store, they will often make practice rooms available to you outside of your lessons as long as you continue to be a paying student. Or you might be able to make an arrangement with a music store. You might see if your local library has a piano that you can practice on (that's not common, I admit, but one near me does). Churches can be a resource, but you probably need an "in", like being known to the staff, or being recommended by your teacher who is known to them.
Well, I don't mean this in a bragging way (I preface this with that because I'm told I often sound like I am bragging).
Topic: Individual skills... 