Brand new to piano at 52

[debsi]

I've never played an instrument nor read or studied music and, at 52, have decided I want to learn the piano. I have an instructor who comes to my house and we learn on a digital piano. He brought me the "Adult All-In-One Course" book subtitled Lesson - Theory - Technique by Willard Palmer, Morton Manus, and Amanda Vick Lethco.  We've had three lessons and I'm troubled by the lack of exercises in this book.  The focus is on theory, but not enough pieces to practice with.  It's teaching fingering, keys, and reading the notes all at once with no time for "getting it" before moving on to things like harmony and melodic thirds.  Heck, I can't even play with two hands and it's teaching melodic thirds?

I've downloaded sheet music for simple things like Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel and Amazing Grace, to help with learning the fingering.  I write in the notes since it's just too much to learn fingering and the language (reading music) all at the same time.

Anyway, I'm looking for Suggestions on things I should be doing for practice.   Thanks!

[gregh]

I don't know that book. But my opinion as someone who is new to piano but not so new to music in general is that as a very beginner learning your first instrument, it's appropriate to focus on reading the notes and pressing the keys. You don't need much in the way of chord theory and harmony right now-- you couldn't play it, anyway.

But remember that reading the notes IS an important part of music theory. And the other notations concerning speed, dynamics, repeated phrases, etc. Playing in different scales is an important part of it-- I'm sure you'll be picking up some sharps and flats soon if you haven't already. You'll be learning chords by playing them, and when you hit chord theory you'll be able to relate. You'll be playing a melody with your right hand and chords with your left, and even if it's not explained to you, you'll be learning what harmonizing and chord progressions sound like. It's all important.

But if you want to skip ahead, you might try Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory (books 1, 2, and 3). They're skinny books, at a pretty elementary level, but it's a good start, with ear training and written exercises.

[italk2planes]

Honestly reading your post, it sounds to me that you are going about it correctly. Continue to flip through your book and just mentally identify the notes that you see as well as what the intervals are between notes. You can play them too so you are reinforcing where they are on the piano. You will soon enough be practicing specific pieces that have exercises built in them, but for now it is about getting oriented with the piano and music altogether.
Good luck!

[indianajo]

Well I didn't get any music theory until the third for fourth year. And I don't think it did anything for me even then.  What the names of the notes are, what sharps and flats are, what a key signature is and how do you count rhythmically to make the notes come out even. That was about it theorywise for three years.  
By contrast, I got a lot of exercises.  Five finger Schmitt exercises out of the G. Schirmer book, I did all of those in the book.  Did a lot to strengthen my fourth and fifth fingers, how to play the five fingers in any order, whatever.  Then the second and third year, Edna Mae Berman exercise books.  There was something new to learn every week.  
The there were the John W. Schaum books.  Pre, 1,2.  The pieces were boring as **** but that doesn't mean I could play them perfectly without a weeks practice.  Sometimes more than a week. I did book 3,4,5 then branched off to pieces my teacher bought individually or in bound books.  Everybody's Favorite Series Piano Pieces for the Young Student  was my favorite, I still play pieces I learned in there. That was AMSCO music company #80.    I was getting more fun pieces from the time of  book 2, but the supplement pieces took me weeks to learn for recital.  
Thousands of kids learned on these books.  I still see them in the store ( not schmitt, it is on the internet only).  I don't see any reason to jam them all in one new book except extreme third world poverty.  And very little theory is needed, IMHO, unless the kid needs to play gigs right away like that replacement singer for Journey did, to feed himself.    
I found one other book of pieces for the young student (2nd or 3rd year) at a charity resale shop last year that has some really fun stuff in it. Masterpieces of PIano Music, Carl Fischer pub, Albert Weir Ed. O3619. 
And of course there is the hymnal if you are a Christian.  there are pieces in there that are first grade level, but you have to figure that out for yourself. 

[kingston2013]

During the life of any individual, there are certain developmental windows. New studies show that these windows are longer than previously believes. You can learn how to play the piano and get to a proficient level even if you start later.
If you plan about starting to learn to play the piano you will find useful information here, here and here.

[florentin]

I'd say give it more time. Come back and post about your progress in a few months. Good luck to you!

[musissacrum]

I was brand new to the piano at 69. Am now 76 and I don't regret it. Progress is slow, but I enjoy it. Keep going!

[kevin69]

i started from nothing aged 43, and i worked through the same book as you.
I have recently finished it after about a year.
I found it pretty well balanced with the pieces getting progressively more complex with few large steps in difficulty (an exception being 'blow the man down').

'Amazing Grace' is on page 142 of that book, so you aren't going to be able to play it after 3 weeks. Your comments about harmonics and thirds versus playing hands together are (imho) misguided. Since you have no musical background you really don't know whats hard or whats easy, or what order things should be learnt in. You need to trust your teacher and ignore your own prejudices. The proof of the method is in whether you hear steady improvements in your playing, or not. The book is fairly light on theory, but you do need to learn some language at the beginning in order that you have some tools to discuss and describe music with.

Keep going, but keep a journal of what you have been playing.
You'll get a better sense of your progress if you can compare what you were playing 3 months ago to what you are playing now, otherwise you may tend to underestimate your progress.

[Bob]

52 huh?  *Bob calculates....* Oct 2013.... Not too far away from May/June 2013.   Hm....  *Bob strokes non-existent beard while pondering.*

Method book.  Teacher.  30 min/day.  Who knows?  Maybe you'll be selling CDs and have your own website someday.  Good luck.

[pianoplunker]

I've never played an instrument nor read or studied music and, at 52, have decided I want to learn the piano. I have an instructor who comes to my house and we learn on a digital piano. He brought me the "Adult All-In-One Course" book subtitled Lesson - Theory - Technique by Willard Palmer, Morton Manus, and Amanda Vick Lethco.  We've had three lessons and I'm troubled by the lack of exercises in this book.  The focus is on theory, but not enough pieces to practice with.  It's teaching fingering, keys, and reading the notes all at once with no time for "getting it" before moving on to things like harmony and melodic thirds.  Heck, I can't even play with two hands and it's teaching melodic thirds?

I've downloaded sheet music for simple things like Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel and Amazing Grace, to help with learning the fingering.  I write in the notes since it's just too much to learn fingering and the language (reading music) all at the same time.

Anyway, I'm looking for Suggestions on things I should be doing for practice.   Thanks!

Dont forget to get sheet music of songs that you like, no matter what the genre. Everything you are learning is going to help you greatly once you see how it all ties together.

[leel]

I started from the same point at 79 so, no, you're not too old.  Possibly too young

One thing however--don't write the notes on the music.  I started that way & its really a no starter; now I have to relearn (really forget that) and just read the intervals.  Much easier to learn a habit than to unlearn it.  As for theory--that is sort of picked up as you go along, until you reach a more formal level. 

Am excellent book is the Adult All-in-One Course: Lesson-Theory-Technic also by Palmer, Manus Lethco.

Keep at it--it'll come.

[leel]

Sorry--I just reread your note re the book & realized we're talking about the same one.  My excuse is that its 1 AM here.

The rest still stands.  As far as both hands--that takes time.  You're asking your brain to deal with something new & it just will take time--don't sweat it.