Learning piano on own?

[elkzahr]

Hey everbody,

lately I've been pretty interested in the piano. I am in no position to be able to hire a teacher, so if I want to do it I have to do it on my own. I was thinking about investing some money in a proper midi keyboard to learn how to play. Though I was wondering, as I have no advanced experience with other instruments, would it be impossible for me to learn it on my own? I am a pretty quick learner, I catch up on thing quickly/easily. I know that if it's possible it's probably going to take a lot of time before I get anywhere, but I am okay with that, as I have no need to know how to play it overnight.

However, if it is possible to learn it on your own I have a second issue: My hands are pretty small, with the distance from the tip of my pinky to the tip of my thumb being ~ 8 inches. Would this be too much of a limiting factor?

[chopincat]

However, if it is possible to learn it on your own I have a second issue: My hands are pretty small, with the distance from the tip of my pinky to the tip of my thumb being ~ 8 inches. Would this be too much of a limiting factor?

Your hand size won't be problematic. Further down the road, you may have to modify some pieces slightly and there may be some that you won't be able to play, but most of the time there won't be a problem. My hands are even smaller than yours and I get by just fine.

As for the other part of your question, I think I should leave it to some of the more knowledgeable pianists/teachers on the forum to answer fully. Personally, I think that anyone can teach themself something if they really put their mind to it. But I also think that with piano, it can be very easy to fall into bad habits if you don't have someone to check your progress. But like I said, I'm not the best authority on this.

[wrongnotes]

It really depends on what kind of music you wanna be able to play eventually.

You can learn on your own. There shouldn't be a problem with that. But you need to know that when you're sorta "making progress" you're both learning right things and wrong things at the same time. This shouldn't be a problem if the eventual goal music you have in mind isn't that hard, or doesn't require extremely efficient technique.

If you can't afford a teacher a good (free) way is to find good musician/pianists friends that could casually advice you. (but do it in such a way that you're not taking advantage of others yea?). And be receptive of feedback. It's not going to be as good as weekly formal lessons but it doesn't save you a lot of time from doing the obviously wrong stuff and not knowing it.

I think starting out with a keyboard is fine. But get weighted keys. Then again, it depends on what your final goal is. Hand size shouldn't be a worry at this point.

[outin]

would it be impossible for me to learn it on my own?

It's possible to certain level. But it's highly unlikely that you will be able to uncover the secrets of really good technique and beautiful playing without a good one. Just try and if you really get into it, you can reconsider getting a teacher, it's an investment well worth it if one gets serious about learning to play. Just remember, when you learn on your own, if you feel you need to use extra force or tension to get through something or even get pains or other unpleasant symptoms from playing, you're doing something wrong and it's best to stop and move to easier repertoire.
 

However, if it is possible to learn it on your own I have a second issue: My hands are pretty small, with the distance from the tip of my pinky to the tip of my thumb being ~ 8 inches. Would this be too much of a limiting factor?

Your span is still bigger than mine and it's likely to increase a bit when you progress. So no, this would only be a problem with certain repertoire, where I doubt you'll be able to compensate for the lack of span properly without tips from a good teacher. If you won't get a teacher, my advice is to not attempt to play things that are written  for bigger hands.

[stevensk]

You can learn playing piano on your own. Pay attention to use right fingerings!!

-Several world class pianists have smaller hands than you

[bronnestam]

What you need in order to study piano on your own is a good combination of self confidence and humbleness.

You got to believe that you can become a real good piano player, and you also must know that you are never too good to listen to good advice and constructive critizism. I have met far too many people with the attitude of "I want to do this my way, I am so very good, I learn so very fast, I don't have to listen to you". Such people are impossible to teach! And that is one of the major pitfalls with self studies, I think. You are so used to listen to yourself only, that you cannot accept what other people tell you.

I started playing piano again, after decades in hibernation, about 4 years ago. Nearly 2 years ago I found a teacher! Thrilling! We have fun together and I love my lessons, but I must admit that I also found it a bit difficult at first to be a STUDENT, not a pianist, when I went to her lessons.   

If you are to do self studies I recommend that you record yourself often and evaluate your playing with a very critical ear. If you follow a reliable self study course (which is recommended in this case) you must follow the lessons strictly even if you sometimes do not see the point ...

Sooner or later you will need a real life teacher, though. Self study courses are good for learning the basics but when you become more advanced you will need a real person who can give you feedback. But by then I'm sure you will know what you need without asking anyone here.

Oh, but when you have passed the basics (learning to find the keys and sight read play through elementary pieces etcetera) there are some terrific resources on the net which I always love to recommend:

https://www.practisingthepiano.com/
https://vimeo.com/user29797356/videos
https://pianofundamentals.com/

[stoat_king]

^
https://pianofundamentals.com/

Ive just been reading this. Fascinating.
I would have guessed that some of the ideas presented here were rather controversial.
Food for thought.

[bronnestam]

^
https://pianofundamentals.com/

Ive just been reading this. Fascinating.
I would have guessed that some of the ideas presented here were rather controversial.
Food for thought.

Yes, I am forever grateful that I found that resource. I was taught in the good ol'fashioned way back in the 70's and 80's, Hanon and scales and "hard work" yada yada, and that did not work for me ... in the meaning that I found it hard and boring and dropped every idea of becoming a professional etcetera. When I made my rebound I found Chung rather early in the project, read and applied this approach, and to my delight it was SO much more fun to practice than before! My "new" piano career is very different from my old one!
Later on I also found Graham Fitch's teachings and I was even more delighted. I tried the suggested methods and found that they worked very well. Progress came fast and so it all took off to heights I had never dared to dream about before.

So I recommend these mentioned resources because I have tried them. They work!

[stoat_king]

I'm afraid I worded my last post here rather badly.
Rereading what I wrote, it makes me sound critical of https://pianofundamentals.com/
That wasn't my intention at all - in fact I found it very encouraging - the author recommends a number of things that I already do.
So my maybe methods of practice aren't as crazy as I thought!

His use of maths to prove some of his points is a little unorthodox but I think I can forgive that

Am very tempted to get those Graham Fitch books - Ive watched a few of his videos and was impressed.

Anyway thanks for the tips. I have already found those references useful.

[bronnestam]

You did not seem to be critical. 

I bought Fitch's books, Part 1-2, and the only reason I have not bought the remaining two (yet) is that I still want to work with the material in 1-2. They are packed with good stuff that takes time to digest ... but I find them excellent nevertheless and I read and re-read them constantly. The books are not expensive at all, and he is generously giving advice for free in his blog as well.

I agree that Chung may be a bit controversial here and there, but I would never read anything anyway without a "critical eye" so I just happily ignore the parts that I don't agree with. His approach is refreshing and encouraging, IMO. However, Fitch is a seasoned professional both as a concert pianist and as a teacher; Chung is not. (And that is why I find them both useful!)
Tengstrand (with the Vimeo videos) is a friend of mine and also a professional who has played all over the world during the last 25 years, and I find his technique outstandingly good. I think I can find his playing in a blind test by now, because of its clarity. So I'm definitely all ears when he shares some tips&tricks.