Importance of the teacher

[chopinisque]

Hello... erm... simply put, what is the importance of a teacher... especially a good teacher?  Can you become a professional pianist or at least play that well without a teacher (or is talent all that matters)?  Is it better to learn without a teacher, with a teacher whose methods you disagree with and feel aren't helping you or is it prefable to find a new teacher?  Especially if finding a good teacher where you live is terribly hard.

While we're at it, does the type of piano you practice on make that big a difference (retard your learning process significantly or something similar)?  For example, would practicing on an acoustic instead of a digital piano speed up learning or increase your skills noticeably?

These two questions have been nagging me for months and I'm hoping that they can be put to rest some time soon.  Advice will be terribly appreciated... especially since it'll probably add years to my lifespan lost to worry.

Thanks. 

[DarkWind]

The importance of a piano teacher is high. The largest reason, in my opinion, is that they can see what you are doing. For example, if you are watching a baseball game and  you see an error, you can easily just yell and point it out. However, the players don't know what is going on exactly. Same with piano. Teachers easily notice that you might be putting too much stress on one part, you are playing this part too fast, etc. but you will never notice.

[willcowskitz]

While we're at it, does the type of piano you practice on make that big a difference (retard your learning process significantly or something similar)?  For example, would practicing on an acoustic instead of a digital piano speed up learning or increase your skills noticeably?

Of course the instrument makes a difference. The best way to kill someone's hobby is to provide him with crappy tools. Personally I think digitals still don't compare to acoustics, but practicing and playing on a good digital shouldn't harm your learning process, its just that you might find playing on an acoustic a lot more interesting, enjoyable and expressive, thus helping you maintain your inspiration for the instrument and creating music.

[Daniel_piano]

Same with piano. Teachers easily notice that you might be putting too much stress on one part, you are playing this part too fast, etc. but you will never notice.

Providing that they now what they seeing are errors, mistakes
90% fo all teachers don't know anything about proper playing and proper movement to avoid injuries, so having them as teachers is as goog as being self-taught

Daniel