Best online lessons for adult to learn?

[dchilders85]

Hi all,

By way of background I played Euphonium from 4th grade through my last year of college, but it has been 15 years since and I have greatly missed having music in my life. It is unfortunately not an instrument that I can just casually play for enjoyment (although some people can).

I decided I would like to pick up piano, but with a young toddler at home and another baby on the way, I do not have the available schedule to get professional lessons in town - so lessons/practice have to be on my own schedule as time permits. Most likely by waking up an hour early in the mornings.

Right now I am subscribed to flow key, and have gone through most of the beginner lessons. I'm starting to get better with reading the grand staff (I always read bass cleff growing up), understanding chords and chord inversions - and now I think I really just need some good exercises to work on building muscle memory for the chords and to practice techniques while I continue to hammer down the basics and while I continue to work on getting my left hand to work independently of my right hand.

I don't really see a good set of exercises on flow key, like you might find in an instructional or techniques book. I'm looking for something available online, especially while I am deployed. Are there any good sites you would recommend? One thing I do like about flow key is I can plug my laptop into it while I go through the lessons, and it can detect when I'm hitting the wrong keys.

I appreciate any insight or guidance you have to offer.

[lostinidlewonder]

I'm over all the old lesson tech, looking forward to see PianoVision on the Meta store be released for Augmented Reality lessons. Quest 3 headset looks super good.

https://www.pianovision.com/

[keypeg]

I'm over all the old lesson tech, looking forward to see PianoVision on the Meta store be released for Augmented Reality lessons. Quest 3 headset looks super good.
[link omitted]

Either this is a joke, or lostinidlewonder's account has been hacked.

[brogers70]

Either this is a joke, or lostinidlewonder's account has been hacked.

That was my reaction, too.

[lostinidlewonder]

Why should we not embrace different technologies? We should certainly look outside of our comfortable box and if unwilling at least have some foresight as to how it would benefit others.

I've actually personally seen a good number of beginners do extremely well with PianoVision (an early version of it was free on the App Lab for over a year). One autistic student I teach learns with these falling notes at a very high level learning pieces like Liszt HR 2 in a week. That's pretty impressive.

There is traditional sheet music, fingering, sections, learning engines, memory assistance etc. So critique for it is unfounded for. Additionally, for under $10 it's ridiculously cheap compared to other programs out there.

[keypeg]

One autistic student I teach learns with these falling notes at a very high level learning pieces like Liszt HR 2 in a week.

In this sentence there is "I teach".  The student is studying with you, and not just depending on an app, which I thought you were promoting.

[lostinidlewonder]

I think you have missed the point, the student can learn pieces entirely on his own using the falling notes system, what input can I actually put in there as a teacher when he is learning that way? I can only improve what he has afterwards. He cannot read sheet music effectively and refuses to do so, there are certainly many ways to approach music and are we as teachers to stifle that creative option?

Also many people CANNOT afford a teacher (whether it be cash or time issues), so they rely on self learning options. PianoVision for instance takes away the need for having to read sheet music and allows users to experience music making immediately. They can learn to speak musical language before they read it. Once they have experience coordinating themselves at the piano this then provides a much better platform to understand music notation.

[ego0720]

Either this is a joke, or lostinidlewonder's account has been hacked.

Actually lostinidlewonder (liw) has demonstrated he is all about evolving with times and it is not uncharacteristic for him to recommend the app. I would not be surprised if his answers change next year as he discovers new tools and other tech to assist with piano. And I know that lostinidlewonder is all about a person to reach their potential with or without him using whatever is out there. Giving someone a fish to eat vs teaching a man how to fish… liw has figured out to adapt his career with technology to survive while also getting ppl to be their best.

Anyways back to OP. I’m walking your path too. I happen to use the popular SimplyPiano. My kid likes the popular songs on there. I’m not sure if pianovision requires the goggles which would not be suitable to anyone less than 13 years old. Other than SimplyPiano I considered yousician. I think the choice u pick is inconsequential because their purpose is different. Technique or rhythm is something not engaging enough to sustain their targeted audience.  They have a modicum of content that do address it but not their priority to get ppl to master or even be good at it as it may hinder the momentum of a beginner just figuring things out. They are great supportive tools to bring in new population into the piano universe. U just go with the app that makes your child want to do it. That’s the right answer. For the other musical concepts it’s gonna be part of the journey to figure it out (on your own or with a teacher). In general, most kids aren’t ready until 8-9 years old. The phase until they are 9ish it’s just exposure and fun. So one can play anything they want, have the kid learn some stuff.. and then maximize gains when the child is primed and has the “material” -ie the programmable muscles and mental maturity- to sit with a teacher.

In another post, someone posted a book for the DIY. I bought it but still evaluating it. It’s independent so not a big time source. “GOING SOLO: Piano Lessons for the Autodidact” Gregory Harris.

Update: just realized he’s doing it for himself not his kid. The book should be a good single source reference for self study.

[lostinidlewonder]

Actually lostinidlewonder (liw) has demonstrated he is all about evolving with times and it is not uncharacteristic for him to recommend the app. I would not be surprised if his answers change next year as he discovers new tools and other tech to assist with piano. And I know that lostinidlewonder is all about a person to reach their potential with or without him using whatever is out there. Giving someone a fish to eat vs teaching a man how to fish… liw has figured out to adapt his career with technology to survive while also getting ppl to be their best.

Thanks ego I think you have described my position well.

Piano education has a lot of space to move forward and solve problems with innovative solutions. I really do like seeing technology break through learning barriers. Surely with AR (Augmented reality) in this case and even things such as AI (Artifical Intelligence), we will be seeing accelerated innovation like never before.

[lostinidlewonder]

I’m not sure if pianovision requires the goggles which would not be suitable to anyone less than 13 years old.

I think more studies are coming out saying that it is ok for younger eyes, and with the headsets becoming lighter there is less risk of any neck injuries too. I tested the new Meta Quest 3 headsets a couple months ago (they won't be available to public until the 10th October this year) and they feel lighter and the eye strain problems has improved. It it is important to be wary of eye strain though and take breaks which can easily be forgotten about when you're having fun!

PianoVision does require the headset since it is a Mixed Reality app.

[ego0720]

Piano education has a lot of space to move forward and solve problems with innovative solutions. I really do like seeing technology break through learning barriers. Surely with AR (Augmented reality) in this case and even things such as AI (Artifical Intelligence), we will be seeing accelerated innovation like never before.

Digressing. Personally I'm on the fence with technology.  It can facilitate education and has a lot of room to streamline that process -that I agree strongly-.  But it also raises a lot of questions I never thought of.  It has had as equal -if not greater- of an impact as my return to the piano (after a long time living & existing as a left-brained thinker, using the right-brain was a wholesome experience to say the least). I don't mean about the technology itself just more to the philosophical existence of humans and meaning.

[lostinidlewonder]

The Industrial revolution uprooted agricultural work which many had relied on for generations upon generations for employment. The Information age has progressively made changes in our world too and I really feel that AI is going to accelerate it in quite a profound way, good and bad I'm sure! What use is there for humans if the tools we create surpass us ourselves??

But turning back to a positive vibe, with apps like PianoVision that I mentioned, I have seen people who would never feel like learning the piano actually enjoy it. That to me is quite profound. If we can make education more tasteful and accessible for those who resist it that must be something rather special. As a teacher I'm always looking for ways to excite students to learn and some are really tough nuts to crack in that department!

[ego0720]

...AI is going to accelerate it in quite a profound way, good and bad I'm sure! What use is there for humans if the tools we create surpass us ourselves??
...

That was one of the many questions I ponder.  Whats to follow is some rambles as I couldn't find much on the topic of meaning in music on this forum (earliest was 2004). Source "Meaning of Life": https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=4471.msg43046#msg43046.

Another question is the meaning of music in the spectrum of the human experience.  Are such experiences, defined by such parameters, meaningful only within the system they exist? Are such experience transcendental across multiple scenarios? Does music -as a tool- offer any superior access over our emotions than other studies or venues? Do feelings that are expressed matter as to the source they come from and does that validate or nullify the genuineness or superficiality in a gradient fashion? Does there exist a collective consciousness that certain individuals share and contribute therein that gets activated to make them more excited than others? Does this collective experience continue to exist regardless of time and/or above a person (again, why some tap into it more). If AI can do it better (creation, performance thereof) why are we, human beings, supposedly better equipped to experience the conscious reception of its output? Or are we arrogant as to presume so? Can the AI be a conscious receptacle of the music effect because how else does it figure out (will figure out) what we thought only humans could do? AI is going to change the evolutionary pool where those who use it effectively can accelerate their pathway. Will AI be limited only as tools for us to enhance ourselves? Or will it supersede us and trivialize our significance to music when it figures out music?  Today we scoff.  I'm not so sure in a decade or two when we find out. I suppose I would not too surprised given that AI has beaten chess players and poker players.  It also learned to take exams in schools.  So how would music be different. Complicated yes.  It will eventually get there. There exists a robot maestro conducting an orchestra and a piano-playing robot that watches people and determines what songs to play based on reactions (yes it has eyes or some sort of sensor).  Nothing seems inconceivable at this point. So I go back to the nature of humans and why we are here.

I apologize in advance if it hits some sensitive spots on anyone.  Its my free writing and random thoughts.  I have no religious affiliation nor any when I grew up.  These are questions that constantly hit me whenever I am on the piano and encourage me to play when I play. I know these are questions without answers but I keep finding new meaning each time I play the instrument.  These thoughts fuel me to play at the present moment. Thinking about these topics also challenge why I like the piano and a lot of times its a back and forth thing from love-hate and to the point of it all.