Recently, I’ve been considering taking lessons to learn how to play the piano. By way of background, I played the clarinet in high school so I at least *used *to know how to basically read music. However, that was about eight years ago - odds are I would remember nothing.
My question is: what am I in for? Most people I know who play the piano started when they were fairly young (some as early as 4 or 5). Some have likened it to learning a foreign language - if you learn it very young it comes much easier than trying to pick it up later in life.
So tell me your experiences with learning a musical instrument later in your life. (Piano would be preferred, but all are welcome!) How much practice did it take you to become proficient? Did you even make it to proficient? Did you try to learn on your own or take professional lessons? And of course, do you still play today?
First off, I can read Clarinet music easily. I cannot read piano music very well. Spreading the information to two staves that are often written as if they are completely independent of one another is always my downfall. I have to do a ton of work to read, and usually what I make up will sound better.
Anyways, most of the people I know who learn to play piano in their later years don’t bother with learning to read piano music. They go with a chordal method. Such a method returns very quick recognizable results, while the more classical method often takes a while before anything truly recognizable is possible. And adults are more likely to feel pressed for time.
Heck, even the books I have that teach classical piano to adults do so by teaching chord structures–they just do so while trying to teach you to read at the same time. In fact, I like the method so much that I tend to use it for beginning students.
I started in 2003. I could already read music well, both bass and treble clefs; I’m a professional singer and I also teach guitar. I’ve progressed from Grade 6 repertoire to working on Grade 9 repertoire. (Quick link to the Royal Conservatory of Music Bookstore site for piano; look for the “Celebration Series Perspectives” for repertoire and studies. The Syllabus, published separately and not available online, gives a guide to the various pieces ‘rated’ at each grade level. You can also search for the “popular selection list”, which has some good jazz transcriptions, if that interests you.)
There have been times when it has been a slog - it is hard to find that daily hour to practice. Two big things that are different for adult beginners - 1) We grow impatient with our progress in a way that doesn’t happen with children and 2) we have developed our musical tastes and so we have less tolerance for music that doesn’t inspire us.
In other words, the hardest thing with grown-ups is getting them to take it one step at a time. “I don’t want to play this Clementi sonatina; I want to play the Chopin Ballade in g minor!” Patience, young Jedi. The trick is to keep playing music that is beyond your grasp but within your reach.
A teacher is an excellent idea; accept no substitutes.
Believe it or not, after sixth months I can barely play a few very short songs.
But my skills are very good…for what I can do. Learning music is incredibly difficult for an adult. I’m learning sight reading and technique at the same time.
Sight reading is what I was afraid of doing. Yeah, I’m also learning how to bang out chords, as if I were treating the piano like a guitar. But I don’t practice that very much. I want to learn sight reading.
It’s amazing to me how reading the notes and playing actually works. It’s soooo hard to explain. But when I’m first learning my songs, I have to follow along with the sheet music. And yet…I don’t know what notes I’m playing. Oh, I do at first…but as I start to memorize the piece, I do this weird combination of combining my memory of where my hands go and my memory of what is supposed to come next.
And I can’t believe that my right and left hands each do something different…and at different time intervals.
Can you do it? Yes. Is it too late? Oh, I’d say it’s too late once you reach age 110. After that, it’s probably too difficult.
A great teacher can make all the difference, btw. My teacher is awesome.