How Hard Is It To Learn Piano?

The topic of this article will help you determine if you can learn to play the piano easily in short period of time.

Reasons to Learn to Play the Piano

• Your guests and friends will be entertained by your talent. If you have other musically inclined family and friends, you will bond with them easier.
• Your grandchildren will think it is great! Let’s face it – kids like music! Learning to play the piano lets you share your talent and love for music with kids in your family – grandchildren, nieces, nephews, even your friends’ children. They will all enjoy the music – and think you’re the best too!
• Music is very therapeutic and can get you through the hard times. Some people describe playing the piano and other music as a natural remedy for the blues. Not only can piano playing get you through some hard times, it allows you to release your inner feelings and express yourself.
• The piano offers you the ability to play wide variety of music. If deciding on which instrument to learn, the piano is probably a good idea. You will learn to read and play notes easily and can play almost any type music you desire.
• When you play the piano, your old favorite songs will become new again. People who enjoy listening to music will also enjoy learning how to play the piano. Once they become adept at music essential, you can perform your favorite pieces in your own musical concert.

Determine Your Approach

Is playing the piano something you have wanted to learn to do for quite some time? Everyone seems to have a different motivation for learning. One person’s reason for learning to play piano varies greatly from another person.

Generally, aspiring pianists fall into one of two categories. Which of the following categories describes you the best?

Category A

• I enjoy singing and hope to learn to play the piano while I sing.
• I want to be able to practice and enjoy music with my musically inclined friends.
• I already have the ability to play a tune with my right hand, but I need to learn how to play piano with my left hand as well.
• Reading sheet music is not something that I look forward to.
• A career in music is not something that I think I would enjoy. However, I think playing a few of my favorite songs would be fun.
• When I get together with my friends and family, we enjoy singing. I think it would be great to be the one who plays the piano for our sing-alongs.

Category B

• I take learning to play the piano very seriously and plan to spend many years learning more and enhancing my ability to play well.
• I hope to learn how to just go to my computer, download some sheet music, and know exactly how to play the song.
• I have such an inquisitive nature. It is hard for me to just play a note – I want to understand the reason behind each note used in making music.
• Setting goals and earning rewards motivates me. If there are piano tests or other ways to evaluate my skills, I would definitely be interested.

Which category seems more like you? Did you agree with more ideas in Category A or was Category B more like the way you feel?

When you know which category seems more like you, identifying the way to learn how to play the piano. You want to select an approach that will bring you the most personal satisfaction.

Let’s take a deeper look at the two categories.

Chord Approach – Category A

If the statements under Category A seemed more like you, then using the chord approach for leaning to play the piano will be more pleasing to you. Since you will enjoy learning in this way, you will probably learn at a faster rate as well. A few of my friends learned to play the piano using the chord approach. Now they are some real entertainers!

The chord method of learning will not equip with an entire library of music theory. You won’t be an expert at reading sheet music nor will you be prepared to take a piano exam. However, you will be able to wow your friends with a quick performance in a short period of time. You will even be able to offer to accompany a singer with this knowledge. The chord approach may be used with a 61-key digital keyboard or a full keyboard with 88 keys.

Beginning piano students who fall into Category A find themselves gradually moving into Category B. The quick learning and performing gave them just the desire to take their piano skills to another level.

Traditional Approach – Category B

While some people want to make music on the piano quickly other prefer to take it slow and make music a part of their life. They want to focus on music allowing it to develop as they recognize and appreciate each facet of music.

If you want to absorb music into your life, you would not want to start with the chord approach. You would enjoy learning from a live piano teacher or through online piano lessons. Using the traditional approach may not have you playing the piano as quickly, but you will have a very good background in music and will be able to take your talent to greater levels in the future.

Things You Must Do

The two approaches are very different and will produce very different musicians. Regardless of whether you decide to learn with the chord approach or the traditional approach, there are a few things that you must do to develop good piano skills.

The following tasks will help you develop you piano skills using either approach. These will be important to you as you learn to play the piano.

• Remember: Practice makes perfect. You have to set aside some time to practice every day. However, if 7 days a week is not possible, practice a minimum of 5 days out of 7 days. In order to get good results, practice must be regular. Spreading practice out over multiple days is a great plan. Practicing daily for 15 minutes will be more beneficial than having a one hour session on Friday evening. The idea of regular, consistent practice may not sound believable, but it is!
• Put you piano in a room where it is visible. Allow your piano to be in your sight at all time so you will notice that it is there. If you do not have the funds to purchase a new keyboard now, you can find many pianos for sale that are in great condition. These will be just fine for you to use to learn with.
• Perform for any audience that will listen. Many adults piano students fail to take the opportunity to play for other people. Some adults are self-conscious and feel that they have to have great playing skills before they perform. This is completely wrong. Never left fear keep you from sharing your talent. Take the opportunity to play anything that you can play. Perform for others! Make yourself at home on the stage!

Set Realistic Goals

Each person learns differently. Every piano student will notice that some aspects of learning to play the piano are easy while others are more difficulty.

Whether you are using the chord approach or the traditional approach, allow two month of regular practice (at least 5 days out of 7 days) before you track your progress. Allow yourself this two month period to learn the basics of playing the piano. Taking time for the basics provides a great basis for your musical future.

Is Piano Easy to Learn?

Let’s return to the question at the beginning of this discussion – how difficult is it to learn to play the piano? Also, what would be the simplest way to learn. The answers to these questions are difficult to come up with.

We must realize that most things in life that are worthwhile are not really easy. Learning a new skill or tasks is usually not easy – especially when the task involves learning to play a musical instrument.

Most things that are worthwhile take time and commitment. If you add hard work, you can become an accomplished pianist. With all the technological tools that we have available, learning to play the piano is easier than it was many years ago.

Now, there is software, online courses, and videos that make learning to play the piano easier than it has ever been. It is probably one of the best times to decide to learn to play the piano. Even the keyboards are technologically advanced. Some have lighted keys that indicate which note to play next. Some computer and tablet apps help teach valuable piano skills.

So, is learning to play the piano easy? In a word, no. No easy approach or method can be found. However, many resources make learning to play the piano easier than it has been in the past.