Hello, I am 14 and have been messing with a piano my whole life, but really started learning things at age 12. I haven't taken lessons, but I know how to read music (but not sightread) and I can play some medium difficult (in my opinion) songs, such as The Entertainer, Fur Elise, and Bohemian Rhapsody (by Queen). I have been thinking about starting lessons to learn better technique and skills, but I am afraid that it will make the piano not as enjoyable because I would be assigned to learn certain things and practice assignments and stuff like that. Do you think I should start lessons? Thanks a lot... :)

~Robin

-- Robin (robnrkr17@aol.com), January 02, 2002

Answers

I would say give it a try. It's hard sometimes, but if you stick with it it can be very rewarding. If you don't like it you can always quit. Good luck either way!

-- Andrew (superfriend2k@yahoo.com), January 02, 2002.

Robin, If you want to learn more about music, then you should make up your mind that you will have fun learning, no matter what the assignment is. Then when the time comes that you have to learn something that you don't "like," you will still be able to have fun with it.

By all means, find a good teacher. Before you begin lessons, talk with your prospective teacher to find out what you will be expected to learn. Look for a teacher who you feel will help you. Some teachers appear very stern and demanding, but still give you the feeling that he or she will be a good person to guide you. Ideally, a teacher is somebody who helps you become as good as you can be. This process doesn't have to be painful or boring, but it definitely involves work.

Sooner or later you will learn scales and arpeggios and harmony and sightreading and how to make your own exercises out of the difficult parts of pieces. And believe me, there will be things that you need to learn that at the time you won't "like." You need to be prepared to do the best you can so that you can become musically educated.

On the other hand, if you only want to have fun then don't waste your time or the teacher's time by taking lessons. You won't learn as much, but maybe having fun is more important to you than learning.

Good luck.

-- Alan (Noname_Poster@yahoo.com), January 02, 2002.

Robin,

If you love playing piano, it can be really fun to have someone coach you. You should find a teacher whom you like, respect, and want to please. If you can play as you stated without the benefit of a teacher, you may be very talented and could really do great with lessons.

Everything we do has aspects that we like better than others. But those other things help us achieve the desired goal so they are part of the FUN!!!

Carefully select a teacher who cares about her students' goals for themselves as well as her goals for them. And good luck!

Flo Arnold

-- Flo Arnold (flo@pianimals.com), January 02, 2002.

Okay, thanks everyone! You all helped me out, I'm gonna look for a teacher. I think it will be a big help. :)

-- Robin (robnrkr17@aol.com), January 03, 2002.

Good Luck Robin,

I do not think you will ever regret taking lessons and being very serious and disciplined about it.

Life is too short to waste, and even though some days will seem like a chore to get through the pracicing, life generally will be less of a chore when you can play beautifully and have wonderful trained hands that will do what you want and you can pour your feelings into your music.

I think it wil help you meet wonderful people also.

My mother was a pianist and she loved her Russian teacher and feels that Russian people are very thorough, demanding and exacting but with marvellous results.

I am in my mid fifties and wish I had taken piano all my life, especially at your age when learning something that you feel you would really like is the best thing you can do, and you do not have all the other things to do like raising children or earning money which take up your time.

I hope the challenge of it all is exciting to you and that you have a marvellous teacher.

Christine Smigel

-- Christine Smigel (csmigel@nehalemtel.net), May 24, 2002.

Can a trumpet player weigh in here too? I have played trumpet off and on for about thirty years. During that time I studied conservatory trumpet for about five years. I was never particularly committed to it though. You see, I love jazz and blues - not classical. As a teen, I saw no use in learning anything that I deemed "classical". Now, many years later, I find myself pulling out my etude books learning what I should have learned so many years ago. The technical training you can get from a solid, classical teacher is tremendous, and will serve you so well in the future no matter what style of music you play. Imagine my suprise at my first blues jam session when the gutar player said "this is a shuffle in E". Had I payed attention to my teacher I would have known! I could read anything, but most of the popular bands don't have sheet music, they play by knowing the key of the song and by ear. So what did I do? I spent months with a book of scales learning everyone frontwards and backwards. I played arpegios time and time again. Now tell me the key, and I can tell you exactly the scales for the one, four and five. My point is this, first find a good teacher. One who can give you a little insight into why you are learning what you are. Second make sure the teacher is providing you with good technical training. And finally master everything that the your teacher shows you. No matter what style you like, there is something significant to be learned from any style of music. You may not understand at first what that something is, but believe me, there is something you will get from it. Good luck!

-- Brad (egotripblues@aol.com), December 01, 2002.

Of course you should give them a try! Do not worry about not liking the piano just because you will be assign stuff you are not familiarized with., Rememeber that in order to be good you require discipline and sacrifice., I would definitely encourage you to give them a try. Just keep in mind that music is a whole new language,.,,,and i will require work from you.

-- gabriela fernandez (glf7102@mwsc.edu), April 20, 2003.