Have you considered teaching yourself how to play the piano?
Many people share the common belief, (including piano teachers), that it is not possible to teach yourself how to play the piano without developing bad habits. That belief might have been true years ago, but today there are piano methods that have been written specifically for those who want to learn piano from the comfort of their own home, on their own time schedule and without having to commit to a weekly private piano lesson.
Online piano programs are gaining popularity and starting to be a preferred way to learn piano, especially for adults.
The Most Common Concern About Teaching Yourself
The most common concern about teaching yourself piano is to know when you are ready to “pass an assignment” and move to the next lesson. There is a common fear of either moving forward too fast without learning your assignments thoroughly, or there is a fear of spending too much time on an assignment, trying to achieve perfection.
Here is a simple guideline to help you be your own teacher:
You are ready to “pass” an assignment when…
1. …the “concentration level” of learning a new concept or a new song is “lower” than when you started. During the first few attempts of learning a new song, your concentration level is very high. This is where you are focusing on notes, fingers and counting. This is the period of time when you can’t hear the song because you are concentrating very hard.
2. …the lower concentration level allows you to actually hear yourself play and you should “feel” progress. To feel progress is to notice that your finger muscles have relaxed a little, you are playing the song with less effort than in the beginning, you should be comfortable with correct fingering with little or no thought, and your rhythm should be much smoother.
3. …you can play through the song at least 3 times without making more than 1 mistake. You do not want to frustrate yourself with expecting perfection. Playing flawlessly takes time, so be confident that over time, you will be able to play more fluently.
Teaching yourself piano can be a joy with the right curriculum, and access to an online teacher who will answer your questions quickly.
For more information about learning piano, please visit:
http://www.learnpianoonline.com/welcome.html
One Response
Lisa,
Your explanation of why so few songs makes perfect sense. On that note (he he!), do you have a suggestion of a website that offers sheet music for us beginners, and pieces we might hope to work on with our newly acquired skills?