Learning Piano For Free?

[Elaine]

Hi all, I'm not sure if this should be here or in Ask a Mustachian- but maybe you will have some ideas. I really want to learn to play the piano. I really don't want to pay for lessons. Tell me that there's some awesome coursera type thing for instruments- has anyone used one?

[GuitarStv]

Just get a book.

I don't know, maybe it's because of my guitar background (it's pretty common to be self taught on guitar) . . . but all you really need to learn to play an instrument is determination.  And the instrument.

Pick some near term goals (learning a simple melody and to play basic major/minor chords along with a recording).  Pick some medium term goals (maybe learning a whole pop arrangement note for note)  Pick some long term goals (learning to improvise, learning to sight read).  The number one reason people give up is that it stops being fun . . . so just make sure to do little checks along the way that you're still enjoying what you're doing.  If you're not, you need to find a different approach.

[TinyLightsBelow]

Yeah, get a book and watch some videos on youtube, too. One thing that's really important that can be neglected if you teach yourself is proper form - i.e. holding your hands in such a way that it doesn't really become a nuisance when you're moving onto more advanced songs - and also knowing how to effectively practice. That's where the videos would be really important, as they can show you what it's supposed to look like and probably outline some good techniques for practicing.

You can also get very cheap lessons at community colleges - an hour a week for 15 weeks for something like $150.

[Zora]

Seconding the suggestion to watch videos.  You also might look to see whether you could find a teacher to meet with a la carte, say on a monthly basis rather than weekly.  If you have bad form it is better to have someone tell you and nip it in the bud, rather than develop bad habits.  Also, even infrequent lessons will give you an incentive to practice and reach milestones.

[TinyLightsBelow]

Agreed. I learned with lessons, and when I stopped going because they were quite expensive, I fell off the bandwagon. Depends on how interested you are in piano, I think.

[_JT]

There are tons of great learning series on youtube.

[Elaine]

Yes, the community college idea is one I had not thought of. I specifically do not want to teach myself from a book because of the technique issue, I don't want to give myself bad habits that will bite me later. I'll definitely peruse youtube and check out community schools, thanks.

[KingCoin]

I started learning as an adult about 1.5 years ago.

This guy does a decent series (though he's fairly annoying):
http://www.youtube.com/user/Lypur

This woman has posted an enormous number of pieces played in slow motion, perfect for learning how to finger a new piece:
http://www.youtube.com/user/bbdhrggl

I used the "Learn and Master Piano" video series which is fairly good if you can find a cheap or borrowable copy. Though, by the time you're done, you'll be nowhere near mastery.

I thought "How to Play Piano Despite Years of Lessons" provided a pretty good background on theory, though it gets fairly complicated fairly quickly.

Free book on piano practice methods: http://www.pianofundamentals.com/book

Do you have a piano yet? If not, I'd strongly suggest a digital piano (with fully weighted keys) over an acoustic piano.

I think you'll find it advantageous to take occasional lessons, even if only once a month. While the resources are there for you to do it for free, playing piano is difficult and takes a lot of tedious practice. It's easy to summon a burst of enthusiasm for a few months, but having a third party monitor your progress and compel you forward is pretty crucial. If you're a huge self-starter, you may be able to muster commitment for the duration, but I find that to be the exception rather than the rule. It's going to take a minimum of 2-3 years before you get comfortable and fluent and the board (though you'll be playing nice pieces much earlier than that). It's all too easy to get distracted by other priorities and drop it.

[ritchie70]

I learned piano as a child but haven't played in years.

My opinion is that you can learn from a book or a video, but you'd be better to learn from a teacher. Someone who can give you actual experienced feedback on what you're doing right and wrong, how to hold your hands, what finger to use when, etc.

It's like the difference between learning to type and hunt-and-pecking. I learned touch-typing in high school. My wife hunts and pecks, but we both type at about the same speed. I'm less tired, more accurate, and it doesn't matter to me that the "L" wore off the keyboard. It's bugging her terribly.

[KingCoin]

My opinion is that you can learn from a book or a video, but you'd be better to learn from a teacher. Someone who can give you actual experienced feedback on what you're doing right and wrong, how to hold your hands, what finger to use when, etc.

Even more important than hand and finger positioning is voicing. Amateurs will often make mistakes like playing more strongly with dominant fingers than non-dominant ones and pacing the piece incorrectly which makes their playing sound uneven and "off". It can be amazingly difficult to hear your own mistakes. It's also useful to have a teacher explain the theory behind what you're playing, rather than making piano playing purely a matter of muscle memory.

It's probably worthwhile to learn as much as you can about things like reading music and chord structure on your own. You don't want to waste a lot of time with a teacher on matters that are more or less wrote memorization.

But again, I think the most important reason to have a teacher is to keep you moving forward. It's very hard to keep it up on your own. Do you have a skill you can swap lessons for? E.g. I teach you Spanish, you teach me piano?

[aglassman]

Buy an adult beginner book.  Buy a metronome (this is a MUST).  Practice.   You could also do one lesson a month to keep you motivated, and get some professional advice.

[KingCoin]

Buy an adult beginner book.  Buy a metronome (this is a MUST).  Practice.   You could also do one lesson a month to keep you motivated, and get some professional advice.

Adult beginner books aren't horrible as they nicely scale difficulty, but they usually focus on a lot of uninteresting classical exercises from the 18th century. Unless that's what you're interested in playing, this is a great way to crush your enthusiasm for playing.

Metronomes are good to see if your pacing is right, but scaling your speed to a metronome generally leads to poor playing. If you buy a digital piano, there will be one built in. There's also plenty of free ones online if you're playing near a computer or can use a smartphone.

Yes, there's no substitute for a ton of often painful practice despite what some "learn piano in 10hrs" online ad tells you.

[Russ]

all you really need to learn to play an instrument is determination.  And the instrument.

QFT

Just start, and you'll figure out what you need to do as you go along. Want to read sheet music? well, you're gonna need sheet music, and something or somebody to tell you how it works. Want to play along to the radio? Go play along to the radio, and when you have questions about what you're doing maybe ask the internet or find a relevant book. Want to learn the tune to a particular song? well, you could go either the sheet music route, or the plink-along-to-the-tune route, whichever sounds more fun. Want to write your own stuff? maybe add some music theory.

everybody learns a different way, and nobody on the internet can tell you what will get you pumped about it.

No matter what you do, if you don't have someone else to give you constructive feedback, I'd recommend recording yourself to play back later. You sound a whole lot different to yourself when you aren't playing, and it will help you figure out what you want to improve. Only if you want to though of course.

[bobsmiley]

I am a piano teacher about 15 hours a week, and have a bachelors degree in piano pedagogy. Teaching yourself is an awesome experience that you can learn a lot from. Eventually you will hit a wall and to get better will need a mentor to guide you through that.

You also don't want to hurt yourself. Tendinitis is very common with pianists that are self taught because they aren't using proper technique. Technique is refined to the individual which is why so many recommend a piano teacher. If you are experiencing pain in your forearm as you play, you are playing wrong. Heck, if you feel pain anywhere as you play you're playing wrong.

I hope this helps you out, you may want to consider getting a teacher for a few months here and there for spot lessons.

As a rule of thumb, don't buy a keyboard for under $500. They skimp on corners that will destroy your technique that the $500 - $1000 range does not.

Hope this helps!

[Elaine]

I am a piano teacher about 15 hours a week, and have a bachelors degree in piano pedagogy. Teaching yourself is an awesome experience that you can learn a lot from. Eventually you will hit a wall and to get better will need a mentor to guide you through that.

You also don't want to hurt yourself. Tendinitis is very common with pianists that are self taught because they aren't using proper technique. Technique is refined to the individual which is why so many recommend a piano teacher. If you are experiencing pain in your forearm as you play, you are playing wrong. Heck, if you feel pain anywhere as you play you're playing wrong.

I hope this helps you out, you may want to consider getting a teacher for a few months here and there for spot lessons.

As a rule of thumb, don't buy a keyboard for under $500. They skimp on corners that will destroy your technique that the $500 - $1000 range does not.

Wow thanks, I hadn't even considered the keyboard type yet. I think that doing spot type classes is a great compromise. I'm a classically trained ballet dancer and so I'm the personality type that definitely wants to do things the "right" way. Once you get to upper levels (I'm sure piano is the same), it's really obvious the people who don't have technique. Thanks to everyone for the feedback, you all make this forum awesome!
Hope this helps!

[dantownehall]

As a Mustachian side note, there are generally at least two or three free pianos on craigslist even in my not-especially-overly-well-populated area at any one time.

I got one last week, and all I had to do was pick it up.  It did take 5 people and a pickup truck, but it's doable.  I would look for an older, solid wood piano.  If it's too heavy, there are generally a few pretty good sized panels you can remove with a screwdriver to lighten it up a bit.  You will probably need to get it tuned once you move it, but considering the piano was free it's still pretty nice.

I think a real instrument always sounds better (at least for piano music) than any sort of digital keyboard no matter how expensive, and is more responsive to varying degrees of force.

[GuitarStv]

You'll probably need to have any new piano tuned if you're planning on playing with it.  Playing with an out of tune instrument is not good for someone . . . ESPECIALLY if you're learning.

[soczab]

Ill second what most others said.  ultimately like most things in life, I think its just the time you put into it.  Different people will learn differently (book? video? friend?) and you'll probably figure out what works best for you.  But the biggest key is just to put in the time to practice and work at it every day and keep pushing yourself.

[decibelle]

Nothing beats someone guiding you on the spot.  I'm a piano and voice teacher.  I think, at some point you should see a teacher.  My adult students typically do lessons every two weeks or once a month.  Before your first lesson, give the Alfred Basic Adult Piano Course book a try and see how far you can go.  I agree with the previous post about getting a full size keyboard with weighted and graded keys.  Look up the Yamaha P60 or the newer model on Craigslist.  Do you have a dream piece you'd like to be able to play someday? :)

[GuitarStv]

If you don't have a dream piece can I recommend 'Bloody Well Right' by Supertramp?  Sweet frigging keyboard tune . . .

[Elaine]

Gymnopedie No.1 by Erik Satie is probably my first goal piece.

[EK]

Gymnopedie No.1 by Erik Satie is probably my first goal piece.

A wonderful piece of music!  And not too difficult either.

I would suggest looking on Craigslist for a full size weighted keyboard.  A cheaper keyboard will do you no favors and may cause problems for you long term if you stick with it.  You will develop a lot of bad habits and cause yourself a lot of frustration.

 If you do stick with it, you will almost certainly want an acoustic piano one day, but until you know you're committed the extra expense of tuning and maintaining an acoustic is probably something you can avoid.

Really, really consider getting a teacher.  At least a few lessons to get you started and make sure you're doing things in a way that is not going to cause injury!!