Learning how to play a new instrument as an adult can be immensely rewarding, however, unlike learning as a child it has certain challenges to overcome.
So if you are wondering whether it is possible to learn to play piano as an adult, the short answer is yes. Keep reading for all the best ways to go about achieving this.
Of course, like anything else in life, your success will depend on the effort you put in, as well as whether you choose to work with a private piano tutor, or not. In addition, if you are learning piano as an adult, you could supplement your practice with resources like ‘Piano Book for Adult Beginners by Damon Ferrante.
Children often learn to play piano during the course of their primary school education, however, adult piano lessons are often undertaken for reasons like reducing stress or simply fulfilling a lifelong dream. Perhaps you are determined to work towards a grade and prove that meaningful skills can be achieved beyond school and university.
If this is you, it’s possible that you are already searching piano lesson for adults near me. Whatever the case, learning piano as an adult takes on a specialised approach and in this guide, we will provide the pros and cons.
Learning a piano keyboard takes plenty of effort especially if you are trying to accomplish it on your own without the support of a private piano tutor.
For instance, if you are aiming to learn left-hand techniques to improve your less dominant hand it will be challenging unless you are taking adult piano lessons.
Learning to play piano is a wonderful sequential journey, but you need to know what to expect.
How Do You Learn to Play Piano?
As one of the most beautiful sounding instruments around, it is surprising that the piano is often overlooked because of the glamorous appeal of the guitar, or the cathartic sound of the drums.
But if you are already on a piano lesson for adults near me search then you already know that it is an elegant instrument that can be relaxing to play and a pleasure to appreciate.
The piano is also the perfect accompaniment to hosting a dinner or enjoying a soiree with family and friends.
So how does one learn to play piano?
Unfortunately, learning piano as an adult is not easy and will require much-dedicated effort, hard work and time.
For starters you will need to learn music theory, that’s right, you’re going to need to learn to read music.
Before you get disheartened, remember that learning to read sheet music need not be as tedious and time-consuming as it sounds. Ultimately, your learning process is up to you, but something to remember is that intrinsic motivation is always more beneficial than extrinsic motivation, here’s why.
Intrinsic Motivation
Intrinsic motivation is the inner desire to do something.
For instance, you may decide to take up learning piano as an adult because you enjoy the sensation of pressing keys with your fingers to receive audial feedback. Or perhaps it is the process of self-development that provides you with energy.
One of the reasons why this type of motivation is so powerful is that when something comes from within it can never be taken away from you.
Extrinsic Motivation
Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is when inspiration is derived from external sources.
For instance, if you are searching piano lesson for adults near me because you want to impress your friends or become a top pianist, that would be considered extrinsic motivation. Of course, this is not a bad thing, but it should not be the only source of inspiration upon which you draw!
Why?
When you are faced with the inevitable frustrations associated with learning piano as an adult, these extrinsic reasons may not provide you with enough personal dedication to overcome them.
On the other hand, if you genuinely enjoy the process of playing the piano, in theory, it will be easier to overcome obstacles and help you focus.
How to Accelerate Learning to Play Piano
Most people who take adult piano lessons are already time-poor because of the other commitments that go with general life. Having said this, there are ways to speed up the learning process.
Here are a few tips for accelerating the process of adult piano lessons.
Swallow your Pride
You are reading correctly. One of the most effective ways to musical mastery, especially as an adult learning to play piano is to swallow your pride.
You may not see this need at first, but in time it will become clear.
Sadly, a great hindrance to learning to play the piano is the ego which tends to get in the way of progress. Even if you have played the keyboard or taken lessons as a child, don’t be fooled into thinking that you will automatically begin to play at a decent level.
Taking up adult piano lessons with thoughts like that will only set you up for disappointment and frustration.
Fortunately, children are less burdened with the same thoughts because they literally don’t know what they don’t know.
Adults, however, are somehow inclined to give up as soon as they realise something is more difficult than they expected. Sadly, this also prevents people from giving up before they have even tried.
Hire a Tutor
The truth of the matter is that you are not going to get very far without the support of a private piano teacher.
Of course, you could head to YouTube and play around with free tutorials, but at some point, you will arrive at a place in the process where you will realise the complexity of it. Not only that, you probably don’t want to spend all of your free time tracking down the most worthwhile resources.
Most piano enthusiasts either take private face-to-face or online lessons with private tutors like those found on Superprof.
When you use Superprof, there are several benefits. One of these is that you can check out any reviews left on their profile page by past students. The main benefit is that you could receive your introductory lesson for free which means that you will be able to see whether there is a good personality fit between you and your tutor. This meeting is also an excellent opportunity to discuss your goals for learning the piano, as well as things like your preferred genre of music.
Take care to align with a tutor who truly suits you and your reasons for learning to play piano.
Play for Fun
One of the most imperative things to remember when you take up any new instrument as an adult is to have as much fun with it as you can.
Regardless of your ambitions, or reasons for searching piano lesson for adults near me, if you are unable to have fun, you might not be able to stick with it over the long term.
Set aside time to practise what you have learnt with your tutor and play just for the sake of it, as often as you can.
Remember that playing an instrument is not only a relaxing and enjoyable way to pass time, but can also induce a helpful state of mindfulness too.
The notion of mindfulness has gained much popularity and it is easy to see why.
If you are able to mindfully tap into your practice when you sit down to play the piano, you will hone the skill of anchoring yourself to the moment of being present.
Doing this can be a real game-changer, especially if you are used to multi-tasking all day or spending too much time online.
Don’t overwhelm yourself, even just a few minutes every day of practising what you know while you are aiming to be present at your piano keys will help you improve and alleviate stress at the same time.
Listen to Learn
Finally, one of the best pieces of advice for anyone learning to play piano is to listen and to listen well.
I beg your pardon
That’s right, one of the most important skills for anyone learning music is to hone their listening.
If you are unable to hear the instrument you are learning in the songs you choose to listen to, you will have a hard time recognising what it is you should be aiming for when you actually play. When you learn to listen, you’ll be able to pick out chords, scales, notes and much more.
Besides that, there’s a lot more to take note of like, tempo and rhythm too.
By choosing easy-to-play piano songs, the task of reading sheet music will become less stressful too. Persevere, once you develop an ear and appreciation for a good piano song, you’ll be able to begin reading music at a higher level.
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