Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum What made you decide to learn to play piano later in life?

I'm curious what it is that motivates someone to learn piano. I'll start by saying that I've always loved music. I've always loved piano music and I've always had an interest in making my own music. I think I was fooled into thinking that the simple beauty that musicians create every day would be easy for me to emulate. Boy was I wrong. I think learning music and the piano is one of the hardest things I've ever done.
So it came to pass that my wife signed up our son for keyboarding lessons at his school. I decided to call up his teacher and ask her if she taught adults. She said she did, and so I finally came out of my comfortable shell and began the life long process of learing to play piano.
Jon

jdsher,

I always liked piano music. Moonlight Sonata was the one piece that really moved me and made me finally decide to "go for it" in my early 30's. I found my wife's girlfriend's brother was a piano teacher and that pushed me. Also, my friend from college was an accomplished pop pianist. When he was moving, I "babysat" his piano for a few months. That helped too.

But, I think the creative urge was there but it just took time to build up to the point where I did something about it.

Unforunately, I stopped with lessons about 12 years ago when my kids were born. Now, I looking a new teacher since I moved.

When I was 13 I took a piano class as a blowoff course in school. Figured it was an easy A. The first piece I ever learned was Fur Elise. I just fell in love with the piano from that point. My parents bought this old, used piano for $600 and that was my practice piano until I graduated high school.

In college I seldom practiced. In fact I blew off piano for three whole years while I was getting my computer science degree. I forgot about piano, left it behind. The summer of my senior year, I was interning in Minneapolis when my girlfriend and I broke up. I really missed her and when I thought about her my mind would wander to her favorite piano piece, which was this Chinese piece I used to play.

So, figuring I should let out some steam, I snuck into a community college to play that piece. And little did I realize, my heart started to race again. From that day forth I went to the same practice room as much as I could. Since then, I've graduated college and now I'm working in Minneapolis full time. I have a new girlfriend who I adore very much :-) I take private lessons every week and have bought a Steinway grand piano. Thanks to my ex-girlfriend my love for the piano is rejuvenated and strong. I guess there's a silver lining behind every dark cloud...

Great story Mikester; like you said sometimes things happen for a reason.
Jon

My dad was a professional musician. He played sax and clarinet in big bands from the 40s-60s. I used to go to reherasls with him and enjoyed the music, however, I don't think I realized how much at the time. I just kept wanting to go with him, there wasn't really anything for a small kid to do but sit and listen so obviously there was a connection. My dad taught me to play both sax and clarinet which I did for about three years. Sports, girls, school (not necessarily in that order) took over in my high school years and the music went away.

At 55 after a couple close calls in a sport I enjoyed very much (hang gliging) I decided to do something a little safer. Also, something that I could do for many years without having age be too much of a factor.

My wife and I like to go to jazz clubs and other music events. I have a varied musical taste, love opera, some classical, jazz, standards, big bands, R & b, blues and even (please no comments) a LITTLE rap.

Sitting in a jazz club one night with my wife I looked at her and said, I'm going to learn to play the piano. She loved the idea (she would like almost anything that wasn't hang gliding). I Had to sell all of my hang gliding equipment to justify the piano purchase. After a year I moved up from the kawai upright to a new Estonia 190 grand, not a negative word about the cost from my wife, and she can be really CHEAP.

I'm just so happy that I finally got music back in my life. It's great to listen to but nothing can compair to making your own. I'll never let it go away again.

I always wanted to play. But at age 6, when I couldn't play Fur Elise in two weeks, I decided to quit against my parents advice. I took thirty years to get back to it, but I want my kids to play, so this is a good way to get them interested and to be able to participate with them. Having a blast too, and will start the kids on lessons soon.

Unfortunately, Suzuki school is full, but may be able to talk my teacher into coming to teach here at our home, which would be easier for the kids.

Todd

I am 34 and I will be taking a piano class this fall in college. I have always thought that the piano is one of the most beautiful of all instruments. I want to get lost in the music. Some people relax with yoga or something simular, I want to relax with my piano and fill my home with that magical sound.
I am a little worried though. I have tried to learn to play the piano on my own and I have not been able to do it.
I can't read music and I can't play by ear, so I hope I have a good teacher.
God bless you all
~BillieGail~

billiegail,

Don't despair. Get yourself a good teacher and you'll do fine. I'm convinced there's no such thing as a natural pianist (or musician). Everyone struggles....some more, some less.

I just practiced and practiced. Being "driven" is what makes a good pianist. I thought I would never learn and that I had no "musical" talent. But, I'm now in between a beginner level and an intermediate level and re-starting lessons tomorrow with a new teacher after 12 years.

I'm not so sure about group lessons though. Everyone I talked to that took group lessons, really never progressed very far. It okay to start with, I guess. But, get one-on-one private lessons if you can afford to. You'll progress much faster. Also, you need to learn proper technique from the beginning. It's VERY difficult to unlearn bad habits and correct them. Learn correctly from the start.

Thank you very much Devils4ever for the advice. I called a piano teacher today. She should be getting back to me shortly.
God bless
~BillieGail~

A cut and pasted post I made in another thread:

As a child, I was unfairly labeled "prodigy." I was pushed and prodded and didn't live up to the title. I quit when music became more work than fun. I have regretted that decision my entire adult life. The thing that gave me the impetus to resume music lessons after squandering so many years of potential was reading this:

"The artist is a servant who is willing to be a birthgiver. I believe that each work of art, whether it is a work of great genius, or something very small, comes to the artist and says 'Here I am. Enflesh me. Give birth to me.' And the artist either says 'My soul doth magnify the Lord,' and willingly becomes the bearer of the work, or refuses.

Whether or not we serve is entirely our choice. God's first gift to us is free will. We can always choose to say "No. Sorry, find someone else." And Spirit will.

So God moves on until a willing artist with an open heart offers to become the creative conduit. This scenario goes a long way toward explaining why you are heartbroken, bewildered and furious when, after diddlying around for years, someone else takes out a patent on an article that resembles the one you designed; nationally syndicates the same column topic you've been writing in your head for the last five years but never got around to marketing; or composes a Grammy-winning song that sounds like the one you've played over and over in your head.

How on earth could this be possible unless somebody read your mind? Well, it wasn't your mind that was tapped. It was Divine Mind. Remember, before anything exists on earth, it exists fully formed in Spirit. God does not play favorites; each of us came into being to carry on the re-creation of the world through our gifts. And while you are offered many opportunities in a lifetime, Spirit only comes once for each Work seeking creative expression through you, then moves on.

The bottom line is that the Work must be brought forth. If you don't do it, somebody else will."

--Madeleine L'Engle, Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art.

Well I was offered piano lessons as a teen, along with my sister. She accepted, I didn't want to mess with getting practice time in every day. Well here, about 13 years later my sister plays awesome and I only played a little by ear as I sat down and messed around at a piano here and there.

Well we moved here and my husband is a pastor and our church had no pianist! So I started playing a few hymns the best I could but it was suggested I take piano lessons...which I have been doing now for about a year and a half. Now I am in the market for a digital piano as I am sick of cheap junky acoustics and don't have the money for a nice one.

I am lucky to have a wonderful teacher who is also a church pianist but also is basically a concert pianist...her life almost went the way of a big time concert pianist but she made other choices to stay with family instead. But she is awesome and I hope to learn alot from her, not just hymns.

I am 37 and just started playing about 4 months ago. The main reason was that I loved listening to music and wanted to learn more about it from the "inside". I wanted to know what a key was, what a fifth was, how to improvise, etc. I picked piano because it was one of the most versatile instruments. I have to second Devils on the "talent" issue. I find that if I don't practice what was taught in the lesson was really hard, and if I do practice what was taught is fairly easy. "Talent" is often just the willingness to practice and not get frustrated.

I decided to learn to play the piano at age 52.

When I was much younger my parent tried to get me to play the piano chose to play the drums; starting at age 9 in grade school and then all the way through college. I actually was a fairly decent drummer and played professionally from around age 15-22 (all kinds of music Country, Rock, Jazz, Big Band, Strip Clubs...anything.)

Like others who have commented here, I stopped after college and got a "real job" and started down the path of good, responsible career person. To make a long story short, I came to realize that there was a "hole" in my life. (Seems to happen to a fair number of folks around my age.) The hole wasn't music per se, for me, it was the soulfullness of spirit that accompanies making music.

So, three years ago I started taking piano lessons. No more hole.

I started piano for the first time six months ago, at age 45. Everyone I know was surprised that I started a long musical journey at this age. I was surprised too. Several things converged in my life to prompt me toward piano.

First, in church one week we studied the life of Solomon, including his famed wisdom. One verse stood out: "Now God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of mind, like the sand that is on the seashore." I thought about the value of "breadth of mind," and I realized that music was one area that I had never broadened my mind to study.

Second, I was doing some research on technical specs for digital pianos, since our church was getting ready to replace an aging piano. My hunt through piano web sites awakened an interest in the instrument, the beauty of the sound, and the keyboard layout as such a good visual model of Western music.

All this led me to study a beginning book on music theory. I had never been able to read music, and the entire art was a mystery to me throughout my life. Only now, as I studied this book, did the concepts all come together in my mind. Maybe it was just the right time in life for me to grasp the concepts.

So, here I am with a Clavinova, six months of lessons to my credit, and my first post on this discussion board!

For me, the catalyst was my 11-year-old daughter starting lessons.

She had one of these Casio keyboards (66 keys, no weighted action) and I realized that I could plug headphones into it and practice silently (my most available time for practice is after 10PM and before 6AM). Well, after about a week of frustration because of the shortened keyboard and the lack of action, I bought a Yamaha "Clavinova" - a keyboard in a piece of furniture. It also feels like a real piano.

I've been playing for about 4 months - mostly self-taught (since I can read music and rhythm because of prior experience playing other instruments) and I take occasional lessons (about every 3 weeks) from a local teacher.

And I can practice anytime I want without disturbing the rest of the family.

Bob

There were many factors that culminated in my starting lessons at age 38.

Most of all, I always loved to doodle around on various instruments. There had been a piano in my house a couple of years earlier, but the person who belonged to it moved out and it went with her.

Then during a severe downturn in my industry, an acquaintance had gotten laid off (for the third time) and was selling a few things because he needed the money. He had a Kawai K1 keyboard for sale, and I bought it. I looked in the mirror and asked myself if I was just going to doodle around (like the recorders, the clarinet, the balalaika, the Hall crystal flute, etc.), or if for once, I was going to be serious about it.

I started shopping for a piano teacher.

Shortly after finding one, I started shopping for an acoustic piano.

Three years later I've acheived my original first goal: to play Scarlatti. Now I need to decide what my next goal is...

Remembered being better than I was when I was allowed to quit at must have been 8 years of age.
Played the sax through high school.
In my late 50's I bought a piano and worked with myself. Bought a bigger piano and a larger place to live in with it. Took lessons for a while. My teacher became ill and quit and I followed.
Stared at the ignored piano and decided to sell it. Found a buyer.
Ended up at a piano dealer. Got the buyer to deliver the money to the dealer and I paid $$$ to upgrade to yet another piano.
The mover brought my new one when he came to get the used one.
Started with Alfred Adult 2. Don't like the selection.
Plan to play classical however badly, to I want that sort of method book.
Just ordered Thompson's Modern Method #2 and #3.
I do far too many things. Trying to eliminate some of the other things in my life that take too much time.
We will see.

I just turned 63 and retired for all practical purposes ( I have two clients who I consider friends) and decided learning what music is and playing a piano was my next challenge. Two weeks in, I know I've made the right choice. I like the reading and the playing. Lessons will come in a bit, but even if I only sound slightly better than a cat fight, I know its going to be a fun trip.

I was inspired by an Android tablet app with a pokey piano keyboard on the screen. Apple is featuring a similar app on one ad for the Ipad mini. I enjoyed poking on the tablet's virtual keyboard so much, I decided I wanted to try something more.

I thought I would be terrible at piano. I never learned to sight read despite many years on pennywhistle and Irish flute. I never played a chord. When I was part of a choir, I was terrible at harmony. I always wanted to sing the melody line. I had a few months of guitar instruction at a public school when I was kid, and I was terrible at that.

Anyway, I didn't spend much money, and bought something that most on the forum consider a toy. Still, I find that even that limited of an instrument can take me to an almost magical place. I get such satisfaction out of just playing notes and some chords.

Because of my struggles with sight reading, I mostly write my own music. Always have, probably always will. My weakness has turned into my strength. I have ten uploads at my signature link and eight are my own originals.

Had lessons as a kid until I was in high school and had too much homework, which squeezed out my practice time. I always wanted to go back and play, take lessons and study music theory. I did buy a Baldwin console years ago and Alfred's Adult 2 and 3 books and reviewed on my own on and off until I almost lost my vision in my left eye. When I recovered, I decided that I would go back to piano more seriously. I traded my Baldwin for a Yamaha GB1, (which I loved but was much scorned by the Piano Forum), started to take lessons and took group piano classes at the university. After 2 years, I then traded my GB1 for a fabulous C3 and have been practicing, taking lessons, and have finished my group piano classes.
I will be starting a Music Theory for Non-Music Majors in a few weeks. I'm not retired yet, so squeezing in practice and study time is a challenge, but I am finishing the MOYD 12 requirements and I'm waiting for the new icon for my signature.