Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum What's the definition of an "Adult Beginner" on this forum?

I started 3 years ago at age 51 with no previous experience. I know those numbers make me an "adult" and a "beginner", but I'm wondering where I am experience wise, compared to others who frequent this forum.

I hear some beautiful pieces posted on this forum, things I aspire to play some day. But, I would guess some of those artists have not been "beginners" for quite awhile ("not that there is anything wrong with that"). I'm really just curious about where I fit.

Hi IPlay.
I am also a junior member of ABF.
I am definitely sure that you FIT for the forum.

You can actually see who this forum is for on this link underneath,(it is from the above post for new visitors of the forum)

http://www.pianoworld.com/ubb/ubb/ultimatebb.php?/topic/32/2621.html


I can also see there are a lot of artists who are not actually "beginners". But I am guessing they must have been "beginners" someday before, and they know quite much what it is to be a beginner. They are so enthusiastic and careful about piano and the forum, and I am really pleased to see that they are still participating in the forum.

And I am also thinking that you have quite good experience for beginner as you have studied for 3years recently.

I hope we all can enjoy piano as well as ABF.

The definition of a beginner is pretty loose here. We've got everything from people who've yet to purchase a keyboard to conservatory trained pianists. ABF is more about comaraderie than levels of achievement. If you enjoy playing the piano you belong.

I don't know the answer for all of AB forum, but Copper thoughtfully computed the average years of experience for the 57 people who participated in the most recent recital, and it was 4.4 years.

IPlay, I was just participating in the other thread on how many years we'll all been playing but I thought to myself that the year count doesn't exactly indicating anything. My 12 year old has been playing 2 years more than I have and he's not even at 10 percent of what I do.

In years, I feel like a beginner. In reality I feel disingenuous referring to myself as a beginner. So maybe some us will count it in dog years

IPlay, there is a recent thread that started about recitals, but digressed (didn't I tell you on another post??) to discuss about the intent of the Adult Beginners Forum. It ended up being a long thread, but you may want to read it if you are curious. (It started talking about who the ABF is for about 1/2 dozen posts down.)

http://www.pianoworld.com/ubb/ubb/ultimatebb.php?/topic/32/5403.html

Hi IPlay!
I'm always happy to hear about people who started later in life than I did. I started at age 50, and have been playing for 15 months. According to my teacher, I can play circles around some of her young whipper-snappers, so there is hope for those of us with lots of... um, life experience!

I have been playing for nearly three years. I was inspired to start as a 20-something because of the honesty and proof of progress from those who post here.

Although I don't post often, I read this board almost daily. I feel like I fit in here. The many times I have had questions and posted them on this board, or in the pianist forum, the replies are always more than I was expecting. In fact, the adult forum members are more helpful.

The longer I practice and learn the more I see that I share the problems of all us amateur, or big-time dreamer, adults.

Hi IPlay,

There's the whole spectrum of people on this forum, from those of us who took up piano for the first time in middle age (I was 49) and are struggling to put it all together, to youngsters with more elastic brains and hands, to people who've returned to piano after a break of some years and play to a very high standard. I have about 1 3/4 years experience at this point, and I play better than I did this time last year, but I'm inching along compared to some. But the ABF is really for everyone who's enthusiastic about piano and interested in sharing their enthusiasm, so I think you 'fit' just fine.

the forum name is not that accurate to reflect the makeups of people who visit this forum. it's originally created for those who don't fit in 'Pianist Corner' where most advanced or pro pianists would visit and those who mostly were adults and beginners.

but then what, a lot of kid beginners or some retreats who used to be advanced or intermediate show up here from time to time too, and couldn't find other forums to fit in, and those in the middle when they advanced from the beginner level. so, the forum name doesn't matter anymore, and it actually means all who's not a pro or advanced, whether they're adults or not, whether they're beginner or not.

oh, yes, this forum is read as 'Advanced-not Beginner/Beginner-used-to-be Forum'.

I look at ABF as a gathering place where people are forgiving, positive, encouraging and willing to think out of the box.

With a career in the private sector piano industry behind me, I have found that the ability to appreciate everyone for who they are at a given time leads to the greatest personal/professional success.

I am definitely a beginner. I found an electronic keyborad at a flea market for $10 and bought a book, "The Older Beginner Piano Course". I do not yet have a teacher but there are plenty around.

At 52 I have played classical guitar for over 30 years. Piano is like a cpmpletely foreign langauge. Finding the notes, the scales, the cords, reading the bass cleff. I didn't do too badly with "Merrily we Roll along". It is like being in kindergarden again and belonging there. Like elarning to walk and talk all over again.
Frustrating but exciting.

Thanks all for the understanding and encouraging responses. In retrospect, I think my question would have been better worded by asking, "At my age and experiece, am I in the majority or the minority on this forum?". And it is really more of a curiosity than anything else. This clearly seems to be the right forum for me.

I love every minute I get to spend at my piano. I've also been impressed with how many times I've put my mind and time to something, that is not too far over my head, and find a couple months down the road that I play it reasonably well. I love hearing a favorite song come from my fingers.

I'll share one bit of motivation that got me going late in life. I have always been a pretty serious listener and fan of music but never played. I shared this with a friend (who is a legitimate musician) that I wished I could play and he gave me a quote that he attributed to Oliver Wendall Holmes. The quote is, "Most men die with their music still in them." I couldn't get that quote out of my mind and I didn't want to be "most men". So, six month later I was taking lessons and I haven't stopped since.

I started at 43. I had no musical experience before that and now at age 50, I'm at about a late intermeciate level. I've beem taking lessons for 6 years, 5 of which have been with the same wonderful teacher. I think piano has prevented any mid-life crises that I may have had. I'm having a blast and look forward to being a "solid" late intermediate at least in the next 4 or 5 yars.

Welcome and enjoy the journey!!

IPlay: You are most assuredly not alone. On my 55th birthday in June, I decided to pursue my life-long dream of learning to play piano. So, I did some research, bought myslef a used upright, found a great teacher and began taking weekly lessons at the end of June. I'd never played any instrument before. Five months later, I can play a decent 12-bar blues and several other simple pieces. This Sunday, I've committed to playing in public for the first time, and I'm really looking forward to it! I will probably make a few mistakes, but so what?? Had I started lessons earlier in life, I'd have been far too concerned about what other people thought and about making "too many" mistakes. Not any more. Now, the inevitable mistakes are just a way of letting me know I need to work harder on something. I'm having a blast, and find the folks on the ABF to be wonderfully supportive and helpful.

Blues Babe,

I wish you good luck and lots of fun this Sunday. I've played once in front of 175 people at my daughter's wedding. I played (and I actually sang), 'The Way You Look Tonight' while a PowerPoint file of pictures of my daughter and I, from the day she was born until her wedding day, ran on a screen in back of me. I made some mistakes but it was a great experience....and it was a huge hit at the reception. I would like to play for people again and will do so when I get the chance (I actually had a captive audience the first time - I was paying for the party so they had to listen).

I enjoy the little bit of blues I've played and I love rock and roll. There is an easy and good sounding blues song called, 'How Long Blues' that I got off of musicnotes.com and there is a swung eighth notes exercise in Andy Vinter's 'Rock'n'Roll Piano' book (page 22) that I've just mastered. I like warming up with these.

Enough digression. I hope your Sunday performance is a great experience for all.

Rosanna,

Thanks for the link. That is a very intersting thread and I felt some of those same concerns as I started to listen. While I can see multiple points, Van's arguement has more resonace with me than the others.