Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Why is it bad to learn without a teacher?

Hey Albany, good question. I find myself agreeing with just about every post so far, as the answers depend on your goals and desires.

If you want to play with technical precision and at the highest level possible with your skillset and talent, then a teacher is an absolute must, IMHO.

If your goal is to just have fun, play what you like from various styles and gendres, and are not concerned with "building a foundation for the next level", and you have common sense (stop if/when it hurts), and have a source for help once in a while, then self-teaching is certainly a viable option.

I happen to be self-teaching. I am not worried at all about posture and "correct hand position" as I do not care if I ever reach level whatever. I want to play what I like, and if I hit a barrier, then I ask for help here. I will never be asked to play on stage, and if by some error of the universe I were, I would politely decline. Not what interests me.

So, to answer your question, precicely, my opinion is there is very little danger in teaching yourself IF you understand you may have to relearn some things and you have enough self-control to stop if/when it hurts. A good teacher will help you learn "correctly" and you will more likely advance faster with help and guidance than without.

I like to say that learning a musical instrument without a teacher is like making love by yourself. It just misses the point.

But I won't say that, it gets folks riled up.

I don't believe that the importance of a teacher is limited to the question of bad or good habits.

It is above all a question of musicality.

What is written on a score is only the beginning. There is as much or more that is not written and that you will never start to approach or even imagine without a teacher.

This is not only true for a major work, but for the most simple and basic music as will.

The role of a teacher is above all to transmit a musical capital.

My take on this is that if you have never had lessons with a teacher, then you should probably try it. At least then you can form a more educated opinion whether lessons are for you.

In my case, I took lessons as a teenager and majored in music education in college, but my instrument was clarinet and I hoped to become a high school band director. Didn't work out.

Thirty-something years later I started piano again and took a few months of lessons before stopping. Why did I stop the lessons? I have enough confidence in my own abilities and judgment that I think I can progress well enough without a teacher. My goal is to play an hour a day after work to unwind, to learn some of the old standard classical works, to learn to play the blues, and to have fun. I think I can do that without a teacher's help. But if I did not have the musical background that I do, and the years of lessons as a teenager and young adult, I would not be able to make much progress on my own.

I have discovered (during my relatively short time playing the piano) that even playing a single note is an extremely complex task from a biomechanical perspective, there are simply so many ways to do it. You can alter the position of your arms and wrist. You can let your finger fall on the key or you can push the key etc. Poor technique may lead to sloppy playing or injuries.

I would recommend taking lessons to begin with from the best teacher possible to set you on the right track. After that... well Roger Federer doesn't even have a coach anymore!

Teacher or coach? Now that throws another light on the subject ...

I "learned" some hatha yoga from a number of books. When I got some live teaching/coaching I discovered that much of what I was doing needed correction.

I tried, and failed, several times to learn a new TaiChi form from books and videos. I failed - there was simply too much to think about to be able to observe myself working through the form while staying relaxed and breathing properly.

Maybe somebody can do it, but I, as an experienced performer, coach and teacher, am not capable of making a video that can give you everything I would provide you in a first lesson at the piano (or a 2nd or a 3rd, etc, for that matter). I don't think it's possible.

So - IMO - if you want to learn to play the piano properly, find a teacher and take some lessons. Learn how to sit at the piano, how to produce a musical sound with the least amount of tension. If you want to go off on your own after that, you'll have some chance of doing it without injuring yourself through improper technique.

Heck - even Mozart had lessons! Last time I checked, I thought he was probably more talented than all of us put together.

"Do you know how to stand? How to sit? How to walk? Then OK, you can teach yourself."

It's only because of my physical therapist that I know how to sit properly. But I cheat, and it shows in the small of my back every morning when I get out of bed. I developed BAD HABITS because I never understood my own basic body mechanics. Now, I might be different from other people, because I'm naturally very flexible. But I learned that only by injuring myself through long misuse of my back muscles.

Translate that to piano playing: If you have the discipline to teach yourself, you may do well. But if you develop problems, get a good teacher to help.

And as far as discipline: I took the summer off from lessons and have been doing some work on my own. I have learned that the weekly lessons require more of me than working on my own. Perhaps I'd feel differently if I were beyond the advanced beginner stage. Only you can know how you feel about your skills.

I completely agree with this. I am currently learning a very simple Scarlatti sonata and have only been playing 11 months. I watched Youtube videos of the performance, checked wikipedia and Google for baroque ornamentations and downloaded 2 different editions of the score. And still, within 10 minutes of talking, my teacher was able to convey so much more about the musical content and how to convey it with your playing that I felt borderline embarrassed by how much my playing was missing before that, even though I did pretty much everything that's printed in the score.

Also, the entire lesson, we devised ways of relaxing my playing to very substantially improve the tone I was producing. I just don't hear how "bad" my tones sound when playing since I'm so engrossed in the notes...

Of course, no one forces you to take a teacher, and you can greatly enjoy the experience without one.

I can think of one good reason to have a teacher - a second (and more experienced) set of ears.

Often times, a piece sounds perfect to me at home, only to find out the many shortcomings of it at my lesson. My ears have had a year of training. My teacher's have had 40 years. They can hear things in a way a beginner cannot.

Finally someone who knows that they don't know! And how do they know that?

The rub being ...

as you pointed out. And it's not as though it were easy to tell if you are totally inexperienced. Actually can an experienced person tell?

People ask this question all the time and get all kinds of answers because it is too general a question. It depends on what someone wants to learn to play. No concert pianist got there without a teacher. On the other hand, plenty of musicians like Billy Joel or David Nevue are self-taught. It's like asking could I be an Olympic class athelete without a teacher. No way. Do I need a teacher to do some jogging everyday for fun? Probably not. Will I get injuries if I'm not careful? Possibly.

I think the question "do I need a teacher" is missing the criteria "to what level?"

Do I need a teacher to learn to play at the intermediate level? No.

Do I need a teacher to learn to play at the advanced level? Depends on how talented you are.

Do I need a teacher to play at the concert pianist level? Always.

I wouldn't say it's bad to learn without a teacher. It is difficult though.

Maybe the question you should ask yourself is.....

What are the benefits of having a good teacher?

Then you have to decide if it's worth the cost. Some feel that it is and some clearly don't. Each to his own.

Regardless of level or type of music, I think a good teacher is better than no teacher. Is it essential? As others have said, it depends on your goals.

But to me studying with a good teacher is like learning to read music. Lots of musicians do and lots don't. But I doubt many who do regret it and I suspect many who don't wish they did.

I think that is why it's a good idea to go on recommendation if possible.

I'd want that recommendation to be qualified. If by a student I first want to know what that student's priorities are. If by a teacher or musician, possibly likewise.

If you were to recommend a teacher, what kind of information would you give the student in terms of why you are recommending this person? Would you first find out that student's priorities?

Yes, and to me, the cost where I live is about $2,000 a year for weekly half hour lessons, plus the commute and lesson time of 3 hours a week, the stress and anxeity of performing for the teacher each lesson, and criticism from the teacher and guilt on my part, etc. Balance that with how much benefit the teacher would provide and I am pretty clear it's not worth it. For me, the non-financial costs makes it not worth it for now. Especially there are periods when I simply have no time to practice for weeks, but I can't put the lessons on hold.

Lessons are like having a Netflix subscription, you are paying the same monthly payments whether or not you watch a new DVD. If there were such as thing as lessons on demand, then I would definitely go for it. Again, if playing the piano is a hobby, then it has to take a backseat to everything else going on in life like taking care of the kids, the job, professional certifications and exams, a second degree, etc.

Ideally, I would like to have 6 2-hour in person lessons a year. But who teaches like that?

Billy Joel did have lessons.

Billy Joel had more than just some lessons, which could mean he studied with the little old lady down the street: His father was a pianist, and his other teachers were all top level pros, including a Julliard Graduate.

From the Wikipedia article on Joel:

Joel's father was an accomplished classical pianist. Billy reluctantly began piano lessons at an early age, at his mother's insistence; his teachers included the noted American pianist Morton Estrin and musician/songwriter Timothy Ford. His interest in music, rather than sports, was a source of teasing and bullying in his early years. (He has said in interviews that his piano instructor also taught ballet. Her name was Frances Neiman, and she was a Juilliard trained musician.

My teacher and I meet about once a month for two hours. I've been playing for thirty six years, so while I don't need hand-holding, I do have questions at times and I welcome the feedback from a more experienced performer. Most teachers would be flexible with scheduling when working with advanced students because they know the student can work out many problems on their own; but for someone learning basic technique, this method might not yield great results.

Anything is worth a try, though. Perhaps you can find a good teacher to meet with occasionally. See if it makes a difference in your playing. I think each person needs to decide for himself what works best.