Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Monthly Lessons = A Bad Idea?

I've been racking my brains, trying to think of a way that I can take piano lessons.

I have noticed that most people who have a teacher have weekly lessons, or at least fortnightly. I can't afford either of those options at the moment.

However, I was thinking that, as I can (just) afford monthly lessons, maybe I could contact the teachers in my area and ask them if they'd be willing to do that (at least until my financial situation improves and I can afford weekly lessons).

Is this a bad idea?
I know I'd probably get less out of it than I would with weekly or fortnightly lessons, but it would be better than no lessons at all.

Is there any chance of finding a teacher that would even consider it?

Or would I be better off continuing as best I can without a teacher, and waiting until I can afford more frequent lessons?

You can always try. I would think one lesson a month would be better than nothing. That would be $25-$35 for one half hour lesson per month (at least in my area). The problem is going to be finding a teacher who is willing to accommodate that. Usually teachers have a time slot for a student. If he/she lets you have the time slot one week, how does he/she fill it the other 3 or 4 times for the rest of the month? Unless someone else only wants 3 lessons a month and that person wants the exact same time as you. Good luck, though.

IF a good teacher will do this, I would say yes. The main trouble is that a month is a lot of time to get "lost" or work on something incorrectly.

I've heard of bi-monthly, but I don't know about just monthly - that's likely far too much time apart from a teacher for them to correct mistakes you're either likely to make or already making, as well as to provide the necessary insight for learning, as Andy put it.

If you have the time and simply not the money, what money you do have is likely better spent on all-in-one books or quite simply just theory books and/or technique books that teach you accepted methods of practicing scales, arpeggios, cadences, and of course, the associated fingerings. This way, you can work at your own pace, but always have a reference to go to when you have questions about anything, of course in addition to these forums and myriad wonderful sources across the whole internet

As above, a monthy lesson is better than no lesson, but yes you run the risk of doing something wrong for a full month before you are refuted.

Maybe you can plan the lessons in more detail, for example get more lessons in one month and less in another, depending on what you are doing (eg, memorizing notes versus technical practice)

I don't believe in the all-books option. There is only so much a book (or a video) can describe.

Here's a thought.

Find an older person as a teacher. Somebody who does not do it for a living but does it for a hobby instead.

They have a lot more time in which to accomodate you.

As I've mentioned my teacher is retired and does it generally to pass the time and I know she undercharges me for the time I spend there.

With motorbike spannering I used to use old retired mechanics with nothing to do. They'd charge you a minimal fee to do the work. But they did it not for a living but to keep busy.

But yeah a month is a bit wide. I've recently had a two week gap and I'm getting a tad bored.

Without lessons you run the risk of doing something wrong forever-lol

Hi Haunted Keys,

I have am considering this as well for health reasons. I had been very happy teaching myself (much happier than I ever was taking weekly lessons) until tendonitus put a cramp in my style--literally:)lol. The problem for me is that I really don't know how much of my problem is due to computer use and/or how much is from my playing the piano. In order to find out, on the advice of my chiropractor, I have ordered a special ergonomic keyboard that will totally eliminate any strain on elbows and wrists. It is also his advice that I see a teacher at least twice a month and for at least as long as it takes me to correct any problems I might be having with technique that might be aggravating the problem or elminate the possibility that it is related to my playing.

I have found and studied so many wonderful self teaching approaches that I feel I can be very creative with them and I rarely get frustrated with my progress. What I want from a teacher is someone to watch me as I play songs I work on in the two weeks or so interim between lessons and alert me to any any postures or movements that might be causing repetitive stress injury and correct the problem.

One suggestion I'd make to you, therefore, given your even more limited time possible with a teacher would to find a good self-learning method. (Feel free to PM for some suggestions and comparisons.) This I believe will cut down on a lot of the time needed to make good use of a teacher.

Also, if you have a community college in your area (or and adult ed program), you might find group lessons at a small price and find out if any of the teachers would consider supplementing your class lessons with one private lesson a month. This is exactly what I did and the teacher I'm now considering for private lessons was someone I met and talked to on the first class meeting about private lessons.

I am considering also taking another group class with him. This arrangement has the advantage of allowing him to observe you in between lessons and give you feedback in between lessons so you are actually getting a lot more training for your buck.

I've decided to go without a teacher for the time being, (at least until I can afford more frequent lessons). Monthly lessons was a long shot of an idea anyway and, after thinking about it for a while longer, it doesn't seem as though it would work out.

Hopefully I wont pick up too many bad habits on my own. I did have a few lessons when I started out a couple of years ago, so I'll have to try and remember what I was told then.


The plus side of this is that I can buy a couple of books instead.

If you are choosing between no teacher and monthly, then go for monthly. The point is to get you set up right, catch the worst habits, and you would work on those things during the month. The point is not producing pieces, but what you are doing while working on those pieces.

Congratulation on your decision! Can't wait to hear how you do

BTW, if you want to learn to play by ear, producing songs -- at least roughly or as improvisations is what it's all about -- as many and as frequently as possible. And generally speaking, IME, the satisfaction that doing so provides is important to keeping up motivation for success at any self teaching regimen at the piano.