Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum 5 years, one piece

Hello Jostein,
Many of people told many things before about your playing, so I will omit this.
The truth is - if you want to do anything in your life good (I don't mean becoming a virstuoso in that case, but just playing in a proper way) you need to get a teacher.
If you really cannot aford for the teacher, the best thing you can do for yourself is to watch youtube videos - there are many of them posted there, recorded by professional teachers for begginers, starting from the very basing things like piano position. Just watch the videos, and spend like a week on each one. After a month go back to the previous one and find the things that you are not doing properly. This will give you the best learning-free source on the piano.
You should skip the videos for advanced pianists, because these wich are made (not many of them) you will not understand to much of it. What I mean is - it will be like a racedriving lesson for a man, who onle once in his previous live has driven the car, and is still thinking how to change the gear. Of course you can watch just for fun

But stick to the begginers videos - there some good posted by Pianist Magazine - however they are related to the notes included in them, but you will learn something at least.

And start learning some really easy pieces and hand movements. You know, for the pieces like Aria, which seems to be easy, they are not
Sorry, I cannot help you with begginers book available in USA, but you will find a lot of info here. Watch videos, and learn from them.
If you would started 5 years ago with this, you would have been much much further than now.

Do not be discouraged by the answears - as we love piano and love people to play piano we are trying to help them. But you know, the truth is really awful for you, unfortunately. But - now you are at the point when you can change everything and can learn piano better than what you presented to us.
Just, do not do it fast. It will kill your dedication. Slow and patient training is the fastest way of learning the piano

I only partially agree with most people here. Of course in five years of piano instructions with a teacher you would certainly be a good intermediate player by now... BUT in five years you would have achieved a lot without a teacher, too! Sorry if this sounds harsh. Five years is a lot of time and even if you had spent it learning pop songs by ear, you would be able to play an awful lot of pop music by now.

I'm afraid you need a structured method, or at least a clear goal, and in the absence of a teacher you certainly need the help of books, online courses, other people's advice, you name it. Best wishes for your piano journey!

There really is no alternative to laying down a solid technical foundation. Five years is plenty of time to do that, but it has to come from the bottom up. If you try the top down approach you'll do nothing but compound your errors.
You've clearly got a feel for the aria and I'm sure you could be playing it very well in five years time if you did maybe an hour a day of basic piano technique and simpler pieces.
If you can afford a teacher, even if only for the first six months, that will speed the process up quite a bit. The main problem with teaching yourself is all the time that gets wasted, years sometimes, where a good teacher could put you right in a few minutes.
I've just had a read through the aria and it's so beautiful that I might have a go at it myself soon.

First of all, there are no easy ways to learn the piano. There are only two ways to learn the piano: the hard way and the impossible way. Having the patience to go through the basics and taking the time to develop them solidly is the hard way. You have chosen the impossible way.

Maybe it's just me but I get fired up when people don't want to put in the hard work and go straight to Rachmaninov's piano concerto no. 3 for instance, because they just love that piece and just cannot play anything else but that piece. I'm sorry but such people has no appreciation to piano or music at all. Piano is a lot more than just a piece. Music is a lot more than just a piece.

Anyway, all I can say to you is good luck with your life. You have a better chance of winning the lottery ticket. Don't waste anymore of your time on the piano.

wow. butt-hurt much?
you say you're 40 years old you think you should know by now life isnt just black and white? Maybe someone likes to learn a piece because he just loves or appreciates that piece. so he tinkers on a piano till he can get the gist of the melody out. or Just like some guy who was inspired to paint a picture of something even though he isnt trained in art. Just out of pure joy in their life for something.
The OP mentions in his blog his son beams whenever he plays the piece. and that is all that really matters at that moment. He asked for some advice on maybe what he could do.
If you cant empathize with that , then I dont know what motive you have for trying to learn piano.

Just do it.

Having empathy and having the motive of learning the piano are 2 different things. By the way, what is your motive of learning the piano? I'd agree if you said if I hadn't anything positive to contribute to this discussion I shouldn't post a reply at all.

I am almost 40 years old. I don't know a lot of things but I have experienced the learning process of a few things. Maybe I am the dumb one but what I learned is that learning something takes time and patience. Sometimes you can get away with skipping a step or two, but you can never skip ALL the steps.

I don't have a problem when a person just want to tinkle with Prokofiev's concerto and that is all that person wants to do. But I cannot understand when someone equate that as 'learning'. What would you say to someone who hasn't the basics of science but have already dived into quantum physics for 5 years? Cheer them on?

Look, this person has 2 choices with regards to piano. Keep doing what he/she wants to do (and this is not learning but hey, your life your choice and whatever makes you happy) or restart from the basics and really learn.

I know this is a place for at lot of people to get support and share and feel good. This is not the place to vent frustration on other people. Remove my membership. I am outta here.

Good luck to you all and the very best with your lives.

This is embarrassing. It's like you've made a big speech then started to walk out of the building but can't open the door.

How do you delete your membership here?

Can't be done. You're stuck with us.

I think there`s a three unit cooling off period. Trouble is, the value of the "unit" isn`t clear at all at all!

Everybody sounds off now and again. Don`t worry `bout it; that`s just (shrug) people . .

I hope you will reconsider, tubbie075. Many of us would agree with your viewpoint.

Yup, but there's very little sense in getting upset by something online. It's easy to say things that can be hurtful or cross a line because we're somewhat anonymous and there are no repercussions.

Maybe just take a break for a little while to get some perspective. We hope you come back.

Tubbie, I don't want you to quit the forum. I like you and respect your musical accomplishment.

I would like to add that Tubbie is absolutely correct.

There is a confused message in the opening post which goes two directions and that's made answering it difficult and maybe led to present things. On one hand we have a sentimental and romantic picture. A father forms a bond with his newborn child through a piece of music he loves, and he experiences beautiful things through the mere touching of those notes. There is no "wrong" in this - good feelings are good feelings. Otoh (!), that's not what the OP sees for the future: this one is pragmatic and goes toward what well all do - learning to play the piano. Here he wonders if he can be "like a child", skip the basics and drudge part, and start with advanced music. Some of us responded to the sentiment, and some of us responded to the practical that looks to the future.

When you look at a father bonded to a child and loving the notes, "good luck with your life" seems odd. But when you look at a man wanting to learn to play well by continuing on this path, then "Good luck with your music-learning life." is totally apt. Tubbie saw the latter, and I saw the former. They're both there.

Jostein has already left, if I understand the last post correctly. It would be stupid for us to lose Tubbie, who has dedicated a lot of time to music studies, and a lot of time in sharing it with us here.

The thing is that when you have worked long and hard at something, then it grates when someone writes in proposing they'll get there while skipping all that. and that irritation can come out. Is it so terrible that when it's expressed then person who said it has to go away forever? Tubbie, it would be stupid for you to go, and nobody wants that.

I remember the first posting I did on these forums; I rubbed up the Piano lot the wrong way.

Realised, but it didn`t stop the flack!
Like ferrets in a sack;
don`t think they`d have been sorry if I didn`t come back . .

my posting got pulled without further assistance from me. They were doin` fine without my needing to fan the flames!

Amazing how intelligent folk can squabble over nothing . . .

Jostein, I think I remember that intervals were discovered in some order on an ancient instrument and some sounded sweet together and some sour. I guess that would be a place to start?

I remember the first posting I did on these forums; I rubbed up the Piano lot the wrong way.

Realised, but it didn`t stop the flack!
Like ferrets in a sack;
don`t think they`d have been sorry if I didn`t come back . .

my posting got pulled without further assistance from me; shame.
I crossed the line.
They were doin` fine without my needing to fan the flame;

Amazing how intelligent folk can squabble over nothing . . .

LOL relax. You're right, this is not the place to vent frustrations on others. It's a fine line between what people ask and what to tell them. And How to tell them. I'm also learning that here.

You both know, for us who can play the piano and spend years with teacher on the keybord, listening some self-thought people, who are coming here with pieces which are far beyond their skills, the answear will always be the same like get a teacher, skip this for next 2-3 years, cover the basis with music, piano, position and all that stuff.

And, while for us we are telling them just the truth and showing path on which they should be, for many adult begginers, and even more for the newcomers this sounds like "abandon it because you will be never able to play anything, and you only waste your time".

This is a common problem, when somebody put a lot of effort into something, like years, and then, a big bang into their heads. But, yeah, we justwant you to play good on the piano, hence everything.