Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Torn between two instruments

I have tried to study unsuccessfully the piano and another instrument with a million variations on how to do it-one week one instrument, one week the other instrument. The problem is I love both instruments but my system just didn't work because I also have to work full-time and deal with general exhaustion. The problem is I just can't decide which instrument to study alone. I start on piano and then I think...no I really want to do the other one, then I move to the other one and I think I want the other one. I know this sounds terribly neurotic, but I'm wondering if anyone else has faced a similar dilemma and how you've decided to finally stick to only one instrument and make the best of it. I know many other amateur musicians who are passionate about only one instrument, and I envy them because it makes life so much more easy.

It's hard to start learning 2 at the same time.....I would suggest starting one, develop a nice base over 1-2 years, then start learning the other. That should be a lot less over whelming.

I know what you mean. When I went to college I wanted to double-major in piano and voice, but they wouldn't let me. I had to choose.

But I also understand that it's difficult to learn or even maintain two instruments (especially at a high level of playing). So I recommend that you really make headway with one first - say do it exclusively for 2-3 years, and then try adding the 2nd instrument. That way you have some level of competency at one and you're not trying to start both simultaneously.

So, what is the other instrument?

I used to play the clarinet. It's a sound that I love, and it's a lot smaller and easier to carry than the piano. I had to give it up for medical reasons having to do with blowing hard and the required pressure.

Even if you learn one first and then the other, the first instrument will leave you with habits of thought that carry over. Reed players don't have chords, so we tend to improvise fast melodic stuff when we transition to the piano.

Thank-you all for your suggestions so far. The other instrument is the accordion,an instrument of course partially made up of a piano keyboard. Even though I have studied the accordion longer than the piano,I never seem to advance on it whereas with the piano I see changes almost all the time. In terms of sound I prefer the accordion,because like the piano it can play all sorts of music with a beautiful tone. I studied clarinet for fifteen years and a bit of oboe and recorder and I would love to learn the mandolin. But who has the time or the money? Just getting to the piano on a regular basis is hard enough. Thanks again!

Afraid I have no useful advice because I haven't been able to let go of my other two instruments, flute and voice. It's definitely hard to keep them all up, and no doubt I'd be better at a single instrument if I were more single-minded. But I've been able to go pretty far with them all, for an amateur. I don't generally try to study more than one at a time, but I have to keep the others going in the background or I would be unhappy.

I wish I had the time to learn cello. Do you need perfect pitch for that? (sorry if I'm hijacking the thread)

No, but a good ear helps with the neighbors.

H8dk97, you do not need perfect pitch to play a string instrument, though you would need to develop a good ear to be able to judge whether you're on pitch relative to the open strings and other instruments with which you might play.

Alans, I'm in kind of the same boat as you. I work (way too many hours) and want to spend my free time playing music.

I played double bass seriously in orchestras for many years until I had to stop for a half year for medical reasons. When my health leveled out and the musical itch came back, for no clear reason I started to take piano lessons -- for the first time in my life, at age 59. I also started playing bass again at around the same time, and tried to make a go of it in my old orchestras.

It didn't work. I found that I have BARELY enough time to pursue seriously one instrument or the other, but I get frustrated by slow progress on both if I try to play both.

I realized that I was having way more fun applying myself to piano than I'd ever had on the bass. That was that.

So now the bass sits in the corner, waiting for me to hit retirement. Once I do, I hope to be able to play both. But as long as I'm working at my current job, I'm convinced I can't do that and not be terribly frustrated.

CL, your case may be different, but I have been retired for a few years and I find I am busier than when I worked a regular job, having to squeeze music practice in where I can. I know other older guys in the same situation.

And, Alans, like some of the posters on this thread, I too play another instrument (flute) that I'm not prepared to give up. I juggle flute and piano knowing that I could progress faster by limiting myself to one. I'm no Soloman so I stick with both. I used to play accordion, diatonic button, not PA, and I am toying with acquiring one again.
Sorry that this probably doesn't help you but as you can see from several of the posts, your dilemma is not uncommon. Few really worthwhile endevors in this world are simple.

Now that we established that all I have to do is to find time :-)

Did you choose piano or voice?

If you were forced to choose one, how did you continue to pursue the other?

No but you do need a lot of ear training to hear the subtle difference in pitch to play in tune, or at least learn to recognise it when you are out of tune. It starts with tuning your instrument before you even play!

Mine does too! And I'm retired . . . . too busy on other stuff.

In Soviet system of musical education , in addition to main instrument (in my case, the violin) , there was subject "obligatory piano" , and this is absolutely right approach. The ratio of time between both instruments was determined 3-2, both the number of lessons per month, and spend time for exercises. My ratio was 60 -40 in favor of the piano I could take any instrument and start playing in a short time: accordion, domra, clarinet, cornet, trombone, jazz double bass, melodica, recorder, saxophone; Even organized a jazz quintet, where I played the saxophone and wrote music. However, inevitably the time has come when I realized that it was necessary to make a choice in order to achieve the best result; and finally chose piano, and melodica - for pedagogical activity.

There are many professional classical musicians who used to play two (or even three) different instruments but when they became 'serious', gave up all except the one they wanted to make their career in. (Virtuoso violinist Julia Fischer is one of the very few who is also a part-time virtuoso pianist - check out her YT performances).

With pianists, it's often an orchestral instrument, which allowed them to perform in orchestras in their youth - which of course is also invaluable for when they play concertos as soloist with orchestras, when they have an inside knowledge of orchestral playing.

For amateurs, of course, it's up to us to decide on our priorities, and how much practice time we have for more than one instrument. If you're working full-time, and you're serious about piano, I think you'll be spreading yourself out too thinly if you also want to master another instrument - probably better to just dabble in the latter for fun. I've been playing the guitar longer than the piano (on which I started at ten), but never got much beyond accompanying myself and friends singing pop songs. Every time I think about going further (playing classical guitar, that is), I discovered that my piano was suffering from relative neglect.........

It's the same in Italy - in conservatories, everyone must take compulsory piano up to the level of Bach's Inventions and such. You can find quite a lot of conservatory graduates who teach piano to children when it's not their "first instrument", and they can't really play the piano at an advanced level.

Again thank-you all so much for your advice. In the RCM examinations system if you are studying any instrument apart from piano, you have to be able to play a grade six level of piano for your grade ten exam. How people accomplish that plus their major other instrument I don't know because for me grade six is a lifetime away and would require a tremendous amount of preparation. But a ot of people do it so...Maybe a lot of these successful students started out on piano as kids and then moved into other instruments as they grew older through the school system, so grade six isn't a challenge for them. But for an adult it's a huge demand. Right now I'm only
working on grade one and it would take me at least six years of solid study to reach a grade six level, and that is without other instruments on the go at the same time.
Once again you have all inspired me! This forum is so helpful in getting back on one's feet (or back at the piano bench at least) and moving forward. I am truely grateful for this site.

[quote=alans]I have tried to study unsuccessfully the piano


I must be more talented than I thought. I study unsuccessfully without trying.

Someone else with a bass in the corner.