How Long Does It Take To Learn The Keyboard

This is a common question when it comes to learning whatsoever musical instrument. Sure, you've bought yourself a pianoforte, got a instructor, maybe signed up to an app like Flowkey or Simply Piano. But how long will it have for you lot to actually be able to say "yes, I can play the pianoforte?" You've fabricated a get-go, merely where does it stop?

The existent respond to this question, unfortunately, is "it depends." There is no definitive stop to your pianoforte learning journey; you will be learning for every bit long equally you are playing. Fifty-fifty concert pianists at the highest possible level are still learning. I will say that this process is oft quicker for children than information technology is for adults, for the same reason that children pick upwards languages easier; their brains are more malleable. That's not to say that adults can't reach a level of decent proficiency at their craft; yous just might need to be more patient.

Withal, here's a crude estimate of what you can wait your level to be subsequently a certain amount of fourth dimension. Figures are based on an adult beginner who has no prior feel of playing the piano or whatsoever other musical instrument.

Beginner

One year

Y'all can expect to achieve beginner level after effectually a year. This would correlate roughly to Grade ane or 2 level (ABRSM.) Expect to play very basic pieces and have a reasonable grasp of learning from sheet music, playing basic one-octave scales, etc.

Intermediate

Three to four years

Yous tin expect to reach this level after around 3 to four years. Expect to exist playing at roughly a Class iv or 5 level (ABRSM). Yous should take a decent grasp of more than avant-garde concepts at this stage, such as sightreading, more complex rhythmic patterns, equally well as scales in virtually keys up to two or iii octaves. You should be comfortable with learning pieces by yourself without having to rely on a teacher at this stage, simply expect well-nigh of your guidance still to come from your teacher or tutor.

Advanced

Five to ten years

Await to attain this level subsequently at least 5 years and up to 10 years. By this stage you lot should exist playing at a Grade viii (ABRSM) level or beyond. Y'all should have no problems sightreading pieces around iii or four grades below your playing level. You should know scales, arpeggios, broken chords, etc in every key. You lot should be very comfortable choosing your own repertoire and learning pieces by yourself at this stage.

How Long Does It Take To Learn Piano for Adults?

Again, this is a very catchy question to quantify. It depends on numerous factors, such every bit how quickly you lot acquire, what your musical groundwork is, and whether yous have the time to dedicate to practicing. For example, if you have already played the violin to a Grade 8 standard, you lot will be able to selection the pianoforte up very chop-chop, to the point where it might only take you two years to be at the same level with your piano playing. If yous're a total beginner, expect to be playing for at least five years before you get to the same level.

The length of fourth dimension likewise depends on the kind of instruction you're getting. If you are working with an excellent, experienced teacher who is able to very quickly spot your mistakes and rectify them, alongside prescribing repertoire that you lot're interested in and that volition help y'all develop, you will learn speedily. If y'all are working with a teacher who is not and then interested in your personal development, or who is not too experienced at teaching total beginners (and in my experience, very few teachers are) then your development will exist much slower.

A key piece of communication here is to notice the instruction method that suits yous. The ideal is an experienced teacher who understands the mutual pitfalls that beginners experience. However, lots of teachers will say they are experienced at teaching beginners, when in actuality, they are non, and would be much more suited to teaching advanced/intermediate level students.

If you lot tin't afford a teacher, or don't have the time to get to one, then yous may consider a piano learning app, or only trying to teach yourself. A piano learning app volition aid yous, but be aware that your progress volition be slower than going to an experienced teacher. Not everyone tin afford this or take the time for it, and then if you can't go to a instructor all hope is not lost, just be aware that it might have you lot longer.

How Many Hours a 24-hour interval Should Yous Exercise Piano?

Equally with so many things in the piano-learning world, the reply is "it depends." You should ideally practice for:

As much time that you take to dedicate to the piano
As much time as you can remain concentrated while sat at the piano

Let me elaborate on this. Logic dictates that if y'all spend an hr per day practicing, you lot volition develop at three times the pace as someone who practices but 20 minutes per 24-hour interval. Even so, this is not necessarily true. The QUALITY of your exercise is more important than how much you do. If you determine that your practice consists just of playing through your pieces, making the same mistakes over and over again, information technology doesn't matter how many hours you sit at the piano. Y'all will not ameliorate.

Even so, if you lot take a witting, deliberate approach to practicing the piano, you will progress more speedily. Even if yous dedicate but twenty minutes per day, as long as those 20 minutes are hyper-focused, you will make progress. Ideally, yet, yous volition do as much hyper-focused practice as you perchance can every day. If your practice is good, then obviously if you do two hours a mean solar day you will amend quicker than someone who does twenty minutes.

If you want more than information on how to brand your piano practice as efficient and effective as possible, I highly recommend y'all check out my related article here.

Tin can I Teach Myself Piano?

The answer to this is absolutely yes. I was, at least until I was around 14 or fifteen, for the almost part, cocky taught. I had a good ear for music and was able to pick tunes out on the pianoforte with relative ease. For all intents and purposes, I could "play" the piano.

But, I knew nix about music theory. I knew cypher almost learning to read music. If you had put a piece of music in front of me, I wouldn't have known what to do with information technology. This is a major problem. At present, it would have absolutely been possible for me to go online and learn how to read music myself. I would somewhen have been able to pick it up. However, it would have been quicker and easier if I'd had a instructor.

You lot can absolutely use apps like Flowkey and Simply Piano, or use YouTube videos to assistance you learn. This isn't going to practise you lot any harm. Withal, in that location will be things that a teacher tin point out or tell you that will assistance you learn quicker. Information technology will exist much more than efficient if you lot have a teacher to help you. If yous have no instructor, y'all will somewhen get stuck on something that y'all can't figure out, and you'll take nobody to turn to.

This is non only true for beginners/intermediate level players. This is true for almost anyone; I remember when I was at academy I would get stuck on certain things. Peradventure an awkward fingering somewhere, a catchy chord voicing, something similar this. It was e'er extremely helpful to have a teacher around to point me in the right direction.

Is It Hard to Learn the Piano?

Whatsoever musical instrument is difficult to learn for someone with no musical background. Even so, I would encourage you not to retrieve of the potential difficulty, but think of the reward. Learning music is a lifelong journey. Nobody ever stops learning. Even 80 or 90 year old musicians however practice, because with exercise, they improve. Learning the pianoforte never stops.

And then aye, information technology is hard. It requires a lot of dedication. You volition observe that you desire to surrender and not play again. You lot will get tired of practising. You will come dwelling house from work or school and not want to exercise. I would encourage you to await past this, and stick to it. You volition be glad you did.

Until adjacent time; happy practicing!