Can I learn piano on my own?

Are you a piano enthusiast who wants to learn how to play the piano? Are you looking for ways to learn it and wondering if you can learn the instrument on your own? Maybe you have seen advertisements online that promote piano learning on your own through videos or mobile apps. The piano is a very beautiful instrument and being able to play it can give huge amounts of pleasure but learning the piano on your own is not advisable as it will only give unsatisfying results which can cause frustrations.

As the internet is conveniently accessible at any time of the day, you probably have searched for ways to find out if you can learn the piano on your own. You may learn a little information but it will not be enough compared to learning it from a piano teacher.

So, here are reasons why learning the piano on your own is not advisable and why you should consider learning from a professional piano teacher.

Develop Wrong Technique

When you learn the piano on your own, you will stumble upon pieces that may not be comfortable for you and you might happen to execute passages that need proper technique. Studying the piano negligently will limit your knowledge on how to tackle technical passages. It will cause hindrances with your learning and slow down your progress which can cause frustrations.

In order to advance and play technical pieces, you need to know how to play the piano with the right technique to be able to execute a piece correctly because playing pieces without observing the proper technique will increase the possibility of getting an injury. As a piano player, getting your hands injured should be the last thing that you would want to happen. One of the benefits of taking lessons is that the piano teacher will be able to correct you immediately if they see you not having the correct posture. They will be able to explain and demonstrate to you how you should play the instrument.

Slow Down Your Progress

Studying the piano has a certain process that a learner should know. There are no shortcuts. Not being able to know how to properly study a piano piece will only slow down the process of learning and can cause bad habits. Learning how to play the piano indeed takes some time and patience, and if you learn the piano without the proper method and guidance from a piano teacher, it will only get you nowhere.

Studying the piano on your own will take much more time because you will be needing to look for your sources and learning materials. The internet is usually the way that people would choose to look for a source of learning because it is very convenient and accessible. But what some people do not know is that the internet is not always the best option to learn especially when learning the piano. The internet is not really reliable when it comes to learning because there are people who would put information on it that is not accurate.

Creating Bad Habits

Learning the piano does not happen overnight. It takes weeks, months or years depending on what your goal is in piano playing. Piano learning is like planting a fruit bearing tree; you need to water it every day to grow and eventually bear fruit. When you learn the piano, it also needs a daily source of learning and practicing. It is vital to do it every day for at least 15 minutes for beginners to be able to attain growth and improvement.

Learning the piano without being guided by a piano teacher will increase the possibility of developing bad habits in piano learning. It may cause you to get used to a wrong technique and/or bad posture in playing which a piano teacher should correct during the lessons.

Kills Momentum

When you learn the piano without being taught regularly by a professional piano teacher, it limits yourself to reach your full potential as a piano learner because having a teacher enables you to become motivated to work harder in improving yourself as a musician. Taking piano lessons will give you the advantage of learning regularly and efficiently because you are required to attend your lessons and practice your pieces in between.

It can become tempting sometimes to procrastinate in piano practicing when you know that you are not committed to achieve a goal. Enrolling yourself for piano lessons is a good way to maintain your progress and it will motivate you to practice regularly as well. The piano teacher will also give you tips and advice when it comes to piano practicing, which will be very helpful for your progress as a piano learner. A day without practicing the instrument can make you feel like stepping back with your progress because practicing every day is a huge factor in improving your muscle memory. It also helps in making your fingers firmer and stronger which prepares you to execute technical passages efficiently.

Lack Foundation

“Can I learn piano on my own?”

It really depends on your goal. If you just want to play simple tunes from your favorite artist or band, you may look for any video from the internet and play “Simon says” with the content creator. But if you are aiming to play pieces like Claire de lune by Claude Debussy or Fur Elise by Beethoven, it is best to learn it from someone who has years of experience so that you will develop good habits in learning the piano. You definitely cannot study these pieces simply on your own if you don’t have any background with the piano. Learning these pieces without guidance from a piano teacher is surely a recipe for frustration.

Regardless of the genre or difficulty of a piece, it is certainly wise to decide to take lessons from a piano teacher. When you learn from a piano teacher, you will not only learn how to play a song or piece but you will acquire the skill of piano playing and be taught to become a piano player.