Question on music/piano

[Alphathree33]

How long would you guestimate that it would take an average, healthy adult with no previous musical experience to learn to play the piano and read music at an average level assuming a good teacher and daily practice?

 

[tfinch2]

What is an average level?

 

[Alphathree33]

Originally posted by: tfinch2
What is an average level?

I thought that's what this question would hinge on...

An average level being... not 'performance' level... and not having a penchant for very high tempo, very complicated pieces...

 

[SZLiao214]

It depends on how serious you will be about learning. Ive seen lose little 6 year old Asian Kids who can play classical music already. No idea how many years that they have been at it.

 

[Jinru]

My sister is a piano teacher, shes been doing it since she was 19 as a side job. She only teaches once every week for half an hr, the rest of the time the student is expected to practice on his/her own. In a 1-2 month progress I hear her students playing fairly well basic pieces (can't think of what the songs are atm). Of course it also depends on age and dedication.

 

[Platypus]

Hard to say, depends on you alone as far as dedication to practicing. I trained for 13 years classically as a kid into my teens and would pretty much have to practice 3 hours a day at least to keep up.. but if you're just looking to screw around I would say it will eventually 'click' for you and you'll get to a level where you can pretty much pick up a piece of moderate difficulty and learn it eventually. You need to start with theory and learning how to read music or you shouldn't even bother.

 

[ahurtt]

If you take it seriously and have the discipline to actually practice as much as you're supposed to then only about 4-5 years before you can do some decent entertaining at your average cocktail party. Now if you want to be a professional, it's a different story. Every person is different. Everybody has different natural coordination and musicianship qualities. Anybody can do it I believe, but like everything else in life, for some it will come easier than others depending on your inate abilities. But everybody has to practice. That is the key. Where there is a will there is a way.

 

[Bacstar]

I've been playing for years... and tried to teach a few people as well.

The biggest hurdle everyone had was setting some realistic expectations of how well they wanted to play within a given period of time. Then getting frustrated and then quitting before giving it some time.

So stick with it... don't give up... and remember to practice practice practice...

 

[marulee]

1 Year!

 

[imported_Imp]

Less than a year if you really care. I learned bass clarinet & clarinet in school in a single school year plus a summer. Been 'playing' guitar once every few weeks for two years, still suck, starting to stick. If I played more, could probably learn in a year. Oh...the fact that I took piano lessons for 7+ years may have helped a bit...lot. So piano alone, a year if you really try. Normal, half-assed, give it 2 or 3.

 

[letdown427]

Being able to read music you can learn in an hour. Being able to sight read music and play it, that'll take a bit more time.

If you want to be able to have someone give you a score and you unleash it, then that'll take you a bit longer than if yo just want to be able to learn stuff on your own to be able to play it from memory and such. If you find you really enjoy it though, it won't take long to become technically proficient, it's just being able to process that stuff without really having to think.

 

[EvilYoda]

If you want to go for proper technique and theory, then it could take you a while if you're older and have no musical background...or you could learn stuff like that PBS show that teaches you the quick-and-easy way to play piano...depends on your intention.