To think I can learn to play the piano as an adult

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We have just got a piano for my kids to practise. They have lessons at school and are doing quite well.

I used to play the recorder and other woodwind instruments up to grade 7, and I can read music (treble, not bass). I did music GSCE and can pick up a tune very quickly. I have been known to get my piccolo out and play a pop song from ear to entertain the kids!

I never learnt to play the piano or read base line music. Is it possible now? I've been tinkering on the piano for a few weeks and pondering if I should invest my evenings, or is my adult brain just not going to pick it up?

Are the apps a good way to learn?

Has anyone learnt the Piano from scratch as an adult. If so how?

YANBU - yes you can do it! (Please tell me how!).

YABU- adults can't learn anything in their 40's because the brain cells are going in the wrong direction.

Yes! I started almost 3 years ago (having previously played violin so also no bass) and am now grade 4/5. I’ve have a 30 minute lessons most weeks during term time. I do a little bit of practise most days. (And I’m

Sorry don’t know why it’s cut me off half way through. I’m in my 40s.

I am reading along. I vote you can do it but it will be harder. But then again, you have the musical knowledge from before so...... harder than picking up the piano at ten but easier than if you had no musical background at all. I played the flute and got to grade 6 when I was young. The piano or the guitar would have been more sociable though. Haven't played the flute in so long. I just stopped at about 30. Managed to keep practicing every now and then........
I do think things are harder when your older but not impossible. I learned a language because I decided to when I was in my teens (not through school) I just put my mind to it and decided to excel and I did
REcently though, at work, meeting a lot of ukrainians (work purposes), I decided to learn a bit of Ukrainian. I speak fluent Spanish, fluent English, I can do this I thought, and yet, it was like I had to write down a post it not with prey veeyet on it, just to remember how to say hello. Really struggling.

Yes you can.

You might want to start with the left hand /bass line first, especially as if you're tight handed your RH bias will be more pronounced than a child's

Oh well done! This gives me hope.

Did you use an app or book? I'm currently stay with my 6 year olds 'learn to play the piano' book in front of me. I'm feeling quite excited at the prospect!

Thanks for the vote of confidence! Great tip

Is it ok to write on the keys to remember the notes?

@xPeaceX I've already got my post it notes out to remind myself!

You most certainly can. Don't be afraid to get lessons. I know someone who started age 40 and got to grade 8 in their early 50s.

DH learnt as an adult but he is innately musical.

Yes I learnt and got two distinction awards in piano as adult. But my teacher was very impatient and sadly I gave it up as a result.

Yes!

I say this as someone non musicial working in a school music dept. Our head suggested all got involved in a grade 1 challenge. Whilst the others were all music teachers, I was coming from a place of last playing the recorder 30 years ago (I failed grade 5 twice on it). I decided to go for it on a flute, whilst a similar instrument, learning from not playing was still possible and managed to pass grade 1 on it with merit and only 1 lesson with a teacher!

So yes its possible on a new instrument if you want to.

Whilst the others were teachers, we had violin, trumpet, bassoon, percussion, french horn and saxophone learners for the challenge. One of our non musicians was going to try the piano but got a frozen shoulder and had to step back.

I learnt to play piano and guitar as an adult. I had one or two lessons a week and practised a lot in between! Good luck.

OP you sound as though you have an excellent foundation!

My background was different, no formal instrument training apart from school recorder, but a friend had a piano and school taught us to read music, so I would play very simple stuff badly on theirs, as a kid.

In my late 40s I got an electric keyboard and play every single day for a little while. Am I still at a very basic level? Yes. Can I play simple tunes if I practice, also yes though. I don't want the commitment and expense of lessons just yet as I have enough regular things nailed into the weekly schedule. I do enjoy it and it adds to my life.

Good thing about a piano is that it is always there ready to play so easy to practice. No getting out a case, no emptying valves.

You absolutely can. In a way it's more effortful because you're not in the swing of learning any more whereas kids' lives are structured around learning.

However, learning an instrument is quite a cerebral activity and adults are better at those.

Also learning any new skill sharpens the brain. It's good for you.

So yes, do it.

One thing to do though is stretching exercises to avoid muscle strain. Do a couple of core strengthening stretches (avoids back strain from sitting with your foot over the pedal and having your arms in a bent stretch). Also look online for exercises to stretch, warm up and strengthen shoulders, arm tendons and wrists. Just five minutes before you practice. Playing piano isn't as physically awkward as eg violin where you're all twisted round to fuck but it's still a physical activity.

I learnt to play guitar during lockdown. There's an app that helps you. It can 'hear' the note you play and test you etc. Pretty sure there's an app for Piano too.

I really wanted to make a rude joke but unless you've seen Friday Night Live you wouldn't get it!

The teacher recommended the Hal Leonard adult piano method books to start with. I went very quickly through book 1 by myself and then started lessons with book 2. After that I moved onto grade 1 repertoire and kept moving up the books.

Oh I saw it it alright!!

Oh thanks for the positive messages everyone! I'm feeling motivated and quite excited. I've had a really shit couple of years and totally lost my mojo. I've been belting out a few ballads non stop in the car recently and suddenly I realised I still bloody love music! As someone else said, the flute and recorder aren't exactly social instruments, which is why I'm getting my kids into piano and guitar.

I really FEEL like I should be able to do it. And I could do with an evening project instead of watching TV.

I'm also totally obsessed with Leann Rimes' new song - Spaceship. It has a lovely piano accompaniment which doesn't sound too bonkers... I might make it my life's mission to learn this!

There was a thread recently about playing songs on repeat over and over.... well Spaceships is my current obsession! And the video is something else.

DD has a keyboard and during lock down I paid for the Simply Piano app, I had no music experience at all. I went from knowing nothing to being able to read the music, play with both hands and was starting to change chords - that's the point I started to find it difficult but it was an enjoyable way to pass the time. I'm not going to say it's perfect and I'm not going to be playing in concerts anytime soon but it's worth a go.

The Simply Piano app has a free trial, you can have more than one profile and gain access to sheet music as you progress. There is a section of different songs to play away from the tutorials too from classic - pop- Disney and at different difficulty levels.

Learning an instrument is a million times easier if you can read sheet music. You absolutely can do it!

That's a lovely song. I bet there's at least one YouTube video showing you how to play it.

Hope you get your mojo back OP. Piano would be a cracking way to do it. All you have to do is open the lid.

Yep, a mate of mine heard me pissing around on a piano a couple of years ago, playing half remembered stuff from when I was a kid. It inspired him to give it a go and 2 years later he's far surpassed me and is really good.

He went out and paid for some lessons, but there's plenty of people who teach themselves, especially with the advent you YouTube tutorials etc.

Yes! I started learning to play the drums this year aged almost 41 and I absolutely love it. I had tried other instruments but the drums has really stuck and I enjoy it so much. You are never too old x