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.

Oh and I have a 30 min lesson every week where my dd has her piano lesson.

If I can learn guitar as an adult, I am sure that you can learn the piano. There are lots of free apps to get you started. Yousician is a good one, you only get 20 mins a day for free but it will give you an idea if you are going to like something.

I hope you love it. Feeling inspired by your post to have 20 mins on my guitar now. I have ignored it today.

Following with interests. Learned basic recorder, and violin (grade1) as a child but always wanted to play piano. We weren't allowed in those days unless you had access to an actual piano for practice which I didn't. DC has just started lessons on the keyboard and I'm thinking of learning along with her! Makes me quite emotional for some reason that I never learnt to play myself.

Absolutely you can, I teach adults and children the piano, one of my students us in his sixties, got to a similar standard as you as a child on french horn and is now playing grade 6 piano level. Another got to grade 2 piano as a child and is preparing for grade 7 at nearly 80!

If you can find a sympathetic teacher it can help (especially finding repertoire as you move up in standard) as well as avoiding technique issues - for example pedalling is something I would introduce early to an adult who has no issues about reaching pedals compared to a child. My adults don't always stick to the same regularity of lessons either, and I am happy to work with that; it's always rewarding teaching adults as they are only learning because they want to!

It's always rewarding teaching adults as they are only learning because they want to!

Love this!

You absolutely can, yes our brains may sometimes take longer to learn things when older but you already know lots of the theory. Please don't write on the piano keys, that will slow you down and ruin your piano! Lots of piano teachers like adult learners- more focused and motivated etc. Just don't be too hard on yourself and enjoy it.

Yes definitely!! I’m learning at the moment (am early 30s and started learning a couple of months ago). I have a fairly similar musical background to you too, and focused on treble clef instruments rather than bass clef. I learned the recorder at school (to a veeery basic standard though!) and then did clarinet lessons for a few years and got to Grade 8, though haven’t picked it up in years.

I'm absolutely loving all of these positive replies!

Well done to anyone who has already done it, and good luck to those who are starting out or just thinking about it.

I'll have a go on one of the apps first and see how I get on this week.

Yes, definitely give it a try. If you look for a teacher try to find one experienced with teaching adults from scratch.

There is a long running but low volume thread here with adult piano players, some of whom learned as adults or restarted after a very long gap. You might find it useful:

www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4308841-Does-anyone-fancy-a-piano-chat-thread?

You absolutely can learn!

And you can find any music to any song online - also you can specify whether you want it to be written for beginners, grade 1, 2 etc. You can be playing a simple version of your Leann Rimes song off by heart by next week - and you’ll have been polishing your sight-reading and finger skills while doing it!

I'm 45 and started having weekly lessons about 18 months ago. It's a life long ambition to play the piano well but my god it's hard! Did my grade 1 earlier this year but don't think I'll do more exams as it was awful.

Should add - I couldn't even read music when I started as have never played an instrument.

I had lessons as a child and played very badly, hated exams as I got nervous and I also never practiced properly.

forty years later I decided I wanted to learn. I’d even forgotten how to read music. I’d highly recommend having a teacher, mine is lovely. The first thing I ever said was, ‘I’m never doing an exam’ and she was fine with that. Four years in (almost), I play nearly every day. I practice far more than as a child and I bloody love it. I’m still hopeless at performing so it’s very much just for me.

I now play at around grade 6/7/8 level and one thing I struggle with is anything that needs to be played fast. So it’s largely Chopin type music. I think I’ll play forever now.

Please do it, it’s so good for the soul and it’s definitely good for the brain. 😊

I started learning this year (I'm 40+). Played brass in school so could read treble clef but had to learn bass clef. I did grade 1 exam in a month and I'm now working on grade 5 (10 months in). I'm slow, I definitely need more sight reading fluency but it's getting better the more I practice. You can totally do this!

My mother started having piano lessons when she retired - you're definitely not too old!

Hi. I use the Pianote website and love it. If you're interested I have a code for (I think) a month's free trial.

Of course you can. I learned an instrument in my 40s and I couldn’t even read music when I started. You already have a flying start. Have fun!

I'm trying to teach myself piano -starting in my mid-40s. I sang in a choir and played a string instrument to grade 8+ but stopped when I left school. I found I could immediately recall how to read treble clef and the right hand is fine. I'm struggling to teach myself bass clef. I'm not practising regularly enough for it to stick tbh. But I can pick out a tune that my family recognises so I am considering that a win! I've no interest in doing exams, just pottering around for my own pleasure.

Yes!! Loving the success stories

The simply piano app is awesome.

The ipad version is much better than the android version. You can start with the android version, but plan on getting an ipad at some point in the future. (The actual lessons work well enough on android, but when learning music from their vast library of songs, the android version isn't worth bothering with at all, while the ipad version is superb.)

Also get a cable to connect ipad to the keyboard. If the keyboard doesn't have a suitable port, get a different keyboard! (The cable enables 100% reliable note recognition. The alternative is the app will use the ipad microphone to recognise notes, but even if that is 99% reliable, the difference between 99% and 100% is very significant when you're trying to practise.)

Inspiring thread!

I bought a piano during lockdown. I’ve never had a lesson in my life but can play up to about grade 4 standard which is well enough to plonk along to pretty much anything I fancy song-wise. Just picked up a book of Disney songs from the charity shop and really enjoying being able to play Mary Poppins and Aladdin songs! It’s great to be able to do Christmas stuff too.

I think I’d need lessons to get any better but I’m happy with the level I’m at for now, and it’s only for pleasing myself anyway.

I started learning around 5 years ago (aged 39) having played the flute to grade 8 standard in school but not touched it afterwards. I won’t lie, it’s been a lot harder than learning the flute was, but that is probably down to age and the fact that the piano, with its two lines of music, is inherently much harder than the flute.

I can’t say I’m the most diligent at practising, and I took a bit of a hiatus in lockdown as I hated online lessons, but I have gone from being able to play very simple pieces to grade 4/5 stuff over the time I’ve been learning. More importantly than that I bloody love it.

Please don’t write the notes on the keys - it’ll stop you remembering them - and I say this as someone who still has to “translate” the bass clef to read it. Just start slowly and consolidate. And do consider a teacher (if you’re in SW London I can recommend a marvellous one) because you want good habits from the off, much like any physical endeavour as what you can get away with as a beginner really stymies you when you hit the intermediate stuff and beyond.

Good luck! I hope you find the joy I have from it, and that you learn to make some marvellous, or passable, music.

Sorry no recommendations but you definitely can and should, it’s really good for your brain to learn new things throughout your life. I’ve just started studying for wine qualifications it’s great to do something new

Even more joyous replies! Thank you for all the encouragement and positivity. I'm feeling really excited that I might just be able to play the piano. I don't even care if it's basic!

I'm also feeling pretty chuffed this is a 100% positive AIBU thread. Nailed it!

Im going to spend this evening looking at apps and starting at the very beginning (as it's a very good place to start, after all). 🎶🎶🎶