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

[Iusedtoplaytherecorder]

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.

I can also play the flute and got to about grade 7 standard at senior school. I don't remember learning to read music, I've just always been able to do it. I can remember playing complex pieces on the recorder at infant school, and I was in the junior school orchestra from year 4. I had to borrow a flute for the first year as no one in my family is at all musical and my parents didn't even consider it.

Now I need a hobby and I can do this in the evenings once kids are in bed. Bring it on!

I will be sure to announce my concert dates on here first😊

My 82 year old DMother is still teaching piano & music theory & has been for about 35 years. Her pupils range from 5 to 80ish...

They love her & her lessons because she's so passionate about her craft, & so patient wtih them

You seem to already have a good musical education and have a bit of a gift for it.
If you’re prepared to invest some time I can’t see why you shouldn’t pick it up pretty quickly myself.
Enjoy! It’s a great goal to have.

I played the flute and got to grade 6 when I was young. The piano or the guitar would have been more sociable though.
@xPeaceX
I don't really get why you say this, especially about the piano. I am sure it is a lovely thing to be able to play, but I would think it is often quite a solitary activity.

OTOH an instrument like a flute, or any wind, brass or string instrument you can join a band or an orchestra. Very sociable.

I don't understand why you need to ask. You know you're musical and coordinated. What's the problem? I don't understand why you're questioning if you can do it. You're forty, not dead.

You can definitely do it, but if you are serious about actually wanting to learn, you need proper face to face lessons. An app or some books might help you start to learn bass clef but not much more than that.

Yes OP you can learn! You have a fantastic start in that you have already studied music.
Lots of scales and arpeggios to get your hand muscles loosened and strengthened. Start simple with one octave separate hands.
just start with some basic beginner books and get some lessons.
On another note- that spaceships song is beautiful. I can’t identify with the lyrics like others seem to but the rawness of the video and melody is lovely.

I’m in my 60s and I had piano lessons for the first time recently. It’s great! I have a local girl who is talented giving me lessons. Money for her, music for me. Perfect!

I got a flute for my 50th Christmas & I'm a strings/bass cleff background, never been near woodwind. After a few lessons (to make sure I was blowing in the right end & other basics) I've carried on via books & YouTube tutorials. I'm actually quite proud of my progress in 2 years & can knock out some really lovely tunes now.

So yes, you can do it but my advice is to start with a few formal lessons because there'll be basics that you need to get right at the beginning, or they'll affect your more advanced playing & be hard to correct further down the line. E.G. It's all about your 'embouchure' with the flute (the shape & placement of your lips), I'd never even heard the word before, but it's a biggie & the lessons got me off on the right foot because a face to face teacher can correct you immediately. If you already know your music theory then once your technique is right, the rest is just practise.

Yes go for it I started lessons at the age of 47 it’s great I wish I had started sooner but never had the time or a keyboard if you have music gcse already then you are well on the way with the theory and reading music

Although get a teacher don’t try yourself and it’s quite tricky having both hands doing separate things compared to the flute (am also a flute player) good luck

😂. Oh no, we were doing so well!!
I'm not sure I've ever said I'm coordinated.

Just because I played the flute 30 years ago doesn't mean I can play the piano now. They are completely different and I can't read base music. It's like saying if you learnt to swim as a child of course you'll be fine to ski as an adult.

But thank you for your confidence in me! ✔️

I'm going to find a teacher.
@NoMoreShit you are so right about the mouth placement on a flute. I've just had flashbacks of my flute teacher constantly fine tuning the position of my flute one way or another whilst I played so I got the nest sound.

Absolutely you can. I started aged 40. I'd always wanted to but we couldn't ever have afforded when I was a child. We had a piano for the children and I decided I'd go for it. I'm around a grade 7/8 a good few years later but don't take exams or play in front of anyone but family. I play purely for relaxation and brain training.

Piano teacher here. love my adult pupils! They range from 40s-80s. Do it! Don't know where you are in the country but pm me if you want more advice 😊

You're forty, not dead.

Only on MN would you find such inspirational words of encouragement 😂

You absolutely can. I dabbled in music as a teen then gave it up when exams hit. Now in my 40s, I have learned to play guitar to grade 6 level, ukulele, bass guitar and banjo. Have now bought a yamaha digital piano. I'd say I'm pretty natural with music and having worked really hard on guitar, all the other instruments have come really easily. My husband, who is not naturally musical decided to learn guitar with me and has made much less progress as he finds it hard. Good luck OP!

I've always thought of myself as completely unmusical, I have no background in music, can't read music etc. My husband bought an electronic piano in lockdown and we have the Simply Piano app. I started playing in Christmas 2020 and almost two years in I absolutely love it. As some said above, I'll never be a concert pianist but I love being able to play a range of songs and sometimes even being able to play from a book. The downside of Simply Piano is I've become quite dependent on the app telling me if I've played the right note! But as I improve that's fading. Pm me for a 1 month free trial if you like, I have two codes.

Maybe this is a good thread to ask - I'm looking for general books (like for a gift) about adults learning music/new instruments. I know someone who wanted to play all her life but has just started lessons in late 70s (string instrument, so challenging, especially physically!). She is very tense and anxious about it, hyper criticial, I guess because she knows what it could sound like, which also affects the playing. It would be nice to have positive books about learning as an adult, getting over the hyper criticism, etc, and possibly also about learning to relax, mental imagery, Alexander technique type stuff (she won't be taking any further lessons in anything like that for financial reasons). Any suggestions welcome! (gifts, so can't be anything that would be seen as criticism, either... )

I learned at 40 and I couldn't play anything but the recorder from school and had to learn sheet music too. Have lessons even if you just have one once a month as bad habits are hard to undo. Good luck!

But to answer your question, also yes! The person I referred to above is learning, and I have also taken up an instrument as an adult (though in my 40s instead).

There's a good podcast if I can find it about adults learning. It's hard because you are more aware of what you could sound like, but equally, you have more motivation to practise, and you know more what works for you.

This is the podcast I was talking about. Several celebrities taking about learning music as an adult

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07dkdxp

It's like saying if you learnt to swim as a child of course you'll be fine to ski as an adult.

It's really not. I played wind and piano. They're similar in lots of ways! You're coordinated if you can pick something up and play by ear. You'll have no problem! I hope you enjoy it!

The only thing I would suggest is that you really think about how you're holding your hands.