Can you teach yourself piano (and work through the exams)? I’m desperate!

[DayDreamer511]

Not sure if you’ll remember me but I started a thread a while back and I wanted to learn the piano again, having previously had lessons as a child.

I have quite difficult criteria to fit in to. I need a teacher who can come to my house in the evenings as I have my young children in my care during the day. I found a teacher who could fit me in for lessons and when he came to teach me, I was really unsure of how qualified he was. Rather than ask him, I asked what grade he can teach to. He said “grade 5, but if I keep learning and stay ahead of my students, I can teach to any standard”. This gives me the impression he’s only grade 5 himself which is of little use to me and I feel it’s not worth paying him £20 a week to teach me if he’s unqualified. I just wondered if anyone else has had success teaching themselves? Or is that not really a feesable option?

Thanks for your help :)

I taught myself the piano but not sure I could pass exams although I’ve never tried. I am teaching ds2 the basics just now as I do have a musical background and live rurally and there are no piano teachers with spaces at the moment.
You could give it a go. I looked on some forums that had music teachers on them and got some recommended books to start me off.

Not ideal but have you had a look for a Skype teacher. Not quite the same as having someone in the room but can be a good in between that and no teacher at all. My friend is a music professor and she said it can be a good solution when I was looking for a music teacher for dd a few years ago.

What matters is whether you are able to get on with the teacher and improve. Practice is key and we have always struggled for Time there.

There are apps that can help you learn music and to perform but skills only really come with a teacher to support them.

I'm a guitar player and my husband taught me (he's very accomplished). Once I'd reached a certain standard I was able to continue without his help and I've now been playing for five yrs and am pretty decent.

There is no way I would have progressed so quickly without his help. So I think a good teacher are worth their weight in gold. Obviously practice is key too - hours upon hours upon hours but you'll know this already!

I just feel like giving up I really want to learn but there are just so many obsticles in my way. I was so motivated but I’ve literally phoned countless teachers and I can’t find anyone. I feel like I’d find the Skype thing a bit awkward. Just wish I could find someone to help me.

Why not give the guy who did come around another try? Even if he could only teach to a basic level, it will give you a push from where you are now.

I think you can get to a certain level, certainly. I taught myself to read bass clef and can pick out some easy pieces from my sister’s piano books. I was learning the flute at the time, so could read treble clef. I have very limited skill though, I think to improve you need a teacher. Why not try Skype lessons and see how you get on?

I think I’ll have to give him another try. I just feel like my progress with him probably won’t be much faster than if I did it alone as he really doesn’t seem great. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

I would give him another couple more lessons and maybe then tell him explicitly you don't think you can learn much from him. That will give you a bit more time to try and find someone. I assume you've tried the local music college to see if a student there could teach you for a bit of extra cash? Or even the local sixth form? There will be kids there with definitely higher than a grade 5.

After that I think you should give Skype lessons a chance before you write them off. They do seem like the best solution to your time/location constraints.

I think the problem is for a teacher to come to you you are techically taking up two teaching slots when factoring in travel. Which means far less than £20 an hour for the tutor.

Have you asked local secondary schools? That’s how I found my piano teacher - my sons’ school had a peripatetic piano teacher.

Personally I wouldn’t be paying anyone who had only got to Grade 5 to teach me.

I agree about giving the teacher another try.

And he seems honest about his limitations. If he thinks he can teach Grade 5 he is likely to be of higher grades. Where did you find him? Is he at music college?

I take my young children to my lesson. They have TV on in another room. Could you do that?

We have so many apps these days on the web. why don't you download one of it. there are free lessons on Youtube as well. So you can try too. Since you have learnt piano playing as a child, you can try reading some notes your self, practice and learn to play them on your own too.