Can I teach myself piano?

[Happydaze2]

I’m in my 50s and reasonably musical - I played violin as a child and can read music, and I sing. I’ve always longed to play piano and am considering buying a decent keyboard and having a go. I don’t want to have “proper” lessons or tuition; I just want to learn the basics at my own pace and enjoy myself - hopefully enough to play some songs by ear eventually. (ie I don’t particularly want or need to follow written music.) Is it possible to do this via YouTube tutorials and the like? I’d appreciate some advice.

I would say you'll not be able to learn to play Clair de Lune as written by Debussy without a teacher. However, you say you don't want to play music as written. Then it's very simple to learn on your own. Take the simple progression of G Am F G. You know what the chords are from your violin (assuming you have done enough exams to know your scales and arpeggios and chords), then you know C chord is C, E and G. You can play the chord on your LH and arpeggios on your RH (or the other way round). You can follow the progression with the same pattern. You can also find progression for a lot of songs online.

Playing this way is how most of the online tutorial will teach you. I don't know how long it'll take to learn but maybe a week or two?

Hope this make sense? You can find online videos that explains it.

A quick google find this. So you can find tutorials like this online that explains the basic pianowithjonny.com/piano-lessons/pop-piano-accompaniment-the-ultimate-guide/

There have been some amazing pianists on The Piano programme who were self or YouTube taught

Yes, I think it's possible. I've never had a piano lesson in my life and play - imperfectly but to my satisfaction - all the time now. I played the violin as a child and went through a painstaking process of working out bass notes and practicing hymn tunes to get familiarity with the keyboard. Now I play Bach, Debussy, Schubert, Brahms etc...

@SnowAndFrostOutside and@semideponent thank you - that’s very encouraging. I achieved Grade 7 on the violin but confess to having forgotten about progressions (though I do of course know what scales, arpeggios and chords are). I’m hoping to be able to work it out, with the help of online tutorials like the one you’ve kindly directed me to.
Now for another question - what keyboard to buy?! Weighted keys obviously for as authentic a sound as possible, and due to limited space at home it will have to be portable. I can afford to spend up to about £800.

Do you have an iPad? The app SIMPLY PIANO has been great for me. I think it’s about £50 a year but truly worth it.

I was told Iwas tone deaf at school.

never read music, got this and a cheap keyboard and am learning to amuse myself. I really like it, it uses different bits of brain. If you can spare the cash, give it a try but if you already know music then youtube or something is probably fine.

I'd go on the hunt for a second hand digital piano with pedals and weighted keys. A Clavinova, for instance.

I recommend a Yamaha digital piano too. (Not a keyboard). All the digital pianos will have 88 weighted keys and polyphony. I like the Clavinova but there are cheaper series if you aren’t so sure about how much long you will keep at it. There are stage pianos too which can be cheaper?

Polyphony you might easily overlook. But if you hold the sustain pedal you will need a lot more notes simultaneously than what you can hold down with both hands. Hope that make sense.

OP, if you’re still about, how are you getting on?