What do you think about the Piano?

Question:Ok so I am 14 years old, I started learning how to play the piano at age 13 which was not too long ago.

I am so stressed! I always wanted to play but I had no idea it was so much work! Feels like the notes will never end! lol

Do you know how to play the piano?
What was it first like when you started learning?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Ok so I am 14 years old, I started learning how to play the piano at age 13 which was not too long ago.

I am so stressed! I always wanted to play but I had no idea it was so much work! Feels like the notes will never end! lol

Do you know how to play the piano?
What was it first like when you started learning?

First let me say that it's refreshing to read a question from someone who is 14 that is written in proper English.

As for your question: I started taking piano lessons when I was in sixth grade. At first I was very enthusiastic but soon I got frustrated and stopped practicing. My parents continued to pay for lessons and told me that if I missed a lesson I would have to pay for it myself. I kept going to lessons but I didn't practice very much. But once I got into high school I started enjoying piano more. I ended up learning enough that when I went to college to study music education I was able to skip out of the first two years of piano classes. I love playing piano now and do so nearly everyday.

You're right that it is daunting to learn piano. Unlike most instruments you have multiple notes to keep track of at one time. Try setting aside 15-20 minutes everyday to practice. Whatever you get done in that amount of time is what you get done. Don't worry that you're not learning fast enough, just work at your own pace. It's better to practice a couple times a day for 15 minutes than it is to sit down for an hour and get stressed out about you mistakes. Set a timer and stop when it goes off. If you are able to practice for 15 minutes two or three times a day then you will be even better off. Each time you practice will be like a new day of practicing because you have to start over again. Don't stress yourself out. Remember that you are doing this for fun.

Work on it one bar at a time. Don't overwhelm yourself by trying to deal with an entire piece at once. Practice the parts that give you trouble until you feel comfortable with them. Bring the tempo down as much as you need to and check your fingerings. Is there an easier way to play the notes? A lot of times the suggested fingerings are noted above the notes and you should follow them even if they don't seem to make any sense. Ask your teacher if you have questions, that's what they're there for.

Set a goal for yourself. Ask your music teacher at school if there is a piece in the winter or spring chorus concert where they would need a pianist for a piece they singing. They might even choose music that has a piano part at your level specifically so you can play. Or you could work towards an adjudication. In NYS we have NYSSMA. Students choose a piece from the repertory list and learn it. Then they go to the competition and play the piece as well as some scales and sight reading. There are all different levels to choose from and it's not a performance, rather it's an opportunity to get feedback from someone else who is an expert in the field.

Practice the scales/chord progressions/exercises you are given and do the theory work. It may seem dry but if you pay attention it will help you. The general rule of thumb is that piano music is based on chords. Each measure or beat or phrase is built on a specific chord. Once you determine the chord then the notes in the measure should match the notes in the chord. It's not always true but it's a good starting point.

Are you learning in the style that you are interested in? I took classical lessons until I was a senior in high school and while it wasn't bad I found that I was working on the same piece for months on end. If I was going to continue to learn piano I needed to try something new. I changed teachers and started focusing on accompanying and sight reading. I learned how to read lead sheet music and found that all of the sudden I could play many more songs than I could before. Lead sheet is when you are given a melody line and then there is the chord names written above it. So if I had a Cm about the melody then I would play C, E-flat, and G. There is no rhythm given for the chords so you have to improvise. It's a lot of fun, but you will probably need a few more years before you have the skills to try it.

Be patient and keep at it. With a little bit of work you'll be surprised how much you will learn.

Good luck!

Your fingers hurt like nothing in earth, and your hands feel as if they are never long enough... I sympathize!

My dad get a piano about a year ago. He was teaching me but i never really get into it. It fun to play. But my heart wasn't into it that much. But it is fun to play. LOL!

i was in the same situation but i made my parents not get me lessons. if it is so stressful then you should stop for a while and try and play on weekend so you dont forget completely and when you get into a daily routine than find some time to squeeze it in so you arent overly stressed but have just enough that you can deal with it.

It's a chore. But when you keep on practicing, and getting better and better, you will learn to string random notes together that sound good, and you can actually "play" the piano, as opposed to playing arrangements. When I first started playing, I was no good at it. But trust me, just keep practicing and the flow will come. :D

(Alternatively, the piano could be the wrong instrument for you. You could try another one, I switched to guitar a couple of years ago, it's hard too, but easier than piano.)

I am 13 (almost 14) and have been playing since I was about 11. I take lessons and I agree it is stressful to be prepared for lessons every week, but It is also very rewarding just to come home and play after a hard day.

I love playing piano. It is the best decision I have ever made. Just remember that once you get the notes and rhythms down the rest comes pretty easy, and after you take lessons a while it gets more fun and rewarding to play.

Hope I helped!!

I started when I was 12 and took lessons for 6 years. If you really want to play well, it is a lot of work. But its really worth it because unlike some other instruments, you can pretty much play one for life and you can play almost any kind of music that suits you.

But if it is stressing you out, then perhaps you should look into a different kind of instrument like a stringed instrument or horn of some kind. Not everyone can deal with the multiple staff reading of piano music and it can be just as satisfying to play a guitar, violin, french horn, clarinet, flute or trumpet as "tickling the ivories".

Music should always be a pleasant pass time. If it's giving you stress, you're working at it too hard...

I don't play piano, but I do play guitar, fiddle and banjo (all self-taught).

First off, you've been playing for less than a year. That's nothing; you've only just started learning to play. If you're like most beginners, you started off thinking it was going to be easy and that in 6 months or a year you'd be really good at it -- and now you're finding out its a lot harder than you thought.

Learning to play the piano, or any other musical instrument, is a life-long journey, not a destination. No matter how many years you spend learning, no matter how good you get, you'll find that there's always more to learn -- about the piano, and about music in general. The journey never ends -- unless you decide to quit playing altogether. Learn to love the process and enjoy the journey, 'cos that's all there is.

If you're learning to play piano for your own enjoyment and creative self-expression, there's no reason to feel pressured. Take your time, work at your own pace, and don't get stressed about it. Nobody is forcing you to learn according to a schedule or demanding that you must learn X number of pieces every month OR ELSE. If you're putting that kind of pressure on yourself, stop doing that! And if your piano teacher or your parents are putting that kind of pressure on you -- tell 'em to back off! Of course, learning to play a musical instrument well depends on you being willing to put time into it, and the more you practice the better you'll get, more quickly -- but you have a life outside of piano lessons, and other interests besides music. Don't lose sight of those. Ease up on those unrealistic expectations you have, and be more gentle and forgiving of yourself.

Remember, you have the entire rest of your life to play the piano and get good at it -- don't stress yourself out by thinking that you MUST become a piano master within the next 6 months or whatever. Have fun with it.

at first, it was pretty hard, but once you get used to it, it turns out to be easy, but it could be that the piano just isn't your instrument. you could try guitar, violin, or even flute or alto sax.

I first taught myself how to play the piano, which was kind of a mistake, because I did not know the proper techniques. When I first started taking lesson though it was toucher in the beginning, but the more I practiced the better I got and the easier it got to play.

Yes, I know how to play. I've been playing for the last 10 years since I was 6. It wasn't as frustrating for me because I started at a younger age than you. In that stage where I'm more willing to learn. I do have my frustrating moments in learning new songs. I've even had times where I've broken down in tears because I couldn't get this chord right or hit this note.
Just hang in there and practice. Before you know it, you'll be a pro on them 88's. :-)