Is it practical for me to learn the piano at my age?

Experiment with different instruments to find which is right for you. Instructors (either in a class or private setting) help greatly. As my orchestra instructor always said, "Practice makes permanent!" If you teach yourself incorrectly, it can be difficult to un-learn.

Anyway, it's worth a try. =)

I've played a keyboard since I was about five and can still play it well today though I play more guitar. Go for it! :Dfirestorm91

'Curious, is a keyboard a viable substitute for a piano in college? Like I said, I'll be in a dorm, which means there's no possibility for a piano.

I hope 'pianist' sees this. He always has great posts and this is his area of expertise.

'Curious, is a keyboard a viable substitute for a piano in college? Like I said, I'll be in a dorm, which means there's no possibility for a piano. TopDreg

I can speak to this a bit. I always played on a real piano but had to get a keyboard for college...the keys were way too easy to press and, after about a year of playing that, when I tried to play a real piano, I had FAR FAR less control over dynamics than I was used to and I was slower and sloppier. I have successfully rehabilitated myself and I believe that playing something is better than nothing but if I were you, I would get a keyboard but go try to find a real piano every month or so and play around on it for a bit so you dont lose the feel for it. For a beginner, the problems will be less pronounced for sure so yes I would do it if I were you.

Edited for fubar formatting.

Yes. But you should be aware of the fact that you will find it more difficult for two reasons:

1) Playing piano, or any instrument for that matter, is a physical process, and as you get older, you become less adept at developing physical coordination. It's a brain development thing.

2) It's easier to become frustrated, because your intellectual understanding of what you're doing will outpace your ability to do it. You'll want to advance more quickly than you can. But this is a double-edged sword - having better intellectual reasoning abilities will be greatly to your advantage in learning what you need to learn about music to play it successfully.

Do it, but seek out a qualified instructor... and by qualified, I don't mean some hack teaching 80 students a week with a grade 8 musical education and no performance experience in the last 40 years. Look for someone with a university degree in music if you're serious about learning. If you're not really serious, you'd be better off saving your money and teaching yourself with an adult self-guided piano course, though you should never expect to become very proficient by that means.

[QUOTE="TopDreg"]'Curious, is a keyboard a viable substitute for a piano in college? Like I said, I'll be in a dorm, which means there's no possibility for a piano. theburg

I can speak to this a bit. I always played on a real piano but had to get a keyboard for college...the keys were way too easy to press and, after about a year of playing that, when I tried to play a real piano, I had FAR FAR less control over dynamics than I was used to and I was slower and sloppier. I have successfully rehabilitated myself and I believe that playing something is better than nothing but if I were you, I would get a keyboard but go try to find a real piano every month or so and play around on it for a bit so you dont lose the feel for it. For a beginner, the problems will be less pronounced for sure so yes I would do it if I were you.

Edited for fubar formatting.

I agree with much of this but not the highlighted part. It is even more essential for a beginner to have a real instrument than a pro. I can play keyboards, and though they sound and feel like junk, I will not wreck my playing by using them, nor learn bad habits, because I already know how to play the real thing. A beginner has no such experience to rely on, and so he or she will invariably suffer from stunted development without access to a real piano. However, you are absolutely correct that ANY instrument is better than no instrument at all, since daily practice is essential to development.

Experiment with different instruments to find which is right for you. Instructors (either in a class or private setting) help greatly. As my orchestra instructor always said, "Practice makes permanent!" If you teach yourself incorrectly, it can be difficult to un-learn.

Vortexx

Wise words, and this is precisely why you want to be studying in an ideal situation as soon as you can find it, with a competent instructor and a real piano. I have plenty of first-hand experience undoing problems people developed because they received inadequate instruction in the past, or had never played a real piano before coming to me, and it is indeed incredibly frustrating, especially for the student...

[QUOTE="theburg"]

[QUOTE="TopDreg"]'Curious, is a keyboard a viable substitute for a piano in college? Like I said, I'll be in a dorm, which means there's no possibility for a piano. pianist

I can speak to this a bit. I always played on a real piano but had to get a keyboard for college...the keys were way too easy to press and, after about a year of playing that, when I tried to play a real piano, I had FAR FAR less control over dynamics than I was used to and I was slower and sloppier. I have successfully rehabilitated myself and I believe that playing something is better than nothing but if I were you, I would get a keyboard but go try to find a real piano every month or so and play around on it for a bit so you dont lose the feel for it. For a beginner, the problems will be less pronounced for sure so yes I would do it if I were you.

Edited for fubar formatting.

I agree with much of this but not the highlighted part. It is even more essential for a beginner to have a real instrument than a pro. I can play keyboards, and though they sound and feel like junk, I will not wreck my playing by using them, nor learn bad habits, because I already know how to play the real thing. A beginner has no such experience to rely on, and so he or she will invariably suffer from stunted development without access to a real piano. However, you are absolutely correct that ANY instrument is better than no instrument at all, since daily practice is essential to development.

Youre right. I was thinking on my own past of beginner piano and playing one melody songs like "mary had a little lamb" for months on end when I was probably 6 years old. Back then, the subtleties of volume and control were far away but adults are different than 6 year olds :)

Thanks for all the advice people. Especially from you Pianist, very sound advice. 'Think I might just give it a shot. TopDreg

Good luck to you... stick with it even when it's driving you nuts, and get your practicing in every day, even when you don't feel like it. You'll appreciate the challenge, and the fruits of your labour are well worth it. :)

Youre right. I was thinking on my own past of beginner piano and playing one melody songs like "mary had a little lamb" for months on end when I was probably 6 years old. Back then, the subtleties of volume and control were far away but adults are different than 6 year olds :)

theburg

Very different! As a 6 year old, you can learn new coordination easily, and so transitioning to a real instrument is less of a challenge. I too started with an electric piano, then moved to a crappy upright, then to a good upright, then to a decent grand, and finally to an excellent grand. I don't think it's any surprise that I really started to take flight when I started practicing on my first real piano... and frankly I found it much more rewarding, even at the still tender age of 14.

Besides, I can't think of any adult I could convince to play Mary Had a Little Lamb for months. :P

[QUOTE="theburg"]

Youre right. I was thinking on my own past of beginner piano and playing one melody songs like "mary had a little lamb" for months on end when I was probably 6 years old. Back then, the subtleties of volume and control were far away but adults are different than 6 year olds :)

pianist

Very different! As a 6 year old, you can learn new coordination easily, and so transitioning to a real instrument is less of a challenge. I too started with an electric piano, then moved to a crappy upright, then to a good upright, then to a decent grand, and finally to an excellent grand. I don't think it's any surprise that I really started to take flight when I started practicing on my first real piano... and frankly I found it much more rewarding, even at the still tender age of 14.

Besides, I can't think of any adult I could convince to play Mary Had a Little Lamb for months. :P

ou're 14?greenprince

[QUOTE="pianist"][QUOTE="theburg"]

Youre right. I was thinking on my own past of beginner piano and playing one melody songs like "mary had a little lamb" for months on end when I was probably 6 years old. Back then, the subtleties of volume and control were far away but adults are different than 6 year olds :)

greenprince

Very different! As a 6 year old, you can learn new coordination easily, and so transitioning to a real instrument is less of a challenge. I too started with an electric piano, then moved to a crappy upright, then to a good upright, then to a decent grand, and finally to an excellent grand. I don't think it's any surprise that I really started to take flight when I started practicing on my first real piano... and frankly I found it much more rewarding, even at the still tender age of 14.

Besides, I can't think of any adult I could convince to play Mary Had a Little Lamb for months. :P

No... but I was when I got my first real piano. Past tense, right? :P

I'm 26.

[QUOTE="greenprince"]ou're 14?blooddemon666

[QUOTE="blooddemon666"][QUOTE="greenprince"]you're 14?greenprince

[QUOTE="greenprince"][QUOTE="blooddemon666"][QUOTE="greenprince"]you're 14?blooddemon666

[QUOTE="pianist"]No... but I was when I got my first real piano. Past tense, right? :P I'm 26.Sunsha

Not like his convincing people to do drugsgreenprince

[QUOTE="pianist"]No... but I was when I got my first real piano. Past tense, right? :P I'm 26.Sunsha

I've always been a man of mystery. :P

[QUOTE="Sunsha"][QUOTE="pianist"]No... but I was when I got my first real piano. Past tense, right? :P I'm 26.greenprince

[QUOTE="greenprince"]Not like his convincing people to do drugsSunsha

[QUOTE="greenprince"][QUOTE="Sunsha"][QUOTE="pianist"]No... but I was when I got my first real piano. Past tense, right? :P I'm 26.blooddemon666

:lol:

I shudder to think what rumours will have surfaced by the time I check this thread again. I'd better head out, though... already up later than I should be.

"Pianist iz an 82 ure uld pedifile an he makes hiz studentz do dope!!!1!"

[QUOTE="greenprince"][QUOTE="Sunsha"][QUOTE="pianist"]No... but I was when I got my first real piano. Past tense, right? :P I'm 26.blooddemon666

[QUOTE="blooddemon666"][QUOTE="greenprince"][QUOTE="Sunsha"][QUOTE="pianist"]No... but I was when I got my first real piano. Past tense, right? :P I'm 26.pianist

:lol:

I shudder to think what rumours will have surfaced by the time I check this thread again. I'd better head out, though... already up later than I should be.

"Pianist iz an 82 ure uld pedifile an he makes hiz studentz do dope!!!1!"

Not like I didn't know thatgreenprince

[QUOTE="blooddemon666"][QUOTE="greenprince"][QUOTE="Sunsha"][QUOTE="pianist"]No... but I was when I got my first real piano. Past tense, right? :P I'm 26.pianist

:lol:

I shudder to think what rumours will have surfaced by the time I check this thread again. I'd better head out, though... already up later than I should be.

"Pianist iz an 82 ure uld pedifile an he makes hiz studentz do dope!!!1!"

[QUOTE="greenprince"]Not like I didn't know thatSunsha

Copied it off from the Movie Zoolander 8)greenprince

I'm 17 right now, and am about to enter my senior year in high school. That means I'll be going to college pretty soon. Unfortunately, I've yet to get my hands onto any sort of musical instrument throughout my life, and have been pretty anxious to go into one. Piano in particular has been pretty interesting. I'll be staying in a dorm in college, so... yeah, could anybody give me some advice on the situation? Should I consider it at all? TopDreg

For fun...absolutely.

For a profession...hell no.

[QUOTE="greenprince"]Copied it off from the Movie Zoolander 8)Sunsha