Piano Lessons for Adults: Top Tips & Tools

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Dreaming about starting piano lessons for adults? Here you'll find tips, tools, and encouragement to help you achieve your dream.

What are you waiting for? Let's get started!

Never Too Late to Start

Learning to play piano as an adult can be an incredible journey of finally realizing a perhaps lifelong passion. And best of all, contrary to what some believe, starting piano lessons is never too late!

Piano lessons for adults have several other benefits and advantages. More importantly, you are doing it because you have chosen to, not because someone told you to.

Piano Lessons for AdultsNever Too Late For Piano Lessons

Piano Lessons for Adults Top Tips

Do you find it daunting to get started? Here are some tips on what you need to get going:

Basic Tools

Realizing this dream starts with some essential tools.

  • You will probably need to get a beginner piano book; directed to adults. Methods for children are not ideal for an adult since the learning curve, pace, and understanding are entirely different for an adult than for a child (one of the advantages!). So, make sure to get a quality method that is intended for later or adult beginners.

Are you teaching yourself how to play piano?

Piano For All is a piano resource for adult beginners where you can learn piano at your own pace.

  • No method is complete without supplementing sheet music. It may be easier to get the supplementary books in the same series as the method you choose. Still, I recommend selecting other piano books and sheet music as well.

Why not just stick to one book or piano method series?

It’s important to get used to different types of layouts and sizes of music notation. It’s also important to be flexible and not get stuck with or dependent on only one approach to reading music or piano learning style. You can do this by exploring various sheet music and musical styles.

If you decide to take lessons, your teacher will recommend what books to get, but because it might take a while to find a teacher and get lesson times set up, here is a selection of piano books to get you started.

There are computer programs available that make learning notes and note reading easier. I have some recommendations for excellent piano learning software here. 

Teach Yourself or Find a Piano Teacher?

You need to decide whether you should take lessons from a piano teacher, preferably specializing in adult beginners, or if you should teach yourself to play.

Even if you teach yourself, I recommend finding a piano teacher with experience teaching adults and taking at least a few piano lessons to avoid developing any bad habits pianistically.

How do I find a teacher who is good with adult beginners? Is it appropriate to interview them or ask for a CV? What do I look for? What questions should I ask? If you need help finding how to approach a piano teacher, read my tips here.

Suppose regular piano lessons for adults are not an option or difficult to find where you live. In that case, you could sign up for online piano lessons with a real teacher to get personal feedback. It’s practical and is available online in your home no matter where you live.

You can also start with my free basic piano lessons here.

Organization

Organizing your practice sessions is easier in the beginning when new habits are formed. Make sure to set up a routine that you can keep, both for piano practice and to enjoy music, as soon as possible. Here are more helpful tips when you are teaching yourself to play.

Staying Motivated

Staying motivated is key! It can be an excellent motivator to join an online forum for adult pianists to get «virtual» pals, ask for feedback, and get ideas and encouragement from other adult beginners.

You can get tons of inspiration and tips by watching videos of amateur and professional pianists on YouTube.

Set up goals. Always striving for new goals will keep you motivated. Consider signing up for an exam system like RCM, which now has a program for adults. Taking exams or following the repertoire requirements is a helpful way to measure your own progress.

How Far Can You Go?

How far can you aim as an adult beginner? That’s up to you and how hard you work.

Realistically, starting late in life with piano lessons for adults will not make it possible to launch a famous career as a solo concert pianist. Still, you can certainly go as far as your passion takes you!

Taking Up Piano Lessons Again

If you played piano as a child and want to start again, chances are that not all is forgotten. Since a lot of skills are stored in the "motor memory," like bicycling, it's something that's never really lost (although it could be somewhat "rusty").

Depending on the level you played at when you quit- there's no saying how far you can take it with piano lessons for adults- this time!

They Came To Play

Here is a video with seriously passionate amateur players. After quitting piano playing for many years, they have taken their skills to a very high level indeed:

Get the Full DVD: They Came to Play

Even if you only want to amuse yourself and have fun, the great thing with the piano is that you can sound terrific even with the easiest little pieces. As long as you listen, play with expression, and yes- passion!

Finally, where you’ll take your piano playing is your own personal journey. Do share it here!

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