Trying to learn the piano?

Question

Hi

I am trying to learn the piano at the age of 26. I have a few questions, which I am hoping somebody can answer

1) Have I started too late?
2) Is it really necessary to learn to read music in order to become a good pianist
3) How long will it take me in months / years to be able to play the piano well....i.e give performances for friends and family etc. (I know this is a very subjective question but say I put in a couple of hours of practise every day.....I just want to know...is this going to take 2 year? 5 years? Longer)

Thanks in advance

Answer 1

1) No. It's never too late.
2) Yes. But it's not just being able to sight-read. You must know rhythm, emotion, and a good teacher to become a good pianist. You also have to listen to recordings and how you play. At this stage, you're just learning for fun, so just focus on the basics, and find a teacher that is "music for fun" one.
3) Observe how long you take to learn a piece with your teacher. Whoa! A couple of hours a day, you'll be ready to perform in two weeks! But you need guidance. Although mostly professionals play a several hours a day; so if you do practice a couple of hours a day, you'll be ready in no time!
Good luck.

Answer 2

I just gave you a star. Believe it or not, I have been thinking about piano lessons and I don't even own a piano. Your question has made me realize that I really should follow up on this. What I am going to do is call the local piano store and start with them -- I would imagine they would be able to steer me in the right direction. By the way, I do play the guitar and it is a fun instrument and it is very easy to strum and make up your own songs. I also play the clarinet and that is fun but you can't just play it like a guitar and come up with fun sounds. Thanks for a great question. Enjoy your music lessons!!!

Answer 3

Iam learning to play the piano to and I play for about 2 months so I can't help you there sorry but good question.