on a scale of 1-10, hard is it to teach yourself to play piano?

Question

i know C position and most of the notes

i know the majority of the notes from music classes in school

Answer 1

About an 11 if you want to play well, a 2 if you just want to mess around.

Playing the piano will require a certain amount of Music Theory, which includes scales, intervals, chord structures and progressions, ear training, and so on. Count on at least 1-2 hours of serious practice daily to become proficient.

Answer 2

As a raw beginner, you should not even try.

See, if you start out wrong--say, if you do the fingering just a little bit off or you hold your wrists at an improper angle--then you might not notice, and while you're just picking your way along it won't seem to hold you back. But if bad practice turns into bad habit, then when you hit the intermediate or advanced material you'll find the bad habit holds you back--and it's really hard to break a bad habit and then start over with the right one.

Even worse, some improper playing technique can lead to nerve and joint problems. Come down with carpal tunnel in year three and learning the piano rates, on your scale, as a 2,000.

So spring for a teacher and get some lessons, maybe as little as half an hour every other week. Once you have learned the correct hand position and fingerings, then you might consider dropping the teacher and relying on books, tutorials, cd-roms, and dvds.

One little tip--as a beginner, try practicing for several short sessions rather than one long one. You'll make faster progress if you schedule three half-hours a day instead of one two-hour practice. Later, you will probably want to do marathon practices to build endurance, but that's the main benefit of a longer session.

Answer 3

In agreement with everyone else---

As with most instruments... you CANNOT teach yourself to play well. You need a teacher for that.

If you just want to teach yourself to mess around, maybe play some (basic) tunes (slowly) and are prepared to spend some time on it ... 3-4. I taught myself to read bass clef just from a book of 100 easy piano tunes (happy birthday, pink panther, etc.)

Teaching yourself to play Chopin... try 15. Minimum. Good luck (get a teacher and be prepared for a long haul!!)

Answer 4

Listen from expierence. You don't want to have to teach yourself unless you know how to read piano music. I am 17 now and I taught myself how to play piano at age 6 and I'm decent but it's not my main instrument. Looking back, learning from lessons would have been better.

Answer 5

Three things needed: 1) Learn what you really have in your hands: its parts, the way it works, the musical principles it follows. 2) Listen to as much music as you can, and meanwhile play your guitar along with it; that's the best way to fulfill point 1. 3) Get a low cost book and harmony and rhythm basics - it's the easiest way to concretely fulfill points 1 and 2.

Answer 6

If you know C position, 4 or 5. maybe 3.

Answer 7

like a 4

Answer 8

Is this a pun? There's more to playing the piano than learning the scales. You definitely need a teacher.

Answer 9

most begginer books have the fingerings in them. after you learn that try to mark out the fingerings and remember the notes. i tought myself and id say that it was more a 5.

Answer 10

Teaching? easy 1. Actully being good- impossible. You MUST have a teacher