When you take music lessons, there can be many things to worry about.
Starting a new hobby as an adult, in particular, tends to come with lots of concerns.
Is it better to go to lessons, or to teach yourself? Here are the advantages and disadvantages of learning piano on your own.
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Benefits of learning to play the piano on your own
I wrote that you can learn to play the piano on your own, but of course that doesn’t mean there are no drawbacks.
The benefits of learning to play the piano on your own
"Costs nothing" "Learn piano at home in your free time"
If that's the case, the drawback would be the exact opposite.
The tuition is expensive, and I'm busy with work, so if I set fixed lesson days, it gets really tough timewise.
Choosing a teacher is a hassle, and even going to lessons is hard!
If the weather’s bad, going out feels like a hassle, and if it’s cold, I don’t even want to step outside.
I understand, I understand.
I once quit a class for the same reason.
Honestly, with winter bringing snow and having to start by clearing it off the car, there’s no way I can handle a once-a-week class.
That's why, all the more, for the working adults who take the trouble to come to our place,
You really came—thank you so much! I mean, even though you're tired from work, you still came? Don't you want to rest at home?
I can’t help but think that.
It's not an insult at all.
I'm deeply moved.
I’m asking the person directly.
When I ask everyone, the reason the lessons keep going is,
- When I’m by myself, I go easy on myself and end up slacking off.
- Because people generally equate “learning piano” with “taking lessons,” self-study isn’t even considered from the outset. (In this case, it tends to be seen in people who took lessons in the past.)
- Precisely because life is so busy, I want to reset my mind at the piano.
- I came to see your face, Sensei.
Something like this.
Benefits of attending lessons
I’d like to touch on the benefits of taking lessons from the standpoint of a piano instructor, just in case. (I’ll assume—if I may—that the self-taught pianist here is an adult.)
The decisive difference from self-taught learners is “having contact with people who have spent their lives doing nothing but piano.”
Whether that's good or bad aside, you are given the opportunity to interact one-on-one with someone who has walked a different path in life from your own.
And then you can touch/play the grand piano at the teacher’s house and listen to the teacher’s example up close.
He answers questions right away, and for parts I can't play, he teaches me efficient practice methods.
They’ll also choose pieces that suit your hands and skill level, and the more experienced the teacher, the more options they have to draw from.
As a result, it will shorten the time it takes to improve at the piano.
A weekly lesson also forces you to practice, and if you’re doing something the wrong way, it can be caught early, so you won’t end up with a serious injury.
Bad habits acquired through self-study are surprisingly persistent, and I think it takes longer to break them than it did to develop them.
In case someone who has long been enjoying studying on their own
Alright! I can play it much better now, and since I’ve hit a bit of a wall, I guess I’ll ask a pro to take it from here!
Even if you finally work up the courage and a bit of confidence to knock on the door of a piano school, you might end up getting a little hurt.
It might make you sad.
Maybe they’ll even say something like this.
Wow! You can read sheet music pretty well, huh? Shall we start from the beginning then? (no offense intended)
Of course, teachers are mindful too, so almost no one uses such blunt expressions as above. Instead, they gently phrase it indirectly, saying things like, “Shall we make a few adjustments to your playing?” or “You can definitely keep your favorite pieces as they are—how about we add just one book for finger technique?” But in the end, it amounts to the same thing.
Lastly
I think people who are self-taught are very motivated.
Some people even think, as if by magic, that simply going to a piano school will make them able to play the piano.
Just stepping into the classroom doesn’t mean you’ll suddenly be able to play on your own.
In the end, unless you make the effort yourself, you will never be able to play it.
In that sense, people who are self-taught are already trying to manage on their own from the start, so I think that’s wonderful.
However, I think there may also be some slightly sad things like the ones mentioned above, so I really hope you won’t get discouraged and will keep doing your best.