Too old to learn?

Any advice for a 36 year old guy who wants to learn to play the piano?

Should I take lessons or is it possible to teach yourself these days with books, videos, CDs, computer etc.?

Any good books to recommend? Any good teachers or programs you can recommend in the Montreal, Quebec area?

Any advice on pianos? These little keyboards like the Yamaha PSR640 look like they have some teaching capability built in. Would I be better off with this or a full sized P80. (I need an electronic piano due to space and noise restrictions).

You are not too old to learn. Just practice 'enough' every (!) day. You must have a teacher if you are serious. You can get regular (not electric) pianos with a 'practice pedal' that really mutes the sound for an apartment. Forget the electric unless its gimmicks you're after. (Rifle shots, screaming girls and barking dogs.) Good luck!

I'm 44 and started learning piano this year. You are not alone in your quest. It's not easy at first, but it does get progressively more fun as your playing ability improves.

Definitely go with lessons from a good teacher if you can. When you're first starting out, it is critical to be instructed on the basics of technique so you don't pick up bad habits. Also, a teacher will force you to learn stuff you might otherwise blow off as boring or irrelevant (like scales, music theory, etc.). Be sure to find a teacher who will keep pushing you to learn new things and improve. This helps maintain your interest and progress.

A real acoustic piano is better, but I understand the difficulties. Be sure to get a full size keyboard that simulates a real piano action. Don't bother with a bunch of different instrument sounds and other unnecessary features. I'm sure others can suggest specific makes and models.

Sounds like you're confusing the words 'electric' and 'electronic.' Very big

I started at the tender age of 45, but, I did have thirtyfive years on guitar to help me out.

Still, learning a new instrument took a lot of doing.

You can do it, but remember, it is lots of work, and if you are willing to put the time in, it will happen. If you have had no prior musical instruments, taking lessons is a must.

Patrick L.

If it's 'piano' you want to learn, I suggest an upright acoustic or at least a digital like the P80 with 88 weighted keys.

Do you know what kind of music you want to play? If so, find a teacher who can play & teach it. Go to several different teachers before you find the right one, or change teachers if you're uninspired. The piano is a means of creating music

Shall I, will I? Oh well...

It depends what you want to be able to play: your favorite music? classical? pop? create your own? Definitely learn with a teacher if you're into reading music.

Definitely go with the 88 keys. Unless you like playing with the other sounds as well and play with the accompaniements. You can also use headphones with it.

I would say that I do not have the experience of starting at 36 or 40 somthing, but I definitely did not learn with a teacher the classical way. My brother showed me where to put my fingers in the keys to play Let it Be (Beatles). From there it was a revelation. And here's the secret, as someone else pointed out: play often. Meet with the instrument on a regular basis. Obviously you love it already so much you want to learn playing. That's how I got started tuning. I loved it so much I wanted to get deeper in knowing what was inside the piano.

So my approach was more like an intuitive one, 'personal diary' kind of playing out emotions and all, creating melodies, enjoying the sound of the piano itself. I would take off the upper and lower boards and play a few notes and just listen to the sound vanish...mostly with the middle and upper register. Aaahhh....those harmonies(!), when just a few notes played separately lifted in the air to meet others and create a chord a few feet up from the piano, hovering a little while in the room before I would play others... That is one of those mysteriously soothing qualities of the pianoforte's legacy...

My .02... plus some change :O)

Zonk

(To hear some of the music I do now, visit the link below...)

I started 2 years ago and I am now 57, so figure it out. Granted I taught myself by memorizing, bar by bar. I can translate the sheet music to the keyboard and listen to real music to see how it is supposed to sound, and I am sure I have the worst keyboard habits, but I can play Fur Elise, and Joplin's Solace and am now working on Mozart's Sonata in C, K545. Get a real piano if you can, at least an upright, the spinnets sound horrible. I found a small upright, Murdock and Murdock and it sounds better than the full size Beckwith upright I got. Try a few pianos. You can probably find an old 5' upright privately for a few hundred dollars plus delivery. Make sure it is good and don't waste your money on junk, get someone that knows about pianos before buying. Some places will rent them to you and apply the rent to the purchase, that way you can have a bit of a guarantee that you will like it. Just remember, you will get as much enjoyment out of it as you put into it. Realize you will have to pay a tuner at least twice a year unless you want to take the trouble to try to tune it yourself, I do and my piano sounds better than any others I have tried at peoples houses.

Was that meant to be 86 years old?. Can't be only 36 and think such a thing, impossible. If a musician isn't constantly learning at any age he/she is going backwards. You will just be another learner like the rest of us.

About the only thing I learnt from 10 years of so at university was that it is possible to teach yourself anything in life. However, it's easier the more resources you have available to yourself, including a mentor/teacher.

The electronic 'bells and whistles' are of zero value. Get a full size piano or keyboard. If you do go electronic all you need is a decent piano sound and feel, forget everything else, just a waste of money.

Good Luck and stop reading the computer, there is music to be made, start NOW!!!!!

Regards, John

You've heard that MIDI file of Jingle Bells haven't you? ...

<< . . .(I need an electronic piano due to space and noise restrictions).>>

I'll probably get a lot of flack here, but I say get a nice sounding synth (Roland, Korg, Yamaha) instead of a real piano. The guys onhere practice for hours every day, many as professionals. You don't even know if you'll be using the thing after a month or two. A synth is portable, you can blast away with headphones on and no-one can hear, you don't have to get it tuned, you can mess around with organ sounds, some let you put down drum and bass tracks to write your own songs, etc.

I'm guessing you want to play pop stuff and not classical? I say a 76 key is more than enough, and a 61 key will probably keep you occupied for years with no problems. A teacher coming over to your house may not like it, but if you take lessons at another location, or use self-study materials, you'll be fine.