I don’t know how many forums there are on the internet, but I know that there are quite a few. Actually, when I first realized that they existed, I was quite surprised that there were a few.
I’m not going to comment on any particular one, as I really haven’t spent enough time on them to really form an opinion as to which are the best, but I have noticed that there are a couple of really good things about these forums.
The first thing, and maybe the most important thing, is that the forums I have visited have people that have genuine questions or genuine answers and that all users seem to have manners. No-one needs to be asking a genuine question and have some rude or abusive comment as a reply. I get the impression that the people who respond, genuinely want to be as helpful as possible. I wish all forums and social media was this polite and respectful.
I think forums have a few advantages. The first and most obvious advantage is that a person can ask any question about music they have, including very specific questions. This is particularly valuable if you are trying to follow an online program, a series of YouTube videos or any other way of trying to learn to play the piano without a teacher. It seems that no question is too obscure or too basic to be posted in one of these forums.
I think that a more subtle benefit that comes from using these music forums is that you can get a sense of belonging to a music community, which can certainly be helpful when you are trying to learn by yourself. It is also beneficial to be a part of an online music community because you can very much get the sense that you are not the only one with your set of challenges and difficulties. You can really understand that other people are on the same journey as you, with similar obstacles and challenges to overcome.
The final benefit of hanging around these online music forums is that once you start building up your knowledge and experience, you can reply to others’ questions and give them the benefit of your experience and insight.
If you are trying to learn to play the piano without a teacher, then I would encourage you to do a little research and find an online music forum that suits your needs. It could make all the difference to whether you succeed in learning to play the piano.