There are all sorts of reasons to learn to play the piano as well as a bunch of reasons why you shouldn’t. I know this sounds weird coming from a piano teacher and blogger who loves to encourage people to learn to play the piano, whether or not I am the one to potentailly teach them or not.
The main reason why someone relly should learn to play the piano is when they have a strong desire to be able to play the piano or that they learned years ago and really regret quitting. These are the best reasons of all. Other reasons include trying to keep the brain active, finding a way to bond with your grandkids, or even wanting to tackle something that is a challenge.
What I don’t think are good enough reasons include the fact that you have a piano at home. Just because you have a piano at home, doesn’t mean you should take up learning to play the piano.
What I also think is not a genuine reason for learning to play the piano is when other people tell you that you should. I’m not talking about someone who has heard you express a desire to learn to play the piano, I’m refering about people who presume they know what is best for you. These are the people that are great at telling other people how to live their lives. No-one should be talked into learning to play the piano, unless they need a nudge from someone who already knows their wishes. As I like to say, no-one should be ‘shoulded’ on.
If you are wanting to learn to play the piano and think you can handle not knowing everything in the first week, or even the first month or year, then you have a good chance of success. If you can handle the dissapointments and frustrations that inevitably happen, then you also have a great chance of success.
If there is a burning desire to learn to play the piano and no matter how many times you rationalize it away, or ignore it, or find some reason not to pursue learning the piano, you have a desire to play that won’t go away, then you should start learning to play the piano. This is because, if something gnaws at you and no matter what you do , you can’t shake the desire to learn to play the piano, then, my friend, you should get started with learning to play the piano.