I find it frustrating at times when I meet people that want to learn to play the piano and will find all sorts of excuses. I’m not talking about those people that have never thought about it before meeting me and finding out that I am a piano teacher. I’m talking about the people that I can see in their faces that they have a genuine desire to learn to play the piano.
Especially when I meet people who have a genuine interest in learning, I really try to encourage them to get started. Sometimes the issue is time – that is why I think retirement is such a good time to learn to play a musical instrument because people who are retired usually have plenty of spare time.
Sometimes the thing that is preventing them in getting started is a lack of spare funds. Fortunately these days, you don’t actually have to have a piano to learn to play, you can learn and practice on a keyboard. Keyboards are usually a fraction of the price of a piano and if you can get a second hand one, then it is even cheaper. These days, because of the internet, there is a lot of free music available (which I would always make sure is not breaking any copyright laws before printing) or music that you pay a small fee because you are downloading and printing it yourself, rather than buying a music book where you might only play one or two out of the whole lot. Not that I have looked yet, but I am confident in suggesting that there would probably be a whole lot of stuff for beginners on YouTube.
I think that the biggest reason why people don’t pursue their dream of learning to play the piano is because they doubt themselves. They doubt whether they can learn the necessary skills and sometimes they convince themselves that they can’t before they ever try. You cannot know whether you can do anything unless you put in time and energy. Saying that you’ll never be able to learn to play the piano before you even have a try, is simply illogical.
Sometimes it is the negative attitude from others that prevents a person from trying to learn to play the piano. This can be really hard to ignore, especially if the cynicism is coming from a close family member or friend.
Most of the time, I suspect, it is the person who wants to learn is placing all sorts of hurdles, when really the reason is that the are afraid of trying something new. They are afraid of looking or feeling foolish and simply fearing that they are going to fail.
Playing the piano is a skill set and like all skill sets, they need to be worked on, refined and expanded. If you put in the work, you can be successful. Do not let the fears and doubts win. Get started – you have literally nothing to lose and everything to gain.