Anyone play Piano?

[Henrietta23]

I never learned even though my mother plays and we had a piano in the house when I was growing up. I can pick out a tune but nothing more. My almost 6 yo son wants to start lessons and we just found a teacher less than 2 miles from us who sounds ideal. DS will have to practice at my mom's house. If he takes to it we will find a used piano and make room for it here. His best friend's mother tunes pianos for a living!

 

[dlhunicorn]

my ex is a piano builder/technician. We restored antique vintage pianos (this is in europe)... so I know a bit about what to look out for. Hopefully this is a modern (post war) piano. If however it is a "vintage" upright (which are often very beautiful) then it is pretty much potluck and you could be letting yourself in for some dissappointment if you are unlucky enough to get one that is recquiring basic restoration of say hammers or dempers or if it has one of the antiquated/obsolete action types (first two links are actions to AVOID unless you have lots of money to throw away getting it repaired and keeping it adjusted by a piano technician because these actions have proved insufficient to the task of maintaining their mechanical integrity without constant tweaking and this is simply beyond the capability of the DIY layman to learn) here they are:
http://www.stevespianoservice.com/birdcage.htm
(avoid this system at ALL costs!!!)

http://www.stevespianoservice.com/actions-strange.htm
Here is the home page of a great "DIY" site for piano owners which will instruct you on basic care and maintenance of your piano and also cleaning and simple repairs > please review the info on this site...it will save you a fortune (there are many disreputable paino repair guys out there folks!):
http://www.stevespianoservice.com/piano.htm
(bet this guy has chickens> have a looksee round his site >bet hed fit right in here

')
...took me a while to find this "DIY" site (just knew there had to be one somewhere) but I have checked out the info and it is spot on and he seems a great guy to do business with!

There are also online resources with free sheet music but also basic info you will need at first to learn the notes (which I suggest you do) and some handy sites for learning chords etc (in this way you can quickly be able to play some songs on your instrument) Here is one :
http://www.playpiano.com/

 

[Buff Hooligans]

I took piano lessons when I was in my mid-twenties and used an electric keyboard to practice on in my apartment. Even though I could play the cello very well, I couldn't get my two hands to think independently on a piano keyboard. I had to think about each and every note. Took me forever to play anything at all. I quit after two years.

I played the cello for 33 years and never took a lesson after high school. (I started when I was 10.) I played because I was good at it, not because I loved the sound so much. Weird. I stopped four years ago after taking a year & a half of intense lessons from a famous cellist who retired to my town. (He paid me to maintain the gardens on his property, and gave me the lessons for free.) The intense lessons drained all the enjoyment out of it. I don't miss it at all.

Try the piano, but be patient with yourself. It does not come with instant satisfaction.

 

[Moonwalker]

If anybody out there WANTS a piano, I have one in my storage unit they can have! It was given to me by my boss and has one key that needs repair, but aside from the, the guy who came out to tune it when he got it said it was a nice piano. Neither Dh or I play.
I live in E. TN

 

[wegotchickens]

Thanks for the DIY links dlhunicorn!

I learned to play as a child, and can still play all the songs I used to. Went on to play percussion in high school & college.

I still have my childhood piano, a Kimball upright. Although I don't play it as much as I should I can't bear to let it go, either. But I know it needs major retuning and probably hammer / felt repairs. There's a 6 month wait to get a piano worked on in my area, though, and I never committed to setting a date.

As a new hobby, go for it! I think everyone who's posted has good info for you!!

 

[Corey NC]

I played classical for about 7 years, just stopped lessons last year. I really enjoyed it but I didn't have the time or the talent to continue. I do still play in a band though which I really enjoy.

If you have the time and the interest then I'd say go for it, you won't regret it.

 

[TheMartianChick]

I have played piano since the age of 5. I started by taking lessons from the nice church-lady down the street. My best friend was taking lessons so I begged my mother. Probably ten minutes after I started lessons, my friend quit! My mother wasn't so accommodating, so my lessons continued. Everything that I played was classical.

When I was in high school, I began taking lessons from an eccentric classical pianist... He was quite odd and there were rumors that he was running some sort of cult out of his home. It was a mansion on a hill and there was always an abundance of slightly stoned looking young men in residence. As a result, my lessons with him didn't last long because I was uncomfortable and my parents knew it. I never took another lesson after that.

In retrospect, I don't think that I ever really enjoyed playing. I was forced to play and to practice. I also played clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophone and some percussion in school bands. I enjoyed those a lot more...There was something to be said for being a part of something larger than myself (the band). To this day, I still miss participating in a band, but I don't miss the piano.

Over the years, I have used our out-of-tune piano or (more often) our keyboard to help my children to understand their music parts. In recent years they have gotten to the point where they don't really need me in that capacity anymore.

One is a music major in college and the other will be one next year.

As to whether or not you would like playing the piano, I would have to say to go for it. As a kid, I got into playing for the wrong reasons and developed a resentment. In your case this is something that you want to do...for you! At your age, I have to assume that you know what you want and that you will practice regularly to pursue this.

As to whether or not you should purchase a used piano, I would suggest that you consider some other factors... Are there other people who would be disturbed by your practicing? If so, then a keyboard might be a better choice for you, especially if it is equipped with headphones and a foot pedal. Would a piano have to be moved often in your house? If so, a keyboard would be better. The simple act of moving a piano can dramatically affect the tuning, costing you more money, more frequently. As someone else alluded to...The climate in your house can affect a piano. I can remember my mother placing pans of hot water under the piano because of the dry air in our house during the winter. Keyboards are not affected by climate.

If you really want to play the piano, you will. Just understand that it takes some time to get really good. Be realistic in your goals and don't be too hard on yourself if you miss a note. Play for yourself to make you feel good. Don't do it for anyone else!

 

[pattycake]

I started lessons at 35 after NEVER playing music at all. I took lessons for three years and it was hard but totally wonderful. I mean, it was always my dream to play -- just like you -- and here I was doing it.

As an adult I made progress much faster than a kid would at first, because I was more focussed and disciplined. But there are some drawbacks to being an adult, too. I am much more self-conscious and nervous than a kid would be and have a lot of tension in my body and hands.

And after three years I plateaued, when a kid might be really starting to take off. I think my teacher started to get frustrated with me and I was frustrated too, so I thought I'd teach myself for a while. Unfortunately without the lessons to prepare for, I lost my discipline and for the last couple of years have been losing skill rather than gaining it.

BUT! I know that if I restarted lessons I would pick it up quickly again. And I can now read music and, with a little practice, can play any beginner to intermediate piece of music. I can play Happy Birthday for my kids' birthdays and Christmas carols. I have a few memorized pieces I just play any old time, which is GREAT

I highly recommend it!!

 

[Pelican49]

This is the piano I bought last summer, from an ad in the newpaper for $150.

 

[Parson's Wife]

If you have the option of lessons, I recommend you go that route. It is not impossible to learn by yourself with books, cd's, and DVD's. One thing I do recommend is you also learn to play by ear, not just notes. I play for myself, this church has a pianist...and when I sing (well not lately, thanks to my wrist, but soon) I play. '
If you attend church, talk to the pianist or organist, they will be a fount of knowledge, perhaps will even give you lessons...
And yes, it takes practice, lots of practice.
Good luck, I enjoy music. I play (ed) the banjo, and learning (was) the violin.
There is a wonderful peace that music brings.