I have been playing the piano on and off for about 6 months and I am about half way to grade 1. I have been teaching myself though when I should get a teacher or whether I can carry on on my own. I can already read music as I play the clarinet so that isn't a problem, but I was just wondering about technique as it will obviously be totally different to the clarinet. Thanks.

i would say as soon as possible, basic technique starts from day one, and a teacher will stop you from learning any bad habits (before they become hard to kick )

i would recommend getting a teacher

Yep I agree. Bad habits are difficult to get rid of.

A teacher will make sure that your hand shape and position is not going to make life difficult for you at some point - just one example.

Maggie

Definately get a teacher - I know that I need that constant support when it gets tough or I'd probably give up

I would agree that you should get a teacher if at all possible. However, I must complement you that you must be doing something right (probably because you play another instrument). Most people teaching themselves learn two or three pieces about grade 6 standard (not very well) and then claim to be grade 6 standard, they're not learning and obviously can't be concentrating on technique (not to mention the near impossibility of becoming even a reasonable sight reader using this technique). If you're working towards grade 1 at that speed you're most probably going at an appropriate speed and are far more likely to be learning things. Does your clarinet teacher play piano? If so maybe (s)he could listen to you play occasionally (if it's not possible to get a teacher) and give you some pointers.

If you can't afford a teacher at least find a friendly piano player at school to give you advice - it all helps

Thanks for all your comments. I have been receiving help from friends already at school so at least I am doing something right. I see what you mean about people learning about three grade 6 pieces when they start and claiming to be that standard, there was a boy at my school who played the clarinet like that. So he got into aour main orchestra and couldn't sightread at all! And he also had no idea of theory or alternate fingering.

I say you do need a teacher

But if I am only going to play for fun (almost) and I won't go very far (grade 5 ish max) then why bother?

A teacher will give you tips and fingering techniques.

I realised that without a teacher, sometimes there is not set piece for me to practise!

Eventhough you are going to do max of grade 5, a teacher can help you improve vastly!
Hey maybe that you will find piano more interesting! and decide to do furthur grades?


certain parts of piano playing need to be taught...

I think u should get a teacher
because sometimes it is very hard to teach on your own.
Y not ask someone like your friends who know music to teach u
i think that will be very fun...
Anyway, Music is the best
Go for it !!!

It is much easier to learn with a teacher as everyone has said, but since my daughter started playing the violin I got mine out and have been teaching myself again.

However I don't think I would be able to do this if I had not had lessons (albeit for not very long I was about G2) at school. I teach piano so the musicality thing isn't an issue and most importantly I have the occasional half hour with my daughters teacher to make sure I'm going in the right direction, we trade off on the occasional accompanying deal.

I have no intention just yet of formalising it with exams, although I am currently looking at Grade 4 syllabus and if I get to a point where I do decide to do an exam, I wouldn't dream of doing it without a permanant teacher.

Hello Purple Dolphin,

I'm going to fly in the face of popular opinion and say you don't need a teacher if you want to play just for fun. At 13 I self-taught piano from scratch (including reading music, which I hadn't done before). After about 1 1/2 years I went to a teacher, who put me in for Grade 3 a year later. She never mentioned any problems with my technique except for giving me some Hanon exercises to strengthen my little (weakest) fingers. It was only later, around Grade 5, that she started concentrating on technique: things like sinking your fingers into the notes.

If you wanted to continue playing past around G5 you probably would want a teacher - once you know the basics it is hard to see what else you need to know, and why you aren't improving. I went without a teacher for 15-odd years after doing G5 (dropped lessons to concentrate on A Levels). Although I still played piano for my own amusement I can honestly say I didn't improve in all that time, and forgot most of my scales. Without a teacher to approve, there was simply no incentive to do "proper" practise. I returned to lessons this year, and will be doing G6 next summer (after G5 theory next Spring). I will have spent a year catching up with a teacher on what I couldn't achieve in 15 years on my own!

I need a teacher to improve past that level, and I want to improve because I want to be able to say "I play piano" rather than "Oh, I play a bit...". To me, ultimately, that means Grade 8 - and beyond. If, as you say, you only want to play a bit for fun, and you are obviously reasonably musical, I don't think you *need* a teacher.

Good luck, whatever you decide!

Fred

Thanx Fred. Good luck in your theory, I take mine in two weeks! AAAAAAAAHHHH!

If you are learning alone try to be creful about developing good fingering habits.
I am currently having some difficulty getting a self taught pupil to use good, practcal fingering (can't even keep the right fingers in 5 finger position!)

I think you should get a teacher because you've just started to learn, I mean still around the first grades. Usually beginners who learn pieces without a teacher can't realize some details, and they need examples of some things, like rubato. Sometimes I still forget some details and misread notes!!

What is rubato?

Literally robbed.
It is when you pull the time around a bit.. slow down in one place maybe and maybe a bit faster elsewhere.

I must agree with Fred here - the situation he describes is basically the same as mine, quite spooky! I started teaching myself when I was about 13 too (learning everything about music from scratch) but didn't get a teacher for 3.5 years at which point I did my grade 5 piano and am on my way to doing grade 7 this june hopefully!
Teaching yourself an instrument, especially from scratch is one of the the most rewarding things you can do, you go at your own pace and you feel a great sense of accomplishment when you finally get a certain piece learnt etc.

If you love what you're doing enough, you'll practise enough every now and again with an excersise book to keep your fingering good and apart from that, read a bit about piano technique as sparingly as you like and you'll be on the road to success easily. If you want and I meant reall WANT to learn this instrument then you shouldnt pick up bad habits because you wont let yourself. To be sure, once in a while ask a pianist friend of yours (who knows a fair bit) to check you're not doing anything terribly wrong.

The amount of people in the world who are learning an instrument, and who every time they force themselves to practise wish they hadn't bothered taking it up, is quite disheartening. But if you love the intrument [from what you know of it] and think you can love music and be dedicated enough, I might be inclined to say self-tuition is better than a teacher. I know I couldn't have done it any other way with either the violin or piano, so keep trying and persevere!

What I do recommend is that if you ever want to take exams or go further than grade 5, a teacher is probably a good idea then - otherwise you'll have to take it really slow and careful, that's just the way it is i'm afraid!