When I was young, I was lucky enough to always have a piano teacher. However, I would sometimes wonder to myself, “If I had to, could I learn to play the piano by myself and what would that be like”?
Is it possible to learn the piano without a teacher? Yes, of course, it is! The piano can be self-taught. I had a student who was learning the piano all by herself – let me share her story.
As an adult, I taught piano to an Italian family – two children and their mother. Turns out, the children (Nico and Carolina) were complete beginners and their mother (Rosana) was self-taught!
To my surprise, she was a very advanced piano student. I was amazed by the amount of self -discipline and hard work she put into her piano skills. She had some technical imperfections (which we later corrected so she could play like a pro) but at the time I met her, she was already playing Chopin, Bach, Mozart, and other composers!
How To Learn Piano Without a Teacher
I am assuming that you own an instrument or have access to one whenever you need it. If you do not have an instrument yet, you can print out a piano keyboard layout (real size) on paper and at least practice with this on the top of your table. It is nothing to be ashamed of! I know a lot of concert pianists who practice like this, for example, when commuting on a train or when traveling on an airplane.
However, at some point (very soon hopefully) it is important to have an actual instrument to practice on. You can get an inexpensive weighted-key electronic piano or real piano. I have included a buyer’s guide of the best instruments to practice piano here. You can make your choice based on the available space you have in your home or by the depth of your pockets, of course!
If money is an issue, I have seen free pianos advertised on Craigslist in the past. I cannot account for the condition of the piano nor its musical/technical quality. And, should it require servicing, hiring a piano technician can be very expensive.
Your Piano Teacher Substitute
Since you want to learn without teacher involvement, you must first understand what his/his role is, as you will have to do the job! A teacher needs to guide his/her student through the learning process while maintaining control over the progress made and offering suggestions and corrections to further one’s development.
To help you see (and better understand) the progress you are making, I would suggest videotaping yourself on a weekly basis. At the end of the week, put the camera or phone on the side of the piano and record what you have learned. Then play the video to yourself and be very aware of any and all mistakes you can see and hear. I found myself better able to evaluate my progress after I had shown the video to a third-party person.
The Plan
First, you must make a plan for yourself and break it into smaller tasks. For example, this week, I will learn the keyboard layout, note names, etc. When making your list, prioritize it according to your skill weaknesses. In the beginning, it is going to be hard because as a novice, you could work on basically any skill whatsoever. But as time progresses, you will have a better understanding of what you need to improve upon.
At the same time, you will need to work on various aspects of piano playing. These include:
- Get proper instrument to practice and some tools
- Music reading
- Speed and technique
- Music theory
- Intervals recognition
To be able to play any song or piece, you need to learn how to read sheet music and how to read it fast! You will learn how to do this by practicing. It is like reading books – speed comes with practice.
Speed and precision of your hands touching the keys on the keyboard is essential. There are numerous exercises available for this on the piano. Most popular are Hanon exercises. But first, start with scales and passages.
You also need to have a general idea of music theory and harmony. To play any song by ear, you need to practice interval recognition, since perfect (absolute) pitch is very rare. Most people have an only relative pitch, which is still okay to play any music by ear but requires a little more practice.
Tools
To practice the piano, you will need some basic tools, including:
- Instrument. Either real piano or electronic keyboard to practice
- Metronome. You can buy a standalone device or you can download an app for your smartphone. Metronome is crucial to always keep you right on-beat.
- Blank sheet music notepad to practice music notation.
- Task lighting for playing in the evening or late at night.
- Headphones. If you have an electronic keyboard, a set of headphones is recommended so as not to drive your family or neighbors crazy with continuous repetitions!
The list of tools I recomend tools you will find in this article.
Music Reading
In order to read music, you need to learn its notation. It is like learning the alphabet but a bit more complex. In the alphabet, there are 26 letters representing a sound which must be articulated in order to speak words. Well, in musical notation, the notes represent a pitch of the sound and its duration in time. Similarly, you need to learn how to read notation in order to articulate the music code.
Modern staff notation is most commonly used nowadays. It is the set of five horizontal lines with the ovals written on and between the lines. How to decipher music code can be found in another article here.
Speed And Technique
In order to impress your listeners in the beginning, try playing by simply using your index finger. This is okay to start, but not for long. Since there is a lot of competition in the field nowadays it is expected that pianists perform using two hands and all five fingers. It may seem difficult at first but really it is not. Think about it, organ players are expected to use not only their hands but their feet as well! Do not be discouraged by this requirement – it will come with time and practice.
In the beginning, play scales slowly, then each day try to play a little faster. This is also true for Hanon exercises. Get the inexpensive Hanon book here – you will need it. I learned to play the piano by practicing them as well. Familiarize yourself with all of the scales and learn how to play them. You never know in which scale you will find your next masterpiece to play!
Music Theory
You can play the piano without learning Music Theory but it is good to learn at least some of it. You will need it eventually – especially with harmony and for reading sheet music faster. It is similar to the idea of not needing to know how to repair breaks in order to drive your car but having an idea of how they work – apply the break to stop, but pump the break on icy roads or you may not stop at all – can make all the difference! You can research this topic further. There are many books available online or at your local library.
Intervals Recognition
It is very important to learn how to recognize intervals, especially if you do not have Perfect Pitch (which most of us lack). You need that skill, not only to play any music by ear but also to correct yourself when playing. It is not that difficult to learn. With a little practice, you too can be an expert in approximately four to eight weeks!
