Are piano teachers helpful?

Question

I am new to music and planning on learning to play either the acoustic or a piano which i never played neither of them would piano instructors be needed to play or can you just learn it from others? (books,internet,by ear,etc.)

Answer 1

I have taught piano lessons privately and at the university level, so I may be a bit biased in my answer to your question.  With that in mind, I must definitely say that a teacher is not only helpful in your music studies, but a requirement.  A teacher is important for several reasons:

1).  Although much cheaper, the internet, books, etc. cannot instruct correct form in playing.  If you do not use the proper form, you can hurt yourself, and your playing abilities will be limited, if not destroyed.  New students tend to do some, well, rather "unique" things in regard to body movements of which they are mostly unaware.  It is much easier to break bad habits in form in the early stages of learning, rather than waiting until these habits have become too firmly established.

2).  A good teacher will NEVER keep you from developing your skills in ear training.  I began playing piano at 6 years of age (nearly 35 years now), and I have performed all over the world.  My ear training has helped me out of some really tight situations.  My concerts are usually 2-3 hours long, completely from memory.  I have, at times, forgotten sections of the music, and literally have had to improvise just to keep the music flowing until I could remember the music again.  Thank goodness I was playing something the audience had never heard before, or I would have been in serious trouble!!  Instead I received excellent reviews, and I just snickered to myself!  :)

3).  Everyone can always use a second set of ears.  When we play, the music sounds much different to us than to the audience.  It's just one of those things.  Anyway, you really need a teacher to tell you where you need to improve dynamically, and whether or not you are producing the correct sounds and relaying the right music "message" to the audience.

4).  If you rely solely upon the internet, books, etc., for music instruction, you will have a very difficult time performing in public.  Everyone gets performance "jitters."  I'd like to say they go away after awhile, but that's simply not true.  The best way to control performance anxiety is to play as many times as possible in front of an audience and other people you trust so you can get a handle on your nerves.  Most music teachers require students to perform at least twice a year in a secure environment, i.e., among family and friends, at the beginning, and then music competitions during advanced instruction.  You will not get these opportunities if you learn from computers or books.

5).  If you ever decide to take your music instruction to the college level, I know of no university teacher who would accept you if you had not studied privately with a music teacher.  Even before we audition potential students, we require at least 2 letters of recommendation, one of which must be from the student's primary music instructor.

6).  Most importantly, a music teacher is your best support system.  It may seem redundant, but it is much easier to give up on your music studies if you are learning from a book or computer, than if you had to answer to a real person.  

Hope this helps you to decide!  Best wishes and good luck!

Answer 2

Books and internet: It all depends on what your goals are for playing the piano.

If you simply want to learn to be able to read the notes, then a couple of books and the internet will be good enough.

By ear: This one will depend on how good your ear is. Most beginners have trouble simply playing a simple melody (w/out accompaniment) by ear, let alone add a few chords or simple accompaniment with the other hand. Unless you have "perfect pitch" (a rare ability for a person to be able to tell what a certain note is instantaneously, without reference to another note), you may have a hard time playing things out by ear.

As I myself have perfect pitch, I can tell you that even with my gifted ear, playing any song that is slightly complex totally by ear is a very time-consuming task.

I would recommend that if you simply want to have fun and play a few easy songs, get some friends who know some music to help you out, and buy some good instructional books.

If you choose to be more serious about piano playing, however, I hope that you'll choose your piano teacher Very Carefully.

I have seen so many piano teachers who do not know what they are doing. Most of the time, they waste their students' money and time by only teaching (or in some cases, NOT even teach those!!!) things that the students could've learned themselves. In the worst cases, teachers who do not know much about proper technique will cause the students to feel pain while playing or even serious injury to the tendons of the wrists and forearms. They simply tell their students to "keep playing regardless of the pain," and their forearms will "develop in strength" and they will "overcome it."

Please, by the name of the Lord and my Grandmother, do not continue to study with a teacher who tortures you that way if/when you get a teacher because doing so will either lead you to lose interest in the piano or lose your wrists!!!

Answer 3

I learnt both by ear and then , studied the music by myself and accomplished the same thing as a teacher would.

Having said this, I practiced 15 hours a day to get to master that instrument.

After 6 months, I was already ahead 4 year and 5 year gitar players. If you love the instrument, go for it. Eventually, when you are self-taught, you will need technique and different scales and this can only be accomplished by understanding the harmonization behind the playing.

Play along with as much music as you can. This way, you will develop a good ear and a good tempo.

Answer 4

I have 36 students who would say a piano teacher is helpful.  And I would say, without a shadow of a doubt, using a teacher was critical in my development as a pianist.  There were three years (in high school) that I didn't take lessons.  I had moved to a small town and had seen the progress of some of the piano students of the only piano teacher in town.  I got cocky and decided I would do better on my own and refused the lessons.  Needless to say, I made little to no progress in those three years and had a lot of work to do to prepare for college when I found a different teacher my senior year in high school.

Another member already laid out the reasons for you pretty well.  A biggie for me, in addition to what she said, is the accountability.  I have not yet met a person who will stick to regular practice and progress without using a teacher.  

Ask yourself this..... would you make it through elementary and/or high school without a teacher?  (Even home schoolers have someone at least coaching them through their schooling.)