Learning piano can seem like a daunting task. Not only is there the challenge of actually learning, but there are so many ways and resources out there that are overwhelming.
Let’s look at the best ways to learn piano, so you can be the best you can possibly be!
First off, you should make sure that you have a good piano to learn on. Any piano – digital or acoustic – should do fine.
Considering what you want to achieve is important. If you value the authenticity of the instrument’s sound and feel, an acoustic is ideal. However, you’ll need to spend money maintaining it and keeping it in tune.
Digital pianos, however, require no maintenance at all – apart from the occasional dusting. They tend to be more portable than acoustics and can accurately track and play along with songs from an app with the use of MIDI.
Key takeaways
There are 3 main ways you can learn piano:
- Self-teaching and the DIY approach (tutorial books, YouTube videos, music theory, or learning by ear)
- Lessons with a teacher (either 1:1 or in a group setting)
- Technological methods (online courses, software and apps)
Tips for efficient practice
- Learn basic chords and scales – practise them at the start of your sessions.
- Go through permutations of chords and scales – play scales and arpeggios starting on different degrees, and practise different chord inversions.
- Structure your practice sessions – start with scales, then move on to pieces.
- Play pieces slowly when you’re learning them – you want to focus on technique and gradually increase the tempo you’re playing at.
- Use a metronome – this can apply to playing pieces slowly or at speed as well as scales
- Play music you enjoy! – this will keep you enthusiastic to learn your pieces
- Keep doing it – even if you can only manage five minutes one day, that’s still better than nothing!
Best ways to learn piano
1. Do it yourself!
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| It's cheap! | No one can prevent you from picking up bad habits |
| You're only under as much pressure as you’re comfortable with | You have to rely on yourself for motivation |
| You can choose what you want to learn and how you want to learn it | You might not be able to play what you want straight away without more structured lessons |
Tutorial books
The first way you can learn piano yourself is by working through piano books. These books systematically take you through the basics of playing the piano, introduce you to reading sheet music, and teach you a bit of music theory.
Often teachers will use these books to structure their lessons when you’re first learning. If you do end up seeing a teacher, you might be expected to get a copy and bring it to lessons and use it outside of lessons.
There are many piano methods out there. Some popular ones are Alfred’s Basic Adult All-in-One Course, Bastien Piano Basics, and the Suzuki Method.
YouTube videos
YouTube is a fantastic resource for learning many things, including piano! There are loads of videos out there on learning piano, whether it be comprehensive courses that teach you the fundamental basics of the instrument or single videos that can teach a song you really want to learn.
The benefit of YouTube is that it’s free, with perhaps some creators attempting to direct you to paid content. Nevertheless, you have access to information and lessons that, you’d otherwise have to pay a lot of money for.
While an amazing resource, YouTube can have issues. One is that you need an internet connection for it to work, and if your internet is slow then it may be hard to see score excerpts in a high resolution. Additionally, it can be hard to verify the credentials of the content creator, so you might not know if you can trust their advice fully.
Music theory
Music theory is extremely important for understanding many types of music. It’s especially important for an instrument like the piano as pianists play chords, complex rhythms, and melodies with both hands.
Knowledge of chord progressions, key signatures, and rhythmic notation are all good things to have.
Composing your own music on piano will be much easier with some music theory know-how. You can jam out chord progressions and melodies and play around with harmonies.
Many people wrongly believe that classical composers only write music on a piece of paper while sitting at their desks. Writing music down most often comes after playing around at the piano; many well-known classical composers were fantastic improvisers.
Play by ear
Playing by ear is a great way to teach yourself pieces of music. And it’s not limited to just pieces of music, either.
Aural skills and transcription are valuable musical skills that can improve your ability to listen to musical phrases and play them back.
Free music!
imslp.org – If you love classical music then IMSLP will be one of your most valuable resources for accessing sheet music. Unless you’re playing contemporary classical music, all the music from the likes of Bach, Handel, Mozart, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and more is all public domain. This means you can download the sheet music for free as it’s no longer copyrighted!
A downside is that some scores may be difficult to read as non-copyrighted music is usually scans of very old sheet music. Modern notation practices and printing technology are much clearer to read, but you may have to buy that from a modern publisher.
Free-scores.com – Very similar to IMSLP, the scores from Free Scores are clearer as they tend to be user-made arrangements of pieces. However, as these scores aren’t the originals, there could be errors in notation. So bear that in mind if you come across any odd music!
Musescore – Musescore is a free music notation software and online community for sharing sheet music. You’ll find lots of classical music arranged and transcribed by users for free. What makes Musescore special is that it has pop music and all sorts of other genres too!
You can also play the scores back to hear how they sound. You do have to put up with some pretty ropey MIDI sounds, but it gives you an idea of how the piece should sound! After all, you’re the one making the music, not the computer.
2. Hire a teacher
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| A teacher can correct any issues straight away and prevent bad habits | You may be required to travel |
| It's easier to focus when you're with a teacher | It can be expensive |
| No need to rely on internet connection | There needs to be qualified teachers local to you |
| All the nuances of your playing and examples from your teacher can be heard properly without the issue of poor audio quality | You must work with each other’s schedules |
Private lessons
Private in-person tuition is commonly thought of as the best way to learn an instrument.
There are many benefits to private tuition. As your teacher is physically in the room with you, they have the best view of your technique and how your playing is sounding.
They can correct any issues with your technique straight away before you pick up bad habits, and they can physically show you the best playing positions and posture. This is good because poor technique and posture can lead to potentially serious injuries and pain later in life.
Teachers are also able to identify mistakes immediately. When practising by yourself, your brain can get preoccupied with a certain aspect of your playing and you may miss mistakes you make. A teacher can immediately call these out.
If you have trouble focusing, being in the room with a teacher can be helpful for keeping you on track.
This doesn’t mean there aren’t downsides to private lessons. The main one is that they can be very costly. Arguably, this cost is justified as your teacher will be an expert on their instrument and they can give you their full attention for the duration of your lesson.
You might be expected to travel to your teacher’s home for a lesson. This means extra travel costs on top of the cost of the lessons themselves.
Scheduling lessons can be tricky as well. You will both have to work around each other’s schedules to find the best time for your lessons. If you work or go to school, this will probably have to be in the evening.
Another issue is finding a teacher locally. Your teacher needs to be relatively close to you so you can travel for lessons or they can travel to you. Fortunately, piano is one of the most common instruments that is taught, so you’ll most likely have teachers nearby.
So, where do you find teachers?
There are several ways to find piano teachers. The first way is by getting in touch with your local music service. They will have a roster of teachers that are local and can give you their contact information.
If you go to school, your music department most likely will have links with the music service too. A peripatetic teacher might come in on a certain day each week to teach their instrument.
There are also websites where you can find teachers for either in-person or online lessons.
Some of these sites, such as musicteachers.co.uk and tutorful.co.uk, let you contact the teacher and book lessons directly on the site.
Others, like musicteacher.com and findtutors.co.uk, are more like online directories that simply provide contact information and info on the teacher’s background and rates.
The two main unions representing musicians in the UK are the Musicians’ Union and the Independent Society of Musicians. Both have a member directory where you can find teachers in your local area.
A benefit of choosing a teacher who’s a member of a union is that they’ll have public liability insurance. This means if you get hurt or your instrument is damaged during a lesson, the insurance can pay any associated costs.
Music schools
If you’re already on your way with playing the piano and you want to learn more, consider specialist music schools. These follow a standard curriculum and offer more lesson time and performance opportunities.
Examples of these are Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester and the Purcell School in Hertfordshire. You need to audition to go to these schools, so you’ll have to practise a bit beforehand!
There are also conservatoires across the country for gaining a university-level education. The Royal College and Royal Academy of Music in London are famous conservatoires with long histories. Leeds Conservatoire offers popular music and jazz courses as well as classical music.
If you’re still in school then you might have a Saturday Music Centre nearby, these are common across the UK and are run by your local music service. It’s a great way to play music in ensembles with other young musicians in your area and can really benefit your musical development.
3. Technological methods
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Sometimes cheaper than private lessons | You need to keep yourself focused and dedicated |
| Can offer more fun ways of learning | No direct contact time that private teachers offer |
| Comprises the expertise of multiple teachers | Some games may lack music theory |
| Apps can detect if you're playing the right or wrong notes | Apps can't critique the musicality of your playing |
Software/apps
Thanks to smartphones, tablets, and the internet, a new way of learning has emerged: apps.
Apps can provide plenty of features that some online courses or YouTube videos can’t. Many have a play-along feature, either using your device’s microphone or MIDI to detect the notes you’re playing.
With this feature, you can play tunes, often with a score scrolling or some other visual aid, and the app can assess whether you’re playing them correctly.
The Korg C1 Air has USB MIDI connectivity, just plug your piano into your computer to access the note-tracking features of whatever app you’re using.
Kawai’s KDP120 also has this feature, and it has Bluetooth MIDI. This allows you to wirelessly connect to your phone or tablet for note-tracking features.
Learning through games is great for keeping practice entertaining, which, therefore, increases motivation. Apps like Simply Piano, Skoove, Playground Sessions, flowkey and Piano Marvel all have games that help with learning.
Other apps, like Tomplay and Musescore, are simply libraries of sheet music. These don’t keep track of the notes you’re playing but the score can still scroll along with the music.
Both of these apps have playback features. As mentioned previously, the Musescore playback isn’t the most realistic, but it does the job. Tomplay, however, does have live recordings of many of the pieces, which is useful for practising pieces which have other instruments.
These apps can be downloaded from the Android or iOS stores, and many also work on the computer too. Plus, some offer free trials, so you can try before you buy.
It’s becoming increasingly common for some digital pianos to have these free app trials included when you purchase the piano. For example, the Alesis Recital Pro has Skoove included and the Yamaha YDP 145 has flowkey.
Some piano manufacturers make their own apps. Casio Music Space has the play-along and tutorial features of the other apps mentioned, plus some specific functions that enhance your piano. You can control different settings on your piano with it and simulate live concerts with reverb and audience sounds. Casio Music Space is included with many Casio pianos, including the PX 770.
The Roland Piano App has very similar features to Casio Music Space. These include practice aids like metronomes and activity logs. Again, this is compatible with many Roland pianos, like the RP107.
One issue to do with these apps is musicality. Playing the notes correctly is one thing, but a computer can’t discern whether you’re playing with emotion or any other kind of musical expression.
Things like dynamic markings, indications of the mood, or tempo markings are not able to be picked up by an app.
When using these apps, it’s good to keep in mind that a convincing musical performance doesn’t necessarily have to be technically perfect.
Online courses
Online courses can often provide a bit extra to piano learning apps. Some apps, like Playground Sessions, include more online course-style features. They offer a comprehensive series of video lessons that explains many concepts and techniques with piano.
Musescore makes yet another appearance with its online courses. Many courses for all levels of ability are available for piano and even other instruments. These courses are available on a separate subscription to the premium subscriptions.
Some courses, like Pianote and Playground Sessions, even offer the opportunity to send recordings/videos of your playing for feedback from real experts.
Like with teaching yourself, you lack immediate contact time with teachers. They can’t give you direct feedback straight away; however, many do offer regular opportunities for live feedback or live contact with a teacher.
FAQs
How can I teach myself to play piano?
Here are seven simple steps to start teaching yourself piano:
- Get a piano!
- Learn the layout
- Practise where to put your hands
- Learn the basics of reading music
- Play some simple tunes
- Learn some scales/arpeggios
- Practise – structured practice is best!
What is the most effective way to learn piano?
Follow these steps for the most effective way to learn piano!
- Book some time with a teacher or pay for an online course
- Work through the basics with your teacher/course
- Practise when you aren’t in lessons
- Learn scales/arpeggios
- Practise pieces slowly at first, then gradually speed up
- Find opportunities to perform or play with others!
How long does it realistically take to learn piano?
Learning piano is a long journey to embark on. But with everyday practice, you’ll see vast improvements within months.
It will take many years to fully master the instrument. After that long, however, you’ll be better than most people. Many people give up learning a musical instrument so you’ll have a real sense of achievement once you get there.
Final thoughts
This is just a brief run-down of the best ways to learn piano. You should have a basic idea of what the pros and cons are of each method.
Doing it yourself is by far the cheapest and most flexible option. However, you’re entirely responsible for ensuring you have the motivation to keep going and stop yourself from developing bad habits.
Having lessons is the most traditional method and is generally considered the best for most people. Your teacher can give you instant feedback and ensure your technique is always good. However, lessons are the most expensive way of learning and you must organise time and travel with your teacher.
Apps and online courses take elements from both DIY approaches and having a teacher. You get the flexibility of learning by yourself, and it’s cheaper than hiring a teacher. But you still have to bear in mind that any mistakes in your playing won’t be corrected straight away.
Weigh up the pros and cons of these methods and then you can decide which way works best for you!
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