In the last three weeks, we debunked three popular myths that stop beginner pianists from growing and achieving their goals. These are:
Myth #1: You must always start with sight-reading music.
Myth #2: You can only play nursery songs before you can play the songs you love.
Myth #3: You must know music theory.
And before we debunk our fourth and final myth, I want to ask you a question…
Have you been enjoying learning the piano?
If your answer is “No”, what seems to be stoping you and holding you back?
Could it be that you still believe one of the first three myths? Or, do you believe myth number 4…?
Myth #4: You can’t have fun with piano as a beginner.
Who says learning how to play the piano as a beginner can’t be enjoyable?
I’ve never heard anyone admit it…but 99% of the pianists I meet (beginners and pros) live under this belief that as a beginner you can’t have fun – that you have to work really hard and master sight reading and theory before you can actually have fun on the piano.
There are a lot of reasons even beginner pianists should and can have fun. Let’s look at a couple.
Piano as a shared experience.
Out of all the musical instruments, piano is the easiest instrument to share with others…
Piano can accompany, or play along with any other instrument or singer, and multiple people can sit down and play a single piano at one time!
No other instrument has this type of “community” feature!
Plus, the piano, like all musical instruments, was designed to reflect human emotions. It’s no surprise that people respond strongly with joy, sorrow, and delight when they listen.
Invite people into your music. Share it with family and friends, and use it as a bonding experience.
…play after dinner, or at a family event.
…share a song you just learned.
… play with other musicians and ask others to sing along.
…or play someone’s favorite song and make their day.
Sharing your music with others is sure to make piano more fun at any stage of the learning process.
Track your progress.
Discover the importance of finding joy in repetition. This will improve your playing fluency and ease, as well as your enjoyment and fulfillment from practice.
Set meaningful goals for yourself and celebrate when you reach them.
This could be as simple as a coffee break or writing a congratulatory letter to yourself after you’ve cracked a difficult section or piece. Small wins are so important!
You might want to keep a practice journal.
Keeping a record of your learning and what interests you, improves retention through the reflective process. Try it out; it’s another creative outlet where you can keep track of your thoughts and progress.
Or you can record yourself practicing, and every so often, go back and watch your past videos. You’ll be amazed at how far you’ve come!
There are so many different ways to track your learning experience. Try a few out and find the one that fits you the best. Then start celebrating all the big and small wins along the way.
Be okay with being a beginner.
Everyone was a beginner at one point. There’s no shame in the title!
You may not be able to play every song right off the bat, but there are plenty of cool, simple piano songs that won’t take you long to learn and still sound great.
Begin slowly and gradually increase the speed. In no time, you’ll have these deceptively challenging piano songs under your fingers and sound like a pro!
Remember that mistakes are part of the learning process and happen at every stage. Even professional pianists who have been playing 20+ years make mistakes.
Accept mistakes with a smile on your face, and let them motivate you to become even better.
Find a teacher or a program that fits your needs.
Everyone learns differently. That’s why it’s so important to find a teacher that supports you and helps you learn without killing your passion!
I believe this so strongly, that in my Signature Beginner Piano Course, I offer my students extra ways to learn and have fun in addition to the tips mentioned above:
…like playing along with orchestra backing tracks!
…and participating in an online support group of other beginner pianists!
Find ways to enjoy the process and don’t loose sight of your goals!
And now that we’re at the end of our four week series, I hope you’re able to go forward in confidence and freedom. Stick with it! I promise it’s worth it.