Judi Messina - Music & Art

How long will it take me to learn how to play the piano?
There is no average time to learn anything.  The understanding always comes long before the ability to implement a particular concept, but some people learn slower than others because of self-doubt, learning disabilities, lack of time to practice, distractions, or confusion.  Success for adults students is harder to predict because a) I don't know how much previous experience they're bringing to the table, b) childhood lessons, even a brief period, make a big difference in adult motor skills on piano, c) some people have almost no time to practice, and some have entire days off where they do nothing but play piano!, d) people either question what I teach them (therefore learning deeper but more slowly) or accept it w/o question (therefore learning faster but not in depth sometimes).  The key is to have faith in yourself, know that you CAN do this, and to stick w/ study, even if it’s sporadic, so you don't lose what you learned. 
 
How do you learn how to compose?
It’s helpful to know how to read.  You must learn all your chords (major, minor, dominant sevenths, etc.).  Then you learn how to harmonize (what chords go w/ what measures of a song).  Then you get a composition workbook that has you complete a very short song that's been started for you.  It's all melodies.  Then you work on chord progressions and how to fit melodies to them.  Improvisation is another skill you learn thru another workbook that I've written.  During this process, we work on full-scale compositions.

Don't you need talent to play the piano?
"Talented" people learn faster because they are more ambitious (Carnegie Hall, fame and fortune).  But "talent" in any subject usually means a person starts out with an intense interest and the time to devote to the subject.  Most people want to learn piano for their own pleasure, as a hobby.  Everyone can learn the skills needed to be a good player.  It's a matter of time and commitment.  Music is something you can study and enjoy your whole life -- there's no deadline for achieving any level of competence at music.  It's not a competition; it's a way to enrich your life.  Enjoy whatever level you occupy at any moment.

Why can I play a piece perfectly one day and not the next?
Physical skills are variable from day to day, and from morning to evening.  Playing perfectly also depends on concentration, which is variable.  Playing in different surroundings is a distraction. So is playing by yourself vs. playing in front of other people. 

The goal is not to play every piece perfectly every time; rather, have a goal of enjoying the music and expressing yourself.

I get so discouraged when I see people play piano who are much better than I.  How can I feel better?
Realize first how much more time and experience the “better” player has than you.  Then realize that anyone with the desire and time to devote to music will go as far as they wish.  It’s just a matter of time.

How long should I practice each day?
It’s better to set a goal for a practice session than to set a certain amount of time .  When the goal is reached, either set another goal and meet it, or step away from the piano and work on the next goal next time.  Your goal could be to perfect the first line of the song.  This goal could take just a few minutes.

What if I play a section over and over but it never gets perfect?
After you throw the book across the room, go get it, and analyze why you’re having so much trouble with that section of music. The first consideration is you were probably trying to play it too fast – practicing at performance tempo.  That rarely ever works.  Slow WAY down, just a few times through.  The second consideration is that your section is too much to work on at once.  It’s not unusual to narrow down a trouble spot to discover the real trouble is just 2 or 3 notes.  Practice just those 2 or 3 notes.

The problem is that students expect a piece of music to perfect itself by running through the piece from beginning to end a number of times.  That rarely works either.  You’re better off using your time, however short, to work on specific measures of a song.  It’s like ironing a shirt.  The shirt is full of wrinkles, and you iron out one part of the shirt at a time.  Sometimes you even create a new wrinkle with the iron.  Don’t iron the whole shirt over again!  Just concentrate on that wrinkle.  Try a new approach, as if you’re sprinkling extra water on the wrinkle.  And GO SLOWLY.  This is where patience pays off.

TIP FOR SHARPS AND FLATS
Keep a colored pencil or two on the piano.  Color/highlight/circle all notes in a song that are sharp or flat.  William Buckley Jr uses a red pencil to color sharp notes and a blue one to color flat notes!  This method of reminding yourself when to play a black key is superior to drawing a sharp or flat sign next to each note, because excess pencil marks in your music just makes it harder to read.  Color stands out, but doesn’t add to the confusion.  Avoid highlighter markers; they have a tendency to both bleed through the page, and fade over time.  Also, they’re not erasable!