how to learn to play piano online
How to learn to play piano online. An often-asked question, the answer can make a student great or a complete failure.
Learning to play the piano online is a choice that many people make for various reasons, some practical and others personal.
Attempting to fit in with a local piano teacher’s schedule can be impossible. This is a reason why so many would be piano students look to learning piano online.
The types of piano lesons online
There are many types of piano lessons given online. Some mimic real lessons that are as close to a teacher in the room with you as mine are. Others concentrate on speed of learning, some are via apps, and some don’t even teach music, concentrating on just learning to play songs.
Breaking the various types down falls into three types of lessons.
- Online live piano lessons with a one-to-one teacher on the screen before you and see you playing. You can hear and see the teacher who can demonstrate everything in front of you.
- Pre-recorded video piano lessons are similar to online live classes. They are done in a wide variety of ways, some very good and others not so good.
- App and curious courses. I say curious because some I have seen confuse me. From their sales figures, they seem to be doing exceptionally well. Maybe I don’t understand that method of teaching. I like to keep things complete without missing anything.
The pros and con's of how to learn to play piano live
I prefer personal lessons. The teacher gets to know the student, and the interaction between teacher and student affects the student’s progress. If the teacher is good online, the interaction will be similar to live lessons in the student’s home. Online live piano lessons can be as practical as real live lessons. It is a natural alternative to modern lives as teachers can align better with work schedules. For example, a student wishing to take lessons at midnight in the USA could choose a European teacher. The time zone difference makes it possible for those midnight lessons.
There are disadvantages. Anyone who can play the piano can call themselves a piano teacher. Even a brilliant pianist can be entirely unsuitable for teaching. Teaching requires a different mindset to performing.
For parents, I strongly recommend being present during your child’s initial lessons. This not only allows you to assess the teacher’s suitability but also fosters a sense of responsibility and engagement in your child’s learning journey. Remember, anyone can call themselves a piano teacher, so it’s crucial to ensure the person you invite into your home is the right fit for your child.
If the teacher is poor, progress could be slower than it could be. Before taking lessons, ask the teacher questions about how they teach: is it with music, via a textbook, or by ear?
Equipment
A little more equipment is required for online live lessons, although a laptop or tablet computer can do it all. Many people use two or three mobile phones simultaneously to good effect.
Good positioning is essential to ensure good microphone pick-up and good camera angles so the teacher can see the student’s hands and face. Sometimes, students use several cameras and separate microphones.
The pros and con's of how to learn piano pre-recorded
Pre-recorded online piano lessons form a large part of them. For example, in live online piano lessons, anyone can be a piano teacher. Pre-recorded lessons usually make it easier to differentiate between good and evil. Most of these courses will show taster lessons, and most will have at least a 30-day money-back guarantee—some 60 days. Learning to play the piano is not fast, so if you waste a few weeks or months going from course to course to find the best for you, it will be time well spent. The benefits are many. Lessons can be taken at any time, 24 hours a day.
- Lessons can be repeated over and over until fully understood.
- The better sites provide real support.
- Costs are lower than live online lessons.
- Lessons can be as suitable as live online lessons if recorded as such.
The disadvantages:
- Some sites and courses can be of variable quality; however, the due diligence mentioned earlier can overcome most of these problems.
- A good internet connection is required for video.
- Unless using a keyboard with headphones, late-night lessons may not be possible, which outweighs the 24-hour availability advantage.
Equipment
Pre-recorded lessons require no special equipment. Any device that can access the Internet is all that is required. Many students learn very well on a single mobile phone.
app and curious courses
People love apps. They seem to have taken over the world. There are apps for anything you wish to do, learn, or join.
Are apps suitable for learning to play the piano? The answer has to be yes. I am not keen on them, but they fulfill a need, and thousands purchase them every year to learn to play.
I use the term curious courses because I find them curious. It’s not that they are bad; I think real piano lessons are better. Again, as with apps, thousands buy them every year to help them learn to play piano.
Learning to play the piano with some apps I have seen would seem strange, but I am traditional in my approach to piano teaching. An analogy would be learning to drive a car and missing out on using the brake to enable quicker learning. It is not an excellent way to learn to drive, and not piano, either. I prefer to learn everything without missing anything. For me, the question of how to learn to play the piano online means finding a good teacher with vast experience and a modern approach to teaching in today’s world.
Equipment
As with pre-recorded piano lessons, a simple mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, or desktop computer can be used. As long as the device can connect to the internet or download and install the app, you are good to go.
Where do you find the best piano lessons?
Finding the right lessons is a search-and-find operation. Ask friends or, if at school, others who have tried online piano lessons.
There are very large online platforms with hundreds of teachers providing piano lessons. Each platform delivers lessons differently. Some are downloaded, and others are online video lessons.
Many teachers have their sites with stand-alone courses or membership delivery of video courses. I don’t know of any now that provide courses on CD anymore, but there are probably still some.
Above all, choose your platform carefully to ensure you can get support. No matter how good a course is, a student somewhere will need help sometimes. Sometimes, not needing support can be bad for a teacher’s reputation on the larger platforms.
Some years ago, I spent a lot of time creating a piano course. I used my 25 years of piano teaching experience to ensure that ev”Every possible question was answered before it was asked.” It worked seamlessly.” Many students took the course and asked no questions while learning to play piano. The very large platform was not impressed. They felt that only courses with students asking many questions were good. Maybe I should have written a poor course with lots of errors.
Can you learn to play the piano online?
The short answer is yes! Of course, you can. Thousands of people learn piano online every year, as well as many other instruments.
Are lessons as suitable as live lessons with a local piano teacher? I would say no, with the proviso that online live lessons can be just as appropriate, provided the teacher is experienced, well-motivated, and enthusiastic about bringing out the best in the student’s abilities.
Pre-recorded lessons, apps, and curious courses fall into the same section. If you can find a good one, then you can do well. The key is to use the 30-day money-back guarantee to find the type that suits you and how you wish to play piano.
