How to make the most of learning the piano

Chapters

• Learning the piano: first, work on hand independence
• Learning the piano: what is music theory?
• Rhythm in learning the piano
• Learning the piano: reading and playing at the same time
• Learning the piano: body position
• Learning the piano: practising scales
• Knowing the basic chords and progressing faster
• How much time should you devote to learning the piano?
• Learning the piano as a child
• Learning the piano as an adult
• Do I learn the piano on my own or with a teacher?
• Learning the piano with YouTube videos
• A few pieces to start with on the piano
• Do I need to buy a piano to progress?
• A few tips

The piano and the guitar are two extremely widespread instruments, played all over the world.

A great many people would like to learn the piano. But learning the piano takes patience and a little, or let's be honest, a lot of time.

The piano is a demanding instrument. You won't play a sonata in the manner of Bach with a snap of the fingers; there is no miracle technique. Being able to play a great piece, or simply feeling free to express yourself on your piano, whether acoustic or digital, takes real commitment.

So tell me, Doctor, how do I learn to play the piano? And why choose the piano rather than another instrument (in French)?

This article brings together several essential pieces of information that will help you make the right choices and set off on the right foot along the road to virtuosity: what is my style, which teacher should I choose, how do I learn the basics, should I take piano lessons, and so on.

As soon as you start learning the piano, you will discover the first difficulty: coordinating the hands. They do play on the keyboard at the same time, but they obviously don't play the same thing! The first hurdle to clear is therefore gaining independence between the right hand and the left hand.

Learning the piano: first, work on hand independence

All those white and black keys can seem rather intriguing at first…

Generally, on the piano, the left hand's role is mostly harmonic, while the melody tends to belong to the right hand. So the left hand plays the chords and the right hand the melody. In practice, though, things quickly get more complicated: in contrapuntal music, the distinction between the two roles is much harder to make out.

In your own practice, you will soon notice that one of your hands is more skilful than the other. If you are right-handed, playing with the right hand will come more easily, and vice versa. The other hand will feel "weaker". Nothing could be more normal.

Right-handed players therefore have the advantage that their strong hand is the one meant for the melody, that little tune that stays in your head after hearing a song. Filling out the piece with the left hand will quickly become necessary, though.

When I started playing the piano, I taught myself. It was easier for me to start with the melody. Once I had learnt it, I had to concentrate on the accompaniment, in other words the chords. This is not the only way to go about it; there are others, and everyone has to find the one that suits them best. But working on the left hand remains a must in every case.

Developing the independence of your two hands will therefore mostly mean, at the beginning, getting your "weak" hand to play. How do you play the piano with the left hand? Put another way: how do you learn to play the piano with the left hand?

The first exercise is to play with your left hand (or right hand if you are left-handed) alone. You can start by playing scales. Do it from the very beginning; don't leave your weak hand behind, lagging. It is the one that will need the most attention from the start of your piano studies.

After a few sessions, you gradually become more comfortable with your weak hand. Well done! Now is the time to start playing with both hands at once. Don't do it before you have worked on your left hand alone!

Using both hands can be a real headache at first…

A first exercise to progress: choose a note and play it at the same time with the left hand and the right hand (at two different pitches). Continue with short sequences of notes, three going up, three going down, for example. The aim is to reproduce exactly the same notes with both hands. You will notice, though, that it can't be done with the same fingers! Yes indeed, our hands are mirror images: the thumb of the right hand is on the left, while the thumb of the left hand is on the right.

You will need to start playing beginners' scores to find the solution to this problem. That is the next step. You will see that under each note a number is written (from 1 to 5). This number is the finger you should use to strike the note. No more doubt possible. In your first readings, start by working each hand separately; it will make learning much easier.

At first, take your time, dissect each note, remember the sounds. That is how your brain will slowly develop its musical abilities, and little by little it will become easier and easier. Don't rush: you would only get discouraged!

As you go, your independence will develop, giving your brain time to train and your hands time to memorise the movements. Soon, you will see, you will be able to sight-read a piece and play it straight away with both hands.

It is very important to choose your scores well. There are plenty of easy ones for beginners. Better still, get yourself a method book, so that your scores come with precious advice. Keep in mind that developing good hand independence takes on average a year for someone really starting from scratch. So be patient: you don't become Bach overnight…

Learning the piano: what is music theory?

Music theory is another big topic when it comes to learning music. The question arises quite naturally for anyone wanting to learn the piano: will I have to learn music theory too?

It has to be said that learning music theory is often rather tedious. The way it is traditionally taught in conservatoires and music schools, as a separate lesson in addition to the instrument, rarely motivates young students. It is neither enjoyable nor playful. There are often exams and dictations: every student's worst nightmare.

And yet music theory is essential to be able to use your synthesiser, grand piano or upright with ease! If we think of music as a language, music theory is the way to write and read it. Imagine learning a language without reading or writing… you won't get far. Even if you don't aspire to play complex classical pieces, you will quickly feel limited.

We mentioned a piano method for beginners earlier: it will introduce you to music theory straight away, because that is how it teaches you the basics. Admittedly, some modern methods do away with theory, but once again, you won't get beyond a beginner to lower-intermediate level. It is therefore important to know musical theory and to be able to read a score.

To find out a little more on the subject, see our article on music theory.

Once you have music theory under your belt, you will go much faster. New pieces will be learnt three times as quickly. Broadly speaking, music theory has two components: rhythm on the one hand and harmony on the other. To play the piano you will need to learn both.

Harmony concerns the pitch of the notes (C, D, E, and so on) and how they fit together. Above all, of course, it is about recognising them on a staff. Rhythm, for its part, defines the time aspect, the space between each note.

Even if your school years are a distant memory, you may remember a few notes you learnt to play on wonderful instruments such as the recorder or the xylophone…

Recognising notes on a score is relatively easy; it takes a few hours, depending on how diligent you are. But there is a big step between that and reading a piece without hesitation. Note reading is an exercise you will need to practise again and again: score in front of you, read aloud the name of every note, one after the other.

One small extra difficulty: the piano uses two clefs! The treble clef and the bass clef. What does that mean? Well, for each clef, the position of the notes on the staff changes. So you will have to learn the position of each note twice. C in the treble clef is not in the same place as C in the bass clef ;)

You will see, once music theory is mastered, how pleasant it is to be able to read and write music as you please!

Rhythm in learning the piano

Without rhythm, mastery of the instrument is nothing!

Once reading notes has become familiar, the study of rhythm opens up to you. Sound and rhythm are the key elements of music and cannot be separated.

Work on rhythm follows on from music theory, except that at this stage it is not only about reading the notes but also respecting the rhythm at the same time (with the help of your hands or a metronome). This first requires a good grasp of the value of the different notes: semibreve, minim, crotchet, quaver, semiquaver, triplet, and so on.

A tip: at the start, work on rhythm only, without worrying about reading the notes. It is essential to absorb the different values (the "beats") before going further. In fact, it is not so much the values that need learning as the relationships between them. The important thing is to know that a minim is worth two crotchets, which are themselves worth four quavers. Know it, but also apply it in exercises. Get familiar with the notion of the bar as well!

A score is divided into units of time called bars. In general, a bar represents four crotchets.

It may seem as complicated as deciphering hieroglyphs upside down, but once you have learnt the basics of these codes, your life as a beginner pianist will be much easier. Because the pieces of Beethoven, Mozart or Bach are not just a collection of notes.

The times set for each score are real guides to steer your interpretation. That said, you are free to change them as you see fit, once you have mastered them perfectly.

With experience, you can even learn to improvise on the piano.

Learning the piano: reading and playing at the same time

Once you have mastered reading notes and rhythms, the essential part remains: playing the notes of the score on the piano while respecting the rhythms. It is long-term work, and very hard at first, because it means managing several things at once.

To read and play at the same time (with both hands, no less), you will have to work a lot. Regular practice and training are your main allies in this work.

And although the greatest virtuosos in the history of music, such as Lang Lang, usually have the benefit of a page-turner, you will need a certain level before enjoying that luxury too…

Coordinating reading, right hand and left hand is hard at the beginning!

Here are a few ideas to make the task easier: first, read the notes without worrying about the keyboard. Then work on each hand separately and slowly. Your brain has to learn to spot the written notes while transferring them to the piano.

Advice: start with easy pieces with a slow tempo. So set "Für Elise" aside to begin with! Turn instead to Debussy and his magnificent "La plus que lente".

Slowly but surely, you will acquire automatic responses and develop reflexes. It is a bit like learning to type: at the beginning, you only use your index fingers, remember?

Little by little it gets easier and easier; you even manage to type without looking at the computer keyboard and you use all your fingers! All of this comes with time and experience. One watchword: patience.

An excellent way to associate a note on a score with its place on the piano is to work with scales. More on that below.

In the end, only practice will bring satisfaction and real progress. At the beginning, making mistakes is perfectly normal; don't let it hold you back. If you want to be perfect straight away, it will slow down your learning. Persevere and you will quickly see the results for yourself.

So why not take piano lessons?

Learning the piano: body position

Playing the piano is not a purely "manual" activity. The instrument actually involves the whole body! Your position absolutely must be right, because with hours of work and repeated movements, a poor position can quickly lead to injury. Being comfortable in a suitable position is therefore essential to play the piano at your best.

So you need to learn to position yourself correctly in relation to the instrument. To do so, sit at the centre of the keyboard. You will find it thanks to middle C, exactly where the pedals are. The arms are almost perpendicular to the keys, but not quite: the elbows should be either at keyboard height or slightly below. It all depends, of course, on your body and your height. A piano teacher can give you the important advice that will let you find an ideal position.

A poor position can lead to injury, as mentioned above, but will also have a negative impact on the quality of your playing. Elbows too low force you to bend your wrists, which means a loss of strength in the fingers. Fortunately, piano stools are adjustable, so you can set the seat height and avoid this problem.

If, on the contrary, your elbows are too high, the force will be poorly distributed between your fingers and your forearms.

As for the back, it should be as straight as possible. Beginners generally have an unfortunate tendency to hunch. They usually notice fairly quickly the discomfort and pain this position causes.

The seat should be wide. This lets you pivot when you have to play at the ends of the keyboard. A central position is needed to reach the pedals, but also to have every key within reach, high or low.

Note that some piano pieces are played four hands. The two pianists then each take a part of the keyboard: one takes the low part and plays the chords, the other the high part and the melody.

Finally, the position of the hands. They should be slightly arched, with the fingers curved, a bit like holding a round object in your hand. This is only the basic, resting position, though; you will quickly see that the position and shape of your hand change with what you play. Hand size matters too: pianists with small hands don't play the same way as pianists with large hands. Here again, your piano teacher's advice will be precious.

Before starting your daily work, remember to warm up: stretch the parts of the body you use: your neck, your shoulders and above all your wrists! Warming up first improves your flexibility and protects your body from the risk of injury. It will also make your playing more fluid and faster.

Playing the piano could be compared to dancing: the whole body is in motion when you play a piece, from the feet, working the pedals, to the fingers pressing the keys.

To finish, a word about relaxation. It is a good idea to add breathing exercises to your warm-up. The more relaxed you are, the more stamina you will have. The piano can be tiring when practice becomes intense; some people consider it a sport. Do your best to stay relaxed: after playing a note, practise releasing the muscular tension the action required. The body can have an unfortunate habit of staying tense when it doesn't need to. You will save a lot of energy for your piano lessons!

What is the right body position when playing the piano? Our dedicated article (in French) will certainly interest you!

Learning the piano: practising scales

As mentioned above, scales are a basic exercise, very well known and very effective for learning and progressing on your instrument. This work serves several purposes: first of all, it is a warm-up. Although the practice of scales has declined in recent years, it remains a fundamental point not to be forgotten.

So what is a scale? It is a defined sequence of notes, where the gap between each of them, also called the interval, is already set. And it is precisely this that tells us which scale it is. You have certainly heard the words "major" and "minor": these are types of scale. A major scale is a sequence of notes separated by very specific intervals, a succession of tones and semitones. So whatever the starting note, the sequence of intervals in a major scale always stays the same. As for the number of notes in a scale, it is not fixed: there are scales of 5 and of 10 notes.

Working on your scales will let you start to grasp harmony and to realise which notes go together. It will be easier to learn pieces written in scales you know. You will also see that beginners' pieces are written in easy scales, such as C major, which uses no black keys. Mastering your scales and making them your own will give you more ease when you tackle your pieces.

But that's not all! Working on your scales will also increase the speed of your playing. As you progress, you will gradually be led to play faster and faster sequences of notes. Scale work will certainly help, and it will also benefit the position of your hands on the keyboard.

The C major scale is the following sequence of notes, in this exact order: C D E F G A B. As you can see, it is a scale that uses no black keys. Many beginners' pieces are therefore written in C major.

Many piano methods give scale exercises to work on at the keyboard.

Of course, if you already play another melodic instrument and music theory holds no secrets for you, starting the piano will be all the easier.

Knowing the basic chords and progressing faster

When you start playing the piano, the urge to master a first piece quickly and impress those around you is often very strong. Rest assured, you won't need to learn every chord for that. A few basic chords will already take you a long way.

On the piano, four of them are easy, very widely used and go well together. These four chords appear in a huge number of pop songs and pieces; they are real standards.

What's more, they are basic chords that use only three fingers. They are made up of three notes, so three keys are pressed at once to create the desired sound. Once you have learnt these four chords, you can tackle your first pieces. Have fun stringing them together too, and discover what it sounds like!

Here are the four basic chords:

• A minor (A, C, E)
• C major (C, E, G)
• F major (F, A, C)
• G major (G, B, D)

In brackets are the notes you need to play to form the chord in question. These notes must be played together; otherwise it is no longer a chord but an arpeggio.

Mastering these chords will also help you focus on the melody of your piece, in other words on what your right hand is doing. The more automatic your left hand becomes, the easier it will be for you.

How much time should you devote to learning the piano?

A recurring question: how much time, how many hours a week or a day do I have to devote to the instrument to progress?

The answer depends above all on the musician's expectations and goals. You have to take into account the time available. Not everyone can devote 3 hours a day to practising an instrument, and that is not necessarily needed to progress quickly.

For a young child of 5 or 6 who is starting out, short but regular practice is generally recommended: 10 minutes a day, 4 to 5 times a week, already lets the child progress quickly.

A student with a little more experience will gradually increase their weekly practice time to several hours a week, up to an hour a day for the very motivated. The student then makes very rapid progress.

Students on a professional path, aiming to enter a music academy for example, practise more than an hour every day. And once they are at university level, the rhythm is generally 3 to 6 hours a day. Of course, this rhythm is for people who want to make music their career, and the level they aim for is quite different from what an amateur musician wants to reach.

As for adults starting the piano, it all depends on their desire. The more you work, the faster you progress. The student generally realises fairly quickly, on their own, what speed of progress they can hope for according to the effort they put in.

An important point to keep in mind: regularity beats quantity. It is more effective to practise 20 minutes a day than 2 hours once a week. Planning your practice times will certainly help you build a good habit.

When I started playing the piano, I thought I could learn the Amélie soundtrack in one go by spending several hours on it. I quickly realised that is not how it works. Breaks are essential for the brain, so that it can digest the work done. If you don't respect that, the brain gets tired fast.

So space out your practice over the week! As said above, prefer a high frequency to endless sessions which, when you are starting out, can only discourage you.

One tip for varying your learning is to alternate between practice and theory. It is also wise to take time to replay pieces you have already learnt and know well. That way you enjoy yourself and really play the instrument. Otherwise you will constantly be straining and get little pleasure.

Many different factors will affect your progress. The method first: only a piano teacher can pass on one that is effective. Your ability to concentrate, your motivation and, as said above, your regularity also come into play. If you are an adult beginner, know that the frequency needed to hope for real progress in a reasonable time is 4 to 5 hours a week.

Learning the piano as a child

At what age can my child start learning the piano? Another frequently asked question!

Is age really an important factor? In reality, you can start learning music at any age, but there are a few limits of a physical kind.

A child under 6 or 7 will often have hands too small to work at the piano. That is why piano lessons generally start at this age. Younger children are usually directed towards early musical education classes, which can sometimes start as early as 2! It is extra stimulation and helps the brain develop.

Young parents are often advised to play music to their baby: solo piano music is excellent, and orchestras, piano concertos or opera are also worth thinking about.

From the age of 6, a child is ready to begin musical training. It is an ideal age, in fact: between 6 and 12, brain development is at its peak and learning music benefits greatly from it. A genuinely motivated child will learn very fast.

From 13, pianists who started young develop a certain maturity and begin to go deeper into their instrument. They develop their sensitivity and discover a whole universe opening up before them.

Our teacher Xavier has prepared a short lesson available for free on YouTube: An introduction to the piano (in French).

Learning the piano as an adult

Adults who want to start the piano sometimes wonder whether they are too old, whether learning will take too long. How do you learn the piano as an adult, is there an age limit? It is true that learning is generally easier as a child than as an adult; we know it for languages, and it is the same for music and the piano.

Still, that is no reason not to start, or to get discouraged. Learning the piano is possible at any age! There are excellent pianists who only started at 40. Others even start at 65 and surprise themselves a few years later when they see their progress. There really is only one watchword: motivation. Starting piano lessons: it is always time, even at 85!

Understanding music theory, in other words learning to read a score while playing the piano, takes time and motivation, whatever age you start… In every case, you will need to give yourself time and work. I learnt to make the necessary effort when I started learning the piano and the guitar, two instruments I began at the same time. A few hours or a few weeks were not enough to reach a first level of ease at the piano; it comes with time.

The truth is that the problem, when you are an adult and want to learn the piano, is the time available. It is not easy to devote an hour a day to study when you work full time and have a family life on top of it. Managing to set aside regular work periods is a key factor.

It is essential to ensure relatively fast progress so as not to lose heart. Learning without progressing quickly becomes boring. The best way to make sure you free up enough time is to start learning the piano with a qualified teacher.

Regularity is also important to speed up your learning. Motivate yourself and devote at least 30 to 40 minutes every other day to the piano; make a schedule! When you know that on average a person watches up to 2 hours of television a day, maybe it is time to rethink your daily activities?

Playing the piano can also be genuinely relaxing, just as much as a good TV series. Music is proven to have positive effects on the human brain. Concentration improves and anxieties are soothed. Musical waves resonating with the rhythm of our body calm it and reduce stress. So what are you waiting for to take up the piano?

Do I learn the piano on my own or with a teacher?

Although learning with a teacher is a guarantee of fast and effective progress, it is not the only way to learn the piano. For a start, the teacher can be hired privately or be part of a music school. But it is also possible to teach yourself. Some people prefer to do it that way and manage very well. But you first need the right character for that kind of approach: ultra-motivated and persevering.

Self-teaching is also really for adults; younger learners need a framework to learn the instrument, as their motivation generally comes from factors other than progress itself, mostly the bond with the teacher and the other students. Besides, a weekly appointment helps a lot to keep in touch with the instrument, since many children don't practise regularly.

It all depends on your wishes and goals. If your aim is to play two or three pieces for family and friends, you can certainly get there on your own with YouTube tutorials. On the other hand, if you aspire to join a symphony orchestra or a band, if you want to become a pianist worthy of the name, able to play any piece, to improvise, to express yourself at the piano, it will be hard to get there without guidance. True, the internet now gives access to an enormous amount of learning content. In reality, though, it is often aimed either at complete beginners or at advanced pianists, in the form of masterclasses.

If you choose to teach yourself, it will be important to choose the right tools and to find out about what is on offer, so as to make the right choice when subscribing to a programme or buying a "pack" of lessons. Start by getting a beginner's piano method book. There are very good ones and your local music shop will have no trouble supplying one.

Keep in mind that many people who decide to start on their own end up stopping after a few months at most: so build a real plan of attack!

I started the piano on my own and found it very hard to build regularity into my practice; it was very hard to keep up. In reality, I had no set timetable; my motivation decided when I sat down to work. Inevitably, as soon as the first difficulties appeared, my motivation dropped, and my practice time with it. If, like me, you tend to procrastinate, teaching yourself the piano is not for you!

So yes, taking piano lessons with a teacher costs more. But in most cases it is a solution that reliably leads to a result. If your desire and motivation are real, think twice!

Because a piano teacher is not simply someone who gives you homework. They will know how to motivate you, encourage you to persevere, and give you tips to energise and vary your learning and practice when needed. They will teach you to appreciate music, their expertise reaching beyond the instrument itself. A piano teacher is generally passionate about their instrument; perhaps that passion, often said to be contagious, will win you over too?

Turning to a music school has the advantage of letting you specify the branch of music you want to develop in. Although this is not necessary in the first years, it is then important to have a teacher who matches the style you love, mainly jazz, classical or contemporary music. Private schools and conservatoires offer many different lessons:

• piano lessons for complete beginners
• mostly private lessons
• music theory lessons
• Dalcroze eurhythmics or early musical education
• classical piano training
• jazz piano training
• contemporary music piano training
• history of music

Of course, all of this can also be taught by a private teacher. But it will be harder to find the rare gem who matches your expectations. Most of the time, private teachers offer better rates than music schools. However, they cannot organise certain events that matter to the student, such as the end-of-year concert: a memorable moment for every student, often stepping onto a stage for the first time, in front of several hundred people.

It can never be said enough: whichever solution you choose, teaching yourself, a private teacher, a music school or a conservatoire, the key to success is commitment and work. Don't choose one of these options telling yourself "I'll save time and progress faster". In every case, before you can play your favourite piece on your piano, you will need hours and hours of practice.

Of course, learning with a qualified teacher is an advantage, because they will give you the motivation you need. At Apolline we take the greatest care in selecting our music teachers: they are young, motivated and involved in the local, national and even international cultural scene. They live their passion, and that is an essential criterion for being able to pass it on!

Our teachers are excellent educators, whether for singing, piano, guitar or drum lessons. Progress is gradual and deepens the student's knowledge and technique while keeping the playful side, which is essential, especially in the first years of learning.

The best way to enjoy the piano and stop it becoming a chore is also to practise regularly at home. Practise, and your progress will constantly feed your motivation!

Learning the piano with YouTube

Today we have access to a wealth of information online. Whole courses are sold and you can even pay a teacher remotely. Of course, in that particular case, it is a last resort, because it will always be much easier to have a teacher physically in front of you than behind a screen.

Still, YouTube offers content of real interest when it comes to starting out and getting to know the instrument. You will very easily find introductory videos of a few minutes that let you get to grips with the instrument and play your first notes.

It is also an excellent platform for improving. Many professional musicians have a YouTube channel and regularly post lessons and masterclasses. But these are generally aimed at an audience that already has a solid foundation. If you are a beginner, YouTube is not where you will progress fast.

Every day, every hour, loads of tutorials are uploaded, examples of pieces played, and so on. All you have to do is click.

Will you manage to become a professional pianist thanks to YouTube alone?

You will obviously have to sort through all that content, because not everything is worth your time. To help, we can already distinguish two types of video you will often come across:

Synthesia videos. Remember that console game with a fake guitar, where you had to play the notes that appeared on screen at the right moment? Well, the principle here is the same.

More standard videos where the musician films themselves directly, usually from above, with a view of the keyboard and their hands. They can show you their hand placement and how they play the different sequences.

Again, be warned! If you are a beginner, these videos won't help you much. They can even be confusing, as they leave out guidance on how to play the piece in question: rhythm, rests, phrasing, tone, hand position, and so on.

On the other hand, if you already have a certain level, if you have the basics, then these videos can be great fun:

• They provide a visual aid that can make scores easier to understand.
• Original interpretations of certain piano pieces.
• Quick availability of recent content (the latest songs just released).
• A boost to creativity.

These solutions are very tempting. But we advise you not to set music theory aside for all that. Learning music without theory is like learning French while skipping grammar and conjugation. You have to admit that, in those conditions, you have little chance of being admitted to the Académie française.

It is only fair to recognise that YouTube lets a lot of people learn and progress on the piano: the self-taught, of course, but also people on modest or low incomes who cannot afford a piano teacher. People with a good visual memory are at a particular advantage with this type of learning.

Beyond watching YouTube videos simply to progress on the piano, there is also a whole cultural side to consider! Famous pianists, the history of the piano, influential bands and pianists of today. All of this will immerse you in the world of the piano and may lead you to discover a new passion. If so, your motivation will only grow tenfold.

Playing the piano also means opening up to a mass of musical styles. Every good musician has to be versatile. They may well have a speciality and preferences (which is almost always the case), but they will have played a bit of every style, because that is how you really learn to master an instrument. YouTube is now the simplest free tool for discovering all the music in the world: pieces themselves or documentaries on the history of a given musical movement, it is all there!

Here are two phrases you can type into the YouTube search bar for the most results:

• learn piano
• how to play (title of your piece) piano

I tried to learn the piano online; I am self-taught so I naturally started searching the internet and YouTube. I came across good methods and took my first steps. I was drawn by the freedom the programme offered: I could practise whenever I wanted. And I had only paid a few dozen francs for it… However, I later decided to enrol at a music school to take lessons with a real piano teacher. Once past the introductory stage, I had found it hard to find the discipline needed to progress. Online lessons were nevertheless an excellent way for me to try the instrument and see whether it suited me before committing.

At Apolline in Lausanne, all our music classes include a free trial lesson. So you can try, and change instrument if it wasn't the right one for you!

A few pieces to start with on the piano

When you put your fingers on the keyboard for the first time, you often wonder: when will I be able to play my first piece? So as not to put you off and make you give up in the face of difficulty, it is important to choose the right pieces to start with. Here are a few:

• Imagine by John Lennon,
• Für Elise by Beethoven,
• Someone like You by Adele,
• Comptine d'un autre été by Yann Tiersen,
• Je vole by Louane,
• Mistral gagnant by Renaud,
• Angie by The Rolling Stones,
• Puisque tu pars by Jean-Jacques Goldman,
• Riche by Claudio Capéo,
• The music from the film Amélie, a great classic to play on the piano.

These pieces have the advantage of a slow rhythm; the melody is easy and, what's more, probably familiar. They present no particular difficulty. You will be able to learn them relatively quickly, which will boost your motivation all the more.

Of course, this list is not exhaustive! With a little searching, you will find many other pieces for beginners, online or at the music shop near you.

Do I need to buy a piano to progress?

How much to invest? Is it really necessary? When should you buy your first piano? Right at the start, or a few weeks after beginning?

These questions come up every time someone starts the piano. The answer first depends on the learning method chosen. If you are going it alone, you will clearly have to get a piano immediately, or you won't progress one bit.

If, on the other hand, you work with a teacher, in their teaching room or at the school where they teach, you will have a piano available. You can try and wait until you have had two or three lessons before deciding. But if you are hooked, don't wait any longer: you would only slow down your progress.

Many shops now offer pianos on rent-to-buy. This reduces the risk for a child who is starting out but isn't sure they want to continue beyond the first year: the piano can then be returned to the shop. If, on the contrary, the student wants to carry on, you simply pay the balance and the piano is yours!

As for price, you don't need to buy an acoustic piano, upright or grand, for your first years: it costs several thousand, even tens of thousands of francs. Opt instead for a digital piano: you will find one from Kawai or Roland, for example, for around 500 Swiss francs. And of course, don't forget the second-hand market.

A few tips

Take lessons! It is the best way to stay motivated and progress quickly.

Only your teacher can give you continuous feedback on your progress, based on your problems and questions of the moment. No book and no method can offer you that!

If I had no choice and had to learn without a teacher, I would probably choose Andrew Furmanczyk (alias Lypur) on YouTube. He has recorded close to 200 hours of free videos, all about learning the piano or music theory.

Getting help from a teacher: a huge asset.