Piano Lessons - Why Did You Quit? (classic, song, good)
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I took them for 3 years from ages 8 to 11. I hated them and never practiced. I suspect that's the case with many of you reading this. However, the question is why?
I found out "why" about 4 years later, when my parents bought a barely used, upright piano for cheap with the idea of selling it for a profit.
Two things were now different:
1) The piano keys on this basement piano were narrower and with a much lighter touch than the big piano upstairs, so it was much easier to actually play, and
2) Now that I didn't have a teacher, I could choose to learn songs that I was actually interested in.
I was getting into a lot of things by the time I got be 11 years old; Boy Scouts, YMCA basketball, Young America Football, Old Timers baseball, then high school sports, then college basketball, then (heh), blew three ligaments in my knee.
I thought hard about getting back to the piano as my favorite instrument is the mellotron. But I have been self teaching myself to play guitar, would love to give the banjo and mandolin a try.
Making music--now that's something that all of us need to do, and do it often. Now more than ever.
I was required to take piano lessons through 6th grade. Piano lessons weren't cool, the music I was learning to play didn't seem relevant to me, practicing took too much time that I'd rather be spending with friends or in extracurriculars.
A few years after I quit formal lessons I started playing again, teaching myself both new classical and contemporary pieces and learning to play by ear to some of my favorite records ( you should have heard me playing Hat Trick by America! ). I kinda wish I'd stuck with it, and I also wish my teacher had helped me understand what I learned later about music theory and the history of classical music, and how classical music connects with rock and pop music.
My parents bought me a guitar for Christmas during my senior year of high school, and I taught myself how to play basic chords. I probably wouldn't have been able to do that very well without already knowing how to read music and knowing a little bit about music theory. In college I took guitar classes to grab an extra credit every semester, and wound up playing with friends in the campus coffee shop and at the snack bar, teaching music to preschoolers, and playing at church.
I keep thinking about getting second hand keyboard just to be able to play again. I still have all my sheet music and books (including the dreaded Czerny exercises!) from those early lessons, and all the sheet music I collected since then.
This thread reminded me to pick up piano lessons again at age 50.
But to answer, it was more of a hobby, just being able to play via following synthesia and not be classicallly trained to sight read. So once I was able to learn to play my fave piano pieces I was content and needed no further sight reading.
I took them for 3 years from ages 8 to 11. I hated them and never practiced. I suspect that's the case with many of you reading this. However, the question is why?
Most people give up playing piano, or any musical instrument, because they think it shouldn't be that difficult.
The reality is that learning a musical instrument well requires thousands of hours of playing and practice.
I never wanted to practice. And when I went to the lessons, the teacher was always talking about another student who was so good and practiced a lot. When I told my mother about this, she let me quit the lessons.
I didn't quit. I wanted to but my mother insisted that I keep going and my teacher, a very wise woman, changed her teaching style to keep me interested.
We dropped the classical and went on to popular music. That helped a lot because that's what I wanted to be able to play, anyway. Now I'm lucky enough to have a little of both. And I think I may have reached the peak of my technical capabilities and being pushed to go further was too difficult for me.
I do remember those half-hour practice sessions that felt days long with calls in from the kitchen, "I don't hear you playing!" Ugh.
When I graduated from high school that was the end of my lessons. I still don't like to practice.
Mom always said the same old, tired, "Some day you'll thank me for this." She was right.
i never started but i wished i had .. i have a musical ear .. i can play a little by ear .. i can pick up any kind of instrument and in a few minutes figure out the scale and play something on it .. wasted talent i regret ,,
i never started but i wished i had .. i have a musical ear .. i can play a little by ear .. i can pick up any kind of instrument and in a few minutes figure out the scale and play something on it .. wasted talent i regret ,,
Good grief! Go do it. If you don't have the money for lessons find someone who can play and trade something you are skilled at for lessons.
A lot of musicians want to share if they have the time.
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). I kinda wish I'd stuck with it, and I also wish my teacher had helped me understand what I learned later about music theory and the history of classical music, and how classical music connects with rock and pop music. 
