Learning to play piano or guitar-advice

Parent Cafe
1

<p>So maybe some parents here have experience with this either personally or thru their kids…</p>

<p>I’ve always loved music and would love to take up an instrument, just for fun. Bear in mind that I have NO music training at all–can’t even read music. I’d love to buy an instrument and just dabble–using a book or CD to self-teach. Then re-evaluate and see if I’m interested enough and have enough time to dedicate to formal lessons. I don’t want to start with formal lessons–my 100 hr a week working lifestyle won’t allow it right now and if I can even begin to lay the foundation, I feel like I’d get more out of lessons at that point–than going in cold.</p>

<p>So is there an instrument that is easier to start with–piano or guitar. Obviously, I wouldn’t buy a piano–it would have to be a keyboard. I always hear that you should start with piano. However, I always hear that people are able to self-teach guitar, whereas I have never heard that with piano. In either case I’d be looking to buy a decent quality instrument but nothing top of the line or too expensive.</p>

<p>Any suggestions or recommendations at all–types of instruments, books or CDs that may be helpful etc?</p>

2

<p>i learned to play guitar by going to a pawn shop, buying a really cheap acoustic guitar and sitting down and playing whatever sounded right. if you like it and think youre making progress, go to a real music shop and ask the people that work there.</p>

3

<p>Some years ago I bought a used guitar at my kids’ school’s auction. Also got a book called “Country and Blues Guitar for the Musically Hopeless” – total about $40. I had a lot of fun for very little money – I think that it’s easier to get to a vague level of listenability with a guitar than with a piano. The book was very helpful, and it also came with a tape, so I could hear what it was supposed to sound like. A nice variety of songs were included that I could muddle my way through. I even progressed to the point of playing and singing at a couple of family dinners, and they didn’t make me leave the room – of course, I only did one song each time – never overstay your welcome! </p>

<p>An electronic tuner was a worthwhile investment – about another $30, maybe, and it shows when a string is exactly in tune. And a great book for branching out your song repertoire is “Rise Up Singing”, a fine compendium of folks songs, popular tunes from the 20th century, show tunes, protest songs, etc. Just a neat thing, even if you don’t pick up an instrument.</p>

<p>I got busy with other stuff and haven’t picked up the guitar in a few years. Maybe I’ll go trim the fingernails on my left hand and get to it!</p>

4

<p>Guitar I think is easier to self teach, at least at the basic level of learning a few chords and strumming them, and then singing along. The easiest way to self teach piano would be to use the same method–start by learning a few basic chords. What is hard is learning to read music that is not just chord symbols. You can teach yourself, but it takes time for most people to learn to read music.</p>

5

<p>i’d say guitars easier to learn… i’d start to play guitar using tabs (just google a song and put the word tab after it and you’ll come up with a guitar tab for that song)… basically it shows you what frets to hold down on what string to play along with the song, and you don’t have to know how to read music. if you do alright with that, then i’d get a book on chords and start learning to read music and whatnot…</p>

6

<p>You might consider just taking a few lessons to get started with guitar–just four or six lessons would help you get started without having to figure everything out yourself.</p>

<p>An adult friend of mine (who travels a lot for her job)started piano lessons as a adult with an accommodating teacher who agrees that my friend does not always have to practice. Some weeks she doesn’t have time to practice but she still goes to her lesson.</p>

7

<p>it kinda depends on where you wanna go with it. theory is easier on piano. guitar is harder at the higher skill levels, but easier to just strum chords and sing along and learn a bunch of songs. so if you want to get serious, start with piano. if you just wann have fun, get a guitar (it’s so much easier to take to a party).</p>

8

<p>When you go to buy that first instrument, take someone along who has played guitar for a while. If you buy a used guitar and don’t know what to look for, you could easily wind up with one that is much harder to play than it should be because it is warped or poorly set up. That can really frustrate a beginner.</p>

9

<p>For piano, go with the David Carr Glover books. The “Lessons” books are very straightforward. There are also supplemental books for theory, ear training, etc. They come in six levels, and are good for anyone no matter if they’re a kid or an adult.</p>

<p>I used these books from 1991-1995 (completed all six levels) before moving on to more technical stuff. When I was done I felt I was a pretty good piano player as a result.</p>

<p>Teachers help too. You can usually find one through your church or somewhere.</p>

10

<p>yeah, if you go to buy a guitar i’d definately take someone with… someone that at least knows something about the types and brands. </p>

<p>i know here to have a guitar set up it’s 45 bucks plus the cost of strings, so you don’t want to get one that’s not set up right… otherwise it won’t sound right and for a beginner it will just make things harder.</p>

<p>my first guitar was given to me by a friend, so i shouldn’t say much bad about it, but it’s warped enough that it only stays in tune for a bout .53 of a second. it was so frustrating to learn on. i keep my nice guitar over at a friends house in their band room where we play together on weekends. i just keep my crappy one here during the weeks to practice.</p>

11

<p>It’s great that you’re going to follow your dream! Go for it!</p>

<p>Guitar is very easy. I had 12 years of classical piano lessons, 6 years of violin lessons, and a couple of weeks of guitar lessons.</p>

<p>One can know a few simple chords and accompany singers or be the bass player in a rock band. You can easily teach yourself through a song book showing chords.</p>

<p>If you want to learn piano, get an electronic keyboard and some simple books. I suggest getting a keyboard with as many keys as possible so that it has a range similar to a real piano’s. With the options that keyboards offer, you can sound pretty impressive even though what you’re playing is very simple. It’s also fun to play around with the keyboard and have it imitate various intruments.</p>

12

<p>I’m a former piano teacher, and have taught several adult students. I love using the Faber and Faber method. It has “adult” books, but if you are teaching yourself, I would recommend starting with the children’s books. The adult books move too fast and I think they can become frustrating. I like the progression better in the Faber books, the instruction is clear, and the songs are fun to play, too.</p>

<p>However, I suspect you might be happier with a guitar. My oldest wanted to learn guitar when he was young. We bought him a computer program for Christmas when he was 13, and by the end of the January he had completed it. The computer program is nice because it gives you pitches to help tune, and lets you hear what correct chords and such sound like. You can repeat a lesson as often as you need to. It moves you to actual “songs” quickly, and lets you play along with the computer. I’m sorry I can’t remember the name of the program – something basic like “Teach yourself guitar.” </p>

<p>His birthday is in Feb (yesterday, in fact) so we signed him up with a “real” teacher that year as his birthday present. After the first lesson she came out and told us he was already quite good, and she didn’t think he needed more regular guitar lessons; could she please teach him classical instead! She had a master’s in guitar performance, and he had a month of computer lessons, so that was quite a recommendation.</p>

<p>Guitar has been a nice “portable” instrument for him, and is a friend-maker, too. In college, all he had to do was start playing with his door open, and his room would be filled with people quickly.</p>

<p>Good for you for starting something new! One of my adult piano students told me he had decided to take lessons because he’d read that starting something completely new as an adult was one of the best ways to keep your brain healthy!</p>

13

<p>My advice to you would be to take up whatever instrument you think you’re interested in playing - not because its easy to play. I used to play the keyboard when I was very small, but I’ve forgotten all the stuff by now. But I feel the keyboard’s easier to play.
However, I play the guitar coz I enjoy playing it and I’ve realized that no other instrument suits me. I know guys who took up playin guitar just for the sake of it. They never got anywhere.
I dont see any reason why you shouldnt be able to self-teach on the keyboard.</p>

<p>If you decide to play guitar, I’ve got a couple of programs you may be interested in. Just email me.</p>

14

<p>I thought of a few more comments since my last post, that may or may not have any bearing on the situation.</p>

<p>First, although I don’t think MetallicManiac meant it this way, and I didn’t really “get” that this is an issue for you at any rate, I don’t think there is an answer to “which is easier?” It’s like those debates about which Olympic sport is harder. The most talented gymnast might have trouble on a pair of iceskates, and vice versa. Certainly, it is easier to produce a sound on the piano over just about any other instrument. Even my cat can do that. And he can’t get much out of the guitar at all. :)</p>

<p>But there are other skills to consider. Piano playing requires some ambidextrous ability. The ability to read a bunch of notes at a time (which comes with practice). My small hands had trouble with some guitar chords, but it’s not usually too big of a deal to leave a note or two out of a piano chord. And I just couldn’t seem to develop tough enough fingertips for the guitar. The piano is not nearly as portable. :slight_smile: But I don’t have to tune it or restring it myself.</p>

<p>It is possible to play piano without a great musical ear. It is much harder to tune a guitar properly without one.</p>

<p>Piano playing is often something I do alone. Guitar seems to be more of a social instrument. Aside from Christmas carols, people aren’t real apt to begin singing along with a piano, whereas most everybody joins in when they hear a guitar playing “Sweet Home Alabama”.</p>

<p>And the kind of music you like matters, too. Not a lot of Mozart written for guitar. If I were you, I would ask myself this paraphrazed question: If you could become very successful at any instrument you chose, without threat of failure, which would you choose? That’s probably the instrument you’re going to “connect” with better.</p>

<p>And a suggestion for self-teaching on piano – Find someone who can play the piano, and ask them to record the songs in the first book for you. Shouldn’t take long. In the absense of a teacher, it will help you develop correct rhythms and recognize wrong notes in songs you’ve never heard before. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a student come to a lesson with a song nearly memorized because they’ve practiced it so much, only to find out they missed a sharp, or a rest, or something, and have to relearn it. That would be the biggest loss from not having a teacher.</p>

15

<p>I taught myself both instruments years ago. Both instruments have a lot to offer. Without overspending, getting an instrument of reasonable quality is important. You want a certain quality of guitar as posters above have suggested, or else you will have difficulty keeping it in tune, or keeping it from buzzing when you play. A guitar that is not set up can appear out of tune as you play on different parts of the neck. Learning how to tune a guitar is an art unto itself. An electronic tuner is useful but not essential if you have a decent ear. Keyboards should be able to play many tones at the same time and have a nice feel to the keys, a foot sustain pedal is nice. </p>

<p>Pianos used to be heavy and sensitive to weather and altitude, but today’s electronic keyboards are very mobile, and they rarely need tech help after purchase. You plug them in and there are all the notes laid out in a very linear manner. Some electronic keyboards have lesson plans built into them but I can’t comment on their quality. If you want to bring your instrument camping even an electronic keyboard can be cumbersome.</p>

<p>Guitars are very mobile, but you have to decide what type of sound are you looking for, electronic requires an amp of sorts and my require a private practice area. Acoustic is quieter and more mobile. If you want to keep your fingernails long on your left hand, guitar can be troublesome. </p>

<p>The instrument you will do best with is the one you will enjoy playing the most. I would think that you could spend under $200 an get an instrument useful for learning on, but beware that if you get better, you will want a better instrument sooner or later. Good luck.</p>

16

<p>you can play the guitar without really knowing what you’re doing… so many people play guitar by memorizing one song at a time, which is ok if you want to just sit around and play for yourself, but IMO, that’s not actually learning how to play it. Also, if you like pop music, most songs have the same chord progressions, and some have one chord in the whole song. Many have the same progression as Pachelbel’s Canon in D.</p>

<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachelbel’s_canon"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachelbel’s_canon&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

17

<p>Had formal guitar and piano as a lil dude, but taught myself harmonica when starting digging Dylan and Paul Butterfield. You can bend notes for blues, and play pretty easy tunes like Red River Valley early on. Chromatic harp however is a bit of a challenge.</p>

18

<p>I’d suggest starting with guitar. I know some great rock & roll and blues pianists who have no musical training and can’t read music, but all of them have sharp ears and a solid understanding of the music they play. On the other hand, I know tons and tons of people who play the guitar who have no or little musical training. The guitar is exceedingly simple to pick up, and you will be able to play chord progressions very quickly. Even if you find you have no musical talent, you will almost certainly be able to play chords for simple pop and rock songs. I think the guitar is a great instrument if you want to teach yourself. If you plan on playing either in a classical or serious capacity, I strongly recommend you find a teacher. If you teach yourself, you will undoubtedly develop incorrect technique and bad habits that will be difficult to break. If you just want to play and have fun, you can teach yourself on either instrument, but the guitar is really a perfect solo study instrument.</p>

<p>In terms of buying an instrument, go to a local drumshop or music store, and ask someone who works there for help. Explain the type of instrument you want. I’ve found that the guys who work in these places are down to earth, and I suspect they’ll be happy to help you find the type of instrument you want and will stop you from buying one that’s too damaged. </p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

19

<p>I suggest the James Bastien books for adult beginners for piano.</p>