Adult piano

Questions on learning to play the piano, and piano music.

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jpn1970
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Adult piano

Post by jpn1970 »

Hello,
I'm from Japan. Please forgive me my poor English. I'm 45 years old male.I started practicing the piano about 15 years ago.
My teacher was changed last year and the new teacher told me that my technique was wrong. So I've been learning the completely different technique since last year.
My repertoires were Turkish March (Mozart), For Elise etc...but I stopped playing them and started leaning the new technique.
I accepted the fact that I was playing wrong because I was feeling that I could not play more difficult pieces like the Beethoven's Pathetique the first movement.

Here in Japan, starting piano from the age of more than 30 years old is very common but most of them are not taught properly like I used to be.
Now, I have a question. How about in your countries? Is starting piano from the age of adult popular? How do you practice? or How do teachers try to teach those adult students?
What kind of text books are used? Please let me know anything about adult piano!
Gill the Piano
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Re: Adult piano

Post by Gill the Piano »

Glad you're enjoying your lessons!
Adults start lessons here at all ages; some people start when their children start to learn, some people learn when they retire to keep their brain and hands moving...all sorts of different reasons!
There are all sorts of books as well, but for an adult beginner I usually recommend The Complete Piano Player by Kenneth Baker which uses songs by Abba, Elvis and the Beatles as well as well-known folk songs or little classical pieces.
If someone wants a more classical approach then there are books by Carol Barratt (wife of Karl Jenkins, the composer) and Pamela Wedgewood has also written some excellent instruction books aimed at adult beginners. If you go to musicroom.com, you'll see a big range of the books available here.
Different teachers teach in different ways, whether it be an adult or a child. Some ask only a little practice, others are harder and expect more practice, which can be difficult for an adult to fit into an already busy schedule. A few adult learners I know have tried several teachers before finding their ideal match - one problem can be that teachers who are used to teaching kids treat the adults the same way, which they don't like, or find the adults slow to pick up what they're being told (which they generally are, in comparison with kids who are learning all the time) and get impatient.
Good luck with your lessons - have fun! :piano;
I play for my own amazement... :piano;
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RolandHow
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Adult piano

Post by RolandHow »

Too often, when we think of taking piano lessons, we think in terms of children. But adults are just as capable as children and have greater focus and determination to learn than kids. So, are we ever too old to learn piano? Is there anything special about learning piano as an adult? If youre an adult student of piano, why do you do it and would you recommend it for other adults? Do you wish you had learned as a kid or had continued to take lessons when you were younger? As a teacher of piano, do you like to have adult students? This should be interesting and informative, so let us know what you think. :;:
Bright_star
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Re: Adult piano

Post by Bright_star »

Hi! Most certainly, most of my students at this moment are adults. (I'm Dutch)
Although there are still on average more children as students. I recently started learning a second instrument as well.
It's just very fulfilling. The text book we use most often is Alfreds for adults, but I don't really like it a lot.

Have a lot of fun with your lessons :)
Gill the Piano
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Re: Adult piano

Post by Gill the Piano »

Have you looked at The Complete Piano Player by Kenneth Baker? I always recommend it for adults, particularly those teaching themselves, as it uses songs and tunes they know and can therefore self-correct.
I play for my own amazement... :piano;
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