Learning without a teacher?

debtye · Post by **debtye** » 15 Jun 2009, 12:50

I live in France and want to take the ABRSM grade 1 exam. Do you think it is possible to prepare for this without the help of a teacher, just by using the books and cd? I live in a rural area and unfortunately my French is not good enough to use a teacher here.

I have thought about the possibility of online lessons, but there are a lot of stories about scams etc.

Thanks

markymark · Post by **markymark** » 15 Jun 2009, 18:16

Online lessons.... at this stage....hmmm? Not sure about someone starting at Grade 1 level and for someone who wants to opt for the classical training. Online training is better for those who want to learn to play by chords or by ear.

I totally understand that your French may not be good enough to get lessons from a French speaking teacher but using the book and copying from the CD will not really offer a quality learning experience. There are other aspects to performing piano besides getting the notes and dynamics right. There is touch, posture and fingering to consider. You would have to read and understand that aural and viva voce as outlined in the syllabus in order to ensure that you are fully prepared for the exam which to me, it quite a feat!

Have you seen the syllabus? What is your musical background or experience?

debtye · Post by **debtye** » 15 Jun 2009, 19:13

I have seen the syllabus for last year, I used to take piano lessons in the UK for about a year or so.
But since moving, I have put everything on one side to get settled with the house and schooling for my son etc. Now the dust has settled a bit I would like to try and start again.

My musical experience is as mentioned above, very little. But I am enthusiastic!!

Thanks

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 15 Jun 2009, 20:20

My guess is that since the British invasion of France seems to be well under way, you would find a piano teacher amongst the expat community. If you research it carefully, using expat websites/journals/newsletters, etc, I bet you'd find someone. Paul Roberts used to run Summer Schools at some chateau somewhere - he's a Debussy specialist. You could have a lesson every now and then. Have a rummage on google and see what you find. Also, in big cities you'd find English speaking teachers, I bet.

vivies · Post by **vivies** » 22 Jun 2009, 08:52

Salut,

you may find a good website and free webtv in music education below...in french or english with free piano lessons on videos, jazz and classical styles. good luck

bluedianthus · Post by **bluedianthus** » 25 Jun 2009, 08:15

Yes, certainly you can learn without a teacher.. But in case you want to take the ABRSM Grade 1 exam, you need to get people opinions from music background first.Coz it might be risky, since you've to pay for the exam right? Yes, beware of scams. I suggest don't learn from online, just buy the books online will be better..but i think learning online is not a good choice because you need a better connection of internet to learn the piano lesson. Maybe the piano tutorials online not in a good quality (e.g : sound of the piano, streaming rate of the video, etc. )