Dispelling assumptions about learning the piano

The start of a new year is a time when many decide to learn something new, like playing the piano. Whether it’s a chance to go back to the instrument after years away or to learn a new (if not the first) instrument, a few things can stop this desire from becoming a reality. Time constraints would be the most common blocker, but we often let assumptions about ourselves and what it takes to learn the piano be the culprit of our unaccomplished goals.

So let’s take a moment to break down these assumptions, and confirm that all you need to learn the piano is a desire to learn:

‘I’m not musical enough’

This is probably the number one thought that stops far too many from even trying to pick up an instrument. There’s this general assumption that if you’ve never spent your childhood playing instruments or feel like you lack any rhythm, you simply can’t learn how to play the piano.

While it’s true that some people are more naturally capable of picking up things on the piano faster than others, it’s not all doom and gloom for the rest of the population. Like many other skills, playing the piano is something that is learned, not naturally acquired. Don’t let those talented 5-year-old pianists in viral videos trick you into thinking that you have no chance - with time and dedication, anyone can pick up at least the basics to start playing a piece on the piano!

‘I don’t have the time’

Of course, everyone’s lifestyle is different, but unless you plan to become the next Lang Lang, a short practice here and there would be enough to get you started. When teachers say that you need to stick to a practice routine, we don’t mean that you need to dedicate hours every day to playing the piano. Even just 10 to 20 minutes would help you progress, and we’re sure that’d be enough to turn any day around as playing an instrument helps reduce stress!

And if you go through busy periods of your life, you will still find it beneficial to occasionally play, even just for fun. Adjusting your goals to fit your schedule is better than abandoning learning something!

‘I can’t do it, I was bad at music lessons’

If you’re an adult who ever took music lessons in school, you’re likely to assume that how you performed back then is going to determine how you will do it again. This is often the line of thought with creative endeavors, but we fail to remember that many factors could have influenced your learning journey back then. Maybe the teacher’s approach wasn’t right for you, maybe you weren’t interested enough in the subject to focus, or maybe you had too many distractions at the time to practice.

Don’t let who you were before stop you from trying again. Your brain has evolved significantly since that time, give it a chance to learn an instrument once more!

‘I’ll never be as good as X’

It’s human nature to compare ourselves to others, and this applies even more to creative activities. You take one look at a talented pianist and their unsurmountable skill might put you off from committing to learning the piano. And yes, reaching a certain level of professional piano playing might be out of reach for some for a variety of reasons. But that shouldn’t push you away from it!

First of all, if that talented pianist had thought the same, they would have never got to that level. Second of all, why not ask yourself instead: does playing the piano bring me joy? Is my life better because I play this instrument? If you answered ‘yes’ to those questions, that should be enough of a motivator to keep you going.

We hope that if anything, this blog has motivated you to learn a new instrument this year or go back to learning one if you gave up on it a while ago. Ultimately, this is something you do for yourself before anything else. Teach that inner voice to focus on the benefits of piano playing rather than on any common assumptions that are only meant to stop you from trying!