"Piano Lesson Myths"

[Jazz+]

I had to share this with you all:

 

"Piano Lesson Myths"

 

http://www.soundfeelings.com/free/piano_myths.htm

 

I especially interested in the:

 

Practicing piano should be an enjoyable experience.

 

1.) "Reality: Real practicing is very, very tedious and boring. The reason that so many people start piano and then give up right away is because they wrongly assume that since they like music and they always wanted to play the piano the the experience of practicing itself would be enjoyable. Either they find out that this is not true and quit, or they continue taking lessons for years without getting much results under-achieving because they keep avoiding doing the real work. What you have to realize is that the RESULT of having practiced is what is enjoyable. When you get good at the instrument, or when you have mastered a particular composition THIS is when it will be fun and rewarding. But please be clear: practicing is NOT FUN."

 

2.) "Forcing a child to study piano is for their own good and they will appreciate it later.

 

"Reality: For the small percentage of people for whom this may be true, there is a much higher percentage of people who end up permanently pulling away from music! I can verify this as most of my students are adults and many of these are returnees. These are people who quit the piano for 35 years because they were traumatized as kids, being forced to play in recitals that they were not prepared for, or to take endless lessons that they hated. These are people who, as a result, overcompensated by having NO music in their life at all! These broken souls need a lot of encouragement and healing and love. They can definitely become confident musicians in the long run, but it is very hard work at that point, because the trauma often cuts so deeply into their consciousness. If I detect that a child does not like the piano, then I will inform the parents that I cannot be his or her teacher, because I do not want to perpetuate such a cycle."

 

Wow, that is so honest.

[Jazz+]

This is good:

 

"Improvisation is something I will only be able to do in the future, after I understand theory better.

 

Reality: Start now. Dont be limited by what is normally thought of as jazz improvisation. This type of improvisation is what I call mental improvisation. In order to do this type of improvisation, you must use your mind to be aware of chord changes and understand various scales and notes that correspond to the current chord. But there are other types of improvisation. There is emotional improvisation and free-play improvisation. Emotional improvisation is when you express your emotions through music. Spiritual improvisation is when you are tuning-in to something bigger than you (channeling.) Ironically, in order to do either of these two other types of improvisation you must turn OFF your mind. Therefore they are NOT mental. I find that it is valuable to allow yourself to develop these alternative methods of self-expression concurrently (while) you are studying theory. This is because they will create an intimacy or connection to the keyboard that you ultimately will want. For example, if you studied theory for eight years, you might STILL feel a veil between your fingers and the keyboard. Knowing theory alone will not make you a better improvisor. You also need courage, spontaneity, and freedom to express what you hear in your head instantly. How will you develop this intimacy with the piano? Playing your feelings and tuning-in to something bigger than you, without judgment, a little bit every day, is a wonderful way to develop this comfort level. Eventually, when you do know all the theory you desire, your fingers will be at liberty to execute your musical whims."

[richforman]

I don't remember this but had it recounted to me later in life: that my parents got me piano lessons starting around 6 or 7, having noticed some kind of potential interest or attraction for it, but that I (as the article describes) hated practicing (no fun, like he says) and wanted to quit early on. (What I'm told anyway happened is that) my parents didn't *force* me to continue, but rather my Dad appealed to my trust and respect for him by explaining that he *wished* his parents *hadn't* let him quit as a kid, regretted never learning to play, and asking that I just bear with him and stick it out for a while because he knew that I'd eventually be glad I did. It's one of the things I'm most grateful to my parents for, that whole approach, because I had no idea at that age what a central element of my whole adult life it would eventually become.

[GovernorSilver]

This is good:

 

"Improvisation is something I will only be able to do in the future, after I understand theory better.

 

Reality: Start now.

 

I agree with this.

 

As for practicing, once I've committed my mind to it, I don't find it boring at all. For me, it's like meditation - when I'm focused enough on what I'm practicing, I don't think about what's going on at work, what i'm going to have for dinner, etc. It's like a retreat from my various worries/cares, and thus it's enjoyable for me.

[Bucktunes]

Thanks for passing that along.

 

I've bookmarked it for future reference, and I'm sure I'll be printing out parts of it to pass along. I've been preaching many of these to students and parents, but sometimes seeing it in print gives it more credibility. Not to mention I learned a lot from the article myself!

[Joe Muscara]

There are ways to make at least elements of practicing fun. Some teachers are very good at this. I also agree with what GovernorSilver wrote, but that's more of an adults-only thing.

[Brettymike]

That breathing thing is a Myth. If you stop breathing , you wont' be able to play for long , and that's all there is to it.

 

Brett

[stillearning]

Thank you for sharing this. It resonated with me both as a student when younger, and now as a teacher at the School of Rock.

[Bridog6996]

Personally, I've always enjoyed practicing, even as a kid. Sure, there may have been other kid things I wanted to do at any particular time my parents made me do it, but I never hated it. It's satisfying to me to work out a difficult piece, passage, or whatever that I can't play and make myself able to play it. Maybe you can say that it's still technically the result of the practice that's the good part, but I don't think you can distinguish it that way. You have to enjoy the whole process, or else playing an instrument maybe isn't for you. Or maybe playing at more advanced levels aren't for you. Some people are happy just being able to play an instrument at a casual level, like being able to play a few songs at a party or something, and there's nothing wrong with that.

 

The real myth, I think, is that everyone should get enjoyment out of playing an instrument. I see it every day with students. The ones who stick with it are the ones who clearly like doing it, and the ones who don't are the ones simply going through the motions, not showing any interest. And that's okay. Playing music isn't exciting to everyone, just like any other thing isn't exciting to everyone. And, like most things, people usually have to try it first before realizing they don't like it.

[Jazz+]

 

The real myth, I think, is that everyone should get enjoyment out of playing an instrument. I see it every day with students. The ones who stick with it are the ones who clearly like doing it, and the ones who don't are the ones simply going through the motions, not showing any interest. And that's okay. Playing music isn't exciting to everyone, just like any other thing isn't exciting to everyone. And, like most things, people usually have to try it first before realizing they don't like it.

 

Yes I would say that's the case with most Americans. And for most people life gets in the way. There are so many distractions our media tech net culture that if I was young and coming up now I think I would have gone in a different direction than music.

[JCRoswell]

Good list. A few of these I've to work on divorcing myself from, too, because they are just so ingrained in the music world or general culture. One of my biggest pet peeves is the idea that classical is how you learn piano; pop is just for fun. I remember a student that wanted to study pop music production in college yet his parents were fixated on him playing classical still. So his pop skills suffered (you know, the thing he plans on doing for a living).

 

I also loved the last one: "If I want to play other instruments, the piano is a good foundation and will make those other instruments easier to learn. No. It just means I have to put up with a student (and he with me) that would rather be learning guitar or violin or sax. Learn the instrument you want to play. They are all hard and if you aren't interested in the particular instrument you will hate it.

[ElmerJFudd]

Head side of the Myth Coin: You're doing a student a favor when you avoid teaching them how to read because they don't get it at first.

 

Tail Side of the Myth Coin: You're doing a student a favor when you teach them how to read music but not how music is made.

 

 

 

 

[MuzikTeechur]

Good list. A few of these I've to work on divorcing myself from, too, because they are just so ingrained in the music world or general culture. One of my biggest pet peeves is the idea that classical is how you learn piano; pop is just for fun. I remember a student that wanted to study pop music production in college yet his parents were fixated on him playing classical still. So his pop skills suffered (you know, the thing he plans on doing for a living).

 

I also loved the last one: "If I want to play other instruments, the piano is a good foundation and will make those other instruments easier to learn. No. It just means I have to put up with a student (and he with me) that would rather be learning guitar or violin or sax. Learn the instrument you want to play. They are all hard and if you aren't interested in the particular instrument you will hate it.

 

Perhaps I'm part of the problem and not part of the solution, but I happen to subscribe to both of these and I happen to pay my bills as a professional teacher and musician and have many successful students who are lifelong musicians or have gone on to their own careers:

Classical is a great way to learn technique and very important foundational aspects of playing piano. It's not impossible to learn it from pop, but pretty rare. Personally I started on classical piano and only branched into jazz when I had a proper jazz teacher in college. Sure, I played in a rock band in HS, and played Journey and Toto songs on the piano (OK, maybe a little Barry Manilow, too) because that's what caused the girls to flock around, but it was Classical first and that gave me theory, and reading, and technique. I certainly explored the boundaries of all of those studying Jazz, but you gotta lay the keel somewhere before you build the ship. Admittedly I've known several classical players who could only play something if it's on a piece of music and couldn't improvise if you put a gun to their head, but I would submit they stayed too long in the incubator and were never taught to develop their ears or creativity. Classical and Jazz/Pop do not have to be mutually exclusive!

 

And Piano is a GREAT foundation for learning other instruments. I have had several private students who were taking piano from 2nd Grade until 4th or 5th Grade when the plan was for them to start a wind instrument. Some of those students continued on piano, others went on to play band instruments, others decided that video games were easier. However, I never once regretted taking a dime from their parents, and the students who studied piano with me got theory, technique, repertoire, rhythm studies, and practice discipline which was immensely valuable when they started another instrument.

 

My bands and choruses do several concerts each year (especially this time of year). Over the past few decades I've had many parents and grandparents come up and say "I wish I had continued my trumpet when I left high school" or "I wish my folks had made me continue lessons when the going got rough..." Never once, not ONCE have I had a parent or grand parent come up to me and say: "Yeah, that saxophone [clarinet/flute/whatever] was a colossal waste of time. Wish I hadn't continued on that damn thing. Ruined my life!"

 

Finally: as others have noted: learning an instrument is tough. There have been no advances in humans, human brains, fingers, or pianos in the last hundred years or so. We're still doing it the same way that little Wolfie Mozart did it: 1 Part Talent to 10 Parts Hard Work. There are no "mods" to make it easier. Snake Oil Salesmen will take your money for "Play Piano Overnight" scams, but MIDI-For-The-Mind has yet to be discovered. While there are many available pathways to playing well, the only ones which actually get you there involve a teacher, a willing student, and many hours at the piano. The "teacher" part of that can take many forms - an actual formal teacher, stacks of recordings or youtube videos, books, a combination of all of those... but nobody is born knowing how to play and the information has to come from somewhere.

[JCRoswell]

Lonnie - I hope I didn't imply that classical should be avoided. I just don't like the prejudice that classical is superior. They are all on equal footing to me. There are things you will learn playing classical repertoire that you are unlikely to learn playing pop. And there are things you learn playing pop you probably won't learn in classical. I find that many parents of my students don't value the pop stuff I assign. They see it as fluff to keep the kid interested and play down its importance. And sometimes trying to explain the educational importance is like talking to a brick wall due to the bias they have absorbed.

 

To my other point - can taking piano be a good foundation for another instrument? Sure. When I picked up guitar in high school I already knew chords and how to read and all of your basic theory from piano. But why is piano singled out for this? This view seems to imply that if you want to learn theory and the bigger picture stuff you've got to do it on piano. Do violin teachers not teach theory? Certainly there are some advantages to the piano (like the visual aspect), but you can learn all that other stuff on any instrument. Heck, you can learn it without playing an instrument of any kind (although it might be hard to relate to).

 

If a student is interested in piano and then later decides "the cello is what I want to do now" I'm cool with that. You gave it a shot and decided you like a different instrument better. That's good because I might need a cellist in the future. :-) I'm talking about the kid who wants to play guitar, but is forced into piano because "it's a good foundation". I'd prefer to see him take from a good guitar teacher who will teach theory, reading, rhythm, and all that other stuff. That way he gets the foundation and he gets to play the instrument he really wants to learn. Everybody goes home happy.

[CaptainUnderpant]

I call B.S. on the people that say they either "Wish they kept playing" or "Wish they knew how to play an instrument". What they are saying is technically true, assuming the path to being able to play an instrument DIDN'T involve 1-2 hours of practice a day for 5+ years. There are A LOT of people that think playing an instrument is just a God given talent that some fall out of the womb with.

 

This is just like the question posed at any success seminar... "How many here want to be a Millionaire?" Everybody raises their hands. Then the follow up questions. "How many people here are willing to do the work required to be a Millionaire?". If people are honest with themselves, most hands go down.

 

Often times when I do run into people that say they wish they knew how to play an instrument. I often say back, "No you don't, otherwise you would be practicing 1+ hours per day". Most of the times they say "Yeah you are right". On the other hand if they said "I would be willing to do that", then I would say, "Well then let's get to work, when can you come over for your first lesson?"

 

I don't think that they think I am being a dick, I think they just realize the childish / wishful nature of their statement.

 

P.S. - thanks for posting this... some good stuff!

[Markay]

Lonnie I don't think you are part of the problem. The fact is that is that the classical syllabus is a well estabilished graded learning program that has worked well for most - but not all people. Is there an equivalent graded process based on pop music that ticks the same boxes?

 

It seems to be more common with guitar teachers that embrace the pop song approach with a syllabus driven by songs of the students choice. No doubt a higher level of student satisfaction but there is more to the body of music theory than the minor pentatonic scale.

 

The thing about mastering a musical instrument is that it involves repetition, and more repetition than is possibly required for any other form of learning other than dance and from elite athletes.

 

 

[sMatt]

i enjoy the real work of practicing.

 

 

I think if practicing is "tedious and boring" you're not doing it right.

 

 

[J_tour]

I haven't seen this.

 

Eh, if somebody doesn't want to learn, it's not a good match -- I'm a pianist (and sometime-organist), not a child psychologist.

 

Well, whatever, but thee's in my experience always something there, like a will to learn, or like "hey, how to play 'Freddie Freeloader' as bad as Wyn Kelly"