I''ve begun playing the piano again on my own and I'm thinking of taking lessons. Currently I go with my daughters to their lessons; their teacher has become a friend, and I wouldn't mind taking lessons from her, but I'm not sure that she would like the every other week schedule. For myself, I think an every other week for an hour basis would work better for me than every week. I'm not sure if I will be able to spend enough time practicing to need a lesson every week.

So my questions are: 1. What is your lesson schedule?
2. How it has worked for you?

I took lessons as an adult about 9 years ago for a year. At that time, I went weekly for half-hour lessons. I resumed lessons in September, and now I go every other week for one hour. Since I have less practice time now than I did for my first go 'round, I find that my current schedule works pretty well. I have more things to work on but have more time to work on them. And, if I find that I can sufficiently cover my two-week "assignment," I can at least begin the next piece or two in the method books.

Classicalgirl,

I too started taking lessons from my daughters' teacher. I was a near-total beginner.

I started off doing a 45-minute lesson every other week. There were advantages and disadvantages. I liked spending less money, and if there were weeks when I hadn't practiced I could call and postpone the lesson a week.

After about a year of this, my teacher urged me to go to every week for 45 minutes and I did. I must admit that I do progress faster, but that is just because I have more lesson pressure more regularly.

I don't know if you need a full hour, though. That's pretty long. I'd do 45-minutes.

45 minutes weekly

Hi Cindy

YOu said that you've took lessons from your daughter's teacher and may I know how long have you been learning. If you dont mind, what are the pieces that you are working on right now ?

I'm in my sixth year of lessons. I should be a lot better than I am. I don't practice the way I should.

I am finishing up the second movement of Mozart's K545 (we decided I should finger pedal it, so I had to go back to the drawing board to learn to do that) and I am just starting the third movement.

I'm working on Chopin's funeral march and an obscure scherzo by Schubert.

I'm trying to figure out a recital piece for January/February. I feel like I have a lot on my plate! I need to focus and master one or two of these instead of playing them all badly.

1 hour per week.. they often run over to 75 or 90 minutes if we're on a roll and he has no other student immediately following.

1 hour every week for me - I'd like to switch to every other week, which would give me more time to make progress in between lessons, but my teacher's not too hot on the idea. Maybe if I find someone I can swap weeks with.

1 hour every other week and it has worked great. Unlike a child, I don't need the constant attention to stay motivated which I think is the primary reason most teachers push for weekly lessons.

Rodney

I do half an hour a week. I think this works out okay for me. I wanted to do an hour a week but my teacher was booked.

If nothing else, having a lesson makes you practice in a certain way. For one, it makes me practice harder on the pieces I'm assigned and secondly, it forces me to do exercises which I might blow off and not do regularly.

30 mins every week for me.

My teach is pushing for 50 mins every week.

I'm scheduled for 1/2 hour a week but since I'm the last student of the day it usually ends up 40-45 minutes. I feel it could be longer as I could spend 15 minutes alone discussing technique and other details, it goes much too fast.