Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Getting Started - Choosing a learning path / right teacher.

Hey guys, Just a few questions.
I will soon be moving onto campus and so have began looking for piano teachers that are local. The dilemma here is choosing the right type of teacher(first teacher); I realize that the type of teacher will be based on what I want to learn. Wanting really to play the piano for fun, I've come to realize that I will most probably be playing in church settings and will need to be able to play by ear and improvise. But I also want to have the skill and techniques of a classical pianist; I'm guessing being able to read notes is universal among all types of playing. Maybe I'm asking for too much(I really would like to learn everything). Ultimately I desire to play by ear and be able to improvise and play pretty much anything upon hearing it.

Will I be more suited to a jazz piano teacher or classical one.
I name those two types of playing as they're the two categories that the piano teachers that I've searched on the internet come under.

Thanks in advance.

(P.S) Planning to get a DP soon, decided to save up for the Yamaha P155.

Jazz piano will put you more into ear training and definately improv. Classical piano will (should) stress technique and correctness in all aspects of playing.

So a Jazz piano teacher is what i'm looking for. Can anybody recommend a jazz method book, or will alfred's do the job. would like to learn the theory i.e scales, inversions, modes, chords etc.

Hello,

Based on what you have said my suggestion would be:

1. Learn to read music. There are certainly musicians out there who don't read music, and good ones, but probably very few in church music and none in classical.

2. Find a first piano teacher who will teach you to play the instrument with good mechanics in addition to teaching you music. This could be either a classical or jazz teacher but more likely would be classical.

You have potentially many years of piano ahead of you. If you spend a year or so learning to play the instrument in a correct way and also learning to read music, you will have a nice foundation for wherever you want to go down the road.

Good luck to you!

Thanks for your insight. Advice taken on board. Although I must say all the church piano players that I have come across play by ear.

Got it -- I was thinking more of the music director or organist types. The ones I know all read music though some can play by ear also. Should have been clearer about that.