Here is the question.

Compared to other instruments, how hard is it for an adult to learn piano? If we were to look at the Trumpet (or similar), the sax/clarinet, guitar and Violin, in regards to difficulty, where would piano fit?

Would learning the piano as an adult help the learning process for any of the above?

Just curious to hear others opinions.

Cheers

I've never played any other instruments, so I'm no authority on the matter... But I've heard it said before that piano is easiest to learn (every note has its own key) and hardest to master.

I can play all the instruments you mention and yes, I'd agree with the schmoe.

Yeah, agreed. I also play a little guitar and I found that a couple of chords were just impossible for my fingers even after several years. Until experience starts to take over it was often difficult to identify notes on the fretboard and also it was much harder to play songs in certain keys like e flat. Part of what drew me to the piano was that all the notes are right there in front of you, there are less gymnastics involved in playing, its not really any more difficult to play a piece in e flat than c major and that even a beginner on day one can effectivley play a melody with one finger whereas a guitarist on day one has lots of other things to consider first such as two hand coordination, how hard to press the strings, building up finger tip hardness etc.

But I've been able to apply all the theory from the guitar straight to the piano so feel like in some sense I had a head start and wasn't starting from scratch. That has certainly given me more confidence to improve and get better.

Regarding helping the learning process: Any instrument that makes you play a lot of notes, and a lot of different notes, will probably improve your reading skills faster than an instrument that doesn't play so many notes (either by having a limited range or by only being able to play one note at a time).

I'm going to have to disagree with some of the comments here! I think the piano is harder to play than a lot of other instruments because:

a) The 7 octave span means that you need to be able to read a huge range of notes on the sheet music

b) You will potentially need to play ten notes (or more) at once whereas a lot of instruments only play one or two simultaneously

c) The finger span required for certain pieces can be so wide that those with small hands may need to roll notes / chords.

The only thing that makes the piano easier than say a violin, is that the notes are guaranteed to be in tune, whereas with a violin you need to be able to hear your pitch accurately.

(I have previously learned violin and classical guitar)

There are pluses and minuses with all instuments. For the piano, one of the big advantages is the ability to get a tone out of the instrument just by pressing the key. If you press a key, you'll get the same sound as if Martha Argerich pressed the same key at the same speed. Of course, you won't have the fine gradations of control from ppp to fff that a concert pianist has, but compared to the violin, or french horn say, you're off to a flier. Woodwind and brass suffer from the further problem that some notes are easier to play than others.

The guitar suffers from these problems to some extent, but has the advantage that it is much easier to transpose music on the guitar once you master the barre, which is certainly not the case with keyboard instruments. On the guitar you can fairly quickly get to the stage where you can sit in with others and jam in any key but this is way down the line on the piano. I think this, and the fact that you can relatively quickly learn enough chords to accompany most popular songs is what led the guitar to knock the piano off its perch in the 20th century as the instrument you would find in every home.

It depends what you want to do. If you want to play a decent accompaniment to singing (especially your own singing) of popular music you will get there quicker on guitar. If you want to play polyphonic music of any complexity, you will achieve that quicker on piano. Just my opinion of course.

I learnt to play guitar when I was 12, chords for few years, and few months of classical.
To me, at least for a beginner, piano seems easier.

Left hand positioning and movement on guitar it is something a lot of people find impossible to even prove.
Additionally to play single notes on a guitar you have to use both hands, and you do may have to play many different notes at the same time.

I am convinced experience with guitar gives a big advantage in learning piano. The strenght of the left hand and its ability to be precise is very useful.

I took my first video of me playing the piano few days ago, and I was surprised my left hand seems to have the position and relaxation of an advanced player while the right really seems of a beginner.
I was expecting the opposite.

A.

Its interesting you say this. Even though I write right handed, my left hand is by far my most dominant hand. When I sit down to noodle for a while, am suprised how much more control I have with my left hand then I do with my right. At times I think its cool, others it frustrates me...maybe if I ever pick up the guitar this will help!

In relation to the rest of the topics, some interesting responses and not a clear and defined consensus. Keep em coming in!

But that's one big but there. In fact the piano's notes are out of tune. Still, once you've got the hang of an instrument you can certainly zip up the grades - piano not so easily. And then there's the literature!

I am learning Piano because I never could learn guitar... I could never get to the point where I could play anything. I will confess I didn't spend the time.

With Piano I find it easier to get a tune out! Okay, I spend a lot more time with the piano too, maybe because the reward (the music) happens so quickly...

For me learning to play piano is easier... to master piano that is another thing...

Even though I find that when you start to discover a new piece it is very hard on the piano, you need loads of patience and work, at least as far as the piece is not a simple one

I'm glad you have a passion to learn the piano, and like anything else it takes, patience and baby steps along the way. In fact, just the introduction to a new piece promises a birth through development, so the process of musical engagement is always renewed and refreshed no matter what the level of a player. Enjoy! There's nothing like our beloved piano.

Shirley K
http://arioso7.wordpress.com

I play clarinet, guitar and piano.
Clarinet was probably the easiest - only one staff, and one note at a time. The fingering isn't that complicated.

Guitar is a bit harder - chords and notes, left and right hands doing different things, finding the right position on the neck of the guitar.....

Piano - for me it is the hardest. 2 staffs with tons of ledger notes, my left hand doesn't know what my right hand is doing, different positions, tempos...,

I think you can play more piece in a lot less time with both clarinet and guitar than you can with piano.... but I'd still rather play piano!

The easiest instrument to learn is the one in which you are most self motivated to learn. This is because you are actively *seeking* instruction and knowledge. You have an appetite, a craving for it. difficulty is almost irrelevant.

Just think about any interest or hobby you have had in the past that you got *the bug* for. You know, "Jonesin'" for it.

This happened to me at a very early age. I wanted to play the drum set soooo bad. I ate, slept and breathed drumming. Even putting together a drum set made out of metal garbage can lids and paint buckets. I paid for the 2 dollar drum sticks with saved up allowance and lost tooth money.

Anyway, short story, I became a very good drummer very quickly. In addition, it was an instrument that was not only compatible with my energy level, but also encourages being creative with unique beats and rhythms.

My parents only agreed to allow me to play the drums if I would take piano lessons. Short story again, it didn't work out. All the teachers quit! I did learn how to drum on the piano keys however!

Bottom line: Only pursue the instrument/s that call out to you irregardless of difficulty to learn. Everybody knows this, it's just too obvious.

yeah. this is a tough one. my belief is it's more subjective than objective and the answers will vary greatly. i think piano maybe easier to play since your just "pressing keys" and you don't use your ear as much because usually it's already in tune. that being said, reading piano music seems more difficult because there's alot of things going on at once, trying to read two staffs at the same time, juggle the rhythm, the correct notes between both hands is not easy. it's almost like doing 3 things at once. where a guitarist will just jam out and usually don't read as much and just use their ears, or read tab. also, the keyboard has many more notes and is the most polyphonic, i would say, out of all the popular instruments. that's why it is the best jk.

BTW, many people forget that with piano, you not only have both hands involved but you also have the feet. Sometimes both of them. The clutch and the brake pedal!

As an advanced pianist and beginner violinist, my experiences are:

Sight reading piano is much harder.
Playing the notes is much easier on the piano.
Once one can play the correct notes, it is roughly the same difficulty in obtaining a *beautiful* tone.
Although the range on the piano is wider, one doesn't really train your ears for the full range.
Once your ears are able to hear the notes, having a good ear on the violin hurts more when listening to unrefined playing than listening to unrefined playing on the piano.

The bagpipes are much easier to learn to play. That's all I can say from personal experience. At one time I was a fairly proficient piper. My husband, the trumpet player and one time Airforce bugler, says just looking at my piano music is "terrifying" compared to what he's used to seeing.

i totally agree. piano sheet music can be pretty overwhelming imo because of the range a piano has and all the notes and reading two staffs.

That is my biggest problem as a beginner. It's almost discouraging learning new songs because it takes me so long to figure out whats on the page.

Talking about feet, how would learning the drums to compare? Yes, there is far less to hit, but dealing with co-ordination required where each limb is playing different timing can't be easy?

I've been playing the piano for 5 1/2 years as a retired adult. Played a saxophone for seven years a long time ago in elementary and high school. The piano is far harder. No comparison IMHO.

E.G., on the sax both hands and your mouth work together to output a single note. Just one note at a time, one after the other

On the piano both hands may work together to produce several (up to ten) notes which are linked (a chord) or both hands may be playing notes at differing volumes, speeds, intensity (staccato/legato), etc. Then add in pedals. I'm sure you get my point.

I personally believe all musical instruments take high levels of skill, knowledge and dedication to play proficiently. I didn't give relative difficulty any thought what-so-ever before starting piano. I wanted to play piano so I started lessons. The hardest part for us normal adult beginners is not giving up before reaching proficiency.

Something to consider that hasn't been mentioned yet. I could be wrong but I think mistakes show a bit more when playing piano for a recital than other instruments. I just recently had my first recital and it seems a violinist can maybe place a wrong fingering and it doesn't seem so pronounced while piano wrong notes stand out a bunch. However this could be how it is for me since I play piano and am in tune with how it should sound. Perhaps a violinist would feel the opposite. If this is true though it's another aspect to consider in an instruments difficulty.

I don't know......A violin played badly is not a good sound....
I suppose it comes down to perception. I agree, you can clearly hear a missed note most of the time on piano, but piano doesn't sound like finger nails down a blackboard when it is wrong!

I guess what I was really trying to say is that a violinist can sort of feel their way around before moving the bow. Obviously a wrong note sounds bad no matter what but it seems that fumbling around on a violin while find the chords doesn't really show unless your fumbling while moving the bow, and nervous fingers have a little more wiggle room to be nervous. When you hit keys on the piano they always make noise, and precision is of premium import. Nervous fingers seem a little more exposed is all. Like I said though, I could be wrong. Perhaps someone who has played both in a recital can chime in on this one.

Here's a random thought - every instrument has its virtuosi, and virtuoso repertoire. This represents the limits of what anyone can achieve within the limitations of the instrument and human physiology. To get to that point probably involves a similar amount of time, talent and work on any instrument. So in that sense at least, no instrument is 'harder' than any other.

Good point. Another aspect to consider is how the difficulty of an instrument can have subjective variation. For an extreme example, someone could be tone deaf but have an incredible sense of rhythm and therefore naturally take to the drums but never be able to sing. For this person drums would be much easier to learn but then you could have someone with perfect pitch or a very good ear but no sense of internal rhythm who would feel the opposite. Not sure how to apply this observation to piano but it's another angle to consider.

To untrained ears, this may be true. However, if one has good ears, bad intonation on the violin (not to mention wrong notes) sounds horrid compared to wrong notes on the piano. I used to be able to enjoy listening to amateur violinists play; now, after a year of lesson on the violin, I cringe much more. I can hear bad intonation being covered up by vibratos, which I was previously oblivious of. I have no problem listening to pianists playing wrong notes here and there. In general, bad intonation on the violin occurs more often than wrong notes on the piano too.

Nervous fingers on the violin shows much more than on the piano. You must have exact finger placement on the violin whereas on the piano, the keys are much wider. On the other hand, nervous fingers could also produce vibrato which may sometimes be a good thing.