Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Buying a keyboard today to start SELF-TEACHING.

I am 17 and the last time my hands grazed a musical instrument was when I was 12. I played the trumpet from 9-12 and stopped. Back then, I never really read my notes and just wrote them in. I love music and the sound of a good piano piece can bring me to tears so piano has always been something that I wanted to learn.

Any tips? I can tell you that even before starting:
1. I don't have long fingers and my ring finger cannot lift.
2. Playing for long periods of time can tire my wrist.

^I would imagine that these problems are corrected by a teacher but I am SELF-TEACHING. I don't have the money for a teacher.

You seem to have a sort of negative attitude towards this to start off with.

You may want to wait a bit until you are sure you really want to do this.

I can't really comment without knowing what your goals are...

Get something from Craig's list, figure on spending in the low hundreds. Check that all the keys and the sustain pedal work before you let go of your cash. If it doesn't include headphones, bring yours and make sure the headphone jack works. For the sake of the rest of your family, you'll want to practice on headphones most of the time. If it doesn't work out for you, you can just Craig's list it again and get most if not all your money back.

It doesn't sound to me like you have a negative attitude. In answer to your question about tips, I would suggest getting a digital piano with weighted keys (if you can't get an acoustic). Regarding the problem with your ring finger, everyone's ring finger is the weakest finger, so you just have to use it to strengthen it--start off with five finger patters (if you don't know what those are, look it up on you tube). I don't know what you mean by "My ring finger cannot lift?" If you can't lift your ring finger at all, then you will have a hard time learning piano. Finally, everyone gets tired after playing for a long period of time, but you can build up endurance.

Other advice would be to get a book like Alfred's all in one adult piano course and follow the method page by page. There are tons of posts about different method books on these forums, including Alfred's. Just need to do a little search.

If you need to buy a piano, the buyers guide links on the side bars, and their respective forums, piano forum for acoustics, digital forum for electric are resources.

I suggest a balanced approach to learning: learning pieces, music theory, sight reading, ear training, technique, and later on improvisation and composition.

Different people learn in different ways, there is visual, aural, kinesthetic. Many are stronger in one way than the others. A balanced approach will let a person find their strengths and weaknesses and decide how to allocate their time. Some like to focus more on their strengths, some more on their weaknesses.

You already mentioned some physical problems, so listen to your body. Take breaks no matter what. Take time off if the body complains.

I don't see a negative attitude at all, quite the opposite in fact.Youre obviously passionate about music and well 5 years have passed. A lot can happen in 5 years!
I can't offer any recommendations piano wise but I will say go with what you feel you need to do!
Good luck!

The ring finger will not be able to lift like all the other fingers can. You only need to not press it down when using finger 3 or 5 (middle and pinkie). A word of note, in piano we number fingers starting with thumbs as 1, pointy finger as 2 middle finger 3, ring finger 4, and pinkie 5.

I agree you should be looking at a digital piano and not a keyboard. Digital pianos, while the title is not regulated, basically mean you have 88 weighted keys and it's primary function is to imitate a real (acoustic) piano.

What kind of music do you want to play?

Also, a comment about your tired wrists. This is a warning sign that your body is telling you. If your wrists get tired that means your technique is not good. When playing, your wrists should not be stiff, but flexible. Only the finger(s) pressing down a key should be stiff and once the keys are released then the fingers should go back to relaxation immediately. If your wrists are tired that means you are playing with stiff wrists and/or hands. You will want to play VERY slowly and practice relaxing everything after each note played. If you can't relax then you're playing too fast. Once you can relax in between playing each note then you can gradually increase the tempo. This will take time over a period of weeks to correct, maybe even months. Be sure to listen to your body and stop playing for a good period of time if you experience fatigue or pain.

Sorry if I seem to have a negative attitude but I don't! It might just be my determination and ambition. I will be purchasing a Yamaha YPG535.

As for my goals, I don't intend to make a profession out of music but I would like to spend my afternoons being able to play a few classical pieces (not the extremely difficult ones). As you can probably tell, I am not too familiar with the history of music or the great composers' tunes. I imagine that this will come with time as a I grow more fond of playing.

My father supports me in learning the piano. He listens to Bach and Beethoven all the time and has stated that if I become better and really want to progress into intermediate/advanced learning, he would find me a teacher. For now, I'm on my own.

How's the Alfred's Adult Course by the way and which is the correct one? Can you someone link me the version that is talked about on the forums?

Can you give us an example or two of pieces you would like to play one day? (The realm of classical music varies greatly in difficulty. )

Being to play these two would make me beyond happy

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3WWZQyPs30
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H99FM6S8rU

I'm sure #2 would take me many years of practice but I'm excited to hear myself progress so I wouldn't consider it impossible.

I'd like to learn some Yiruma songs (my girlfriend likes them a lot) but I'm sure those are easier.

Pianotimo, you might want to take a look at the Yamaha P105 and Casio PX-150. Try them live if at all possible. Those units are a bit more money, but many think they have a more piano-like action. There is also the Yamaha P35 which is a bit less money.

Some beginners reach for the Yiruma pieces relatively early on.

What's wrong with the Yamaha YPG535? I tried it at my local Guitar Center and it sounded and felt the nicest.

And are you a self-taught player? I would like some insight into how you began playing and how you persevered during rough times.

Is reaching for Yiruma early on a bad thing?

I would strongly recommend against the YPG535 with its GST (Graded Soft Touch) action. This action basically has no weight. Your absolute lowest starting Yamaha action should be the GHS, which could be found in the Yamaha P85 / P95 / P105. Anything less, you are wasting time and money.

If you cannot afford a new Yamaha P105 (about $500), you could look for a used P85 or P95, which should be fine, once you've made sure they are functioning correctly.

Good luck!

What is the drawback of a GST keyboard? I understand that the GHS can recreate the feel of a grand piano but I'm only 17 and I'm spending my own money of it. It's too pricey to buy the P105 (or even the 85,95) because there isn't a stand. Amazon currently has a really nice deal on its YPG535.

http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-Portab...9&sr=1-1&keywords=yamaha+ypg-535

Actually, the GHS action cannot recreate the feel of a grand piano, but that's a discussion for a different thread.

The GST is not a weighted action. I am not sure how to properly explain all the reasons why you must have a weighted action for learning piano. Perhaps others could help. Bottom line, Yamaha GHS is the absolute lowest end action for learning piano. Sorry for the bad news.

I only know this. You know those two YouTube videos you listed as something you would love to play some day? You can spend an enternity on the GST action and never get there. You will never learn the required techniques for piano on a organ-like keyboard.

You may want to wait a bit until you are sure you really want to do this.

I think I've waited 5 years already... don't think I should wait any longer.

As for GST, it's a MUST? I guess I'll have to ask my parents for the money then There goes my independence, haha.

I agree.

If I put all my fingertips on a tabletop and try to lift my ring finger while keeping the others down, I can only barely do it by a millimeter or two.

I don't know if this is ultimately a hindrance--other pianists seem to be able to do more--but you can learn to play pretty complex pieces anyway, and I don't doubt that it's more about the way your head is wired than your hands are wired.