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Hey guys

I'm a 15 year old boy who's about to take pianolessons. And I'm getting a piano in 1-2 weeks. But I just don't know which one yet. I have 2 options (both new) :
- Kawai K-2 (€3800,-)
- George Steck Silent (€3500,-)
Please tell me what one and why i should buy that one.

And I'm already 15 years old and i can't wait to start with my pianolessons. I also think that i will be very driven to play the piano for a long long long long time :p . I've got 3 questions:
- What piece can i play after about 1 year of lessons?
- What piece can i play after about 2 years of lessons?
- How long does it take to play Für Elise?
I know it depends on the amount of talent I (don't :p ) have.

Ps. Don't post comments about my English, because i'm from the Netherlands.

THANKS

Hello Wimbwicket and welcome to the Teachers' forum.

For advice on pianos, I'd suggest you ask on the Piano forum. The participants there will likely be much more knowledgeable about the two models you are interested in.

The K-2 model is 114cm high; I think you might be happier if you can go at least 118cm high. The sound quality is much improved and the key action is generally improved. The K-3 model, which looks to be €800 more, is probably worlds improved.

As far as lessons go, have you found a teacher yet? The quality of your teacher is at least as important as the quality of your piano. Unfortunately, my experience teaching in Germany was that it was very difficult for older beginners to get the better teachers, because of old ideas about students starting between ages 7 - 9. Perhaps the Netherlands is more progressive in this area.

How far you progress each year depends on several factors - you (of course), how much you practice, how well you practice (more important than how much you practice), and the quality of your teacher.

Hope this gives you some help.

By the way, what part of the Netherlands are you from?

Welcome to the wonderful world of playing the piano!

To answer your questions:

--Definitely buy the Kawai piano. Especially if you might want to play duets or chamber music in the future.

--It's difficult to say specifically what pieces you'll be able to play after a period of time without knowing how much daily practice you will be able to commit to. But it would be realistic to expect to be playing some intermediate-level sonatinas (Clementi, Kuhlau, Beethoven) after about 2 years of lessons.

--It takes me about two and a half minutes to play Fur Elise (sorry, couldn't resist a bit of humor). Seriously, I wouldn't be surprised if you'd be playing this piece after about 2 years of study (with at least 1 hour of practice daily).

Two years--are you sure about that? That seems absolutely insane. I would most certainly think that in a month or two, maximum, Fur Elise could be played with ease.

The first page, yes (although it may sound a bit clumsy if played by a total beginner). Then it gets harder. (How many people know only the first theme of this piece, and don't realise there's more?) And for such a well known and special piece, the goal is to play it beautifully, not just to stumble through it. So I wouldn't give it to one of my students until I think they're ready for it.

Alexander, my students are both younger and perhaps more average in general, and are not really ready for Fur Elise until 4 - 5 years of study. But lalakeys is correct, if you put in an hour a day of true study, you should be ready to tackle it after a couple of years. It is a mid to upper Intermediate level piece. I think most repertoire series have it place about level 6 or 7 out of 10.

Fuer Elise is a longer piece than just the first "section" and it consists of several levels of accomplishment. The first section is the easy one that most students do, most are not aware of the longer length that a complete playing involves.

Betty, I don't know why, but your post prompted my sick, distorted brain to think of something weird. One of my young ladies came to the studio this week wearing a belt with a keyboard design on it. That inspires my fashion sense. Perhaps we could market a neck wrap and call it Elise's Fur.

John?

This does not seem like the John I know!

Well, John, thanks for consulting with me, I think a neck wrap might be a good idea, if we could also market the boots that go with it. A short version and the long version.

We might have better luck with "Elise's Fur-niture Polish for Pianos".

I plead innocent to prompting you - you did all the work on your own! Will we need investors?

Betty

It's early signs of dementia.

Thanks for the information guys

And John vd. Brook I'm from around Rotterdam / Gouda. So little far from Germany :p

Ah, Gouda! Not only my favorite cheese, but my wife & I often stop for coffee and kuchen there after landing at Schipol and driving on to Germany. Many fond memories.

Of those two pianos i'd suggest the Kawai K-2.

About how well you can play after 1-2 years, you've got it right, it all depends on a) talent and b) the ammount of time to practice.

The fact that you are 15, in my opinion, helps you out a lot. They say that children learn things faster, which i only believe to an extent. Because you are older you can grasp certain concepts easier, plus you have a whole new level of self awareness being older, and the actual desire to learn and prosper, setting your own goals.

Good luck!

I don't know why, but because of your comment i feel very happy and gave me a lot of self confidence in learning to play the piano. I can't wait. Thanks!

The earliest reference to Fur Elise in our state's teaching manual is Level 3, which--if you progress at the "normal" pace--equates to 4 years of piano lessons.

Well John, i found a teacher who's a member of the EPTA. I'm going to her this evening to check if she's any good . I hope i'll like her.

You may be a little disappointed that you received no answers. Don't take it personally, Wimbwicket, as perhaps you have already summized, there are no black and white answers. It really depends on you, how fast you learn and can apply the principles you're taught, how much you practice, how seriously you take your lessons, how disciplined you are and so forth. There are, unfortunately, just too many "it depends" type factors. Just try your best.

I took about a year's worth of lessons when I was in my 20's and 'forced' my way through Fur Elise. The first part (the easy part) sounded passable, after a while. The second and third parts (the difficult parts that everyone is referring to), quite honestly, never sounded good, despite my brute force and sheer determination to conquer a piece that was far above my level at the time. By the time I could play it all the way through, quite frankly, I was sick of it (having played it 1,000 times) and the sad part about it was that it really didn't sound all that great, despite my substantial efforts. The fingers, mind, musical understanding and technique are simply not ready for a piece like this at an early juncture. Have patience, it will come.

Glad you found a teacher. Let us know how your lesson goes. Good luck.