Spoiler: absolutely not.

Have you ever heard an amazing piano player whilst visiting a piano store or shopping centre? You think to yourself ‘that’s beautiful, I’d love to play piano like that’. You move closer to the sound, and as you’re in eyeshot of the piano, you discover the person playing is about ten years old.

Suddenly you feel deflated, ’I could never play like that, I’d be starting too late!’.

I have good news for you: you are NEVER too old to begin learning the piano. Having the drive and passion to learn something new as an adult is not to be underestimated, and it isn’t uncommon for adults to progress well through piano lessons for that reason.

Pianote offers some really useful information for learning the piano, and is a must watch for anyone considering getting started.

This teacher jumps right in with a musical, melodic phrase that you – the student – will be able to play by the end of the lesson. If you have a keyboard at home already, why not give it a go!

She also shares some great tips for learning the piano as an adult, the first being: ’know what you want to play, and be really clear on that’. This is excellent advice. There are a lot of teachers out there that teach a lot of different styles – be sure to be learning from the one who suits you and your goals.

Let’s take a look at this video where teacher Cory Hall is teaching his 66 year old beginner student Christine.  This video is jam-packed with information, so I’m going summarise the most important points.  

You’ll see early on that Cory is correcting the way the Christine is positioning her fingers. Starting with the correct technique in this way is exactly why it’s best to get a teacher from the get go. It’s always harder to correct bad habits and incorrect technique than it is to learn the correct from the beginning!

The student is learning basic scale patterns and note reading right away – this is the best way to learn the keyboard because you are gaining a solid foundation on which to grow your skills and understanding of music. Through these piano exercises, she is also developing her finger muscles and dexterity.

Cory likens learning the piano notes to learning a new language, where in both cases, the goal is to naturally do so without thinking about it.

As you can see from both videos, the approach is not overwhelming.  

Learning the piano is a lifelong journey – even as a professional musician, there is always more to learn, and different styles to explore, but as a beginner you will be surprised at how quickly you will be able to play a few tunes.

There is no better feeling than learning a beautiful piece of music that you are able to play forever, so we hope you enjoy your lessons, and we look forward to finding you the perfect instrument to practice on at home – and maybe even perform on!

For piano recommendations to suit your needs, don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our friendly live chat specialists, call us on 1300 888 279, or visit your nearest store.

Please note: this post is not sponsored.

Live Update RTP Slot Pragmatic Terkini EMAS168 (rtp-emas168.com)

Looking for some inspiration to kick off your evening practice sessions? Look no further. We’ve picked five incredible Australian pianists who have done, and are continuing to do, amazing things in their music careers.

1. Van-Anh Nguyen

Van-Anh Nguyen is an Australian-Vietnamese pianist, producer, and composer currently signed to Universal Music/Decca Records.

With 7 album releases under her belt, she has hit #1 on the Australian iTunes classical charts three years in a row.

She was awarded her AmusA at age 9, and her LmusA at age 12, has won several awards throughout her piano studies such as the Kawai Piano Award (Australia), and the Audience Prize in the 13th Sommerklavierfest, Bad-Bertrich (Germany), and performed internationally at major concert halls.

Incorporating music, fashion and DJ’s to her concerts, Van-anh is also active on Instagram where she posts her new music, practice, and behind the scenes, with a bit of food and wine. Follow her here: https://www.instagram.com/vananhofficial/

2. Hoang Pham

Hoang Pham is a concert pianist who was born in Vietnam and came to Australia as a baby with his parents. He describes playing the piano, not only as his job, but his greatest hobby. He often performs as a soloist, sometimes with other musicians, and on special occasions with orchestras.

As much of the world is in lockdown, his production company ‘Hoang Pham Productions’, is presenting high quality performances, viewable for free on youtube, or facebook. Take a look! https://www.facebook.com/hoangphampiano/

Hoang Pham also teaches the piano to all ages and levels of experience. More information can be found here on his website: https://hoangpham.com.au/teaching/

3. Mekhla Kumar

Mekhla Kumar is an prize winning Australian concert pianist from Adelaide. After studying at Adelaide’s Elder Conservatorium of Music, she completed her post graduate studies at the Freiburg University of Music in Germany where she was awarded 100% for her final examinations – a rare and impressive feat.

Mekhla Kumar has also been the recipient of multiple scholarships, has performed as a soloist with the Elder Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra, and has collaborated with Grammy nominated bassoon virtuoso, Martin Kuuskman.

4. Julian Cochran

Julian Cochran is an English born, Australian composer and pianist. Interestingly, he was also trained as a mathematician.

At fourteen years old, he received a scholarship to the Elder Conservatorium of Music in Adelaide for advanced piano studies. He also began teaching himself to play other instruments – some virtuosically. 

Jeffrey Williams of the New York Concert Review pointed out that when one hears ‘mathematician’ and ‘composer’ in the same sentence, it’s not unreasonable to anticipate a music style with a mathematical base, however it is not the case with Julian Cochran, who stylistically, can be compared to romantic composers such as Chopin, and Debussy. 

His music continues to be performed globally at some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls. The Cochran Piano Competition began in 2014 and is usually held annual in Warsaw, Poland, however, as all piano competitions are cancelled due to covid, the fifth edition will be held online, with participants able to send in their audition videos.

For more information, visit:

https://www.cochranpianocompetition.com/about

5. Simon Tedeschi

Simon is one of Australia’s most renowned pianists, performing as a soloist with the counties leading orchestras, and internationally with various jazz and classical collaborators. In 2009 he performed at Carnegie Hall and was the recipient of the ‘New York Young Jewish Pianist Award’. By then, he was no stranger to the stage, he first performed at the Sydney Opera House at the age of 8!

He is currently performing across Australia as part of various collaborations, including Echo’s Of The Jazz Age, The Genius Of Gershwin, and Rhapsody in Blue with the Clarence Valley Orchestra.

Alongside a symphony orchestra, Simon also has a concert series especially for kids and their families. The self-described pianist and prankster takes his audience on a journey, sharing his experiences as a classical pianist.

He also performs a concert designed for little ones aged 2-5 titled ‘Meeting Mozart’. Take a look here!

For more information including current concert dates, visit his website: https://simontedeschi.com

Live Update RTP Slot Pragmatic Terkini EMAS168 (rtp-emas168.com)

1. It will reduce your stress

There is nothing better after a long day, than unwinding with your piano and a piece of music that you love. A study conducted by K. Toyoshima, H. Fukui, and K. Kuda at the Nara University of Education compared playing the piano, calligraphy, and clay moulding. Their finding was that cortisol levels were reduced after all three activities, but piano playing had the greatest effect.

2. Improve Your Confidence

Whether you are preparing for exams, performances, or just playing for leisure, there are so many ways that learning the piano grows confidence. You will be developing a new skill and discovering new capabilities within yourself even by simply practicing at home.

3. Learning how to read music opens you up to a whole new language

Reading music notation for the first time is easier than you think. Once you delve deeper into sheet music, you will be learning more about how composers wrote music, and how they wish the piece to be performed. If you’re studying classical music, you’ll even be learning a bit of German, Italian, and French.

4. Improves Coordination

Playing different notes, chords, and rhythms at the same time with both hands naturally improves coordination. Don’t be daunted by this prospect! By starting with the basics you will develop a strong foundation where combining two hands feels effortless.

5. It teaches discipline, concentration, and determination

There is a technical side to playing the piano that is equal parts challenging and equal parts satisfying. For example, you may spend ‘X’ amount of time working on a scale or exercise, and then find you are able to tackle a difficult musical passage with greater ease. It’s a great feeling!

6. It is easy to play songs right away

Unlike wind and string instruments where it takes time to produce a pleasing sound, you will be able to play basic music in your first moments of learning the piano.

7. It can develop into a lifelong passion

Learning the piano should be enjoyable, relaxing, challenging and fun. As a hobbyist, whether you practice every day or go a stretch of time without learning, music is something that will always stay with you. Whether you are travelling and find an old piano, or you’re at a party where there is a piano, you’ll always be able to jump on and play some tunes!

8. It’s fun

It is enjoyable to learn the music that you love and to be able to express yourself freely through music. Feel free to chat with one of our friendly piano specialists about how you can get started on your journey with piano.