When I started playing the piano at the age of 26, a well-meaning friend who had taken music lessons from the tender age of 3 told me, "You'll always play piano with an accent." That was five years ago. I have since developed my piano skills and am now composing my own works for a solo piano album. I have played for family, church and singing groups. I have also learned to play the guitar, bass, and drums and am taking voice lessons. I don't consider myself a musical genius by any stretch of the imagination, but I don't think I "play with an accent" either. Music is a skill, and anyone willing to invest the time and effort required to gain that skill can become a musician at any age. Here are a few tips for the adventurous adult who wants to learn to play an instrument:
1. Find a good teacher
When I started to play the piano, I almost had myself convinced that I didn't need a teacher at all. Fortunately, my 7-year-old daughter started taking piano lessons at about this time, and when I saw how well she was playing after only a few lessons I asked her teacher if she would teach me as well. My playing dramatically improved when I started taking lessons, and I would not be the musician I am today without the foundation my teacher helped me to build. I have since learned other instruments on my own, but I think it is especially important for someone with a limited musical background to be guided by an experienced teacher when learning a first instrument.
Even for an adult, learning to play a new instrument can feel a little like going back to school. So when selecting a teacher, it's important to look for someone who cares about your goals and can help you achieve them without being condescending or critical when you make mistakes. As an adult music student, I consider myself a paying customer and am not afraid to speak up or find a different teacher if my needs aren't being met.
2. Make time
Most adults have many responsibilities, but they make time for things that really matter to them. When an adult says, "I don't really have time to learn an instrument," he or she is usually saying, "I don't consider music important enough and have chosen to do other things with my time." As an adult music student, you may not be able to practice every single day. But if music matters to you, then you'll make time for it.
3. Play music you love
It's okay to start out with a simple book that teaches the basics of note reading, but you should start playing songs you love as soon as you possibly can. Most adults need more than "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and "This Old Man" to get them excited about music. Church hymns and Christmas songs often make great pieces for adult beginners, since they are familiar and enjoyable and often simple to learn. As you gain experience, you can branch out and play more complicated songs. You will be much more likely to enjoy the time you spend practicing if you love the music you are learning to play.
4. Be patient
Rome wasn't built in a day! Don't worry if your progress is slow: good things take time. As an adult music student, you may compare yourself to other adults who have played for years. I used to think that to be a good pianist, I needed the ability to site read any piece of music. I have since realized that site reading is only one of many skills a musician possesses, and I have found that I can play at a much higher skill level when I practice a piece thoroughly.
5. Understand that one size doesn't fit all
There are many styles of music--classical, jazz, rock, pop, new age, etc--and every music student learns differently. Some styles require exceptional note reading skills, and some do not. Unfortunately, many music teachers use a "one size fits all" approach to teaching. The best teachers will find ways to blend your particular musical interests and learning styles into a custom curriculum that works for you.
When I started playing the guitar, I discovered that the symbols above the melody line of a piece of sheet music (symbols like Cmaj7, D, and Gm) found in so many music books and "fake books" were simply chords that could be played on the piano as well as the guitar (and a variety of other instruments). So I learned to play chords on the piano, and almost immediately improved my playing abilities. I no longer had to read the bass clef and was free to focus on the melody in my right hand while playing chords in a variety of ways with my left hand. This opened up a whole world of songs that I could now play.
When playing piano chords, sometimes I play the chords as a block (all notes at once), and other times I arpeggiate them (play each note of a chord individually). Sometimes I play chord inversions (mixing up the order of notes in a chord), and sometimes I play chords using a "glissando" (an arpeggiated chord played quickly from the lowest note to the highest to produce a harp-like sound). All of these techniques allow me to produce great sounding music, often with even more variety and interest than sheet music arrangements. I also find that I use much more of the piano while playing in this style, moving up to the highest notes and down to the lower notes with greater ease. I still read the bass clef when I want to, but it's nice to have options.
6. Study music theory
One of the best reasons to learn to play an instrument as an adult is that you can more easily understand music theory. A friend of mine is a talented pianist who took a college music class and said she learned more in 1 semester as an adult than she had in 3 years as a child, thanks in large part to her improved ability to understand music theory. Music theory is everything that makes music possible--from notation to instrumentation to tuning--and can provide adults with a better understanding of what they are playing and why. Music theory can give you much more than trivia: it will directly benefit your playing! When I began learning chords, progressions and scales, I was better able to identify patterns in the songs I was playing. This allowed me to learn more quickly and retain more of what I was learning.
7. Improvise
Improvisation can be one of the most enjoyable aspects of music. My improvisations initially sounded awful, but when I started applying the chords and scales I had learned from my study of music theory I was able to create more musical sounds. One improvisation technique I used was to choose a chord progression (like C,F, and G) and play notes from the C Major scale over the progression. This worked best when I used the 1st and 5th tones of the left-hand chord (avoiding the 3rd) because the 1st and 5th tones of a scale blend well with every scale tone.
8. Write songs
When learning a foreign language, students typically focus on reading, speaking, writing, and listening. In music, far too many teachers and music students focus only on reading and playing (the musical equivalent of speaking). Writing (composing) is rarely taught before a student reaches collegiate levels. This is unfortunate, because songwriting (with or without lyrics) can be one of the most creative and fulfilling aspects of music.
I often "find" themes while improvising and either record them or jot down notes on sheet music paper. Then I develop the theme into a longer song by repeating it, modifying it, adding additional themes, an introduction, a conclusion, and a bridge. It helps if I know what emotion I am trying to portray or what story I am trying to tell in a song.
9. Don't let performance anxiety hold you back
I find that playing the piano is a great way to relieve stress. This changes, however, when I try to play in front of others. Suddenly, the piano can become a source of stress and my mind, too often, goes into panic mode as the notes in front of me blur into useless markings.
During the past 5 years I have worked diligently to overcome my fear of performing. The most important step I took was to decide what my goals were. Did I want to play for myself, family and friends? Church groups? Concert audiences? On television? Once I decided my piano performance goals, I created a plan and found opportunities to play in a variety of different settings. It has been a slow journey, but I have successfully played for groups as large as 80 people. If this isn't your idea of fun, don't worry. You can set a goal to play only for yourself, and it can be a very fulfilling experience.
10. Build muscle memory and memory muscles
Learning to play any instrument involves both mental and physical learning. The more you play an instrument, the easier it will be for your muscles to move reliably from one note to another. The more your mind and body know about music, the easier it will be for you to learn new songs. For most people, learning to play a song one specific way will help muscles learn the necessary movements. All of this comes with time and guided practice.
11. Have fun
As adults, we spend so many of our waking ours working. Why not learn a musical instrument and spend a few of them playing? It has been a richly rewarding experience for me, and I recommend that anyone who wants to play a musical instrument, young or old, begin the journey today.
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