Thread: Lessons or piano first?

I was debating as to whether it would be better to purchase a piano for my home first, or to get some groundwork in lessons before making the investment. In a perfect world, I could get both at once, but one always must budget this day in age. Either option is about 6-12 months off, though the meantime I'm learning some basics online and with a keyboard.

Piano first: benefit is that I'd have something to practice on regularly when I DO get lessons

Lessons first: the piano will be more rewarding when I do get it.

What say you?

Piano. Lessons are pretty much useless if you can't practice what you learn. You'd be wasting your money the other way around.

Also, most good piano teachers will require you to have a working piano.

Piano first. Sometimes there are good used vertical pianos that can support your piano lessons well enough.

I agree, piano first. Although if you already have a keyboard at home you can probably practice on that for a little while.

Originally Posted by Ondine

Piano first. Sometimes there are good used vertical pianos that can support your piano lessons well enough.

Yes. You could probably find something reasonable in the $500 range.

I'd say lessons first as they are not that expensive, my other half used to teach piano (still does for certain people). Once you know and can play a little, when your familiar with pianos you can really choose a piano that's right for you. Each piano is different it's tone, it's warmth, it's colour and it's sound are all different and once you know how you can pick the piano that complements you. This is how I fell about the cello but I'm sure the same will apply to piano.

When I was going for treatment I asked about keyboards on the forum and I actually found quite a good keyboard that I have since gave to my niece.

Link

It's not a real piano but it's good enough to learn on and I was impressed by it. It's cheaper than a piano and also has the bonus of a headphone socket which is always useful.

It depends if you can find a decent (and tuned) piano on which you could practice at least 45 minutes erveryday or six days a week...
In this case, lessons first.

If you have to have a piano at home to have an instrument to work on : piano first.
But be very careful not to take bad habits - I'm not sure this is actually a good thing to really begin the piano without a good teacher. You might just learn some harmony, have a good theoretical knowledge, a good ear, and so on. Or you can begin to study the piano once you have it but being very careful acquiring good fondamental skills and technique and not trying to go too fast.

edit : oh, and rather than online, find a good book from a good pedagogue and study it properly... I learnt a lot of things online when I was beginning classical guitar (I didn't have a classical guitar teacher) : a lot of them were wrong, all of them were misunderstood.
Had I begun with something like the Pujol method (an old-fashioned but historically very important guitar method from the first part of the XXth century), following the advices with great precision and patience, I wouldn't have needed to take the trouble of un-learning and correcting deeply ingrained bad habits.
Find one good source, follow it.
Of course this is just an advice (: but I speak from experience.
Good luck with your journey !

Many churches will let students practice on their instruments ... and may or may not charge a very nominal fee.

Also, check with various piano dealers for a rental option - some have rental with option to buy plans as well.
And yes, you will need a piano to practice on ... preferably an honest to gosh real piano.

Kh

thanks for the thoughts so far!

If you can get your hands on an electric keyboard, I would say lessons first. A decent piano is not all that necessary until you have a few years of piano under your belt. Don't buy a piano and then take lessons after—and then realize that you hate the piano. Bad decision.

Well, so far into my fledgling enterprise, I would be very surprised if I hated the piano. With trying the guitar and flute, I wanted to skip steps...ie focused on the end result when I'd be able to play real songs. I'm taking it more seriously now, and finding I'm interested in the baby steps. Of course it warrants saying it's a keyboard I've been playing on so far, not a piano.
IF any musical instrument is right for me, it's going to be the keyboard or piano. I think a local music shop MIGHT have a set of short intro courses, ie an hour a week for eight weeks or something. That may be a good starting point----->piano----->more serious lessons from then on. Kind of the best of both worlds