Contents
You’re considering playing the piano, but you need to figure out the level of commitment required. If you’re a complete beginner, you might need to improve your ability to learn the piano. How many years does it take to get good at piano? As a private lesson and music instructor, I frequently get inquiries along the lines of the following:
How much time does it take to master the piano? Depending on how you define “good,” I typically estimate it takes 6 months of consistent practice with good teachers or programs to develop the technical proficiency necessary to be considered good, based on what most people believe to be good. In this article, I’ll examine the elements that affect learning piano success and explore how long it takes to master each level.
Determine the level you want to reach.
How many years does it take to get good at piano? What constitutes “good” piano playing is the first thing we need to determine. Do you want to know how long it takes to become a proficient pianist in piano? You might want to play the piano version of your favorite pop song.
The majority of this is subjective. A professional jazz pianist will appear to a pianist with classical training to be decent but could be more exceptional. The reverse is also true. Some people will spend countless hours on this, but I’ll divide piano proficiency into five categories.
Beginner
How many years does it take to get good at piano? The first level of piano playing is a beginner. These people can hold chords in their left hand while playing a simple melody with their right hand. The hands don’t move independently of one another, nor are the chords moving. You might be familiar with a few I, IV, V, and V7 chords in some typical keys. You’re getting pretty good at five-finger drills.
Intermediate
Many songs are playable by intermediate piano players. They are at ease dissecting chords into various patterns. They can follow along mentally with the other keys and are familiar with the fingering exercises for scales in popular keys. They are confident in how the notes on the staff correspond to the messages they are playing. How many years does it take to get good at piano? The hands are starting to separate from one another. The intermediate pianist will understand how to approach learning a new piece, despite the difficulty of sight-reading piano music.
Advanced
This is where most people would describe your piano playing as “excellent.” The pianist can perform scales and arpeggios in all keys, both major and minor, with ease. How many years does it take to get good at piano? This musician will be able to improvise simple harmony and chords with a right-hand melody since she understands how sheet music fingerings function. A proficient player can sight-read short pieces relatively quickly. Though learning takes them some time, they can also play tricky tunes. Although the hands are independent of one another, expert players will still need help with more complex techniques like frequent and wide-ranging hand crossings and hand jumping across the piano.
Expert
The accomplished pianist has spent a lot of time honing their technical abilities. With ease, they can play any key and play various activities. Simple songs are easy to sight-read, but it takes some practice to become proficient with more challenging works. They can improvise using musical concepts and learn songs quickly. When they improvise, it appears they had always intended for the music to be that way.
How many years does it take to get good at piano? Experienced players have mastered many complex songs. Additionally, they have performed some of the most challenging piano works. At this level, there are a lot of well-known popular performers as well as undergraduate piano students.
Professional
Expert and professional players primarily differ in terms of time and repertoire. The pianist typically develops a specialty in a particular style or genre at this level. These pianists perform all the specialist tasks at even greater levels. They have a vast repertoire of tunes that they can play.
They’ll likely have performed many songs with the most difficulty. Most individuals who observe experts wonder how they could play in this manner. People are equally captivated and moved by these piano professionals’ performances.
How Long It Takes To Learn Piano: Factors Well
The numbers in the next section depend on many factors and are entirely subjective. The ones most crucial to take into account are covered in this section. There are undoubtedly more than these, but these are the ones I consider to be the most significant. How many years does it take to get good at piano?
Attitude is the first and most crucial component. Do you anticipate battling? Do you mind if you do horrible things for a while? You must be able to embrace these things as a necessary component of learning. Don’t think, “I’m a lousy pianist.” Consider: I have a lot to learn. I’ve come so far; look at me.
From whom are you learning?
How have you evolved? There are numerous methods for learning the piano; however, some are superior or inferior to others. I’ll briefly discuss the most popular ways to learn: How many years does it take to get good at piano? Private lessons are frequently the most successful. Your tutor will provide suggestions on improving while guiding you through the process. These are typically more expensive, and how much you advance essentially relies on the instructor.
Group Classes: Attending a group class offered by a university or music retailer is an additional excellent choice. You still receive feedback from the teacher, and it can occasionally be a little less expensive than a private class. You will receive less feedback than in private classes and frequently get stuck in the class’s progress.
Piano Books: There are a considerable number of piano books available. They can be incorporated into your one-on-one or group lessons. While doing them independently is acceptable, they are typically not made to accommodate self-directed learning.
YouTube: There are many beautiful videos deconstructing songs and techniques, so learning from them is okay. But this is the least productive strategy for improvement.
Online piano lessons: Online piano courses have advanced significantly over time. Some of them have gone to the point of group lessons. Flowkey is one of the most excellent options available. Check it out without cost! Need assistance with the piano? Check out Flowkey for hundreds of songs with learning tools and simple-to-follow instructions. Even though I’ve been performing music for almost 20 years, I still use it to practice new songs and have fun.
What Is Your Practice Period?
To improve, you must practice, but you must do it at the correct time. Practicing for 10-15 minutes a few times a day, in the beginning, is acceptable. Over the day, you should practice for at least 30 minutes. Less will demonstrate little advancement.
How Frequently Do You Exercise?
Practice volume is more significant than practice duration. A person will advance more quickly if they train for 30 minutes five days a week instead of 2.5 hours one day a week. Daily practice should be your objective, but this is typically unrealistic. Try to do it at least five days a week.
What Practice Do You Do?
How many years does it take to get good at piano? It matters what you practice as well. Playing a tune you know well for 30 minutes could be more enjoyable, but your skills will only advance as much. Your practice sessions ought to have at least 4 of these components:
- technical training (scales, arpeggios, etc.)
- new learning material
- mastery of known materials
- performing by ear (finding songs on your own)
Related Article:
Do I Need 88 keys to Learn Piano