Returning to keyboard as an adult — excited but overwhelmed!

L-M · 2025-05-28T04:09:19+00:00

Hi everyone, This is my first discussion here — I’m really happy to have found this community! I learned electronic keyboard as a kid and recently decided t...

rsl12

L-M I’d be happy if I can learn to play one complete piece in two or three months.

If your definition of "beginner" is the same as mine and you're spending two or three months per piece, you might be picking pieces that are too hard. Are you working through an instruction book?

At the beginner level, small pieces with a single challenge to overcome will be more useful (and more satisfying) to tackle than a big piece with multiple challenges. At the very beginning, a student can get through an instruction book at a pace of one new piece every week, but as the student advances, it takes longer per piece. I wouldn't spend two to three months on a piece until the intermediate level. Which makes me think your frustration might be due to trying to play things that are above your level.

Sgisela

L-M welcome! I re-started in 2020 after nearly 20 years without playing, but I had many years of lessons as a kid, and a lot came back pretty quickly. It’s a little ambiguous from your posts how much experience you had as a kid, where you are now, and what your goals are. So I’m not sure if the details of my ‘return to piano’ story will resonate with you.

Anyways, I will say that the decision to return to playing was really one of the best decisions I’ve made, as piano is such a wonderful part of my life. It’s a selfish activity, in that it is very much something I do for myself and my satisfaction. It’s something I do after work, and it challenges me and also provides me a way to unwind and just have my mind in a different place.

I think if you give us some more information about how you’re currently learning and what your goals are, folks may be able to provide some more directed advice. I agree with @rsl12 that of you’re working on beginner pieces, 2-3 months is probably an indication that you should be working through easier things. And feeling frustrated by lack of progress may also be an indication to step back and work through easier things.

Player1

L-M

You didn't say what kind of methodology you're using. Formal lessons? Method books? Self teaching/stumbling along in the dark?

If you're not doing formal lessons, then I suggest you pick up one of the method book programs like Alfred's or Faber instead of trying to teach yourself what you don't know by banging on the keyboard and hoping for inspirational lightening to strike. Many of us here have done those programs and learned to play.

Slow is normal in the beginning. You have to think about everything and that slows down your hands/fingers. You'll get faster as well as more lyrical as you progress.

Motivation is hard when you're sitting in front of your keyboard day after day. It's up to you to keep finding ways to sit there and do your homework. The recitals here help a lot because they allow you to display your progress. You can also post videos of you playing your keyboard in the Member Recordings sub forum at any time. This also helps keep you motivated because you get to show off how you're doing. My only advise is to not overdo it because that leads to burnout. Slow but steady really is the key.

Finally, there will be ups and down. Like everything else in life, you can't let that stop you.

pseudonym58

Welcome, @L-M
As a former piano teacher (children and adults, up to intermediate level) I recommend the first two books of the Piano Pageant series by composer Donald Waxman for beginners. Very short pieces at first, and more interesting than most others in that category.
Like anything else, I'd recommend consistency: try to play nearly every day, even if it's just 15 minutes. Try not to use self-imposed deadlines; you'll progress at your own pace. I do recommend finding a teacher who is willing to work with you to learn in this way. Have fun!
(Edit: You did not indicate how far along you are in your playing; obviously the above pertains to a beginner. 😉)

thepianoplayer416

Some self-learner would push themselves to learn a difficult piece in a few months like a Chopin Nocturne or a fast movement out of a Beethoven Sonata. The rest of us including myself would start with easy pieces that require no more than a week to finish. A piece with 3 or 4 lines in big print shouldn't take more than a few days to learn.

It's important to set achievable goals for yourself. After I learned a few pieces, I know how long it'd take so I have expectations when I learn similar pieces. Next tracking your progress. I always end a practice session with a recording. The next time before playing a note, I'd listen to the playback so I know which sections of the piece to work on. As always avoid the temptation to practice pieces from top to bottom untill you can play all the notes with few mistakes. In the beginning there would be a lot of trial & error. After a while there would be more consistency.

Animisha

Welcome L-M

Motivation... For me, motivation was never an issue until now. I enjoy practising. Maybe not every single time I practise, but basically. I push on keys, and out comes music. It is a miracle!

But motivation has become an issue since I have become very much occupied with other issues. For years, my signature has been "... feeling like the pianist on the Titanic ..." and it seems as if the ship hit the iceberg some time ago and more and more water starts to pour in. The piano is still fine, music is still music, I can still sit and play, but how much longer?

I'm sorry, I realise that this is not much of an answer to you.
Here is my answer to you: enjoy your practising. Deliberately enjoy the process. And motivation comes naturally.

ShiroKuro

Animisha I push on keys, and out comes music. It is a miracle!

I love this way of putting it! It is a miracle, isn't it! 🙂

Nightowl

L-M Hello L-M, welcome to this friendly forum, you're in the right place to find support from others who are also in a piano learning curve (which includes some people who've been playing for decades, as they strive to improve their skills).
I began learning piano just over 18 months ago, using Alfred's AIO Adult method books. The books are designed to teach the basics, then gradually build skills to enable beginners to play some fairly nice pieces, including a few classical pieces arranged for beginners, plus various well known country tunes and folk songs. The books are well put together and although some of the pieces are not great, there are a few nice pieces in the second half of book 1 and things improve with book 2 (although the difficulty level means that progress is usually slower in book 2). There is a 3rd book, but since finishing book 2 I have chosen to continue with material from other sources. I'm at the stage where I would probably benefit from getting a teacher but I don't feel ready yet.
Progress can be slow at times but if you persist and work diligently through method books they will take you from beginner to early intermediate. The recitals are a great way to gain feedback from other forum members and they can help to motivate people to polish pieces, rather than skipping ahead to fresh material. Good luck with whatever route you choose, it's great to have another (returning) beginner around here - we seem to be outnumbered by experienced players.

pianoloverus

Nightowl I'm at the stage where I would probably benefit from getting a teacher but I don't feel ready yet.

Why don't you feel ready yet? If the expense and sufficient time to practice are not an issue, then I think that the earlier you start with a teacher, the better. This is especially true about learning proper technique, which is almost impossible to teach from a book or video. No matter how well a book or video tries to explain technique, it cannot correct the technical errors everyone makes, especially at the beginning. For that you need a good teacher who can observe you playing and make comments.

WieWaldi

L-M Also a big welcome hug from my side. Beeing a fellow beginner, we all sit in the same boat.

thepianoplayer416

Progress video of a 1-year self-learner:

Nightowl

pianoloverus Fear. I suffer with social anxiety and don't relish the prospect of making an utter fool of myself. I also have pet allergies so I would not cope well if there were furry animals in the teacher's house (I like animals but my immune system misbehaves around them). There are other reasons too - the cost is not an issue but I feel anxious about the whole thing.

Sophia

I'd like to add one more suggestion... in addition to the ones already given. I agree that getting a qualified teacher is by far the best way to learn the piano. Which is kinda hypocritical for me to say, as one who is actually not in a position to have a teacher.

So if you are in the same boat as me, I would definitely second Nightowl's suggestion to work through a method book. Second best to learning from an actual teacher is probably the Youtube channel of the Let's Play Piano Methods guy. Whatever method you want to use, he will talk you through it 🙂

When I first started learning I used his channel as well, and learned so many things I would never have thought of on my own.

pianoloverus

Nightowl Sorry to hear that. In that case Sophia's suggestion seems very good.

Animisha

Nightowl Fear. I suffer with social anxiety

I am sorry to hear that Nightowl! Would it be easier for you to make a recording of a piece you play and send it to a teacher, who then gives feedback? In that case, I can recommend Zachary Deak at Artist's works. He is always very friendly in his feedback and you can both send videos of pieces that he has taught, and of pieces of your own choice.

Nightowl

pianoloverus I agree, Sophia's advice is sound and the YT channel she mentioned is very helpful. Thank goodness for people like him, who take the time and trouble to help complete strangers for very little in return.

« Previous Page