“Mom, stop!” That’s what my kids say when I am practicing the piano, learning how to play piano songs.
Learning piano as an adult requires many things. Determination to fit your practice times into your busy schedule. An understanding that you don’t ever have to stop learning or growing, even as an adult. Oh, and a willingness to be humiliated.
You can’t learn anything without making mistakes. And you can never master any skill without going through a stage in which your lack of mastery is apparent. If you want to learn how to play piano songs, you have to be humble.
But it’s worth it.
First of all, if you abandon your sense of embarrassment, even the practice is fun. Learning to play the right notes, then to play them at the right tempo, then to play them like you mean it, is a great experience. During your practice sessions, who has the right to judge? Your kids? Your spouse? Let them live through the wrong notes. And learn that by making mistakes, you can learn to make music.
Secondly, you aren’t going to be making mistakes forever. Your playing will start to sound better with practice. If you practice a lot, it will sound better soon. So practice. Play.
Are you sitting in judgment of yourself? Forgive yourself. How many people do you know, adults with responsibilities, busy schedules and commitments, are endeavoring to learn an instrument? Just you? I thought so. If you are learning to play piano songs as an adult, you are already succeeding in a way that most folks don’t even attempt. Congratulate yourself on that. Then keep practicing.
You may never be a concert pianist. Maybe all you want to do is play Beatles songs or Christmas carols. You are already closer to that than ever before. Now go practice. And tell the kids to live with it.
And don’t forget to check out Rocket Piano for a great online course. You’ll learn to play keyboard fast!
On the other hand, if you want to feel hopeless, read these blog posts about kids who do things better than you ever will:
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top 10 kids who prove we’re all pathetic – there is nothing to make you feel more pathetic than a kid that can kick your ass at something. and i’m not talking about the accidental “i win” in a game of soccer in the front yard. i’m talking about a good spanking from a kid who can …
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Top 10 Child Prodigies – Listverse – Throughout history the world has been blessed with the occasional appearance of children with great talents, many of whom go on to become some of the most important contributors in their field. This is a list of the ten greatest child …
Refreshing internet page and refreshing posting. I really enjoy piano a lot. I have marked it to revisit later. Even if you are on the right track- you will get run over if you just sit there
Great site and post, I really enjoyed it. Thanks again.