The main drawback of learning online is the lack of physical contact, therefore, checking what you are playing. Alone, with help on the internet, you will need to be disciplined and organized to learn.
Online lessons can be useful for several reasons:
- You can’t find a teacher
- A private tutor is quite expensive
- You are afraid of having to invest all year in a Music School
- You are often absent
- You can watch the lessons at any time on the internet
In summary, starting with the internet is already a good start. It can also be a supplement to what you are studying elsewhere.
Learn the piano on your own
If you want to start learning the piano on your own, it is possible. Everything is possible on the condition of perseverance and good organization!
If you do not know music at all, you will need to bring:
- 1 to 2 methods for beginner pianists, to start
- 1 booklet with the basics of music theory: there are small practical manuals
- 1 very easy sheet music book (real sheet music, not method books)
This is essential as the method is the key. If you are alone, your method and your organization are essential.
Text is good, video with sound is better. You will, of course, find many resources on the internet.
The problem is that there is often a lot of information to sort through.
Is it really possible without a teacher?
The main downside if you are studying using a method or from videos is forgetting the right sequence of videos. You won’t realize it of course, but there will certainly be flaws and sticking points. And if you have a question, it may go unanswered.
The main bad habits when you start alone:
Fingering error
This fault is not very serious because it depends on the score. But, a bad gesture will be heard and it will be uncomfortable. The rendering will therefore not be excellent.
Misunderstanding of rhythm
There is a sense of rhythm, not to accelerate or not to slow down. Without outside control, this can be approximate. There is the rhythm in the respect of the score; it is more annoying if you never succeed.
Poor positioning of the arms or wrist
If your wrist is too high or askew, then you can injure it. This bad habit can become very annoying in the long run. If there is no one to correct you soon enough, poor posture can be difficult to restore.
Alone, it will also take a good dose of motivation to regularly follow the manuals and move forward.
You want to play chords without knowing anything else
Like the guitar, the piano can be played with the chord system alone. This one does not use music theory at all, although there are always notes and beats. The piano chords are like a simplified way to play multiple notes simultaneously.
You want to play accompaniments, songs with chords and tablatures. You can do it on your own. There are also many tutorials on the internet, which show you how to string chords together.
Playing chords will be quite easy. However, if you have never played piano, your way of playing, pressing the keys may remain quite awkward.
It’s never too late to see a teacher
Whether you play very infrequently or start learning on your own, it will never be too late to call on a teacher.
You can then:
- Take stock of your knowledge and practical progress, even if it has been some time since you started alone.
- Return to classic learning: music theory, reading notes, deciphering, strengthening the fingers, work on expression, and nuances.
Do this by taking advantage of what you already know along with correcting the flaws.
If you think you can learn how to play the piano online, then you can try doing the same, but nothing compares to having a piano teacher when it comes to learning and motivating the students.