The convenience of using the internet to learn to play the piano online is a major advantage. It allows you to work through tutorials at your own pace and in the privacy and comfort of your home. While there are potential challenges that come with this approach, they are not insurmountable, and you can still enjoy all the benefits when you learn piano online.
Why try to learn piano online in 2022?
Learning piano online offers many advantages, even though it differs from the hands-on approach with one-on-one instruction. The flexibility of self-guided lessons online allows you to set your own pace, avoid the hassle of finding a teacher, and save time commuting to and from lessons. Online piano courses are also typically less expensive than private lessons.
Challenges and Solutions to Online Piano Learning
The internet has made piano online learning easier with a range of websites and videos that can guide you without having private teacher lessons. However, to maximize your learning, it is worth considering the challenges you may face and employing solutions to overcome them.
Challenge#1: No real-time, in-person feedback
Taking piano lessons online and in your own time means there is no immediate feedback nor prompt answers to your questions and there will be no one to correct your mistakes if you are doing something wrong while playing. This one-to-one interaction is missing.
Solution: Find a piano online learning community
Learning online does not have to be an isolated endeavor. There are many online communities available where learners and advanced musicians engage to share progress, receive comments from others, and tap into resources that can supplement your learning.
Challenge#2: Your playing technique may suffer
With one-on-one lessons, the teacher corrects your fingering and posture to enhance your piano technique. This option isn’t available to you when taking online piano courses. As a result, progress might be slow when you repeatedly practice a piece incorrectly, and this can lead to developing bad habits.
Solution: Carefully study the master pianists’ technique
There are a lot of elements to learning the piano that may seem complex. Thus, it is important to follow the precise verbal and visual instructions from the online tutorial. You can also use the vast internet resources and videos of master pianists that will help you practice and refine the fundamentals of piano playing.
Challenge#3: Lack of structure
Free piano resources are useful for adding repertoire and tips to playing techniques, as well as filling up any knowledge gaps. However, it is important to be aware of the limitations. Free online lessons tend to be sparse and scattered leaving you confused or frustrated about how to progress.
Solution: Take a full well-structured course
The advantage of enrolling in a well-structured course is that they are designed to teach you in a logical and structured way, so you are not at a loss of where to start and what to practice. This is comparable to how a piano teacher would teach you the fundamentals initially and then build on that foundation.
Pedaling, rhythm exercises, adding emotion, finger exercises, and scales are only a few of the themes covered in structured lessons. This helps you know what to practice and will result in making good progress. The best solution to learn piano online is to have a focused approach to developing skills from the ground up.
Challenge#4: Lack of motivation
It is common to become distracted or give up too quickly when learning the piano online, especially when you get stuck, or you find a technique difficult. You need perseverance if you want to continue playing the piano. It is, in fact, the single most critical thing to learning something new. It can be too easy to walk away from the piano and turn on the TV when you have no one to guide you and no regular weekly sessions scheduled.
Solution: Be a self-starter to self-teach
You must be a self-starter to self-teach. Whenever you feel unmotivated, reconnect with why you wanted to learn the piano and what you want to achieve. Sometimes, the hardest part is getting started. See practicing as a treat, and not a chore. Schedule at least five minutes a day and commit to it.
How to make the most of your online piano learning?
When learning piano online, there are a few practice tips that will come in handy:
- Begin slowly. It may be tempting to play at performance speed when you first start, but by slowing down you improve your reading abilities and will help you play accurately.
- Be a good listener. Before you begin playing, listen to expert renditions of the same piece to gain a sense of the song’s flow.
- Practice in sections. You do not have to learn the entire piece at once. Practice small sections and perfect them before you move on to the next part.