Question:
I just started learning the piano and am on my second lesson. As an adult beginner, I have a few questions that hopefully the people in this group can help me answer. Here they are:
1.) How important is the quality of the teacher at this point? I'm taking private lessons from the local rec center and I'm going through the basic books like Hanon, some Brian Pendalton books also. What does it mean to have a "great" , "good", or "average" teacher? How much of a difference is that going to make considering I am just a beginner? How do I know that a teacher is "good" or "great"?
2.) What can I possibly expect to do in say after 6 months to a year? Can I sight read popular sheet music at a decent pace? I mean considering that I practice 1 hour a day, everyday, what could I expect to do after 6 months to a year?
3.) If I want to be able to sight read most popular pieces and most easy to average classical pieces without difficulty, how long will that take? I want some realistic goals here.
Answer:
As an adult beginner I have some perspective on some of your questions.
I tried piano as a child, and did not react well to tutoring, and was not interested enough in music, especially scales, so I quit.
I tried again as a young adult, but didn't get interested enough to practice either.
At 37 or so I tried miracle piano and it was fun so soon that I started taking the Miracle lessons (computer based instruction) regularly with some pauses for remodelling.
I started lessons with an excellent pianist and organist when the Miracle started hitting its limits. I overcame my fear of tutoring and have been taking lessons for 2 years. I am using Alfred Adult Series, about 1/3 of the way through level 3. Three is the last level and should put me approximately at the start of the intermediate range when I'm done with it.
My perspective is this:
What is important is that piano playing stay fun!!! As an adult there is no one to "force" or "coerce" you to practice. So it needs to stay fun, or you won't keep practicing.
Clearly there are lots of technique exercises that will improve playing. But sometimes I think some teachers can over-do the technique, to the point of the student losing interest. I spend about 1/3 of my practice time doing technique, scales, chords, and hannon. But I do it only because I recognize it will help me, and I'm having so much fun playing and learning songs that I'm willing to do it. So don't let anyone convince you that you have to do lots of exercises, if you are finding them enough work that it discourages you from practicing. You can and many people should, start with just learning songs that are fun and interesting to you. Then as your interest and practice routine starts to take hold you can add the technique practice.
Of course if you like Hanon by all means keep with it. I'm doing it now, but would have quit if my first lesson had been hanon. In my opinion the first lesson should teach you a simple tune that is at least a little fun. (Miracle added a back up band to make it even more fun).
On what can you expect to do in 6-12 months? Unless you are a whole lot more talented than I am (I'm probably just average), you will be able to learn simplified versions of songs that you like and enjoy. It will take one to several weeks to learn a new piece.
It will take several years (2-5) before you can learn "most" music you might find, in a few days or weeks depending on complexity. Sight reading like you describe is a highly advanced skill that takes many years of practice. Unless you want to play piano as an accompianist, or for hire at Nordstroms, I wouldn't over-work the sight reading angle. You can learn your favorite songs to play for yourself and your friends, and have a great time without being able to play "anything in the book" without having tried it earlier first.
That may not sound encouraging compared to where you would like to be (wouldn't we all), but remember you will be having fun the whole time!!! And isn't that the point? How many adults start piano as a career? So it doesn't really matter if the process takes one year or 10.
