The piano has often been hailed by many as the instrument that knows no boundaries and time. Unlike many other instruments, the piano can be used to play any kind of musical genre. With its sweet and resounding sound and melody, it is no wonder that many people secretly or openly want to learn how to play the instrument.

When you want to learn how to play the piano, you come up with the first decision to make: learn it with a piano teacher or learn it on your own. Which is which? As you know, each of these two has its own pros and cons. What you need to do is know the advantages and disadvantages of the two, consider them, weigh them, think it over, and make your decision.
photo credit: Andrew Stawarz

Option 1: Learn with a Piano Teacher

Learning with a piano teacher is usually the method for children. However, you, as an adult, might want or not want to take it with a teacher because of several reasons. To help you think things really through, here are the pros and cons of learning how to play the piano with a teacher.

Pros

When you learn your piano lessons with a teacher’s help you are able to: get formal instructions of piano playing, completely understand reading notes, have somebody correct whatever it is that you are doing wrong, have somebody encourage you, have positive and negative feedbacks on the way you play, really study piano seriously, and have somebody to challenge you.

Cons

However, learning with a teacher also poses some disadvantages such as; you need to make time for the piano lessons according to the teacher’s schedule, it is expensive, you might end up with a difficult teacher such as a perfectionist, and you end up taking directions from somebody else- a negative if you don’t like being told what to do.

Option 2: Learn on Your Own

Learning without a teacher’s guidance and help has often been a favorite by many of those who want to learn how to play the piano. Why? Here are the reasons.

Pros

It is cheap in that all you have to do is buy an instructional manual, book, or CD and it does not require you to take instructions from somebody else. Also, you need not adjust to anybody’s teaching style, you get to study piano playing according to your own schedule and nobody else’s, and you need not go to anybody’s house or anywhere else but your own home.

Cons

Learning on your own may seem too good to be true, but it also has its own set of cons. First, you get too lax making you end up taking a great deal of time in learning how to play the piano. Second, you have a great tendency of not learning anything especially if you are not that serious in learning how to play the piano. Third, you end up discouraged especially if you frequently end up with lessons that are hard to understand. Lastly, you never know if you are playing something right or wrong.

Think about each of the pros and cons of each of the options. What you should choose should fit your lifestyle, fancy, and mood.

It’s been months since you’ve started having piano lessons and now you feel like you are ready to take the next step. And what might that be? Buy a piano, of course.

photo credit: doll damned

Before you go out to buy yourself a piano, you should bear in mind that there are three different types of pianos. Each of these has its own characteristics that can be compatible with the pianist in you.

Grand

One of the very popular piano types, the grand is usually seen accompanying recording artists such as Alicia Keys, Sir Elton John, and Vanessa Carlton. This piano is also called as the horizontal piano due to its length and placement of the strings inside making it great for use of expert piano players.

There are six sub types of the grand piano and these are:

Petite grand- the main reason for its name lies on the fact that this piano only measures about 4 feet and 10 inches. Despite this, the petite grand still gives a powerful sound.

Baby grand- measuring at about 4 feet and 10 inches to a few inches above 5 feet, the baby grand is one of the most popular pianos around. There are three reasons for its popularity and these are great sound quality, nice to look at, and affordable price.

Medium grand- simply put, this piano type is just one inch bigger than the baby grand. In fact, it is mistaken for the baby grand most of the time.

Parlor grand- also known as the living room piano, the parlor grand measures at about 5 feet 8 inches to 6 feet and an inch. Because of its size, it is often seen in living rooms and parlors, hence, the name.

Semiconcert grand- suffice it to say, this piano is approximately 7 feet long.

Concert grand- this is the biggest subtype of the grand pianos. It measures at 9 feet making it the number 1 choice in concerts, hence, the name.

Upright

Classified as a vertical piano because of the position of its strings, the upright piano stands at around 50 to 60 inches and with a width of around 58 inches. With these measurements, this type of piano is the tallest.

Considered as a rival of the grand piano, the upright is usually seen as inferior by some who do not know a lot about it. This piano is made of the same great quality wood as the grand piano, costs less compared to the grand, and produces a high quality sound that can be compared to the grand piano. Another good thing about this is that it can be played by experts and beginners alike.

Electric

If you are a beginner or a performer, the electric piano is the one for you. It is the cheapest type and can produce sound of other instruments such as oboe and guitar. You can also record what you have played and play it back later.

Taking all these into consideration, which of the three piano types do you think is for you?