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.