3.22.2021

reflections on a year of piano lessons by a dedicated (and untalented) student

The covid lockdown began on March 17, 2020. On March 20, I began piano lessons.

I took piano lessons from age 6-10, before switching to violin (a mistake), then quitting. I later resumed piano lessons as a teenager -- a very positive experience that ended when I left home for university. 

It was always assumed that I would one day inherit our family piano. That didn't turn out as planned, but that magnificent heirloom has stayed in the family, and in a wonderfully random way, I ended up with a piano anyway. I told this story here: why it is interesting and significant that i own a piano.

As soon as that happened, I decided that I would find a way to take piano lessons again. The pandemic presented me with the perfect opportunity. I did some research, and easily identified Pianote as my method of choice: in which i begin re-learning how to play piano -- using pianote.com.

And now I've been learning piano for one year! So... some thoughts.

  • Pianote has exceeded my expectations. It is a fantastic program, a brilliant combination of self-directed learning with a huge array of resources and support. I now have a lifetime membership -- an investment in myself. 
  • Learning as an adult is great! I use the methods and resources that work for me, and ignore the ones that don't. (More detail on this below.)
  • Shorter practices are better.
  • For the first six months, I practiced every day. Never missed a day! But at some point my practice routine had grown ridiculously long and tiring. With advice from Pianote teachers, I shortened and simplified the routine. Now my practice fits in better with my life and my (in)ability to concentrate. I now practice five or six days each week for roughly 30 minutes per day. On days I feel too rushed or stressed to practice, I've adopted the habit of at least playing some scales or other warm-up exercises for five minutes. 

  • I actually remembered a few things from my childhood lessons!
  • I did not remember how to read music, but I was able to recognize certain notes. I also remembered the mnemonics for note-reading and, strangely, the pattern of the major scale: whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half. Perhaps I should have expected some bits to be lodged in long-term memory, but still, it amazed me.

  • I am seeing progress!
  • Up to now, my playing has been hampered by my almost constant need to look at my hands. I'd unintentionally memorize bits of a song, and look at my hands while playing it. Then, looking up at the sheet music, I'd be lost. This kept my playing sounding very hesitant and choppy. Just now, after a full year, I find myself able to sight-read without looking at my hands! Which leads me to conclude that...

  • My learning is very slow.
  • I have zero musical aptitude, and learning to do something you are not naturally good at is very challenging! Which leads to my number one rule...

  • Think small!
  • When something I am trying to learn -- any challenging phrase, any rhythm, any tiny bit of hand independence -- becomes less difficult, when I move from painfully trying to a basic ability, that's a win. Any. Tiny. Thing. Because really, what is learning if not a collection of tiny wins, strung together?

    --------

    Regarding Pianote, here's what I ignore -- and what I adore.

    The Metronome. The principal instructor at Pianote -- who is amazing -- believes that using a metronome for some part of every practice is essential. Free digital metronomes are available online (google metronome) and I did try it, but ran away screaming. My hearing isn't great, and my concentration is even worse, and I just couldn't stand it. So, no metronome!

    The Q&A. Pianote features a weekly live Q&A with instructors, with questions submitted in advance. (The session is later posted as a video.) Pianote students from all over the world participate in this, a group piano lesson and hangout. I tried this a few times, but I found it tedious and time-wasting. If I have a question, I'll post it to a forum, leave a comment below a lesson, or if necessary, email an instructor. So, no live Q&A for me!

    The Student Review. Similarly, there is a weekly live lesson. Students submit video clips, then get support, advice, and critiques, as well as some experience playing in front of a (virtual) audience. Many students regard this as Pianote's best feature, and what sets it apart from other online learning experiences.

    I tried this once. I didn't find it at all helpful -- except to clarify that I have no interest in playing in front of an audience of any kind. It's simply not part of my learning goals. So, no more Student Review!

    To each their own, eh?

    But there are so many features of Pianote that I love!

    I love the beautiful set of books that complement the Foundations course. I read them all while working my way through Foundations, and I continue to use them for reference.

    I love the ability to download and print sheet music.

    I love the "Quick Tips" -- short mini-lessons focusing on one specific technique, practice tip, or challenge.

    I love the Planner, a beautiful book that helps me track my progress.

    I love the fluidity of learning both ear training and sight-reading, and using a combination of various methods and learning styles to learn to read music.

    I love learning music theory, and Pianote's approach to it. It feels like unlocking the mystery of how music is created. 

    I love the supportive community, and although I don't spend a huge amount of time there, I do enjoy supporting other students, and seeing different perspectives and styles.

    I love the incredibly user-friendly website that really leverages design to support learning.

    I love learning at my own pace and through my own path.

    And above all, I love the amazing teaching staff, headed by the incomparable (and Canadian!) Lisa Witt.

    20 comments:

    Unknown said...

    This is awesome to read about another student's take on Pianote!
    Personally, I love the "Live" Q&A and when I find time I also love the student reviews.
    I too have been a member now for just over a year and can't believe I have stuck with it!! I have failed so many attempts before but when I found Pianote, I knew it was different! I knew I would really learn with them, and I have been.
    Many adult learners just want to learn songs but I enjoy the theory lessons and feel great about my knowledge so far.
    I am too shy to post any videos or play in front of my hubby for that matter!
    My personal goal is to have a collection of 25-50 songs to be able to entertain the folks at my old age home if I ever get to one! ;)
    Thanks for sharing your journey.

    Unknown said...

    Personally, I love the "Live" Q&A and when I find time I also love the student reviews.
    I too have been a member now for just over a year and can't believe I have stuck with it!! I have failed so many attempts before but when I found Pianote, I knew it was different! I knew I would really learn with them, and I have been.
    Many adult learners just want to learn songs but I enjoy the theory lessons and feel great about my knowledge so far.
    I am too shy to post any videos or play in front of my hubby for that matter!
    My personal goal is to have a collection of 25-50 songs to be able to entertain the folks at my old age home if I ever get to one! ;)
    Thanks for sharing your journey.

    Karen Buckmaster said...

    What a beautiful piano journey. Thank you for sharing.

    Karen Buckmaster
    Florence, Oregon

    Karen Buckmaster said...

    What a beautiful piano journey. Thank you for sharing!

    mkk said...

    I loved reading this! Congratulations on mastering each step along the way and choosing your own learning style. It is wonderful that you can derive pleasure and gratification from it on your own terms. :-)

    Suzanne said...

    I really liked what you wrote. I purchased one year of pianote a few months ago but have not dedicated much time to it. I made the mistake of also purchasing a painting course at the same time that I did put hours into.
    by the way as a teen I was told I had talent playing piano but STILL it takes much time and practice. I appreciate what you said about breaking the song into small parts to learn as I sometimes get too impatient, try to learn it faster than I can, and end up learning it wrong. hardly to undo at that point.

    laura k said...

    Thank you all very much! It's lovely to see Pianote folks here. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment.

    Amy said...

    Brava! Maybe someday I will also get back to playing piano. I played from 8 to 15, and then in my one real act of teenage rebellion, I quit. My parents thought I was very talented and had purchased a baby grand for me. But I was a teenager, and I wanted to hang out with my friends, not practice every day playing classical music---which I now love, but hated then. AND my teacher had a twice yearly recital, and I HATED playing in front of others---so I relate to you on that completely.

    When we got Harvey's spinet about 30 years ago, I spent a whole summer playing. I could and can still read music, though not as fluently as I once could. I loved re-learning pieces I'd once played even though it made me sad to see how my skills had deterioated.

    Now I regret quitting, of course. I should have just gotten drunk or done drugs like most normal teenagers!

    laura k said...

    I should have just gotten drunk or done drugs like most normal teenagers!

    LOL, indeed. If you hadn't stopped playing then, you still probably wouldn't have played continuously until now. Perhaps another retirement project?

    Amy said...

    Maybe. Somehow I am too busy to do much more than I am already doing. I enjoy not having to feel overprogrammed. I had enough of that for all the years I was working! But playing again is something I do think about.

    laura k said...

    For sure, having more time and not being over scheduled is so great, and very healthy. I only said it because you've mentioned it as a regret. 30 minutes/day to banish a regret could be a great bargain.

    Amy said...

    Oh, but there are so many regrets! Like why didn't I take economics or physics when I could have? And I'd love to take an Italian class and a German class. And I'd love to take a drawing class. Those are all things I could do. I have tried a German class. But the others, like the piano, seem to take a backseat to the things I am doing.

    And to be honest, I have no serious regrets. Just twinges.

    laura k said...

    Well, I'm relieved to hear you have no serious regrets. Such a pointless waste of mental energy.

    I don't know if this is what you mean by a twinge, but I will sometimes wonder why I didn't pursue a certain path -- a path that never occurred to me at the time. For example, why I didn't become a labour organizer and then labour educator. The former, I dreamed of but never moved on, the latter, I didn't even know existed until I was well on my way with other careers.

    I don't regret this, because it's in the past, and I chose the path(s) I chose. But I sometimes wonder why something I am so passionate about, and would have been good at, never "clicked" as a career option.

    Amy said...

    Career choices are a whole other category. What I knew from an early age was that I loved reading, writing, and teaching. I also always loved history. Those were my interests my whole childhood. Then in college I decided that being a lawyer would allow me to change people's lives. So I went to law school. I ended up practicing in a way that made no difference to anyone's lives except corporate bigwigs, and I hated it. (How I ended up doing that is a whole other story.) Fortunately I was able to get out of it and find a teaching position. I spent 32 years teaching, and although I loved the teaching, the subject matter never was a passion. Finding genealogy made me realize how different it is when you love what you are doing.

    So if I could do it all over? Hard to say. I earned good money and had a job I enjoyed and that gave me flexibility so I could raise a family. So as you said, it's the past, and I chose the paths I chose. And I've had a good life on that path. So no regrets.

    laura k said...

    I have no regrets on any of my life choices -- just the opposite. I'm always incredibly grateful that I did what I wanted, rather than let myself get pressured into making choices to please other people (becoming a lawyer, having children).

    All I ever wanted to do was write, so I needed to find a way to do that. My activism has been a huge part of my life, and a source of great fulfillment, but fashioning it into a career was never a thing -- I never thought about it. So when I wonder why I didn't do this or that, I know the answer. :)

    I do have some regrets about personal things -- times I could have treated people better, or been more supportive, or other things along those lines. I take the view that all we can do is learn from our mistakes and try to do better in the future.

    Amy said...

    I agree---learn and move on.

    I was never pressured by my parents or anyone else to become a lawyer. I actually wanted to be one. But I didn't really know what a lawyer's life was like. I wanted to do Legal Aid work and did my second year of law school, representing poor people in civil cases---landlord tenant, consumer cases, custody issues, etc. I learned that I was not cut out for it---too emotionally draining, too upsetting, and too stressful. I took a job the next summer at a big firm to make enough to pay back my loans and support us (Harvey also was in law school). And they made me an offer for a permanent job, so I took it. The people were nice, the work was fairly interesting. But after Rebecca was born, I knew I didn't want to do that work or have that lifestyle anymore. So I left to become a law professor.

    So I fell into law by choice, but practicing law was definitely not the right career choice for me. I was so lucky to get a job teaching law instead.

    laura k said...

    I think I would have enjoyed being a lawyer working for a PIRG, or the ACLU, or the Center for Constitutional Rights. But I figured if I was going to struggle with long hours and low pay, I might as well do what I really wanted. None of these were what the person pressuring me had in mind! :)

    My other good friend who is a lawyer also worked at a big firm to pay off loans, then became a public prosecutor. She does a lot more for the public good than I would have imagined.

    Amy said...

    I learned a lot about myself doing the legal aid work in law school. One thing I learned is that I am not good at conflict. I would rather work collaboratively than be an advocate for one side or another. So being a practicing lawyer in any environment and for any client was not going to work for me. It was more a personality issue than an issue of representing the right clients.

    laura k said...

    I remember you saying that in other discussions.

    I love working collaboratively as long as everyone's on the same side. Libraries are very collaborative environments, as is good activism.

    When my fellow unionists talk about working collaboratively with the employer, they either have exceptional employers, or they're bad union reps. I've read about the former, but I've never seen it in real life. :)

    Amy said...

    Working with students and faculty colleagues was more collaborative than confrontational about 85% of the time. And I hated the other 15% of the time. :)