Piano Questions 101 Part 2

More questions and answers.

1.) I want to learn to play the piano, but I'm too old.
It's never too late to start. My oldest student is a grandmother, learning for leisure, coming for lessons to learn oldies that she loves. Important thing is deciding if you have time, energy and patience to pick up something new, because like all skills, learning the piano takes time.

2.) How young should a child start learning to play the piano?
The youngest I've seen someone start their child on piano was 5. Any younger, they might have difficulty reaching the further keys and doing theory. Most children I see only start going for piano exams at the age of 7 onwards. (That is also when they are familiar with the idea of exams, thanks to Primary Schools.)

3.) How often should I practice?
As often as you can when you can afford the time. Practice here means working on parts of a piece you have difficulty in or polishing up the piece, not mindlessly replaying old songs you have learnt. If you find yourself starting to play without looking at the score, take a break, have a coffee and come back in fifteen minutes. Because that means your brain has switched to auto-mode, not very conducive for practice. On the other hand, when you start getting frustrated and wish you could beat your fingers into submission, it's also time to take a break. Once your hands start feeling strained, stop.

4.) How to improve my sight-reading?
Getting your hands on new songs and playing them. There is no short cut to improving sight-reading. Pay attention to time signatures, key signatures, dynamics, music directions and speed. These are some common things to look out for, but playing new songs and getting used to reading on the spot can only be trained, not taught.

5.) How can I improve my aural skills?
Eh heh, difficult question because I suck at Aural myself. Getting your teacher to coach you each and every lesson, spending as much time as you can listening to classical songs (Hooray for 92.4 FM!), pretty much exposing yourself to as much classical music as you can.

Now, I am not claiming to be an expert in music, but these are the common questions I keep getting, so yeah, I try to answer as best as I can.