i have been playing since i was 3 years old and now i am 11. so that would be...8 years. the first song i learned was happy birthday and i started out playing by ear. right now i am working on Canon bye Pachelbel.

~I LOVE PIANO~

I have been playing piano for 6 years now and I think the first song I learned was "Jingle Bells."

I am 52 years old and I have been learning for abour 6 years (apart from a couple of years when I was about 9-10). You wouldn`t expect me to remember my first piece from that long ago would you - however probably something from the Schaum course book. I had a teacher for 5 years but she moved away so I am going it alone and really enjoying self-tuition, which is where I started. I am currently learning Mozart sonata in A (the one that ends in the famous Rondo alla Turk) and Beethoven`s Sonata 20 OP 49/2. These are great pieces to learn, difficult but not impossible. The Mozart is a bit of a marathon especially if all repeats are observed.

To our younger contributors: DO NOT EVER give up playing otherwise like me you will live a lifetime of regret. I would pay a very large sum of money to instantly be able to play to a high standard, but as you all know that`s impossible. Regular practice is the only way and believe me its much harder the older you get, despite all that school work you have to get through. It`s a wonderful skill and I wish I was good and confident enough to perform in public. Keep playing.

I think you`re too old to start playing piano...of cousre if it`s jusz for fun it`s ok...The most difficult pieces pianists need to until your 17th

I ment they need to play until their 17th

I`ve been playing for 11 years. First song learnt was Happy Birthday too.

cool

how old are you? and i just remembered. my first song wasnt happy birthday, it was the little drummer boy song!

Aljosa,

No one`s too old to learn the piano!!!!! Gee wiz!!!!!!!! And why should you know the difficult pieces when your 17? I`m 19 and I only played "Fur Elise." Hmmm??????? You have a problem!

Thanks to Wyldflowers for that vote of confidence!! I started playing this time around when my (Grade 8 piano and violin) daughters challenged me to. They reckon I have progressed much faster than they did over a similar period - and they had a teacher all the way through.

Question: Does anybody regularly play a digital piano (eg Clavinova) and given the choice would you prefer to own one rather than a traditional acoustic.

Lots of fun can be had with a digital but they can NEVER reproduce the sound of a (good) acoustic.

Paul, that`s awesome that you`ve taken the piano back up!! I for one would far prefer a acoustic piano, unless you`ll be doing lost of digital recording. (well, I would REALLY prefer a Steinway 11` grand, but I don`t quite have the money or space for it )
Keep practicing!!

~Laura

and BTW, my first actual song was `The Old Grey Mare`, I am currently working through Chopin`s Fantasie-Impromptu, and his Grande Valse Brillante (duet) I will give a one hour solo concert in Nov... I`m fifteen.

~Laura

Do you know the notes for little drummer boy

I`ve been playing for 6 years now, but I started off by myself and got some songs I liked by ear. The first thing I played after I started officially (i.e. started working with a teacher and started reading music notes) was some unknown piece from a method book.. `Happy Birthday` I did by myself before that..

OFFICIALLY for 6 years.. I started messing about with piano at 4 or 5.. I`m now 14.. I was supposed to play in a concert yesterday but it was cancelled. Arafat, you know..