hi i am origanly a woodwind player as you ay see from my username but i am now interested in picking up piano/keyboard if there is a difference that i don't know of and was wondering if you guys knew any good sites for begginers to find help and learn also how long did it take you guys to really start getting good and improving on the piano and do you think there is any hope for me if i try to learn without private lessons my family can't afford. Any replies are greatly appreciated thanks.

I'm not sure of any beginner piano websites, but I can tell you I have taught myself the basics of piano for about two years (after that I took lessons). I did not use any books (that made it really hard)I only had my mother show me middle "c". I suggest getting books from a local library that are designed to help people teach themselves piano, or start out with very easy pieces. Other than that, I can't recommend any more.

i didn't have a paid music instructor too.
my dad just taught me some basics...and the rest are self taught.
i don't know of any sites because i learned by ear(and a few books)...

i just typed the keyword, "piano lessons for beginners"
and a lot of sites appeared but i haven't tried any of them yet.
you can try some of them.

---kishi