Hello im 18 and just started playing, but im a poor university student who cant afford lessons, so doesn anyone have any suggestion on ways to teach oneself?
or steps to take?

Piano for Dummies

It`ll teach you some of the basic concepts.

i learned alone too....reading is very important so read a lot (except what you want to read!)you won`t learn a lot from romantic pieces so read BACH (WELL-TEMPERED CLAVIER,inventions and stuff)maybe chopin can help too!!scales and arpegios everyday(4or5 per day)to this point it depens if you want to learn to play pieces or learn to create and improvise which is very apart. i`m a creator i can only help you find an attitude so when you know what you want come back...if you got talent that is!!

I am 38 and just started learning last year. I spent the first 6 months learning on my own. I have found books like Piano for Dummies and some adult lesson books helpful. You really have to work on your sight reading. Being able to recognize the note on the page INSTANTLY is critical. You then have to be able to traslate that into your finger postions. So practice really is important. I have found that playing simple songs that I know to be much more helpful then trying to trudge through a classical piece I don`t know. Hope this helps and good luck!!

i`ve been playing the piano for the last seven years or so, and the only adive i can give u is that sight reading is really important, and try to do as much of it as u can.I disagree with alot of ppl when they talk about classical music being better to start with etc... but in my opinion ur better off just picking up an elementry grade exam book and giving that a go, because u`ll have alot of varity in it.

Good Luck
Ellen

just practice and dont put time on your playing just say ull finish playing when ull finnish the pice most emportant play all kind of music and never say its hard

Well, you should start to learn each tone by octave beginning with c and when you`re familiar with them take up some piece you know and like and try and play it.
Don`t take up anything to hard, as Beethovens Monlight Serenade if you`re a beginner and not Bach (most people who think they can play Bach can`t). Popular music, I would suggest like blues and jazz and of course the etyds.

I`m a beginner too (well sorta, started last year) and I`m 17. Thanks for all the info. I`ll pick up that piano for dummies book and see what I can do.

I love the romantic stuff (liszt, chopin ect) and it`s what I`d like to learn. Instead of just like bits and pieces, I wanna learn the full pieces.

yea, it takes time and I should start very slowly. . .

thanks

Chris,

Visit: www.mrronsmusic.com. My site offers FREE Beginner Piano Lessons!

www.pianonanny.com
I haven`t spent much time there, but the have lots of content and it seems well written. I would suggest that you find someone that is quite good at piano playing once you know the basics to learn technique and discipline. They can find your mistakes, but online lessons won`t. And if you keep making the same mistake, you will teach yourself to make that mistake, and then you have to learn not to make it. If you see what I mean

mutss1 the reason you can play songs you know better than ones you have never heard is because you have heard and you automatically know the tune, beat and sound of the piece which means you know whether your doing the timing and notes correct. On the other hand a new song is difficult with strange beats and quavers. Also mistakes are easier to be made and not corrected on a piece you havent heard. This goes to the thread starter too. So try learning pieces you know because it will be faster to learn.

well.. i took paino in middleschool last year and i got a keyboard and just sightread and learned to play.. but i also play clairnet,bass,bassclairnet and others so it was a litter easier for me to learn.. but i would just buy some easy learing books and start there.. good luck

I started with a keyboard and bought "The Complete Keyboard Player" books. I`m not sure how many shops have them, but they teach you how to play with two hands and teaches you a variety of chords (especially the later books). The only drawback is that there is no classical music in there, it`s all songs such as "Let it Be" and "Blowin in the Wind" which isn`t necesseraly a bad thing. The is a "Complete Piano Player" series too. I don`t know what it`s like, but you might want to that instead.
It won`t happen to you but the problem I had with playing the keyboard and then switching to piano is that you learn to be `lazy` on the keyboard. The keys aren`t touch sensitive (the touch sensitive mode isn`t very good), and you start playing staccato chords because the rhythm sustains them, if you know what I mean. It took some time to get used to the piano.