The #1 Problem I See in Adult Piano Learners

While this doesn't apply to absolutely everyone, I've seen this problem enough (both in person and in comments online) that I felt I needed to make a video about it! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Charles Szczepanek is an international prize-winning pianist, has collaborated with GRAMMY Award winners, and has taught music for over 20 years to everyone from his next-door neighbor to finalists on NBC's America's Got Talent. Through Pianist Academy, he now brings that wealth of knowledge to you: the beginner, the intermediate, the professional, or the fellow music teacher.

[ericaatkinson]

This is a great video and I think many of us can relate to this. In my younger years, I took lessons off and on, and I was able to play more advanced pieces reasonably well before having a 12-year gap away from the piano. I learned that "adulting" and music lessons can be quite tricky to maintain. : ) Nonetheless, life without piano was less joyful, so I got myself back on track. My return to piano about 3 years ago has been filled with exciting moments, a great sense of accomplishment, and also many hours of frustration...all of which have been worth it because the other end of that path means I can play music once again.

I always try to give myself a little grace when I'm feeling frustrated. I have to remind myself that "business" comes easier to me because it's what I do for a living and it's where I've devoted most of my time in prior years. Sometimes progress feels stalled and it can be discouraging. But... I've also played enough in my life to remember that quite often, progress happens in 'bursts' that can accelerate quite rapidly when a piece really starts to finally come together.

There are no shortcuts for time and patience to develop skills that brings us to those moments. I have finally surrendered to this fact and it makes life easier. :) Just in the past 2 weeks, I've been able to experience this once again with a piece I am finishing. It's the Melody (Dance of the Blessed Spirits) from the opera, Orfeo ed Euridice. It's such a beautiful piece and I was so drawn to learn it. I'm "not great" at sight reading and this Sgambati arrangement has been painfully difficult for me to read through.

I knew going in that the piece was a bit beyond my grasp in some ways, but not so far out of reach that I couldn't get there. At times I've been very frustrated at how long it's taken me to play through 1-2 measures well in some cases. Some of the hand positions just felt very awkward and unfamiliar to me...especially to play smoothly. Experience had already shown me that this frustration would pass if I kept nudging myself along.... and maybe pause to play something else for fun in between those practice sessions that feel especially arduous. I can get so hyper-focused on what I'm working on, I have to remind myself I'm doing this for recreation, after all. At nearly 45 years old, I'm now a "recovering Type -A" personality. :)

One day my in-person teacher said "do you actually realize how difficult this piece is? There are a lot of challenging things to grasp here. When you finish this, it will be a major accomplishment and other things will feel easier." I kept this in mind and kept devoting more time to it. And just like that, about 2 weeks ago I was practicing and started noticing things were just getting easier "all of a sudden."

I went from feeling stuck in my progress during the prior few weeks to knowing that I can play this well by memory when my recital comes in mid December. : ) Just this morning, a trill I was struggling with as recently as yesterday is already now sounding pretty good. Outside of my love for playing music, this is my favorite part about learning to play the piano. There will never be a shortage of pieces that take you through this journey over and over again, and give you the opportunity to share it with others. I hope this encourages someone who may not actually notice the progress they're making little bits at a time. : )

[lee]

The music has such a dramatic effect. It's like a scene at the end of a movie where the coach motivates his rag tag team to glory with a speech.

[shortbird]

I'm an electronic engineer and I started piano playing 30years ago when I was 27. The best thing I ever did (after my family of course). The "Wohltemperierte Klavier" is my main source of pieces. It's far from professionalism what I am doing, but it' so much fun and I am surely adicted to this kind of music and the piano. If I would have started 20 years earlier, the likeliness that I would have stopped it with 17 latest is pretty high. Folks, even if you are 50 or 60 go with it!

[angeles]

I can really relate to this. I started learning in my mid 40s (I'm now 50) and I often struggle with impatience. The 'surely I should have mastered this (skill, piece, scale, etc.) by now' mindset is still never too far off. It's taken/taking me, literally, years to gradually change the way I approach learning, and to learn to value and savour every bit of progress, however tiny. What you say about progress opening up more questions, not fewer is so true. Thank you!

[mansticks]

It’s easy for a young man who undoubtedly learned to play from an early age to advise a person in his 70’s who takes six months to learn a simple piece of music to “be patient.”

[serwoolsley]

When you're an adult sometimes it's hard seeing, maybe a video tutorial on a piece of music, or maybe on a particular technique, and understanding that the teacher is probably speaking for an audience that has been playing for 10-15 years when they were kids, and somehow it seems those 15 years are the bare minumum and at that point you have just begun, i start thinking of myself and like 'well i have started not even 1 year ago, this is gonna take so much time', kinda frustrating.
At the beginning as i was playing very basic music i would be that student that would have that piece ready for next week but as i started taking onto much harder pieces now when i start it i'm like 'yup, this is gonna take months to master', overall i started appreciating the little progress that i can achieve by simply being consistent in my studies.

[RolandHuettmann]

Well said. And the journey is the goal. And it is all about personal development. 🙏👍

[brendamengeling]

I also wonder if a difference between learning piano as an adult versus as a child is the number of pieces one can successfully have in process. When my teacher had me working on only 2-3 small pieces per two weeks, I would go crazy. Now by necessity I’m self taught, and I’m much more patient with myself when I can put something down for the day, and practice a different piece. I’m practicing longer each day and doing a lot of sight reading; AND I’m improving. Chord shapes are a less alien landscape than a couple months ago. Thanks for the encouragement!

[Sincebrassnorstone]

Someone once asked Pablo Casals why he continued to practice at age 90 something. "Because im still getting better " he replied. I hope "because it's fun" was also baked into his response.
I try to help my students notice there feelings of urgency and help them calm into a more conducive learning place.
I like your videos🎉

[bunnyhollowcrafts]

Great video here! Took your first little bits of lessons on the Christmas series ... seeing blocks, triads, 4th's, 5th's ... last night .... already seeing progress in my regular way of playing!!! Thanks for these lessons!

[Northernbreed]

Perfect message - thanks. This came at a very good time for me.

[bonjovi]

Thanks Charles. Keep up the videos, all knowledge is useful.

[WSJade]

My experience as a teacher and student is completely different. While you're right adults can be impatient, kids can be too. The difference, however, is that adults have a cap to their ability, whereas kids have next to none.

You see this is many areas. Languages, music (both language and sport, so to speak), and sports. If they started post-puberty, adults can become intermediates at the aforementioned, but never experts/natively fluent (I'm not referring to transferable skills, aka. switching from one elite sport to another, rather an absence of developed skills in a given category). I've seen adults put in hours and hours of practice a day only to get tendonitis, whereas kids can put in half hour a day and whiz past all the levels in no time.

That's the reality of synaptic pruning. Whatever you didn't use in childhood, your brain prunes those connections. Sure adults can learn, and adults are better at *compensating*, and they can even be professionally competent at it. But can they compete with people who started young...no.

So I understand it completely when my adult students are frustrated. They know they did better as kids. They know they couldn't progress as quickly as they once did. They know it's taking forever, and there's a limit to their abilities. And they have every right to mourn that regret and comparative loss of ability.

P.S. Love the white sweater, colours/backgrounds, and vignetting.

[watchman]

Grateful to you for sharing these insights

[jojomusicnerd]

Great video! also love background music, gotta be one of my favorite hymns of all time

[aBachwardsfellow]

Such excellent insights shared -- thank you!

( ... and I especially like the background music selection -- thank you for that as well :-)

[Anna-hywn]

I came here to learn about music but gained motivation for other part of the life where I feel stuck. Thanks.

[lawrencetaylor]

I'm back watching this video since I didn't master it the first time around. And I know exactly what area I have to work on to make progress. My ear. I'm just listening to chords and trying to hear the differences, and the similarities, but also trying to see if I can keep it in my head.
I hear people say they use an instrument to give expression to the music they have in their brain. I don't have music in my head. I hear a constant humming 24/7. I don't think about it most of the time, which is an achievement since I have had more than one patient that literally goes crazy from the sensation. I'm not surprised that when I am able to coordinate my two hands, I hear the sound as an out-of-body sensation. I will try to internalize the feeling and hopefully that will be my progress.

[alisonduffy]

Hi Charles, the background music prevented me from concentrating on what you were saying. I have a particular problem with this. Cheers

[claudiorojas]

I liked so much your advices in this video.