How hard would it be for me to learn piano and guitar?(Details)?

4 Comments

1. chelseythebagel says:

   February 2, 2010 at 08:39

   I play both piano and guitar. I played piano (and took private lessons) for 6 years before learning guitar because the opportunity never came until then.

   1. I will say teachers are always very helpful. Both helped me learn my instruments. There’s nothing like a teacher. What you could do that is close to a teacher, get a beginning book for guitar. Go through the book, repeating each exercise a few times daily. This is what the teacher would have you do anyways. If you repeat these simple exercises, then you can work your way up through the book. There might be some troubles with technique though, that might lead to problems in the future when playing harder things because of lack of a teacher.

   Piano, same thing. Go through the book. If you make a mistake, go back and play that measure 10x, then start again. It’s all about repetition. If you just play through things without correcting, you’re not going to improve.

   Don’t start with anything really hard. Just work your way up. If you try and skip to something harder that you can’t handle, it will take you longer. Just trust me on this one. I still take piano, going on 15 years now, since I was 5. I still play guitar since I was 13. This is what teachers would tell you to do. Now you know, I guess you don’t really need a teacher.

   2. It depends on how hard you work and are dedicated to correcting your own mistakes. PERFECT practice makes perfect. If you make a mistake, go back and play that measure to fix it, or else you’re going to do it later. Oh, and practice with a metronome! Even if they’re one note things, just do it. It will help you keep better time later on when things get harder. It’s a pain, but it will pay.
2. Mary says:

   February 2, 2010 at 08:44

   well if u already play piano u can play a keyboard….its the same thing just electronic…..yeah there r synthesizers and pads but that u just have to play around with…..as for guitar….there r a lot of resources online…..just google “guitar chords” and u can find chord diagrams….. learn the basic chords…….start with D G and A and then move on to Em Bm C E Am F#m……..find a song u enjoy……get the chords for it (google the song title and the word chords and then learn those chords as long as they r easy) just takes time to learn that muscle memory……praise and worship songs are good cause they have really basic chord progressions……even if u dont normally enjoy that music its worth taking a look…..good luck!!!!
3. Edel B says:

   February 2, 2010 at 11:32

   1. how hard it will be for me to learn guitar and keyboard without a teacher? i can practice each an hour a day

   This really depends on the person and on the following things:
   - your in-born musical talent (some are naturally good at this, and some aren’t even if they try)
   - are you a fast learner?
   - how determined are you to learn ie. your passion
   - how good your ‘mentor’ is in teaching

   I learned how to play guitar and keyboard without a ‘teacher’ too, teacher in the sense that the lessons aren’t paid nor is it formal. I did start however by observing and asking from people who knew how to play, and they sort of taught me the basics. Once you know the basics, you can use the Internet to your advantage and start searching for tutorials.

   I have to say that the difference between the two is:
   - Guitar starts hard, but once you know the basics, it gets easier
   - Keyboard starts easy, but gets harder as you progress

   At first, knowing one (of keyboard or guitar) won’t really help you play the other instrument any better. They’re kinda separate and different. This would only apply once you’re in the intermediate level. If you’re better and more comfortable at playing the guitar, then it will help you play the keyboard better (in terms of remembering stuff like families of chords, etc). If you’re more comfortable with the keyboard, it’ll help you play guitar better (eg. understanding how it is to transpose or change the keys of the songs you play). Basically, you’re not really inter-changing your technical “skills” in playing, but your technical “knowledge” for music by learning either one does come in handy.

   2. how long would it take me to be able to play songs

   Again, this depends on the difficulty of the song. For guitar, a fairly easy song, you could probably play in about 3-4 hours of practice. For keyboard, if you’re playing by chords (and not notes), it’s pretty much the same time. But of course, that’s only the initial. Once you start getting the basics for both, it’ll get easier.

   Some popular contemporary songs are easy to learn, but some are not. So try to be realistic in setting your goals.
   
4. jedimasterdanix says:

   February 4, 2010 at 22:26

   If you play piano, they you can easily teach yourself keyboard. I would suggest taking guitar lessons. I’ve been playing piano for nine years (I’m a teenager) and I taught my self guitar. Knowing piano should help you learn guitar. It really depends on what degree you can play piano too.