Adult Learning and the Piano

People often ask if it’s too late for them to play the piano. Since we all have different capabilities and levels of passion about the projects and activities we choose, the answer to the question varies from individual to individual. In any case, however, the old adage holds true that it is NEVER too late to learn.

It is said that if you aren’t learning, you’re dying. Everything in life is about learning. New experiences and understanding about the things around you all involve learning. Having an interest or a passion to play the piano is reason enough for you to start learning to play right now. What is of great importance is that you make progress as quickly as possible. And the most crucial question you should ask is how you can retain more information as you learn to play the piano.

The real issue when it comes to your learning process is the amount of information you can retain. It’s NOT about how much information you can put into your head at one single time. Being able to USE the information that’s in your head is what actually makes you learn more quickly and more effectively.

Expecting to absorb everything at once is unrealistic. In learning to play the piano what usually happens is that people predictably attempt to learn everything right away. They tend to jump in with “both feet” and tackle the tremendous amount of knowledge that it takes to learn playing the piano. Aside from being an unattainable task, this doesn’t get them actually playing, and it turns out to be less than a pleasant experience. This why most people get discouraged and quit after trying to learn to play the piano for only a short period of time.

Fortunately there is a technique that works for adults learning to play the piano. This is the same method that works for learning anything new, it’s called 10-24-7.

The number 10 stands for the effort or energy that you put into learning the skills that you’d like to acquire. The key to this strategy is FOCUS. Try to do away with all the unnecessary clutter that isn’t vital to the accomplishing your immediate goal or lesson. All those extras only distract you and cause you pointless stress. It’s best if you try to learn only one task at a time and do it at level 10. This way you’ll give 100% of your energy to what’s really important. Go through the exercise or lesson until you can play the piece without even being aware of it.

After that, do the same task again in 24 hours. Learn the same thing you learned the previous day at the same effort level of 10, with the same 100% energy. Only then should you move on to the next lesson. Repeat the same single task again in seven days. You’ll be surprised at how much you retained and this will you’re your confidence immensely. You’ll find that your retention rate for that one single task will increase by 85%, and that once you learn the task, you won’t forget it.

This type of learning is referred to as the “accelerated learning techniques” or the “advanced learning techniques.” This method will work well for you if you use it to learn to play the piano. It will also make sure you make progress which will ensure that you keep at it and don’t give up!

Are you interested in learning to play piano?

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