| We live in a world of fast food, instant messaging, | | | | position my hands for basic mid-keyboard |
| and virtually instantaneous downloadable music | | | | fingering. My fingers were assigned numbers which |
| purchases. Is it possible to quickly learn to play | | | | corresponded with white notes surrounding middle |
| the piano from an online system of beginner piano | | | | C, and I was taught what I needed to learn to |
| lessons also? | | | | play a very simple exercise. |
| Don't you need a real person to talk you through | | | | So far, so good. |
| how to sit at the keyboard and how to hold your | | | | Then I was shown, by example, how to follow |
| hands? Who is going to watch you and see if you | | | | simple notes from both the bass clef (for the left |
| are doing everything wrong? Maybe even offer | | | | hand) and the treble clef (for the right) to play a |
| up a few words of encouragement? Or, are you | | | | repeatable phrase, and follow the music. But, I |
| simply rushing the notes and this is why you are | | | | didn't have adequate instruction, in my opinion, on |
| getting tripped up? | | | | the differences between the two clefs to really |
| Or maybe, learning to play the musical keyboard | | | | allow me to know why I was doing what I was |
| is like learning to use a computer keyboard, | | | | shown to do. This is where a live teacher would |
| something that millions of people have taught | | | | likely have been better. |
| themselves. Using a computer with any kind of | | | | The next lessons had me playing simple nursery |
| proficiency is pretty difficult to do by oneself, and | | | | rhyme music that anyone can hum, and even |
| this is done all the time. Could learning to play the | | | | coordinating both hands doing simple passages. I |
| piano be all that different? | | | | wasn't really playing leads with full chord |
| Well, I have had only a modicum of training on the | | | | accompaniment yet, but I was progressing nicely. |
| piano, even though I admit to being familiar with | | | | Learning as much as I did without any human |
| music in general, and I have to tell you about my | | | | (present) guidance was a revelation, but as I |
| own experience with a piano learning system I | | | | admitted above, I am familiar with music. Still, I |
| found online. | | | | believe I would have fared OK, it just would have |
| I was not shown how to sit up straight on the | | | | taken me a bit longer. |
| chair or stool, but I WAS instructed on how to | | | | |