Photo credit: Ze Carlos Barretta
This is a question that comes up quite often with our families. Is it important to start with piano? Or if your son or daughter has their heart set on another instrument, should you bypass the piano altogether and go right for the instrument they truly want to learn to play? This is a great question which I’m going to dive into in today’s blog post.
My answer to this question depends on a few factors, such as the student’s age. Generally, I do think that having piano background prior to starting another instrument is a very good idea. It never hurts, and more often than not it helps tremendously. The skills you develop in piano lessons help with any other instrument you’d want to learn. Here’s why:
- You get a great foundation in note-reading
- Since the piano has so many keys, you read notes in the treble and bass clefs. On most instruments, you only read on one or the other. For example, the flute only plays in treble clef, and the trombone only plays in bass clef. If you learn piano first, you can easily plays notes on either the flute or trombone or whatever other instrument you have in mind.
- You get a strong foundation in music theory
- Piano is a linear and visual instrument. The keys are laid out in a sensible, linear way, and you can see them as you play. Being able to visually imagine the keys helps tremendously with music theory.
- It’s easier to start playing songs immediately in your lessons
- When I teach the first piano lesson to a new student, they learn how to play songs almost immediately. After their first lesson, they have several songs to practice that first week. Kids get so excited to play songs– especially songs that they know!
- On many other instruments, starting with songs is not feasible. You have to first learn proper technique– how to hold the instrument, how to move your bow, the proper embouchure, etc. In some cases, if your technique is not accurate, you won’t even get a sound out of the instrument.
- Many students get frustrated as soon as they realize just how difficult it is to play many of the popular instruments. For example, many kids romanticize the idea of playing the guitar since it’s cool to be a rock star. When they try playing it, the romantic idea goes away, as it physically hurts to press the guitar strings down until you develop calluses on your fingers.
To go back to the initial question about another instrument versus piano first, it really depends on a lot of factors, though the main one is the student’s age. I recommend that younger students begin with piano for at least 1-2 years or more. This gives them the foundation that will help with another instrument. I think it’s fine for students age 8-9 to go right to the other instrument they have in mind.
In my case, I started piano lessons at age 10. Just a few months in, I wanted to play the clarinet, since it was offered at my school. At first my mom didn’t want me to start clarinet, since I had just started the piano. Finally she gave in (when I told her I’d get a free clarinet to use from the school and free lessons at school!). For me, playing two instruments went very well. I loved both and practiced both.
If you are unsure whether starting piano or another instrument first is best for your child, I encourage you to talk to us. Based on your situation we’re happy to give you our honest feedback.
Thanks for reading! Do you have a child that started piano first even though they had another instrument in mind or vice versa? How did it go? Leave a comment below. Thanks for reading! Subscribe to the newsletter and “like us” on Facebook. Have a beautiful day!
Sincerely,
Cassie
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This was a really involved process just to leave a comment, but I just wanted to say that although I’m not a parent, I am someone who started on an instrument other than piano. Okay, well, actually, I did start on piano at around age 10, I had weekly lessons for a couple of months before she moved away. Then a year or two later I decided to join my school band in 7th grade (it was a new school, my old one didn’t have a music program). I decided to play flute because I’d always been attracted to its sound, and I walked home, so having a light instrument was a nice bonus. I did learn basic theory in piano lessons but I never fully understood how bass clef worked and I was struggling to find notes. However, in the school band, I immediately picked up theory and understood it perfectly. I was great (for having never played the instrument before) at the flute and just FLEW through beginning band. I don’t know if the difference was that I was in band 5 days a week and piano once a week, maybe my band teacher was better at teaching or I just understood her teaching better, there are all kinds of things that could’ve affected it. But honestly, in my opinion, if a child doesn’t express wanting to play piano in particular, I feel like it should be used more like an additional model. Teach them about all the instruments there are, what the skills are for a wind instrument versus percussion or string, and let them learn the instrument they show interest in first. Maybe after a few weeks, once they start understanding enough of theory that they actually recognize there are things they don’t understand instead of utterly spacing out, maybe bring them to a few piano lessons or something just to learn things like enharmonics and how bass and treble clef connect and things like that. (A bunch of kids in my band class had never been taught anything about piano, and a few of them often got confused on which notes had sharps and flats that were another note entirely, but when they actually SAW on the piano how there’s no black key between B and C or E and F, they never messed up again. So I think it’s useful, but piano tends to be a really bland first instrument.)
My 9 yr old granddaughter has a couple sets of caregivers due to some issues early in her life. My husband and I started her on piano lessons a few years ago. Another couple, dear friends of ours also started her on lessons with another teacher. I stopped ours thinking it would be too confusing to have 2 different teachers. Now they suggested trying guitar with the same teacher. They mean well and are trying offer as many opportunities to her as possible that she would not receive at home otherwise. I’m not sure if this is her idea or theirs. I would like her to continue with piano and have a strong foundation before moving on to other instruments, as she has had many disruptions in her lessons. I have played piano, and various other instruments as my children and other family members. This couple do not play and maybe don’t understand my concern. Not even sure this is an issue. Please advise.
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